The next story I'd like to share is the horse Mint Paddy!
Mint Paddy is a beautiful 17 year old standardbred mare and sadly started out as a racehorse until she was discarded by that industry and then instead of getting retired was put to work. She was rescued from that abuse, but then one year ago she was discovered at the former Twist of Fate property, neglected and starved by Ashley DiFelice. Mint Paddy was one of the many blind horses on the property and was left to fend for herself when Ashley decided to purposely stop caring for her. I can't imagine as a blind horse, left to fend for yourself and all you can sense and smell around you is death as you lose your friends to dehydration and starvation. She had no clue about whether or not she was safe, if and when her next meal was coming, and what other dangers may be lurking nearby.
Mint Paddy managed to survive months of neglect. She was malnourished and scared when she first arrived at Maddy and Sven's Animal Sanctuary (@sven_the_standardbred), but gradually started to trust her human family and put on weight. She has been given regular farrier visits, dental work, grooming and treats since her rescue. After all the hardship that Mint Paddy endured, her new family at Sven's vowed to rewrite her story and to give her the life that she deserves - free, fed, and loved.
Along with her existing arthritis, it was unfortunately recently discovered that she is suffering from chronic Lyme disease, and Sven's is currently fundraising for her treatments. If you would like to donate towards Paddy's Lyme treatments, please do so here. You can also send donations through Venmo (@Sven-Sanctuary) or make a monthly donation to help support Mint Paddy and the sanctuary by joining their Patreon for any amount - even $1 will help. They also have an Amazon Wishlist AND adorable merch on Bonfire!
Please go and give Mint Paddy some love on Sven's Instagram with some likes and/or follows! The sanctuary is only about a year and a half old but is home to many animals and could use your support. We're all so happy that she survived and is thriving, and that she will never need to be rescued again. Feel free to say hello to Mint Paddy and her sanctuary in the comments below too!
A few of the animals' stories have been shared in previous updates - read about cow Rigel, pigs Shirley & Pepper, goat Billy, goat Johnny and his necropsy report here and here, and sheep Linus.
Thank you for being here, and stay tuned to see whose story is next!
Also, please continue to share the petition - Ashley DiFelice's next court date is September 14th, and since the court is aware of the petition we'd like to get as many signatures on it as possible before then!