Newborn Baby Horse Found With Broken Pelvis, Rib In Fremont Doing Great

FREMONT, CA - A newborn baby horse, dubbed “Valentine” and found in Fremont on Valentine’s Day with a broken pelvis, is doing well after being tended to by veterinarians and now belongs to the City of Fremont, according to adorable photos and a statement released by the Fremont Police Department.

The a 6-day old colt was rescued Sunday from Morrison Canyon by firefighters and animal service personnel, diagnosed with a broken pelvis and broken rib and transported to the care of veterinarians at the University of California at Davis.

A Burlingame resident, Lisa Dellapietra, launched a crowd-funding effort to cover the cost of a possible surgery and vet costs, and as of Thursday evening had raised $15,233, far past its $10,000 goal. See GoFundMe page here.

“I just took the initiative because time (was) of the essence for this little guy,” Dellapietra said via email earlier this week.

And according to a statement today from Fremont PD, “Valentine” now is a full-fledged Fremont resident as the horse’s owner, who came forward this week, surrendered the little guy to the city.

Surgery may not be needed for the horse, according to authorities.

See statement here from Fremont officials:

“We can also now confirm that Valentine currently belongs to the City of Fremont - possibly a first for our 60-year-old city! Yesterday, the owner came forward and after a long meeting regarding Valentine’s current medical situation and future needs, it was mutually agreed that it was in the best interest of Valentine for the owner to surrender him to the City of Fremont.

“The owner was very saddened by the circumstances of what happened and also very concerned for Valentine’s future. The fact that our community helped raised such a generous amount of money to assist with Valentine is what really made this decision possible.

“Valentine will continue his stay at UC Davis Vet Med until they feel he is ready to leave. Our Animal Services staff are currently working to find the best home for Valentine to be placed in, where he can receive the required care needed for his rehabilitation and ultimately live out a long and happy horse life!

“We will of course continue to share updates and photos as we can.”

--Bay City News contributed to this report/Images courtesy of Fremont PD on Facebook