The courageous journey of a quirky, resilient horse

Bug’s story is like an intricate tapestry with golden strands of love, resilience, and fate woven throughout its myriad layers. Bug arrived at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary as an injured, orphaned foal fighting for her life. Now, she’s a happy, healthy, and confident horse enjoying her new digs in Canada. “She’s overcome so many obstacles in her young life,” says Kristie Gerard, supervisor of Horse Haven at the Sanctuary. “We’re so excited for her and her new home.”

Bug’s cross-country journey home started on a warm, summer day when Claire Huemiller and her husband, Joe, visited the Sanctuary. They were on a road trip visiting the lower 48 states and discovered the Sanctuary in a guidebook, so they signed up for a few volunteer shifts. They weren’t planning on adopting any animals, but fate stepped in. One look at Bug’s sweet face and Claire fell head over hooves in love.

“She’s just so beautiful and sweet,” says Claire. “She’s kind of like a big puppy dog. It was meant to be.”

[Back in the saddle with adopted Arabian, mustang]

Falling in love with Bug was the easy part. Just ask her caregivers. “We love her quirky personality,” says Horse Haven caregiver Priscilla Shatto. “She’s very used to people because of all the medical (care) that she went through as an orphan, so she doesn’t understand personal space. She's always in your face about loving on her.”

Bug had been injured by other animals at her previous home, resulting in wounds on her hindquarters and broken bones in her nose. It took a lot of time and love, but she's fully healed from her ordeal.

Now came the complicated part: transportation to Claire’s home in Canada. Hauling a horse to our neighbors in the north is no easy feat, but fate stepped in again. Horse Haven staff just happened to know of someone heading out that way who had an open spot in their horse trailer. Everything fell seamlessly into place, and Bug made the trip to Canada safely, where she’s thriving in her new home and meeting new friends.

“She’s been a gem from the moment we brought her home,” says Claire. “She met our other horses, Lucy and Pecos, and now they're like the three little amigos,” says Claire. “I live in a heavily forested area, so they meander through the woods together, they stand together, they do everything together.”

However, Bug’s arrival did bring a bit of drama at first in the form of a love triangle among the three amigos. Lucy and Bug both vied for Pecos’ attention while Pecos was rather indifferent to the mares’ affections.

[Equine odd couple goes home]

“They both want to be the closest to him,” laughs Claire. “And he’s not super nice to them. He will be the first to eat the hay and drink the water. He’s not a gentleman at all. I don’t know why they argue over him.”

The girls eventually put aside their differences and came to an agreement: Now they just take turns being his girlfriend. “Lucy was so jealous of Bug the first week, but now they’ve all come into their own. They're super happy together and get along well.”

Bug’s sweet spirit and resilient nature helped guide her through the challenges she faced as a young horse. In fact, now some of those earlier challenges just add to her charming quirkiness.

“Her nasal passages are restricted because of her injury, so she sounds a little like Darth Vadar,” says Priscilla. “Other than that, she really doesn’t have any lasting issues from the injury.”

Darth Vadar aside, Claire says you would never know she had a bit of a rough start in life. “If you didn't see her scars, you would have zero clue because she's just such an easy horse,” she notes. “Bug’s super friendly and is always game for a new adventure.”

Now, she’s snug as a bug in her new home, surrounded by love. A serendipitous ending to Bug’s beautiful story.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.