Jilly, a Mule, passed away on April 6, 2014. She was one of the sweetest, gentlest equines we ever rescued.

In 1999, Susan Wagner went to a special Mule Sale at New Holland slaughter auction in Pennsylvania. That day, there were 500 mules for sale. We could only afford to buy seven of them that included Jilly, along with her brother, Jack. The auctioneer announced that they were a team that used to pull a plow at an Amish farm where Jilly had sustained an injury. Susan had to bid against the killer buyers to save them and luckily she was the highest bidder. She bought them both so not to separate them.

Jilly has been happy and healthy for the 15 years she was with us, but on the morning of her passing, she was clearly in a lot of discomfort. Our veterinarian determined that she had an impaction in her small intestines and at age 30 (+) she was not a candidate for surgery. She was humanely euthanized in the field with her brother, Jack, at her side, along with us and the other six equines that lived with her in the area we call “Mule Town.” She went very peacefully. Jilly was a delight to be around and will be sorely missed. We are so pleased to have given her a second chance at life when the alternative would have, otherwise, been devastating.