Molly the Extraordinary Pony

Molly has the nine lives of a cat--even though she’s a pony. After being abandoned by her owners when Katrina hit, she lived on her own for weeks. She should have died. Instead, Molly was rescued and taken to a farm with other abandoned animals. While there, she was attacked by a dog. She should have died. Although she survived, her mauled leg became so badly infected she needed emergency veterinary care. Taken to LSU for care, Molly had little hope of making it out alive. After all, she was a welfare case and after Katrina, the school was overwhelmed with cases needed help. The only alternative was to be humanely euthanized. But after the surgeon Dr. Rustin Moore saw Molly, he noted how easy she was to handle, and the way she protected her leg--even taking turns on which side to lay on so she never got sores. She seemed intent on surviving and so Moore opted to give her the chance. The pony’s damaged leg was amputated. And she received a prosthetic leg in its place. Moore says it couldn’t have happened without a dedicated owner willing to care daily for Molly for the rest of her life. And of course, it took a very special, compliant (and smart!) pony. Molly loves her leg, asks to wear it, and can easily walk and sometimes run while wearing it. Today, Molly visits children in hospitals, giving them hope that if a pony with nine lives can do it, so can they! She’s also just had a book released about her. You can read more here. Do you know of special pets that inspire humans?