LYCOMING COUNTY, Pa. — Specs is a 23-year-old horse that lives on a family farm in Anthony Township off Route 973 in Lycoming County.
Specs wandered off in the early morning hours and ended up falling into a man-made spring outside Linden. Spec's owners found him stuck there and immediately called 911.
"It was scary, really scary. I told my daughter that I didn't know how we were going to do it, so I am going to call 911. I don't know. We couldn't have gotten him out ourselves," said Mary Paulhamus, Spec's owner.
The horse, who is ironically named Specs, happens to be blind.
"Horses can get scared and start to run, and he can't really see where he is going," said Dr. Allison Dotzel, the owner of Laurel Highland Veterinary Clinic. "They have never had a problem with this spring before, but I don't think he has been blind all that long. So, he probably just went the wrong direction while the other horses that could see went around the spring, and he went into it."
Firefighters and the Lycoming County SPCA came to help rescue Specs. It took a few hours to get the horse out. Newswatch 16 arrived on the scene about half an hour after Specs was rescued. The horse had visible cuts, and he was struggling to even walk.
"He was fairly lucky. He has got some superficial abrasions, scrapes, and he is a little sore on one of his back legs," said Dr. Dotzel.
Specs returned to his feet quicker than the veterinarian on scene thought he would. Spec's owners had to help him walk back to the barn. They say it is a relief to see him walking again.
"The vet checked him. So yeah, he seems to be great," said Paulhamus.
The 23-year-old horse will continue to receive medical attention over the next few days, but veterinarians tell Newswatch 16 that Specs is expected to make a full recovery.