Luigi, a miniature donkey rescued by Central New England Equine Rescue, now has both a new leg and a new family after a series of fortunate events worked out in favor of the long-eared equine.

Luigi came to Central N.E. Equine Rescue after his former owner decided she did not have the time he required, or the money to have a custom-fit prosthetic made for him. The donkey was born with one forelimb significantly shorter than the other, and although his owner had tried to make a prosthetic for him herself, Luigi could not run or play.

“The lady who had him was ingenious in her ability to rig a makeshift leg for him to get around on,” said Vicky Berry, vice president of Central N. E. Equine Rescue. “It made it so that he could walk, but you could definitely tell that with weight on it, it would misalign his spine. Watching him try to run and play was very hard, as he could never keep up, and would tire very quickly