 | | | DuBose Forrest with Swanee and sons Gordon (white shirt) and Kip (blue shirt). Photo provided
| | | | | | DuBose Forrest loves animals. As the first person who responded to our inquiry about peculiar pets, she was happy to share the story of her beloved miniature horse Swanee and slightly shy miniature donkey Flambeau. Flambeau was named after Forrest's favorite zydeco band, and Swanee is one of their tunes. The filly and jenny are the same age and arrived within a day of each other; together with a few dogs they share their spacious two and a half acre parcel in Lafayette.
Forrest had a normal sized horse, Silver, with some behavior problems; apparently he was lonely. After deciding to follow her passion for animals, she went in search of some company for the full-sized equine. Eventually locating Swanee on a ranch in Livermore - she was immediately attracted to the filly, who perked right up when Forrest approached. She was "just adorable, and so intelligent," said Forest. It was love at first sight. Silver was much happier with his two new pals.
Swanee is well-socialized, friendly and comfortable around their neighborhood; she's even made visits to a nearby pre-school. She can carry up to 70 pounds, just right when the grandchildren come by.
Forrest calls her, "a true party girl, she even sticks her head into photo booth shots," and she clearly enjoys affection from the family. She's occasionally allowed in the one story ranch house - and has never had an accident. Swanee and Flambeau share a generous corral and have a barn for inclement weather, and enjoy playing with the larger dogs.
As a little girl growing up in Washington D.C., the homeowner had more traditional pets, cats and dogs over the years, but she was charmed by the pony rides her parents took her to, eventually taking riding lessons.
"I always wanted a big family," said Forrest. Together with husband, Mike, they have four grown children, three boys and one girl who they raised in their spacious home of over 25 years that borders the creek. Mike Forrest is very patient with his wife's animal friends. The energetic grandma is completely responsible for them, and in her free time enjoys swing dance, and after much cajoling her husband now participates, too.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA