2-19-10

An update on Dun Deal.

Dun Deal was adopted and her home is in higher country where the snow falls every winter, a lot of snow. Dun Deal is very happy in her new home and wrote us an email telling us about her new adventures in life. Please enjoy!

I wanted to write you a quick note to tell you of my wonderful progress. I still miss the rescue and my old friends but I now have a family of my own here, one sister and two brothers. I have been able to spend the days with my older brother who is twice my age and very tolerant/submissive to me. I don’t bother him much and we get along very well. I hope to get to know my sister and other brother, who are both my age, soon. My sister and I scratch each other’s backs across the fence and she is also my stable buddy.

Food here is wonderful! I eat great grass hay in the morning and I get a little salad with it at night. Don’t tell my new mom that I don’t need my salad because I would really miss it. At night I sleep it in a beautiful barn with my new family and my bedding is cannon bone deep in beautiful yellow shavings. I do miss my green shavings however and if I ever seen any here I am sure it will remind me of you. During the day all four of us are put out in larger corrals and we “Eat breakfast out”. Later for lunch I get to join my brother and I help him clean up whatever he has left. It’s usually not very much because he eats pellets but sometimes there are a few to find. I like it here and I met my new mom’s daughter who came home from some place they call college. She was nice to me and I was nice to her too. She braided my mane and was surprised that I let her have some fun. In the morning they were out but I think it would be fun to have them again.

My new mom has been spending quite a bit of time with me each day. She has been very patient with me and usually works with me without a rope or halter. If I run away she just asks me to come back which I always do. She strokes my head, calls me silly and then continues doing whatever I ran away from. I usually run away again and once again there she is calling me back. Once in a while I run too many times and then I get to wear my new halter. I don’t even care when she puts it on anymore.

Two days ago “mom” decided it was time to work on the dread locks that have become my tail!

Once again no halter, mom just was persistent and patient for about the 20 minutes it took for her to get to touch it. I kept stepping to the side and she kept stepping up again to try once more. Finally I decided it was all “ok” as she keeps saying and I let her bring it around to my side. I wasn’t sure what was going on but I decided I could trust her with it. She started using something on my tail and it pulled just a little and made an awful sound, I stepped away, she stepped up and we got going again. Mom says that pretty soon I will have my tail back, not sure what that means but it is certainly starting to look different. I kept looking around to see what was going on and mom just kept at it. Mom found some fencing wire in there and some pine needles and she kept looking for the pets she said were probably also there. We haven’t found any yet but I sure am happy to have the wire out of it. We worked on it again today, something like an hour? Mom refuses to cut my tail so I will just have to be patient also and maybe before Christmas I will have my tail again! Actually mom says with in the week if I continue to be so good. She’s also proud that I haven’t even offered to kick her, ever! Mom sent you the pictures of my tail treasures!

I have begun picking up all of my feet although mom doesn’t require me to hold them up for very long. She seems to think it’s great that I just pick them up at all. I took a while longer to pick up my right fore when she asked. I just wanted to shift my weight onto it. She said it was something like leaning into pressure so I guess she had my number and just started tapping my leg and saying “foot”. It took a lot of tapping the first time but now it only takes about two or three and I pick it right up. She doesn’t have to tug or anything. I’m pretty amazing!!

Today mom put something called a saddle blanket on my back, I wasn’t sure about it but I didn’t move away. What do you think that’s for?

I am doing very well and I don’t want you to worry about me. I am being well taken care of and mom keeps saying she loves me. I think that is what I felt at the rescue, Love! Thank you for taking care of me and letting me become a part of this wonderful home here in the mountains. Mom keeps telling me that all this white stuff will be gone soon and that I will absolutely love the spring and summer. I can’t wait to run with my sisters and brothers on the pasture here and send you more pictures of me!

Take Care and say hi to my friends and my old family. Tell them I miss them and wish them the same happiness I have found.

All my Love and Knickers!

Dun Deal