10/19/2026
Lazarus, looking awfully snazzy in his new halter. 💚
But getting to this picture was emotional.
Today, we removed his filthy, ragged halter he wore at the auction where a kill buyer purchased him. The same halter he was still wearing on that trailer pulled over in New York, headed to slaughter.
Holding it in our hands felt heavy. Knowing where it had been with him. Wishing we could know everything he had endured.
Lazarus is very leery of us, our hands, our movements, our intentions. There are signs that he has been handled before, including a shaved section of mane. We cannot know how those hands treated him, but his uncertainty tells us we need to move gently.
And today, that took time. A lot of time.
Patience. Quiet reassurance. A little faith. Giving him room to decide we could come closer.
Eventually, he allowed us to remove that old halter and replace it with a new one.
And then…he melted.
He could have walked away. Instead, he chose to stay. To have his ears scratched. To listen as we whispered to him. To let himself enjoy a little kindness. ❤️
For us, it was a halter change we won’t forget. For Lazarus, we hope it was one small moment that made the next kind hand a little easier to trust.
We’ll keep showing up, sweet boy. We’ll take the time. You have so much gentleness waiting for you here.
