Queso is a mini mule stud that had the name Casper while he was at the former Twist of Fate "sanctuary", I imagine after the character Casper the Friendly Ghost because of his pale coloring.
I postponed publishing this story because I saw that Ashley DiFelice's next court date had been scheduled and wanted to write about that first, but when I initially started writing Casper's story a few days ago, I had no idea where he came from, how he came to be under Ashley's "care", or how long he was with her. However, in my files I have a folder titled "identify" that includes a handful of photos of animals that I haven't been able to name or match up with either the survivors or the deceased (at least the ones that I know by name). I remembered that I had a group shot of 3 unknown minis. Since one of them matched Casper's pale coloring, I took a long shot and sent the photo to someone to see if there was a match, and....it IS Casper!
There was only that one post about him on the old Twist of Fate Patreon, the one where I was able to get the photo*. It's dated May 12, 2021 and the caption below that photo reads: "These are the 3 littles we recently saved at the auction. They are currently still in quarantine, but they are all doing well! They are still a bit fearful of people, but they've been through a lot. They have about a week or so of quarantine left and they they will come home to TOF! I can't wait for them to see their new home and experience what love is all about!" (Italics are my own).
What "love" is all about?! Interesting word, because about a year later Casper was found roasting in a small field with no shelter, no food, no hay, and no water. He was dehydrated and emaciated. He had painful sores on his front legs that were crawling with maggots, a sunburn on his nose, and he was fearful, feral, and unhandled.
Casper was taken in by Triple 7 Rescue & Rehab (@triple7rescueandrehab) and given his new name. Queso was treated for a number of things when he arrived, like his front leg wounds and internal worms/parasites, and he was put on a proper diet so that he could start to gain weight. Like most of the other animals that survived, he had visible ribs and protruding hip bones.
Queso is a very small boy and was sized at only 8.2H (8.2 hands, or about 34-36 inches / 86-90 cm high)! He eventually learned that he was safe, and these days he loves treats, baths, rolling around in fresh shavings, and wearing his fly boots and his fly mask for his sensitive blue eyes. He is sassy, opinionated, goofy and playful, a far cry from his original and understandably angry and terrified demeanor. Described now as "a firecracker", he has gained confidence and a sense of happiness and calm in his new home. He has made new friends like mini horse Titan, learned to trust people (especially anyone who will give him scritches!), and has come out of his shell.
Please give Triple 7 a follow on Instagram @triple7rescueandrehab and on Facebook too! They also took in pig George* from the Twist of Fate case. They just started up in 2022 so they're also a newer sanctuary and home to cows, dogs, parrots, sheep, cats, horses, and an iguana. If you'd like to make a donation towards Queso's care you can do so through Venmo (@katie0945) or PayPal (@triple7rescuerehab) or you can shop from their Amazon Wishlist. To make a monthly donation, you can join their Patreon!
Thank you to Triple 7 for helping me to match up his original rescue photos, and especially for taking him in and giving him the best life. And thanks to all of you as well for being here and supporting the animals and the sanctuaries that saved them!
*Ashley probably posted more about Casper and the other 2 minis that were rescued with him on her Instagram at the time, but unfortunately there was only that one photo on the old TOF Patreon. I am still working on identifying the other two mini horses in the photo.
*You can read George's story here.
Ashley DiFelice's next court date is Thursday, February 22nd. In the meantime, please continue to share the petition across all platforms!