Author Archive

Precious Wanda and her sister were barricaded in the kitchen of their home and abandoned.  A neighbor responded to the putrid smell emitted from the house and a sighting of Wanda trying to get out of the kitchen window.  He broke into the house and discovered Wanda, starved, dehydrated, and forced to consume her dead sibling to survive.

The Grenada, Mississippi animal control officer (ACO) took Wanda to be euthanized. The vet called In Defense of Animals’ Hope Animal Sanctuary (IDA-HAS) to see if we could help.  IDA-HAS Director Doll Stanley took guardianship of Wanda and accompanied ACO Trey Waters to the scene of the investigation.  After documenting evidence of cruelty, IDA pushed for prosecution. This Tuesday, just days after Wanda’s full recovery and adoption, her abuser was convicted of animal cruelty. Nakiyeh L. Townsend was found guilty by her own testimony.

Municipal Court Judge Jimmy Vance convicted Townsend of depriving Wanda of food and water and the death of her sister. Judge Vance chastised Townsend for the woeful neglect of her animals, asked her how she’d feel if he had her jailed and the jailer forgot to feed her, and told her he would have given her a 30 day jail sentence if she had counsel. He fined her $1,109 and advised her not to keep any more animals. This was a huge verdict for this jurisdiction in which the ACO had little confidence of a conviction and hadn’t been trained to investigate, document, or file a cruelty case.

In other news, IDA’s Hope Animal Sanctuary completed another successful journey to Every Creature Counts in Ft. Lupton, Colorado. This transport was the opportunity for a lifetime in a loving home for 72 dogs and 3 cats. Sixty animals were adopted this weekend.

Among the cats was St. James, rescued in the seizure of 13 animals from a Carroll County hoarder.  Puppy, Iceman and his 7 siblings were abandoned at IDA-HAS while staff was in town for supplies.  Greta, Hamilton, and their 7 siblings were rescued from beneath a discarded slab of cement at the edge of the Carrollton, Miss. grammar school parking lot. Gillespie was accidentally run over by a truck.  His surgery and recovery were in the hands of a MSU veterinary team.  Dr. Bushby sought and delivered a fund to cover the cost of Gillespie’s recovery.

Tuesday was also a wonderful day for the 27 dogs and cats we took in since our return from Colorado Friday. The MSU student surgery team provided  spays and neuters, freeing them from the heartaches of breeding – the many puppies and kittens they may have lost to starvation, parasite infestation, and the many other horrid deaths that await homeless animals.

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Last month, Petal and Penelope were rescued from a terrible situation of neglect in Coffeeville, Mississippi. Their siblings, seen in the photo of their rescue (the girls are on right in BJ’s arms) were just babies. Because we had so many puppies, our friends with the Mississippi State University student program “Homeward Bound” accepted three of the pups into its foster and placement program. They were all set to go on our February transport to Colorado.

The five siblings arrived with fleas, Coccidia, and worm distension. Petal and Penelope were actually the healthiest of the siblings. But, tragically, we either brought Parvo home with a new pup, or picked it up in one of the many places we may have come into contact with communicable canine disease (even the animal companion section of Wal-Mart).

The girls became ill last Tuesday. Wednesday morning we rushed them to Veterinary Associates for testing and treatment. At the sanctuary we can give sub-Q fluids, but at the hospital they were given IV, and we wanted to minimize contamination of their roommates. It’s uncertain if the two other families of other pups sharing their quarters have been infected.

Our little girls lost their valiant struggle. It just hurts so bad. We saved them from neglect, freed them from parasites, medicated them, loved them, and they were heading to Colorado awaiting guardians, and now they’re gone. I’m sorry but “they knew love” or “they would have died where they were” doesn’t lessen the pain. They were happy, beautiful, and then they got horribly sick—sick enough to suffer death.

We move forward because other animals will suffer if we don’t, and caring people cannot wallow in the luxury of self-preservation or pity. We feel the whole world should know that Petal or Penelope were here and what was lost, so we will all fight to prevent the inevitable misery of animals who are not protected. Our little girls will not be forgotten.

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A few weeks ago we told you about IDA’s Hope Animal Sanctuary being granted custody of 15 starving horses and a mule in Yazoo County, Mississippi. County Justice Court Judge Pam May signed a seizure order on December 21, 2011, and the rescue of the horses began immediately. Within 3 days, all horses were in foster homes receiving much-needed nourishment and loving care.

But the mule eluded capture, earning the name Flying Wind. This past Sunday, a team from In Defense of Animals (IDA), along with a team from Have A Heart Horse Rescue (HAHHR), a Mississippi horse welfare organization, finally accomplished the safe confinement of Flying Wind. IDA would like to especially thank Sheila Horton of HAHHR.

Flying Wind’s capture brings to a close the month-long ordeal that began with IDA being granted temporary custody of 15 horses and a mule found in various stages of malnourishment. Flying Wind’s ability to jump fences not only allowed him to stay nourished with generous access to hay, it also allowed him to freely roam on 70 acres. This made capture very difficult and he was obviously enjoying his freedom and newly discovered superiority.

Once a halter was slipped over Flying Wind’s head, IDA volunteer David Gray led him to a secure confinement area.  After helping Flying Wind calm down, David was able to lead and load him into a waiting trailer and he was finally on his way to Have A Heart Horse Rescue and Sanctuary in Coila, Mississippi to join the seven Yazoo County horses being rehabilitated at HAHHR.

Flying Wind is enjoying his new ‘temporary’ home where he will receive veterinary care and be evaluated for eventual adoption.

In other Hope Animal Sanctuary news, we also rescued a donkey named Percy from a guardian who no longer wanted to care for him. IDA-HAS had previously offered sanctuary for Percy when he was held at a Mississippi shelter. Instead, he was adopted to an individual. That person grew weary of caring for him, and the Drew, MS animal control officer contacted IDA-HAS to ask if haven was still an option for Percy. Members of the IDA-HAS rescue team brought Percy home on January 20.  Percy immediately took to his new home and companions.  He’s been playing with Arlin, the Barbados sheep who barely escaped becoming a trophy intended for a regional man’s wall.

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Our report this week comes from our extraordinary volunteer Debbie Young.  It’s a tale of 15 horses and a mule who will survive because Debbie launched and maintained our efforts for their rescue and care. And a huge thanks to Have A Heart Rescue for aiding with the treatment of some of the horses.

Debbie: “I’d been watching the news about starving horses five miles from my home. I had been told a few days earlier that the local humane society was working on either a seizure order or attempting to the get the keeper of the horses to voluntarily surrender them.

As of December 15, with at least 15 horses in various stages of malnourishment and several dead horses on the property in various stages of decomposition, the Yazoo County (Mississippi) Sheriff’s Department filed cruelty charges against Alvin Ross. Mr. Ross turned himself in and immediately posted bond. He then moved the horses to unknown locations. Now the horses wouldn’t even get the extra hay that was being thrown over the fence to them by concerned people.

On December 20, I received a call from a friend who was frantic because nothing was being done to take custody of the horses and get them the rehabilitative care they so desperately needed. It turned out the local humane society had decided NOT to proceed with seizure action, and the Sheriff’s Department was unable to take responsibility for the care of the horses.

I placed an urgent call to Doll Stanley of Hope Animal Sanctuary and her response was immediate. IDA would attempt to secure a seizure order for the horses. That afternoon, with a seizure order in hand thanks to IDA, I went to the Yazoo County Sheriff’s Department to request its assistance in processing the order. After some serious verbal wrangling, the investigator realized we weren’t going away. He instructed us to return early the next morning when the deputy who had been working the case would be on duty, and the Justice Court judge would be in court. After an extended wait, the deputy took us to Justice Court where a sympathetic clerk gave me the first ray of hope since this all began. Thanks to excellent television coverage regarding the case, she was aware of the condition of the horses and made sure the judge was shown all the accompanying photos. We had a signed seizure order that was served immediately.

Within hours, we took over the care of the first four horses. That night they were warm, with fresh hay, and a measured amount of senior horse feed to begin their long journey back to a healthy weight.

The Mississippi Board of Animal Health (MBAH) responded to a phone call regarding the dead horses on the property. The Board discovered five dead horses and four sets of skeletal remains. Mr. Ross had a “killing field” for horses. Mississippi law requires dead “livestock” be buried within 24 hours, so Mr. Ross was charged a $1,000 fine for each of the dead horses. He could not be fined for the skeletal remains since the time of death could not be accurately determined. He also faced fines for each horse he removed from the property without a verifiable Equine Infectious Anemia test. He was ordered to provide the location of the horses he had moved.

Thanks to the action of the MBAH, coupled with the issuing of the seizure order, Mr. Ross complied the next day with the remaining 11 horses. The lone mule is still on the property and being fed.

All of the horses suffer malnourishment ranging from moderate to severe. Their bodies are covered in thousands of blood-sucking ticks (the veteran rescuers agree they have never seen such infestation) and rain rot (bacteria) so bad it has gone through their skin. Two of the horses, both mares, suffer life-threatening conditions due to starvation and neglect but both are starting to show small signs of regaining their strength, and we are hopeful they will live to enjoy a life filled with love and comfort.

Have a Heart Horse Rescue graciously offered to take on some of the horses to help with their rehabilitation. Seven of the horses are in their care. All the others are in foster care at multiple locations and are doing as well as can be expected. Now that they are receiving life-saving nutrition, the ticks are being removed by brushing. The emaciated state of the horses makes it dangerous to use chemicals that will kill the ticks, so brushing is the safest remedy. The rain rot will be treated slowly with antibacterial shampoos as the weather allows.

I wish to thank Doll Stanley and In Defense of Animals for always being ready to take decisive action to help animals who have no voice. There are now fifteen horses in Mississippi who have food in their bellies and warmth from the cold. I am also so grateful to IDA supporters.”

Deborah L. Young

Stay tuned to IDA’s website and eNews for more news about the 15 horses as they fight their way back to health (and the mule), as well as the cruelty charges filed against Alvin Ross.

*UPDATE*

January 13, 2012 – IDA has been granted permanent custody of 15 starving horses and a mule seized after Yazoo County resident Alvin Ross was found guilty today in Yazoo County Justice Court, of nine counts of cruelty to animals. Charges were filed by the Sheriff’s Department on December 15, 2011, following the discovery of nine dead horses in varying stages of decomposition on the property. Ross was found guilty of confining the horses without sufficient quantity of wholesome food, a misdemeanor under Mississippi animal cruelty laws.  The remaining horses were seized under a court order issued by Justice Court Judge Pam May on December 21, 2011, and are now at various locations receiving much-needed rehabilitative foster care and veterinary treatment.  Judge May, who presided over the hearing today, offered to suspend the fines if Ross would surrender all rights to the seized horses.

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We are thrilled to report a very happy ending to a tragic story. Do you remember Kapone, the missing Memphis dog we first told you about in our July 21, 2011 eNews? IDA had just added $3,000 to the reward fund for info about Kapone, a family’s adored pit bull, who had been missing since he was picked up by a Memphis Animal Services (MAS) animal control officer.

Kapone disappeared on June 24, when he and the family’s other dog, Jersey, got out of their fenced yard. Neighbors witnessed both dogs being loaded onto an MAS truck. Over 3,000 IDA members sent emails complaining about MAS to Memphis city officials and Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. Click here to read our news release about this from July 2011.

Well, Kapone is now back home for the holidays!

Our dear friend and animal advocate Beverly King learned that yet another dog had simply vanished without a trace of paperwork or documentation after being picked up by Memphis Animal Control. Beverly and associates alerted the media, and helped Kapone’s family push the city to prosecute Animal Control Officer Demetria Hogan for Kapone’s disappearance and the death of another dog Hogan left confined in the back of her city truck. Beverly alerted IDA and we offered a reward. PETA joined us, as did a private source, and the reward grew to $8,000.  A banner with the reward information and a photo of Kapone has hung prominently since his disappearance. Just days before Christmas, a tip that Kapone might have been seen in Senatobia, Mississippi broke the case, and, after investigation, Kapone was reunited with his family.

The case is not closed, but is solved, and very satisfying. Kapone is relishing his playtime with his family, while Hogan’s animal cruelty charges are surely to be added to a felony animal abduction charge.  We refuse to use the word theft – “theft” is what happens to property, and Kapone is nobody’s property. He is, however, back with his guardians. How awesome this is!  Oh, by the way, the tipster has asked for and received only $3,000 of the $8,000 reward.

Additional notes:

Jersey was reunited the day after she was picked up.  She was at MAS.

The cloth on Kapone’s neck is his bandana.

Hogan is charged with cruelty.  Theft, we don’t know yet.

As far as we can assume, Kapone could have been used for breeding, even at his age.  He was unneutered.  He was unharmed when found so he hadn’t fought.

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Today, Wednesday, Nov. 2^nd, began like every other busy day at Hope Animal Sanctuary. Lisa, Sarah, and B.J., our new teammate, had their hands full with the care of our precious animals. Danielle, the delicately featured brown bay, is still having a bit of trouble with her right front hoof, but is doing better.  Her mother, our Dolly, seems content, but is struggling with her deformed hoof.  Our time with her is cherished.

Our new resident, Arlin, has taken well to his environment but needs a friend. He is a Barbados sheep. He probably doesn’t know how blessed he is. Our friend, Arlin, animal control officer (ACO) for Winona, Mississippi, went the extra mile to see his namesake safely delivered into our hands. The four-hoofed Arlin escaped the trailer he was being transported in and was captured and delivered to the Sell Barn. Technically, the Sell Barn had no claim on him, but it wouldn’t agree to his release without payment. The asking price was $150. Our buddy raised the bounty, and we picked up the newly freed Arlin.  He certainly has moxy. He challenged the emus, horses, and each of us when we initially approached him. A good stomp of his right front hoof, followed by lowered horns and impact on whatever barrier was between us quickly gained respect for his wishes.

Three more abandoned pups arrived. Haystack, Helga, & Hannah are thin, have mange, and are simply adorable.  If it weren’t for the next transport to Colorado, we don’t know what we would do.

By late afternoon I thought I’d wrapped up our business in town when I received a timely call from “Doc” Abernethy, whose Veterinary Associates clinic was on my way home. The newer Grenada ACO had brought a dog in for euthanasia. He’d had a call from a man who’d kicked in a neighbor’s door after his mother had seen a dog in the kitchen window of a house that had been abandoned for months.  The occupant had moved in May and had stopped her irregular visits. There was a horrid odor permeating the air around the front of the house.

When the man and another neighbor entered the deserted home, they were stunned to find two young dogs had been confined to the kitchen and one had succumbed to cannibalizing her lifeless sibling or perish.

I accompanied the ACO to the scene, documented the evidence, and accepted custody of the dog for Doc’s capable and caring hands. I called the chief of police to ask for support. Two officers and the senior ACO joined us.  A report was taken, and you can rest assured that IDA will assist with the prosecution of the callous soul who simply stopped caring for the two precious lives she entrapped. She could have called animal control, asked a neighbor for help, or even just let them loose if she was too lazy or unthinking to ask for help.

Imagine being confined with your sister and slowly starved and dehydrated.  Imagine the desperation of climbing to the window to seek help, freedom, and then being alone, terribly alone when your sister lost her fragile grasp on life. Think of first nuzzling her for comfort and then as her lifeless body faded and she was no more, resorting to the instinct of survival. How long will it take Wanda to be herself?  She’s emaciated. As she lay on the exam table fleas careened in and out of her dull hair.  She stared straight ahead, fearful of making eye contact, the whites of her eyes so revealed that her beautiful brown irises seemed stark and desolate amidst a panicked world of confusion.

I promise you Wanda will heal with us and learn to love life.

Little Holly and Bo Jangle are home with us.  Holly, an adorable kitten, has had her badly injured eye removed; Bo Jangle’s hip, side, and back healed with no apparent intervention after what was probably a brush with a vehicle, and Miss Beasley is recovering from the amputation of her badly healed leg.  These are just a few of the treasured lives we’ve been blessed to help in the first few days of November.

And none of this could have happened without you.

We will presently update you about our transport to Colorado. We just want you to know how much we appreciate and value your support. We were able to take 8 kittens and 89 dogs and puppies to find their forever guardians. The 5 puppies we recently pulled from beneath a home (their mother had been killed the day before), and the 6 neglected puppies we gathered from beneath a trailer were all on board and are doing well!

 

To support our work please click here.

This week BJ Martin joined our staff at Hope Animal Sanctuary.  BJ is a vet tech with 15 years experience who has worked with a wide variety of species, including emus.  She will be an invaluable asset to our team. She’s already proven her worth. On Thursday, BJ, Sarah, and I dedicated our day to caring for our animals and then set out for Macon, Mississippi, to Heartworm Test 33 of approximately 100 dogs needing medical care and guardianship. We didn’t arrive until 10:30 p.m. and didn’t wrap up until after midnight, finally returning at 2:30 a.m. With cases involving so many animals, every opportunity to provide help must be seized. We brought Ella, who is among the 145 dogs when the rescue began, home as her male companions were sparring over her.

 

I’ve been in contact with “Animal Planet’s” hoarding program over a period of months believing it would be aiding in the Macon case. After the production department passed and rescheduled several interviews I was told the case wasn’t chosen because family members weren’t in conflict over the issues related to the case. What a shame.

 

But thanks to local activists and members of at least one grassroots group, an effort to help the animals was launched. The activists began documenting the dogs, Dr. Bushby (Mississippi State University Marcia Lane Endowed Professor of Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare Department of Clinical Sciences) and his student surgery team provided 22 surgeries, Friday the 15^th, (we were there to aid with pre- & post-surgery needs), Homeward Bound (the group founded by MSU veterinary students) arranged for the transport of some of the dogs, and we will be taking some of the dogs to Colorado on our next transport. There’s much more to be done, but it will have to be in steps if every option to place the dogs will be accomplished.

 

The six pups Lisa and I removed from beneath the trailer of a local man are faring well as are the seven adults we wrenched from him.  Apathy, drink, and ignorance have contributed to his years of neglect of animals. This time we will put an end to his contribution to suffering.

 

Two wonderful young women raced three pups to us whom they found bound in a shirt on an unpaved county road. Sadly one of the pups passed the next morning, but his sisters, Beezle and Bonnie, who are absolutely adorable, are thriving.

 

Friday I had a zillion things to do that just couldn’t be put off, including heading to Starkville, Mississippi, for this year’s Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue class at MSU. It’s a given that the more we have to do the more certain priorities will change with the next phone call. Sure enough, a local Duck Hill police officer called to ask for assistance for the pups of a mother dog who was killed on the road in front of the house she’d chosen for her den.

 

The elder couple that owned the house volunteered their grandson to assist with rescuing the pups, who were huddled beneath the center of the house against the center junctions of the wooden foundation.  As the house was so low and the pups were so far in, even the slender frame of a young man couldn’t fit beyond a few feet of the outside wall. We bound my pole net and a segment of wooden molding and the young man went to work. He was exhausted after retrieving the first two pups. The police officer’s family had come for the vigil and his smaller son took up the effort. All five of the babies came out safely and in good condition. They are now flourishing.

 

On my way back from the rescue class this evening I rendezvoused with a man who rescued a dog from a rest stop in our region. The dog may have been abandoned, or he wandered there in search of food. Either way, he has endured deprivation, is very thin, and appears to have suffered injuries from a brush with a vehicle. We’ll have him checked out tomorrow.

 

Last Sunday, Glory went to her new home. A family that pampers their horses and has multiple pastures in which to do so has adopted our beautiful and good-natured mare. We couldn’t be happier.  Glory was emaciated when we rescued her from a barren parcel unfit for pasture. Her companions had died and she would have, too.  We are so grateful for our sanctuary and the support of friends who partner with us to carry out the hope we promise the animals with whom we are entrusted.

 

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This is about love, loss, and some of the animals we recently had the privilege of rescuing but who didn’t make it. It’s been a time of genuine sorrow. I know I don’t need to tell you how badly we hurt. Compassion is at the heart of all of us at IDA: staff, volunteers, and supporters. We all are too familiar with the gnawing pain of loss. This morning I walked about in a daze and had to fight to keep alert as I was transferring one of our young dogs to a compatible group. Life moves on, but the memories of the ones who leave us are indelible, imprinted on our minds forever.

 

Eleanor, our beautiful angel. Eleanor was the first of the animals rescued from the hoarder case now in litigation. As we walked up the driveway I spotted her lying in debris, a “burn pile.” I spoke to her as I approached.  She didn’t even recognize our presence.  As I leaned and picked her up, she awoke, but too weak to struggle to move. When we reached Veterinary Associates, “Doc” Abernethy gave her little chance of survival.  As the days passed, she responded to the pampering of both Vet Assoc. and HAS staff.  She loved and craved attention.

 

 

 

 

Eleanor seemed to be prospering. She put on weight, her skin began to heal, and her hair grew. But she was weak, often wobbling as she walked or stepped up to her deck. She showed symptoms of having survived Distemper, the disease of which four of her companions succumbed.

 

 

 

 

Our devoted volunteer Lisa Martin cares for many of our special needs animals. Eleanor went home with Lisa and Mike for the individual care we hoped would aid her recovery. Sadly, she began losing her appetite. She curled tightly and shook from pain or neurological impairment.  Last week I went to Canton, about an hour south of the sanctuary, to bring Eleanor home for Doc to evaluate. Dr. Osborne was also on hand when I arrived.  He ran tests, Doc ran more tests, x-rays were taken, and the diagnosis was renal failure.  Eleanor’s plight of deprivation and disease took its toll on her organs. There was to be no recovery. Sarah and I sobbed as we said goodbye to our precious. My insides ached.

 

 

On the morning that Eleanor passed away Doll told friends: Eleanor lost her battle with kidney failure this morning. I cannot begin to express the grief we feel. We fought for and loved Eleanor since the day I picked her up out of the horrid debris pile she was lying in. Eleanor was dying. With the aid of Veterinary Associates in Grenada, Mississippi, we nearly brought Eleanor back to health. She began gaining weight, thoroughly enjoyed our affection, and fought for her life. Our hearts are crushed. Help us continue to fight for innocent animals like Eleanor.

 

 

A few years ago, we received a call from officers at Camp McCain, the Mississippi National Guard training site, asking for haven for an abandoned puppy. When he arrived we just laughed and blurted out, “Puppy!” Kendall was aged, all but toothless, blind in one eye, and his ears were gnarled from who knows how many survival fights. He was so food-deprived that he was impossible with other dogs. We fed him in an enclosure and gradually introduced him to dogs with whom he wouldn’t feel threatened. As time passed his fears gave way to sheer joy. Just looking at Kendall put a new perspective on any difficult day.

 

Kendall and our Tobey were both survivors. The old bulls on the hill, they occasionally bumped chests like two elder men challenging one another to an arm wrestle. We laughed. Their skirmishes lasted all of seconds as they’d both lose balance and topple—always with the dignity of their esteemed stature.

 

How do you fill such a void?

 

In another disturbing and painful turn this morning, two of the seven pups we rescued from the Lott case last week succumbed to Parvo.  We first lost the little guy with severe bite wounds to his forehead.  The other pups seemed to be thriving. They ate, drank, played (all in the Quarantine Room), and then they suddenly stopped eating. Little Regan, the heartiest and most demanding, was the first to show signs of distress. We were shocked. She was so full of herself, so alive.  She was one of the two who passed last night. We weren’t able to learn who her sibling was as we couldn’t handle them because we are struggling to save little Arlin, another pup who came in after days without his mom or food.

 

I am praying for some happier news to send your way soon. Sarah, our wonderful assistant, is now bottle-feeding kittens, and there may still be hope for Arlin. We just rescued thirteen puppies and three adults from beneath a local man’s trailer. One of the mothers of the pups is called Lottie, who was in very bad shape and seems to be getting stronger. Sadly, seven of the puppies have died after intense medical intervention, while the remaining six are in guarded condition. Stay tuned …

We are currently being sued by Eleanor’s hoarder for trying to save her.  Please click here for further details and to learn how you can help.

To make a donation to support our work please click here.  Thank you!

On Wednesday, June 29th, HAS volunteer Sarah Thomas, a vet tech, wildlife rehabilitator, and activist, and I set out to locate three horses in Grenada County, Miss., reported to be starving.  On our way, I got a call from my buddy Kevin Hodges, an animal control officer, water-meter reader, and part-time law enforcer for Charleston, Miss., only an hour from us, asking for help with six dogs also reported to be starving. Kevin knows he can count on our support and guardianship of animals we seize.

We located the first property where the horses were, but a privacy fence prevented “plain view” and an uncooperative sheriff meant the groundwork would have to be laid before there would be intervention.  I called Kevin to tell him that we were on our way to meet him. At 704 East Chestnut Street, Charleston resident Sherri White showed us six chained and horribly neglected dogs.  She claimed two to be hers and four to be those of her boyfriend’s relative.
After a visit to the police department, we prepared a seizure order, and crossed the street for Municipal Court Judge Steve Ross to sign. We returned, warrant in hand, and documented the heart-wrenching plight of the dogs and removed them. White protested the taking of her dogs and informed us the other “owner” refused to come when she called him. The chief and a fellow officer arrived to insure a smooth operation.

We immediately took off for Veterinary Associates, HAS’s vet clinic, to settle the dogs in and supervise as they dove into the nourishment they’d long been denied. White had stated she fed her dogs, but only fed the others if she had extra food. One of her dogs was as emaciated as the boyfriend’s relative’s dog to whom she was chained.  I listened in amazement as she told us she wouldn’t interfere when the other dog jumped her dog and would bite going for the morsel of food she gave her own dog.

The extraordinary density and inhumanity of seemingly conscious people is beyond my grasp. The gross neglect of the dogs has been recorded, they’ve been secured in a private kennel, and I’ll be filing criminal affidavits after meeting with the city attorney. Why can’t all community leaders have it so together like Charleston’s?

The plight of horses is worsening. Some blame the economy; others say banning horse slaughter in the U.S. meant “owners” who couldn’t sell their horses let them starve. I say it’s both selfishness and ignorance. Horses are being overbred just like other companion animals. Those who think they can make a buck breed and then find out there are no buyers, at least at the prices they want, and they don’t want to feed what they can’t make money off of and certainly don’t want to give away what they might someday sell. The glut of horses means you can buy a horse for $50, or get one from someone who wants to “unload.”  It’s cool to have a horse and to tell folks you have a horse. Horses are like “trophy brides”: they express status, and, of course, there are some who actually think they’ll ride. The question is how many of these people are caught up in a whim with no thought of how to actually care for horses.

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