NOT GIVING UP
ANIMAL HEALING
A new miniature horse came stumbling into the world on the farm on Father’s Day, 2021, and almost immediately, little Chester’s prospects for living weren’t looking good. The little guy with an indescribable shade of blue eyes, was rejected by his mother right from birth.
“She pushed him away and she would kick him and bite him,” said Paul.
Paul bottle fed him, but three days in, they had to call the veterinarian. The vet wasn’t hopeful but gave him prescribed medications.
“He needed to be watched basically 24 hours a day, so he moved in the house with me and he became one of our family,” she said. “He slept in the room with me. I was his mom and he followed me everywhere.”
Thanks to Paul’s care, the shaggy, seven-month-old mini-horse is now spending his winter jawing on hay (moved out of the house) and soaks up Paul’s attention whenever she comes near his paddock fence.
“We gave him love. Everybody that came here gave baby Chester a hug, a snuggle a little extra treat, and I believe that all that love and all that support really made Chester survive,” Paul said. “He wanted to survive because he had all this love.”
URGENT APPEAL
Nicole West, from Dartmouth, is fighting for the farm. West first visited a few years ago as a customer and became a friend along the way. She was instantly inspired by the farm and Paul. West has an anxiety condition, and she is on the path to studying social work.
West said she always wanted to open a sanctuary and she never knew what it would look like until she visited Dragonfly Haven.
Paul is “incredibly selfless and she pours everything she is into this business,” she said. “For me, thinking of this place falling apart, I’m like, what are we going to do without a place like this?”
West recently started a GoFundMe page and it had raised more than $11,000 by Feb. 3. Paul launched an online action on the farm’s Facebook page, a 50-50 “gumball draw,” and a promotion for $5 gift cards and $5 visits in February.
“We’re going to do everything we can because the doors are not closing,” West said.