Victor arrived this summer, with his pal Sophie. He is crippled in the spine and hips making him walk very oddly, and he never completely puts his hind feet down, so when he walks it is like he is going to tip over. Sophie has the same deformity, but is much better off and it is less noticable. When Victor lies down, it takes him about one minute of posing in the position you see in the photo below, and then he somehow gets his legs down.
But he such a sweet guy. So is Sophie, but she is more shy and less personable [now]. Victor on the other hand is not afraid to get right in there when something is going on. He realized right away that I was the one that would protect him if there was too much gang activity going on...um, that would be Marcella and Wilbur...and Earnest.
Sometimes I'll be doing something and a soft white mass shows up at my side, and I assume it is Marcella, and it usually is, but right behind there is usually a Victor.
They arrived horribly thin and they have put some weight on. They sleep in the same area as our beloved Floyd-who is also doing royally and continues to be a big old dog.
I think what is interesting to point out about Victor and Sophie is that they are starting to blossom. They have been shuffled around a bit, landing at the goat rescue up in Washington, and then down here. They most likely think this is the way it goes, we'll leave again, why bond with anyone? But animals settle in pretty well with a solid routine of eat, rest, play, eat again, rest, play, go to bed. They know they have clean water and shelter from a storm, and a herd. The herd might be made up of a grumpy pig and a bunch of short statured goats unlike any they've seen-but it is their herd now.
It's always rewarding to watch an animal regain some physical strength through nurturing, and watch their true personalities come out over time. Each day they gain confidence and get more relaxed with the new environment. I was worried about Victor when he arrived, and winter is coming so who knows, but I am relaxing my worry a bit. He and Sophie still need a lot of weight and he does have so many physical issues. But right now I'm just glad I took these soft, gentle souls on.
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