Traumatized Horse Is Befriended by Golden Retriever at North Carolina Equine Center

Sammy the mini horse was so far gone, it was recommended he be put down.

A miniature horse named Sammy was so abused, emaciated and traumatized by the time he arrived at an equine rescue center, the owner was encouraged to put him down.

But Darlene Kindle of Carolina Equine Rescue and Assistance in North Carolina wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. Though the pint-size animal was only "skin and bones," Kindle saw something bigger in Sammy's future.

And her golden retriever Molly was besotted with the new arrival. Soon, she became the horse's best friend.

"She very gently introduces herself," Kindle wrote on Facebook, in a post that got more than 400,000 views. "This is her job and she's very good at it, as you can see."

Molly, her owner said, "is your typical Walmart greeter. She loves everyone including all the animals we have on the farm."

Poor Sammy was a wreck when he arrived earlier this month. He could barely walk had been roaming the streets. His ribs poked through his hide like the bones of a corset. He needed to be de-wormed, washed, groomed and fed. 

Within days, he began to look better. His limp lessened. He began to put on weight. Donations to care for Sammy began arriving at Kindle's rescue farm. 

Molly likes to nuzzle Sammy and often sits outside his stall with her head resting on its short gate. She is just the right size to rub her nose on Sammy's neck.

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