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Dusty lived for most of his life in a wonderful loving home. He was a cherished member of the family and a great trail horse. After many great years and many miles out on the trail together, Dusty and his owner were looking forward to a quiet retirement on their ranch in SLO County. But they didn't get the fairly tail ending that they hoped for.

Dusty's owner passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly from a heart attack. She wasn't very old and had been in great health, so her passing was a shock to family and friends. Family friends helped feed and care for Dusty following his owner's passing, her husband was so devastated by the loss that he couldn't even bring himself to go out and see Dusty. The family friends quicky realized that Dusty needed somewhere to live out his years and that his owner's husband didn't have the knowledge to correctly care for a senior horse.

Luckily when they reached out Redwings had just adopted a couple of horses and we had the space to offer Dusty a home at the sanctuary. We quickly arranged to have one of the friends transport Dusty to Redwings. Unfortunately, the transition was extremely hard for Dusty. After living with one owner for many years on a quiet ranch, the move to our big sanctuary was very stressful for Dusty and it was clear he missed his owner. To make matters worse, poor Dusty developed a bacterial infection called Pigeon Fever and had to undergo weeks of medications and treatments.

Finally a few months after his arrival at Redwings, with the Pigeon Fever behind him, Dusty settled in at Redwings and his true personality came out. He is now very happy and loves his life at Redwings. He is a staff and volunteer favorite and always meets you at the gate. Dusty will be a permanent resident at Redwings and will live out his years surrounded by the staff and volunteers that love him.