Sad end to '05

A couple of counties over, they sell neon paint to use on the farm animals during hunting season so the hunters don't confuse the animals with deer. We normally close ours in the barn lot during gun season because that way they aren't near where our property borders with anyone else's, and my son and hubby do not hunt around the house or barn.

This past week was Muzzle-loader time here... and it seems that someone who has no idea of property boundaries and can't tell the difference between a horse and a deer or was just plain mean.

Our horse, Frannie, whom my dad bought for my kids 14 years ago was shot. The wound wasn't a kill shot, but the vet couldn't do anything to save her either, so she suffered needlessly for the time between our friend hearing the shot, me seeing her down, going out, calling the vet, him getting here examining her and finally putting her to sleep. Of course, we don't know who was tresspassing on our property the sherrif and the game warden promise to "look into it" but I'm sure we'll never know. Yeah, she had the same coloration as a deer, but for pity sake, she was at least 5 or 6 times BIGGER than a deer.

We feel terribly guilty, we should have locked them in the barn, but they hate being locked in there, and we thought for sure they'd be safe, they always have been... so, 2005 wound down on a very sad note for us here. Here's to a much better 2006.