There’s a new mule in town — one who has seen his share of trips around the sun. At over 30-years-old, Joseph the mule has also more than likely seen his share of homes. He came to Best Friends after his most recent family, who’d had him several years, could no longer keep up with his medical needs. When a mule gets to be that age, those medical problems can stack up in a hurry.For instance, there may be only three or four teeth remaining in that head of his, but they all need special care. So do his feet. Of course, he’s not exactly at the age for chasing butterflies around the pasture any more. A few aches and setbacks come with the territory. But at Best Friends, he’ll have the very best medical care going for him, not to mention all the TLC he can soak up.

Joseph is a little on the shy side for now, yet very sweet. He’s the kind of guy that wins people over without realizing he’s doing so. His caregivers already love him to pieces.

A lot of older animals come to Best Friends as a sort of last stop on a long train ride. You get the feeling that sometimes they don’t know what to expect at the sanctuary, at least not at first. To them, it might seem like nothing more than just another place to call home. But that tends to change before too long.

Like all animals at the sanctuary, Joseph will have a whole host of friends rooting for him. The food might be a bit soft (think of it as potato soup), but he’ll have as much of it as he needs. And he may not want to gallop across his play area at full speed, but he’ll have plenty of room to stretch his legs. He’ll have other animals to meet, all the necessary medical care to keep him comfortable, and a stream of visitors and caregivers stopping by to say hello and give him a scratch behind the ears. And of course he’ll have a home at Best Friends as long as he needs one. Welcome, Joseph. Glad you’re here.

Story by David Dickson
Photo by Molly Wald

Take an online tour of Horse Haven, the area the horses (and mules) live at Best Friends, to see Joseph’s new home.

There’s a new mule in town — one who has seen his share of trips around the sun. At over 30-years-old, Joseph the mule has also more than likely seen his share of homes. He came to Best Friends after his most recent family, who’d had him several years, could no longer keep up with his medical needs. When a mule gets to be that age, those medical problems can stack up in a hurry.For instance, there may be only three or four teeth remaining in that head of his, but they all need special care. So do his feet. Of course, he’s not exactly at the age for chasing butterflies around the pasture any more. A few aches and setbacks come with the territory. But at Best Friends, he’ll have the very best medical care going for him, not to mention all the TLC he can soak up.

Joseph is a little on the shy side for now, yet very sweet. He’s the kind of guy that wins people over without realizing he’s doing so. His caregivers already love him to pieces.

A lot of older animals come to Best Friends as a sort of last stop on a long train ride. You get the feeling that sometimes they don’t know what to expect at the sanctuary, at least not at first. To them, it might seem like nothing more than just another place to call home. But that tends to change before too long.

Like all animals at the sanctuary, Joseph will have a whole host of friends rooting for him. The food might be a bit soft (think of it as potato soup), but he’ll have as much of it as he needs. And he may not want to gallop across his play area at full speed, but he’ll have plenty of room to stretch his legs. He’ll have other animals to meet, all the necessary medical care to keep him comfortable, and a stream of visitors and caregivers stopping by to say hello and give him a scratch behind the ears. And of course he’ll have a home at Best Friends as long as he needs one. Welcome, Joseph. Glad you’re here.

Story by David Dickson
Photo by Molly Wald

Take an online tour of Horse Haven, the area the horses (and mules) live at Best Friends, to see Joseph’s new home.