Gabby was taken in by SAFE in April of 2022, where she went directly to foster with our dear friend Trisha, who had previously fostered (and then adopted!) Caramel. Well today, I bring you another tale of a foster fail: Gabby has found a permanent home with Trisha. The two of them have put in a tremendous amount of work together, building trust, and slowly but surely chipping away at the milestones of domesticity. Trisha has done an amazing job helping Gabby to learn the basics, and it is very exciting that they get to continue their journey together, forever!
Here’s what Trisha has to say about Gabby, from the mule’s mouth:
“Gabby is a complicated lady emotionally, mentally and physically. She has a deep mistrust of humans, but also a desire to connect. Whatever experiences she had with humans in the past are not something she is going to let go of quickly – she is a mule after all. She trusts herself above everyone and everything else, which sometimes causes issues when she needs help. But, when she feels like she has the freedom to control her interactions with a human, she is very curious and wants to engage. She will have days where she follows me around the pasture or comes up close while I’m doing chores, letting me know she wants to have a training session. Other days she’ll accidentally bump her nose on me, snort and jump away like I tried to eat her.
Gabby likes to remind me of a few things:
- Work with the animal you have in front of you each day, don’t come in with expectations based on who they were yesterday.
- Progress should be marked on an individual level. What’s great progress for one animal is not the same for another, so don’t get caught up in comparison.
- Be patient because time is the most important part of forming a trusting relationship
- Sometimes what feels like a set back is actually just a more roundabout way of making progress
Over her time with me she has made great progress when measured by Gabby standards. We can work together in a stall without her feeling panicked, trim all her feet, halter and lead her, and touch her all over as long as you don’t surprise her. These may seem like basic things, but compared to the mule who first came off SAFE’s trailer, these are big steps. We have also survived a few colics and emergency vet visits before realizing that she has a very sensitive tummy and seems prone to ulcers. However, just because I can do these things with Gabby doesn’t mean anyone could come in and do them. We have developed good communication that allows me to work with her and helps her feel like her voice is heard; I hope over time to teach her that the majority of humans will listen to her needs so she feels more comfortable around a variety of people. I have a lot of hopes for her future, but feel no pressure to move forward faster than she is ready to go. In the end, I think time is what will make the biggest difference in her feelings about humans, trust is hard to build.”
