We were very interested in doing a book about adopted horses, but we haven’t received enough stories to make a go of it yet. However, I recently edited this story about Filofax by Tylluan O’Sinend and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share it with you:

The Kerry Bog Pony

By Tylluan O’Sinend

We had bought an old house that hadn’t been lived in for more than 10 years. It was on top of a mountain in beautiful County Kerry in the Republic of Ireland. Much work was needed on the house, as it had no running water or electricity. We lived in a caravan while we renovated the house, and soon after we arrived, we had a wild mountain pony at our door begging for treats.

At first we had no idea where he came from, but we soon learned he had belonged to the previous property owner, and he’d had been roaming around the mountain on his own for all those years. The relatives who inherited the house knew about the pony, but it was obvious they hadn’t cared for him because his hooves were in bad shape. I asked them if we could keep him, not because we needed or wanted a pony, but because we wanted to restore his health.

The old pony spent a lot of time lying down because walking was so painful. When we got a farrier (farrier is the English term for blacksmith) to look at him, he explained the pony had laminitis, a condition where the hooves grow too quickly due to too much sweet grass. He instructed us to watch what the pony ate, and he came back every six weeks to take care of the pony’s feet.

The pony was all white and looked like “Shadowfax,” the magnificent white horse from Lord of the Rings, except he was much shorter, so we called him Filofax or Filo for short.

In time, Filo’s health improved, although he resented having his freedom curtailed. He didn’t understand that by keeping him from roaming the whole mountain and stuffing his face with sweet grass, we were working to relieve his suffering. He was good for the farrier, but on the whole he was a grumpy old beast. We were never sure of his age, but we guessed he was about 15 at the time.

Eventually we nursed him back to health and after two years of care, he was a grand pony, walking well and used to humans again. Nevertheless, I never sat easy with the thought that he had not seen another pony in so many years.

I learned that Filofax was a rare Kerry Bog pony, which made sense since we lived in the middle of a Kerry Bog. Kerry Bog ponies almost became extinct in the 1990s, when they numbered less than 20. Today people are trying to mate them in order to save the breed. What makes Kerry Bog ponies unique is their stature; they are almost as small as Shetland ponies. Similar to Arabian horses, they have a distinctive dish face, too.

One day I discovered The Day in a Bog Museum a few miles down the road, a great tourist attraction dedicated to preserving the history of the area. I popped in and told them about Filofax, the lonely Kerry Bog pony. We got to chatting, and they offered him a home where he could be with other ponies. He’d be a star attraction ‑ a real Kerry Bog pony!

I’d miss Filo, but I thought of him having some pony friends after such a lonely life, and I knew I’d have to give him this chance of happiness. I arranged for the kind people from the bog museum to pick him up with their horse trailer. When they arrived, we were all apprehensive about getting this old, stubborn, grumpy pony into the trailer. Surprisingly, he virtually galloped into it voluntarily ‑ probably because there was hay inside!

Off they took him, away from the only home he’d ever known, his mountain. When he arrived at the bog museum and before he got out of the trailer, he heard for the first time in many years another pony neighing. Out he went to greet the beautiful Kerry Bog pony mare with big brown eyes. It was love at first sight!

The two bog ponies now share a field with a donkey, a goat, and a Kerry cow. At last, Filofax has a social life.

Whenever I think back to all the effort it took to get him healthy, I know it was absolutely worth the trouble. And every time I think of him with his new girlfriend, it puts a smile on my face.

Provided by Dr. Martin Glinsky of SmartBones

Halloween can be a fun time for families with dogs, especially when taking the dog along for Trick-or-Treating. But, there are some important safety tips families should keep in mind on Halloween:
1. Dogs should be kept on short leashes when out Trick-or-Treating so little ones have less of a chance of tripping over the leash.
2. While Trick-or-Treating, pet parents should make sure their dogs are under control at all times and kept away from loud noises or ruckus. This may frighten dogs and cause them to run away or bite.
3. Although dogs may look cute in costumes, pet parents need to keep their dog’s comfort, safety and ability to see properly in mind when choosing a costume.
4. Pet parents who are staying home with their dog and handing out candy should keep their dog in a separate, closed room with a TV or radio on to keep the dog calm. This will prevent the dog from becoming spooked by Halloween costumes and possibly running off or jumping on Trick-or-Treaters.
5. If homeowners would like to hand out treats for Trick-or-Treating dogs, rawhide-free dog chews are the best option. Treats such as SmartBones contain no rawhide, are 99% digestible and are available in a “mini” size appropriate for all dog breeds.
6. After Halloween festivities are over, it’s important to keep dogs, and other pets, away from candy because it may be very bad for pets’ health. Pet parents should keep SmartBones dog chews on hand so their dogs can enjoy a healthy, vitamin-and mineral-fortified Halloween “treat” with the family.

Here’s my challenge for you: Think of a social cause you really care about (i.e., euthanasia, homelessness, access to education, etc.) and spend five minutes making a list of all the ways you could possibly help that cause (i.e., monthly donations, putting up signs in coffee shops around town, contacting an organization and discussing your skill set to see how you can pitch in, etc.). Then, take a step forward THIS WEEK to help that cause. Don’t just talk about putting up signs; go put them up. Don’t just talk about volunteering; get involved. If you don’t know where to start, write me and I’ll help you!

Here’s the poem I wrote today, which was inspired by this train of though. What helps me to sleep well at night? Giving my all!

• I give this life my all;
• Sometimes I stand; sometimes I fall.
•  
• On days when I fall,
• I look up and reflect.
•  
• On days when I stand,
• My life feels correct.
•  
• However I land,
• On my feet or my back,
•  
• I go on with a smile
• And some plan of attack.
•  
• Most important of all,
• Though I stand and I fall,
•  
• I answer the call:
• Do your best, give it all.

As for me, sure, I would have liked to win. We just told the rescue we were taking a break from fostering after adopting Hillary, and I thought winning the money for the rescue would have been a great way to give back to them. Additionally, the post I wrote was definitely the best I could do, and I meant every word of it. Nevertheless, I’m happy that the money was provided to some great rescues and that this contest inspired so many bloggers to share their stories about how their adopted animals have inspired them.

This contest was great for rescues and great for the community as a whole. I hope BlogPaws and Bissell decide to do something like this again next year. Thanks for supporting the rescue community, guys!

To get to Dry Creek, one of our favorite dog park-type trails, we go down a windy road in a residential area. Once I found a dog crossing the road in front of my car. Luckily, I didn’t hit him and was able to reunite him with his family. Today, a squirrel wasn’t so lucky. The car in front of me must have hit him. When I came upon him, he was wriggling on his back and bleeding profusely.

I stopped. What to do? I thought of trying to scoop him up and take him to the wildlife sanctuary, but as he didn’t seem to be able to get off his back and the blood was really flowing, I decided he probably wouldn’t survive the trip. And what if he bit me?

Making the decision to put that squirrel out of his misery was extremely difficult. I didn’t want blood on my hands, but someone had to do it, and the sooner, the better. I did what had to be done. I feel awful about it, but I know it was the right thing to do. I have never before deliberately killed an animal, but now I know how the euthanasia tech feels – at least when he or she needs to euthanize a badly injured animal. I couldn’t imagine euthanizing an animal who had nothing wrong. How are there people in almost every municipality across the country willing to do it?