Investigators said Friday that without any new leads about Doogie, a 33-year-old Farmington horse who went missing Sept. 24, they will have to call off the search efforts for him.
Despite a $2,000 reward, K9 scenting dogs, drones, flyers, social media posts, and volunteers scouring trails, fields and wooded areas, there has been no trace of the horse.
Terra Schuster, Doogie’s owner, said that time is critical in finding the horse because he is missing teeth and therefore requires a specialized and costly diet.
“This horse means the world to me,” she said. “He’s not just a pet — he’s family. Horses don’t just vanish into thin air.”
Schuster described Doogie as “a sweet old soul who’s been with me through every chapter of life.”
About eight years ago, Doogie had all his teeth removed because of a medical issue, Schuster said Friday. He was put on a diet of mush and kept in a stall at night. During the day, he loves being in the pasture with his herd. Schuster said he’s “incredibly bonded to them.”
On Sept. 9, Doogie had a checkup and was given a clean bill of health, she said. “His heart rate was strong, no murmurs, his eyes looked good, and his bloodwork didn’t show any underlying issues.”
During the exam, the horse kept “calling out for his friends,” Schuster said. “At one point, he even broke away and ran down to the fence line just to see them. As many horse people in Minnesota know, horses rarely stray far from their herd when they get loose.”
On Sept. 24, Schuster was told her horse was missing. That evening she learned that two of the three fence lines in the pasture were down.
“Strangely, none of the other horses had left the pasture,” she said.
An investigator said Friday that they had no leads that would allow them to continue looking into Doogie’s disappearance, she said. “They also checked with their drone team, but this situation doesn’t meet the criteria for drone deployment.”
Farmers own much of the surrounding land, she said.
“And a few have asked that we not search their fields — whether on foot, horseback, or by drone — due to ongoing soybean harvesting and the upcoming corn harvest,” she said. “Thankfully, some neighbors have been incredibly kind, driving around and keeping an eye out. Two young kids even called to ask if I knew which direction Doogie might have gone. They had their mom drive them around to look for him and helped hang up posters in town.”
Schuster said she feels blessed by all the kind words, prayers and encouragement.
“There is no relationship quite like a little girl and her pony,” she said. “I have a (Facebook reel) of me calling for Doogie, and you can’t even see him high up on the pasture at our old barn — then you hear him call back and slowly making his way to me — then running. I will cherish that memory for the rest of my life.”
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