Boy Who Donated Miniature Horse For Auction Will Keep His Pet
This is a really nice “happy ending” story that I just had to re-print here for everyone.
By Eugene Mulero
The Arizona Republic
PHOENIX, AZ — A 10-year-old Chandler boy who offered to donate his miniature horse for a charity auction will get to keep his pet, thanks to two generous bidders.
Last week Andrew Jentlie, who has diabetes, made one of the toughest choices in his life. He offered to give up Zig-Zag, his miniature horse for the past four years, to be auctioned in a benefit for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
On Saturday Andrew’s parents, Paul and Denice Jentlie, brought the animal to the foundation’s fund-raiser in Phoenix. Nearly 900 people attended the black tie affair.
Two Valley families pooled resources to purchase Zig-Zag with a winning bid of $6,000. But they did so on one condition – they wanted Andrew and the horse to stay together.
“I was stunned,” said Denice Jentlie.
Andrew jumped up when he learned what the families wanted to do with Zig-Zag. Denice Jentlie said he then turned to her with a happy look on his face and said, “We’re stuck together like glue forever.”
Denice Jentlie thanked Laurie and Bud Florkiewicz and Lou and Pat Adimare, the couples that offered the winning bid, for their contribution to the foundation and her family.
Organizers said the silent auction, which featured about 150 items, helped raise more than $2 million for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
The Jentlies said Zig-Zag, a trained show horse, is back home on their property in southeast Chandler. They call their home “Mini Distractions” because they say Zig-Zag and their five other miniature horses help distract them from the pressures of everyday life.
Now that Zig-Zag and Andrew will remain together, Andrew wants to keep helping those with diabetes. So the Jentlies have decided he will become a therapy-horse – much like dogs who visit hospitals.
Miniature horses are under 38 inches tall, or about the size of a large dog.
“Zig-Zag behaves phenomenally around people,” she said.
