A Christmas Miracle for Zeb

Hello, as many of you know, my friend Dar Hensley's miniature donkeys, Zeb and Elly, were attacked by 2 pit bulls on Dec. 12. Zeb and his sister Ellie have been part of the Spring Valley community since they were babies. They work as counseling support animals with the Spring Valley Global Methodist Church and help many people with their kind, loving, and sensitive natures.

They were in their pasture when the pit bull mixes crawled under a gate at the fence and headed towards Elly. Realizing the danger, Zeb ran in between Elly and the dogs. The dogs then viciously attacked Zeb. Donkeys are well known for their fierce loyalty and protective natures, so this was no surprise.

The pit bulls then ferociously attacked Zeb with the intent to kill.

A member of the church drove by as the attack was happening. He called for help. Another church member witnessing the attack ran into the pasture. One of the dogs had jumped back over the fence, the other had run to a corner of the property.

Dar returned home as this was happening and ran to Zeb, who was laying in pools of blood from too many wounds to count.

His jaw was hanging by a thread. Bites were down to the bone. His skin was badly abraded from where the dogs tried to drag his body. The vast majority of Zeb's body was covered with bites and deep scratches, but he was alive.

For the next 2.5 hrs, while they waited for the vet to arrive, all Dar and her friends could do was cover Zeb with blankets, wait, and pray. Dar laid in deep pools of blood next to Zeb, holding him, praying for a miracle.

Once the vet arrived, it was clear that the only hope was to transport Zeb to OSU vet hospital.

After the initial evaluation at Ohio State, Dar was told it would take a "Christmas miracle" for Zeb to survive. He had lost too much blood, had too many serious wounds with a high rate of infection. His trauma was just too severe.

2 days later, Zeb is still alive! He is in critical condition but doing better than they dared hope. They are even talking about a day in the next few weeks when Zeb may be able to come home under close supervision.

The vet bills today are large and growing by the hour. Dar has been advised by the vets that the pit bulls will return once Zeb is home. They will be relentless in their quest to kill him now. This is their nature.

The dogs live near the pasture. Animal control has told Dar that the dogs will not be removed from the owner at this point.

Funding will be used to cover the many expenses needed to save Zeb, including reinforcing the fencing around the pasture.