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HONEY
Let me tell you about my first Dwarf, Honey. She is a doll baby and knows it. I bought her mom in early 2003, and Honey came with. When I went to pick them up, I walked into their pen and fell in love. There was this tiny little ball of fluff trying very hard to hide behind her mom. She didn't succeed because she kept poking her nose out trying to look at me.
The ride home (500 miles) was NOT uneventful. About an hour out, I stopped for gas and to check on my new minis. I was also hauling a yearling stud for a friend. Well, the little guy had knocked down the partition between him and mom & Honey. I got him tied and was trying to fix the divider when mom made her break. (She had been standing very calmly in the corner till then) I should mention that the gas station was on a very busy highway and because of my trailer, I was in the lane next to the highway. Well, as she bolted past me, I was able to grab her halter, but I was at an awkward angle and she took me down. I still had her halter however. So, I'm laying on the pavement, when to my horror, Honey came tumbling out. She looked like a furry beach ball, just bouncing along toward the road. As she bounced by me, I grabbed her by her mane and hung on to the two of them for all I was worth. The three of us made quite a picture. As I'm still on the ground, holding them, some people from the gas station came over and asked if I needed help. Duh!! Anyway, with their help I got everyone back in and settled. As I drove home, I thanked God that everything turned out alright.
Honey was scared of me at first. Who wouldn't be after that experience. It took her about a week till she settled and became my friend. She is a minimal Dwarf and gets around very well. Her leg are crooked in front, but I have been working with my vet and have straightened them a little. Next, she starts wearing special "Magic Shoes" designed by Janell Janson and made by a friend of hers. I have high hopes that these will allow her to live a normal and happy life. Her teeth are another problem, but we are working on that too.
Honey didn't ask to be born a Dwarf. As a responsible breeder, I feel Honey and others like her are our responsibility. We must care for and love these little gifts from God. I worry about other Dwarves out there being used in pet farms, as displays and other uses that make them seem attractive as pets. They are NOT. They require a lot of time and money, much more than an average mini. The worst part, is these little guys suffer. They all have many physical problems, problems that can't be solved by love or money or care. Sometimes it is better for them, no matter how much we love them to humanely put them to sleep. Thankfully, Honey doesn't fall into that category. At least not yet. I plan to have many years of fun and love with my my little Dwarf. I hope God sees it that way too.
ALL THAT JAZZ During a snowstorm that left 3 feet of snow, I received delivery of 7 Minis, six of which were purchased through the internet, the 7th was a "freebie". Because of the conditions, I never really got to inspect them very closely. As time went on and snow melted, we all got back to the busness of running a Mini Farm. I had already gotten Honey and was thinking of getting another Dwarf to keep her company as she really couldn't be in with the regular herd. But, in the meantime Foaling Season was upon us and we were keeping pretty busy. Of the 12 mares that were pregnant, 4 had their foals with only a little intervention from me. Two lost their foals and five turned out not to be pregnant. This left just one, Silvie, the "Freebie".
We had our cell phone with us (good idea for everyone) and called the Vet. He's only ten minutes away. We got Silvie up and walked to keep her labor at bay. Poor thing all she wanted was to get that thing out! The Vet arrived in double time and he inserted his hand and then his whole arm and sat on the stall floor for 20 minutes trying to turn the foal. He was covered in blood and sweat. When all of a sudden he said "I think I got..." when out shot this little black bundle of blood, gore and black hair. I was shocked when the bundle moved. We had assumed after all that time the foal would be dead.
As I write this, Jazz is 6 months old. Her legs are still straight, thank God, but the rest of her is 100% Dwarf. Her teeth are growing at an alarming rate, but the rest of her isn't. She's only about 19" tall and looks like a black miniature draft horse.. Her stomach area is very large due to her having normal mini size organs crammed into a tiny Dwarf body. She generates more attention than any other mini on my Farm and I have over 50. People just "Ooo and Ahh" over her and say they want one just like her. She definately is unusual and totally cute. BUT, I have to explain that her lifespan will probably be short. Her life will not have the quality of a normal mini and as she gets older she will have many medical problems. Some due to the enlarged and extra teeth growing into her sinus cavity and causing dificulity breathing and infections from food sucked into the nasel passage. Her bite is off about 3/4 of an inch and she gets older it will probably lenghten and it will be harder for her to eat. She will need special food. As her organs grow and she doesn't, there will be many other problems resulting in organ failure and death.
I tell Jazz's story in the hopes that someone reading this will be educated in the fact that Dwarves are not something we breed for. They are a mistake of nature, but are our responsibility to take care of to the best of our ability. They don't ask to be born, we do that to them. So we must take the very best possible care of them. It is our duty, one that I take very seriously. For those that think Dwarves are cute and cuddly, they are. But they are so much more. Dwarves seem to generate a sweetness and love beyond normal minis, but they also produce a huge amount of pain and suffering, both for themselves and their owners. So please, please do NOT buy or adopt a Dwarf unless you are willing to take on the financial responsibility and the knowledge of the suffering you will be facing for them and for yourselves. On a side note, after Silvie had little Jazz, I really took a very close inspection of her. She too is a little funny looking, but she is older and I put that down to age. However I finally noticed that she has clubbed feet. I thought they looked strange but didn't realize how strange till the farrier told me that her feet were clubbed. I had never seen a clubbed foot before. Her overall appearance is ok, but when you notice individual charactistics, she just isn't put together right. I had her jaw xrayed and sure enough, she has enlarged teeth. Silvie will NEVER be bred again. She is now herd leader of a mini donkey Texas, Honey, Jazz and another strange little horse China. (we're not sure what she is) Honey has her friend Jazz who follows her around and Silvie has her herd. For now, everything is right with their world. I don't know what the future will hold for them. I just know that I love them all.
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We were in the house watching the monitor when she very quickly went from
munching hay to thrashing on the floor of the stall. We ran out and were there in
less than a minute. I told my friend Izzy that in 5 minutes she should pop one
out. She had had many foals in the past, I was told, with no problems. Well,
the first 5 minutes went past and Silvie was still straining, getting up, going down,
getting up and was in obvious distress and I couldn't see anything coming out. It's
now ten minutes since she started labor so I knelt down and inserted my hand. I
could feel an immediate blockage, but I couldn't tell which part of the foal it was.
I tried to push it back in so I could figure out how to turn it, but I couldn't budge the
foal. It was stuck tight. 
That
was our introduction to "Little Jazz". She was a bundle of energy and was
on her feet in less than ten minutes. It took her mom a little longer. She was
tiny and oh so pretty. Jazz had a hard time nursing but by the 2nd day, she
got the hang of it. We were so excited that she was alive, we didn't notice till a
couple of days later that she looked a little funny. Her head seemed large for her
body and as she was growing, her neck wasn't. After two weeks we had to admit the
Jazz was a Dwarf. When we checked her mouth, she already had two rows of teeth on
each side of her jaw. Jazz appeared to be a "minimal" Dwarf as her legs
were straight and except for a slightly enlarged head, short neck and double teeth,
the rest of her seemed OK. 
I
will keep this little angel of God in good health as long as medical science and prayer
will let me. It will be expensive, but I will gladly pay to keep her pain free and
happy. When the day comes that Little Jazz can no longer live a happy life without
suffering, I will send her over the Rainbow Bridge to wait for me.
