Super Edition: ALL the News!

Happy Monday, folks. I hope you're staying warm, and not hurting your backs with all of that shoveling. Today we have a ton of news to catch up on, since I've been unforgivably lazy.

Let me first say Thank You to all those who are helping animals this Christmas. There have been a huge number of animals in trouble lately, and some real angels have stepped up to help. However, these angels themselves need some help sometimes...

Samantha, 13-14 years old

Marj P. of Beyond the Fence Line horse rescue and volunteer Michelle L. have been working very hard to save six Arabians from being euthanized in Manitowoc, WI. Though the horses have been fairly well taken care of, the elderly owners were no longer able to keep them and were going to have them put down. Marj and Michelle have been working incredibly hard to find homes for these gorgeous, registered purebreds. If you can help, please contact Marjory at 920-290-2199 or beyondthefenceline@aim.com or via the rescue's Facebook page. The Arabians are not broke to ride, but can be led. They need shots and hoof trims, but seem healthy. There are 5 mares and one gelding. A couple have found temporary homes, but need permanent ones.... and at least two still need to be picked up as of 12/23/13. Papers are available. The situation is somewhat urgent, as the owners don't have enough hay, and their water pump has frozen.

Maggie http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/magnifikaa , 
Passion http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/ff+passion+flower , 
Amanda (purebred part of pedigree not finished) http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/ff+amanda+bay , Nahrtessa http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/nahrtessa, 
Samanthaa (purebred part of pedigree not finished) http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/ff+samanthaa , Robin Goodfellow http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/robin+goodfellow5


Beyond the Fenceline also has a courtesy listing of free horses in WI on their Facebook page.

Lincoln County Humane Society has just rescued 57 dogs from a puppymill operation. Located in Merrill, WI, LCHS could really use your help right now. They need KMR puppy formula, canned puppy food, puppy pads, old sheets, blankets, and cleaning supplies. Cash donations would be even better, as there are going to be some huge vet bills in this case, and of course they are really going to need people to adopt and foster ASAP. You can find an application here on their website. Pictured above and below are just a few of the dogs rescued last week.

Next up, Saint Francis Horse Rescue has been saintly indeed, recently taking in several equines, including this neglected Shetland pony mare. "Noel" looks fuzzy, but underneath the fluff she's all skin and bones, with a body score of 2. Several of her pasture mates were found dead. Saint Francis Rescue is now really stuffed with needy horses, and they need your donations. It's easy to donate online via their Paypal. Or maybe you could adopt or foster! Don't see anyone you want? St. Francis also knows of many other horse owners in Wisconsin seeking homes for their equines for various reasons. Contact Mary & Bill at 7548 Boulder Lane Rosholt, WI 54473 or (715) 592-6622 or horserescue.org@gmail.com. You can also ask for an invite to the rescue's Facebook page.

One couple has recently stepped up to help St. Francis by adopting a pony with special needs last week, and I'd like to give them a shout-out here: Thank You Kim and Justin!

Do you want help, but don't have the cash or space for another critter? Well you can still vote for Midwest Horse Welfare to win $10,000! Click here.

I'm afraid that now we have to talk about some nasty, horrible people. Yes, it's time for the neglect case updates.

Barb Thiry

We'll start off with a self-declared "victim." Ughh, the fact that this lady is not only unrepentant for what she's done, but actually thinks she's the victim here, makes me want to throw up.

Barb Thiry, the serial animal hoarder from Clintonville, WI, was in court again on the 17th of December. Her lawyer, a public defender, said he will be trying to get the 1999 photos of her place in Kewaunee County suppressed. (These photos show the corpses and decapitated, plastic-wrapped skulls of horses and other animals in her filthy, trash-filled home.) The hearing for this motion will take place on March 18th 2014. Thiry's jury trial is scheduled to begin on April 9th at 8:30 am.

Please contact the judge in this case! Ask him not to suppress evidence of Thiry's past animal abuse (which she was never prosecuted for) and ask him to help ensure that she can never starve an animal again.

Hon. Raymond S. Huber
811 Harding St.
Waupaca, WI 54981

(715) 258-6437

The three mares are now much healthier and happier, although they still have a long road to recovery ahead of them. They are being rehabilitated under the care of a very reputable animal rescue in southern Wisconsin, and will be adopted out when they have completely recovered (they officially belong to the State now).

The two stallions may still be returned to Thiry after the trial, as long as she continues to pay $350 by the eighth of each month. A delusional Barb Thiry, however, believes this payment is for the care of all the horses, which are "rightfully hers." She has threatened to sue Waupaca County and has demanded the return of her horses by Christmas. All of this and more came out in an interview by the Clintonville Chronicle in late November.

"I am the victim of internet bullying and cyber stalking," she said, explaining that the whole case against her is nothing but a mix of lies and attempted vengeance by women who wanted to steal her horses. "I think the good Lord plunked this unbelievable mess in my lap because He knows that I'll try to do the right thing by making sure that no other innocent victim has to fall prey to these horse thieves. I'll prosecute them and make sure the county puts laws in place making it a crime for people to try to force you to give your animals to them under threat." She went on to say that, "I've been victimized by these bullies and then by the county who came and took my property and my animals."

Those horses, she claimed, are worth big bucks-- with this 20+ year old stallion, "...worth $10,000 on the market." Ahh hah hah hah ha!  Maybe if he shit out gold! No one in this entire case has wanted her horses-- we've only wanted them rescued, out of her hands, no longer suffering! And now that they have been rescued, they are racking up thousands in vet bills for pregnancy, uterine infections, thrush, parasites, malnutration, heaves, etc etc. "Valuable horses" my ass.

I never cease to be amazed and depressed by the number of animal hoarders with sick and untrained beasts that believe their critters are worth huge amounts of money. You would think that since that belief is so strong, they would take care of their "valuable" animals better... but Thiry and other hoarders are just as blind to their own neglect as they are to the real value of their pathetic animals.

More Barb Thiry Anecdotes:

• Many people have requested that Thiry be given a mental competency exam. However, that can't take place unless someone directly threatened by Thiry comes forward to report to the authorities.
• Recently, Barbara was given $245 by a local church group. This donation was given to her to pay for the cleaning of her filthy, trash-filled apartment, which Waupaca County ordered her to fix up or be evicted from. Instead, Thiry only gave $45 to the two women who worked for hours carting away the four-foot-deep mess in her government-subsidized rooms. She used the other $200 towards the $350 Waupaca County has ordered her to pay each month for the upkeep of the two stallions.
• Barb Thiry continues to post vague, rambling, delusional things on Craigslist like this one and this one. I am soooo tempted to reply to these ads with pictures of the horrific neglect she inflicted on her animals, but so far I've managed to avoid doing so. I have to keep telling myself that paying any attention to her self-serving, crazy whining won't do any good. Thiry is also reportedly responding to many "free horse" Craigslist ads, trying to get some new horses. Ughh.
  

UPDATE:  Great news!! Three of the five horses seized from Thiry in September have been rehabilitated by the Dane County Humane Society and are available for adoption! Lady, Ruby and Rebecca have gained a tremendous amount of weight and are much healthier and happier now. I very much hope that any doubters out there will now recognize that these horses were NOT thin "just because they're old" (a lame and utterly wrong excuse) but because of the awful neglect they experienced in Barb Thiry's hands.

Selina Boulton

Selina Boulton of La Crosse, WI,  tortured her boyfriend's dog to death in November. Thanks to public pressure, she's finally been charged now... but with only a misdemeanor.

"Police found the dog dead on the floor. Its choke collar was cinched tightly around its neck and a frying pan was nearby. Court records say the dog also had fractured ribs, a collapsed lung and a cut consistent with a stab wound. A police report says Boulton didn't seem to have any remorse that the dog was dead."

You can sign a petition here asking that Boulton get actual jail time for her horrific act.

Michael Feist & Brenda Weierke-Feist (Otter Creek Ranch)

There's just bad news and no news in this case right now.

Unsubstantiated rumors abound: someone claimed Feist dumped some of his horses at an auction; someone else claimed he was feeding them corn stalk bales; another claimed some horses disappeared in trailers around Dec. 13th. All we know for sure is that on Dec. 17th, Michael Feist went to his second court date, where he plead not guilty to every one of the over 30 charges against him. And that was it. The 80+ horses and other animals aren't being seized. Feist's wife Brenda isn't being charged with anything. No necropsy results on the 4 dead horses were released. The suffering continues at Otter Creek Ranch. I am appalled that nothing more is being done. What's worse is that it appears that nothing will be done either--even Feists next court date isn't until February 2014. More and more horses will die in the freezing cold if they are not taken from their abusers, the Feists. Remember, it's now been over two months since cops and a vet visited the ranch and made official reports about how at least half of the horses were in danger of dying. It's now also been a month from the third follow-up visit by cops and vets where the same conditions were found. Read more here.


PLEASE take some time to contact Polk County authorities and let them know that this is unacceptable.

Sheriff Peter Johnson
Polk County Sheriff's Dept

1005 West Main St., Suite 900

Balsam Lake, Wisconsin 54810

715-485-8300 peterj@co.polk.wi.us --------------------------------------- 

Judge Molly E. GaleWyrick
1005 W. Main St. Suite 600
 Balsam Lake, WI 54810
715-485-9293

-------------------------------------------------

Polk County District Attorney Daniel P. Steffen
1005 West Main Street, Suite 300
Balsam Lake, WI 54810

715-485-9231
daniel.steffen@da.wi.gov ------------------------------------------ 

Polk County Board Chairman William Johnson IV
100 Polk County Plaza, Suite 170  Balsam Lake, WI 54810
715-485-9237
william.johnson@co.polk.wi.us

Here's a script you can use:

Dear Sir, I'm writing to you today to express my concern about the starving horses at Otter Creek Ranch, 2055 State Hwy 46 N in Milltown. The horses there are suffering, and with the very cold weather we've been having, more will certainly die unless you act to save them. The owners of the ranch, the Feists, have a years-long history of neglecting animals, including serious neglect in St. Croix County. Please see that they are not allowed to continue doing this! Michael Feist has been charged with over thirty counts of animal neglect, yet these horses remain in his care-- please get them out of there. Many people are willing to help care for any horses that can be rescued. I and many others are awaiting your prompt action. Thank you for your time.



That's all I've got for now, folks. On Christmas or maybe the day after, I will post a more lightheared Christmas Special. Stay warm!