A Happy Beginning

Meet Harvey

Can you imagine having feet so deformed that your tendons and muscles bend to accommodate 7 inches of overgrown hooves? Where you’re standing essentially on your ankles instead of your actual feet?

Harvey came to us in excruciating pain – constantly shifting side to side just to be comfortable. He's also 20 years old, which means his suffering has gone on for YEARS. It’s absolutely appalling what humans have put him through.

He is scared of everything: the sounds of a car, buckets, people. If your elbow moves slightly, he jumps. If two people approach, he’s already turning to kick. We haven’t ever had a case this difficult – but that's exactly what a sanctuary is for.

We are continuing to give him our all, as we do for all the animals who arrive at FarmHouse Fresh®.

HERE'S HOW WE GOT TO WORK:

STEP 1: Veterinarian & horse farrier sedate him for X- rays, bloodwork, and to cut & re-shape his hooves.

STEP 2: Pain medication, as every tendon and muscle moves to a new beat.

STEP 3: Gentle training following Donkey Sanctuary UK behavior techniques for unhandled burrows.

100 Step Training: Part 1

We contacted The Donkey Sanctuary UK - the largest nonprofit of its type. Their lead trainer, Ben Hart, is helping us along with one of several 100+ point training programs that we work through every day to get close enough to pet him, calm him enough to halter, and trust us enough to lift his feet.

Love at First Bite

Harvey was doing so well, allowing us to approach and even taking a treat. Then a sound from the road spooked him, and he bit our Sanctuary Manager’s arm. We may have to wear rollerblading pads as we move ahead! We are starting over from step 1 this week. We can't wait to keep your updated on his progress! Thank you so much for just buying the FarmHouse Fresh products you love, so we can continue to give these beautiful animals the wonderful life they deserve!