More About Feet

I have been very busy this last week gleaning information where I can - mostly by sidling up behind the woman and monitoring her conversations with Sheila of the PrimRose Sanctuary. The discussions revolved around a group mysteriously referred to as "The Foot Sore Five". I thought it might be some sort of secret hiking and tour group, hence my intense interest but in fact it is a group of five assorted individuals who have existed in a horrible sort of Limbo for over a decade.

The setting is a gated property with two mansions on it. It has a weed and burdock infested paddock which cannot be seen from the road and in which two donkeys, a small mule, a pony and a llama have been incarcerated for eleven years. The incarceration came about when the "owner" of the animals, declaring himself to be destitute, asked his friend the mansion owner if he could park the group of five in the paddock. The paddock is large enough that the five were able to forage for food but there has been no health or foot care for the duration. The mansion owner seemed to feel that as these were not his animals, he should not expend any sort of energy or money on their well-being.

His sister, upon her return a short while ago, tried to take some action on the foot front and was banished from the family home by her brother, who was infuriated at her interference. The sister, many donkey blessings be upon her head, called Sheila. The brother was even more furious - it seems that even though he doesn't care for animals in general and these in particular, he felt no one should intervene on their behalf. The dust has settled, the four equines are at the sanctuary but the llama, who in her previous life was quite sociable, cannot be caught yet.

I have instructed the woman to post some photos of the shocking state of the collective feet. Paula the female donkey has one back hoof that will never completely recover, as does Timothy the small mule. Stuart, the male donkey, has a better foot outlook as does Juliette the pony. Sheila tells us that their comfort level with humans has soared since arriving at the sanctuary and she has hopes that all will eventually be well enought to find loving homes.

Sheila has llama expert friends, including a vet, socializing the llama, who is called Lillian. She is being fed a warm meal twice a day and is coming around to the idea of entering a trailer. I just hope the angry man who owns the property lets the process move forward. Lillian is missing her charges and needs a home that will care for her properly. I might add that all five, but especially Lillian, are liberally coated in burrs from nose to tail.

Jack and I have had intense discussions as to why so many angry and volatile humans become entangled with the unfortunate members of other species. I know it has something to do with control and power but still...I would have thought this one angry man would have welcomed the chance to empty his paddock. I will give llama news when I have some.