"He deserves a better chance at life": Darien the horse adopted, happy and healthy
NEW TRIPOLI, Pa. (CBS) -- A follow-up story a year in the making. Last year we introduced you to Darien The Horse.
He was found abandoned and malnourished on a street in Philadelphia's Kensington. He's now been adopted by a new owner and is living in Lehigh County.
"Darien is fantastic," Donna Spengler said. "He seems to be healthy, happy and that's all I can ask."
Hearing Spengler speak, you may think she's talking about a human relative. But instead, she's talking about Darien, the stallion she adopted seven months ago.
"When I met him, we just clicked," she said.
Spengler adopted Darien from the animal rescue service's Last Chance Ranch in Quakertown after he was found wandering the streets.
When CBS News Philadelphia first introduced you to Darien, he was about 200 pounds underweight, but now, a year later, he's perfectly healthy and living life with his pasture buddy.
Darien and Storm are living on Spengler's seven-acre farm in New Tripoli. She has owned horses for over 30 years and needed a new addition when a former horse passed away.
That's when she turned to Last Chance Ranch, but at the time, she didn't know Darien's story.
"He deserves a better chance at life," Spengler said. "I had contacted them and told them I was looking for a pasture buddy and they invited me out to look at several horses, and he was one of them. But I didn't know his story when I went."
In addition to being underweight, Darien had trouble walking because his hooves were overgrown and were damaged by the city streets. But now, the 11-year-old, along with his 20-year-old pasture buddy, have plenty of space to just be horses.
"He got very comfortable very quickly," Spengler said. "He loves the pasture time and the companionship of the other horse. He seems very happy. He's a good boy."
