After a near miss with slaughter, Hope found her forever family.
This is Hope, a mule who spent her entire life doing the grueling work of pulling a plow on an Amish farm.
Facebook: Hope-the-mule-rescue
In July 2014, at the age of 12, Hope was discarded at an auction. There, she was purchased by a kill buyer and began her journey to slaughter.
Although horse slaughter is illegal in the United States, kill buyers still peruse auctions around the USA to find horses they can ship and sell to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico.
Facebook: Hope-the-mule-rescue
Hope was bought and tagged with a four-digit code that sealed her fate across the border. Luckily, Kris Young stepped in before Hope was shipped off.
Young tours kill lots and gathers information about horses being sent to slaughter. She posts their picture and biography on Facebook in hope of finding them a new owner.
Jill Aureliano, a horse trainer located in Old Brookville, NY, came across Young's photo of the mule and she knew that she had to help.
Aureliano worked quickly to pull the mule from the kill buyer, but rescuing Hope would cost close to two thousand dollars. By partnering with Red Barn of Old Brookville, NY, Aureliano was able to give Hope a forever home.
