Diego, News & Fifty Shades of Show Jumping

Diego is Ready for Adoption!

Remember the neglected black stallion? Saint Francis Horse Rescue and Retirement have gelded him, trimmed him, fixed him up and trained him... and now he's ready for a new home!! His adoption ad is here. He looks so shiny and happy, doesn't he? I'm so grateful to them, and to the donor who helped me buy "Diego" from his abuser. Rest assured, I'm keeping an eye on the remaining mare and filly in the asshole's care. They're currently well-fed (though covered in burdock).

Rita Crundwell Update

Rita Crundwell, the infamous Illinois embezzler, can only stand by as her entire Quarter Horse empire is auctioned off piece by piece. Check out ABC's videos and article here. It makes me incredibly angry to see white-collar criminal like bankers and big businessmen get off easy, when their thefts have ruined lives. Rita, however, is getting swift justice, and I'm glad. She's now even got her own Wikipedia entry, anti-Rita website, and new charges flied against her. She's free on bond, but I'm sure she's haunted by the constant stream of pictures advertising everything from her incredibly fancy motorhome to dozens of gallons of frozen semen from her QH champions.



Buggy Crash

Yet another Amish buggy was hit by a car recently, this time near Wausau. The twist? It was probably the Amish guy's fault for blowing a stop sign. Article here. It's a shame that two people are dead, of course... but what happened to the totally innocent horses?! Of course none of the news agencies reported that.

Drunken Low-Speed Chase

Charles Larkin Cowart, redneck.

This isn't exactly my territory, Florida being as far south of North as you can get, but I just had to mention this... Drunk Florida Man on Horse Leads Police on Half-Hour Chase. Hah hah, that's hilarious. Not only because the "chase" was under 30mph the whole time, but because apparently this idiot rode only through streets where cops could follow (instead of actually riding into, say, woods). Congrats to the local police for being very careful not to spook or harm the horse! The idiot crook was charged with cruelty to animals, among other things. Apparently he was on his way to his grandma's house. "Hey gramma, I *hic* just wanted *hic* to show you old Trigger here..."

 Fifty Shades of Show Jumping

Check out this hilarious parody of "Fifty Shades of Grey" here. Don't worry, it's safe for work. Not familiar with FSoG? It's an incredibly popular novel best described as "mommy porn," i.e. a seductive mix of sex, bondage, college drama and soap-opera romance packaged to appeal to middle-class ladies. Honestly, I see this as a step forward in sexual equality-- it's about time the porn industry recognized that soccer moms have needs too. And yes, this book (and its two sequels) are available at your local library.

Richland Center Rescues: sketchy RAR vs quality Ocooch

First, a few brief news bulletins.

Another case of EEE was confirmed in Wisconsin. Remember to vaccinate!

A Dane County judge has ruled that dogs cannot be used to hunt wolves in Wisconsin. The DNR will uphold the ruling, but hasn't re-written any rules yet, and is planning on going ahead with the wolf hunt in October.

There was a neat article for horse lovers and Packer fans alike in a Milwaukee paper recently; click here to read it.
 
Now then, on to the part where I rant:

Richland Area Rescue worries me. Nay, angers me.

Although they don't appear to be actively breeding animals, their behavior raises several red flags.

-Not all animals are spayed/neutered/gelded
-Not all animals appear to have basic vaccinations

-Until recently, the kennels were primitive, with dirt floors
-Some animals don't have minimal basic training
...and other sketchy stuff.

Let me give you an example. I was tipped off about RAR when a watchful horse rescuer emailed this Petfinder ad to me:

Click to enlarge

1) Why is this pony not gelded?! Especially when they admit "he should be gelded?!" RAR, you're a rescue, do your damn job!

2) He's been "sat on" but "isn't broke." Okay, who sat on an unbroke mini? A kid? Great, awesome child endangerment. An adult? Awesome, great way to permanently damage an animal. Let's skip straight past my usual argument of "two year old horses should NOT be made to carry weight," and go on to a rant about minis and "being broke."

Minis aren't really meant to be ridden. Like pot-bellied pigs, their main purpose is to look adorable and possibly to pull tiny carts. Can they be ridden? Sure. But they probably shouldn't be. Unless you have a midget volunteer, you're either breaking a horse to ride with a child as its trainer/rider, OR you're using the crushing weight of an adult. Either way, you suck. Are there ways to train a mini without endangering a child or squishing said equine? Well... yes. Effective ones? Ehhh.... maybe. That's a debate for another time.

Let's take a look at some other sketchy stuff at RAR:

This horse isn't guaranteed sound-- she has problems in her whole back end. RAR doesn't know what's wrong with her, because apparently they don't want to pay a real vet to find out, but after a cursory look from a vet tech, they guess she'll be okay for light riding with a light rider. This sounds totally safe.

This mare looks a bit too ribby in her pictures, and her colt is 5 months old, but  "hasn't had anything done with him." Yikes, when do they plant to start halter breaking? When he's big enough to really hurt someone?

This pony is unbroke, but is being advertised as, "she could make a great birthday present for a little kid." I shall now repeat the obligatory mantra: "Animals should not be given as presents." Shouldn't a rescue know not to use this as a selling point?

...and there not-fixed puppies up for adoption without all their shots, unclear adoption prices, no mention of a return-to-shelter requirement when a pet doesn't work out, etc etc.

I think the argument could be made that I'm mostly nit-picking here. By themselves, each of these complaints might be petty. And even put together, they don't add up to actual abuse. It might be a little rough-and-ready, back-woods, poor quality type of rescue, but they're trying, right? And there are certainly camps of people who believe that rescues who help many animals a little are just as good as rescues who help a few animals a lot.

However, I cannot and will not forgive any "rescue" or "shelter" for not spaying/neutering/gelding animals in their care. Animals wind up in shelters because they are unwanted. How do we have unwanted animals? Largely, because we've allowed too many of them to breed.And sending an unfixed animal out the door is an invitation for it to breed.

Richland Area Rescue does say, "We are working towards having all dogs and cats spayed and or neutered before adoption." They also have a one-page contract, part of which states that any animal adopted needs to be spayed/neutered/gelded within 30 days of adoption. But to me, these are flimsy mechanisms. RAR should just act responsibly, dammit.

Interestingly, there is another rescue in Richland Center: Ocooch Mountain Humane Society. They have a much nicer website, a bimonthly low-cost spay-and-neuter program, regular fundraising events, a much more thorough adoption application, and all their animals are fixed and have all their shots. Ocooch is still small; they only have a facility for cats (dogs are all privately fostered) but you can tell there have a quality operation.

So why is it that RAR has gotten the Richland County contract to take in strays, not the better-run Ocooch? I'm guessing RAR underbid Ocooch for the contract. That's a shame. If you're from the Richland Center area, please take a moment to tell your city government to spend your tax dollars at a higher quality facility that really cares for animals. (Click the link and then scroll down for contact info for city officials.)

I contacted Ocooch to ask them about the county contract as well as their operation versus RAR's, but didn't hear back by press time*.

*Update: never ever heard back from them.

America's Huge Ass Problem

Nope, for once this isn't about America's obesity crisis.

Quick, which American equine is the least desireable?

If you answered donkey/ass/burro, you just won the grand prize: 2,000 free donkeys. Can't take 'em? Neither can anyone else.

In the past three years, droughts, wildfires and flooding have devastated many middle/western states. Texas in particularly was hard-hit. Now, Indiana and Illinois farmers are shredding what little corn they have left just to feed their cattle. Hay is non-existant in many places. Colorado, of course, is on fire, Louisiana is in a drought crisis, eastern Iowa looks like a desert... basically, over half of the country looks like burned dog shit. It's officially the largest drought since 1956.

  

America: More brown than the infamous "tanning mom"



The animals suffer, of course-- but some suffer more than others. The underfed cattle at least got sold, once ranchers ran out of feed-- a quick death. Many horses were, and still are, being sold, given away, abandoned or even starved, but there's something about horses that make them slightly more recession-proof. They're more romantic, rideable, pretty, valuable and more recognizeable (so you can't dump them anonymously as easily). Everyone who ever read "Black Beauty" is at least inclined to call the police about any starving horses they see. Plus, there's always the French meat market as a last resort.



For donkeys, however, there are absolutely no options. Nobody, not even a Frenchman, wants to eat a donkey. Auction houses in Texas are now absolutely refusing to even accept donkeys in the ring, because no one bids on them. The few people that are in a position to adopt right now usually want a rideable equine, or at least one without a reputation for stubborness. So what happens? The donkeys get dumped. Literally, on the side of the road, dumped.

The Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, based in Texas, took in 686 donkeys last year and are already set to break that record, having taken in 474 donkeys already this year. Many of them were actually rescued from the side of the road. See their press release. One animal control officer in Athens, Louisiana has personally taken on hundreds from his parish alone. This Iowa woman rescued a group of donkeys at an auction for $20 each-- their compatriots dumped along Iowa roadsides are less fortunate. Even Hawaii has had a donkey problem!

It's such a crisis in America that western sherrif departments now say it's common for people to actually sneak onto other ranchers' lands in order to dump donkeys. I can't imagine being so desperate as to try to sneak a pack of donkeys anywhere, but that's how bad things are. And we're just talking about relatively tame, domesticated donkeys here-- can you imagine how badly the wild burros are suffering?

So what can you do to help?

• Adopt a donkey from your local equine rescue, or even from an out-of-state rescue.
• Adopt a Wild Burro from the BLM. They even have online auctions!
• Donate to the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue.
• Become a Satellite Adoption Center for PVDR.
• Spread awareness on your blog, Facebook, website, Twitter, etc.
• Volunteer at a local horse or donkey sanctuary (Holy Land Donkeys is just one in Wisconsin).

Finally, you can educate yourself, and others, about donkeys. Many myths and bad stereotypes prevent donkeys from finding good homes. They are not stubborn, mean or nasty-- they're intelligent, adaptable, wary and independent. The PVDR has a great FAQ here. I had no idea donkeys carried their foals for a full year! Or that the word "donkey" comes from the old English words for "dun" (the grey color) and "ky" (meaning little). Neat stuff. PVDR also has this cute fan-made video. Enjoy:

Good Intentions, Heinous Results

Today we have two stories coming out of Illinois.

First, an animal "rescuer's" mistrial, and why her defenders should shut up:

Dawn Hamill was featured on Fuglyblog about a year ago, when her Painted Pastures Animal Rescue & Sanctuary was raided. Officials seized over 100 animals, many of them very sick, from filthy conditions. Hamill had 63 dogs, at least six horses, plus rabbits, pigs, goats, cats, llamas and sheep...on only three acres. Original news article and video here, along with an audio quote from Dawn herself, saying that she's totally innocent of any wrongdoing. Another article here. Multiple dead animals were found on Hamill's property, located in the suburbs of Chicago. One was a three year old mini mare.

Now, Hamill's criminal trial has been declared a mistrial. Larry Draus, the lead investigator and main witness in the case, has been charged with extortion in a case involving an illegal cigarette ring. Draus may not be able to testify, and if he can, his already shaky credibility will be further in doubt. Draus was criticized for sloppy procedures in Hamill's case. Although there's plenty of photo and video evidence of horrific conditions, it may not be enough now that Mr. Asshole Dirty Cop has tainted things. Many of the charges against Hamill were heavily dependent on Draus's word. It's unknown whether Dawn Hamill will face the same charges at a new trial, if there IS a new trial.

There are plenty of people who support Dawn vehemently, posting all over her Facebook, talking to the media, etc. They're all statements like this one:

"I can't believe all the crazy things people are saying! Dawn always put animals first. Dawn would be out there at 6 in the morning working her butt off come rain, shine bad weather freezing cold! I know the great things she has done! it makes me wonder how many people actually know or they are just making stuff up and going on bad rumors!" --Ginger Wolfe

I absolutely believe that Dawn worked hard for the animals in her care, and did her best. Her closest neighbors even said so. I believe she genuinely cares about animals. But she's still fucking guilty. 

It doesn't matter how hard you're working, or how much you love your critters. What matters is how well the animals are actually cared for. It's obvious Hamill was struggling to give animals basic vet care and sanitation. No fucking wonder; spending just five minutes with each of 130 animals would equate to an almost 11 hour day. But you shouldn't say, "oh poor Dawn, look how she struggled," you should think, "this lady is a selfish, blind bitch for taking on dozens more animals than she can realistically manage."

Rescuing animals is a choice. Taking on dozens and dozens of animals is a choice. Dawn chose to take on so many that they ended up sick and filthy. She should be punished for that choice. Why is it that with any other crime, we don't much care about intentions, but with animal neglect, good intentions are a free pass? We don't have much sympathy for people who drive while drunk and then kill others in an ensuing cash. Sure, they don't mean to kill people, but they make bad choices that resulted in tragic deaths. Dawn didn't mean to make animals suffer but she did.

Every time I am tempted to adopt several more animals, I remind myself of stories like this. I could potentially support more rescue horses-- I've got a big pasture, I could scrape together more cash for winter hay, etc. But could I support many more horses and do it well? No. I know what my realistic capacity is. Dawn Hamill's lack of that same self-awareness is criminal.

Speaking of Good Intentions...

We move on to a tragic barn fire that killed at least 18 horses happened in McHenry, Ill. M&R Overlook Farm and Black Tie Stable was quickly devastated by a large fire a few days ago. The farm wasn't near any fire hydrants, forcing the 21 responding fire departments to truck in water. This slowed their ability to put out the blaze, and now there's nothing left of the large stable complex except blackened remains. Article and video here. The horses were mostly Arabians, and foals are among the dead. Madison Wallraf, a teenager who boarded at the barn, heroically entered the fire and saved many. However, some horses are still missing, and are either loose or dead but not yet found. Officials say the fire may have been started by a burning charcoal grill near the barn.

Don't have fire near the barn!

I can't think of anything more flammable than a barn. It's usually an old building, full of hay, shavings, dust, chaff, cobwebs, Neatsfoot oil, motor oil and gas for mowers and other machinery... so why would you risk having any kind of fire near it? My heart goes out to the owners and boarders at Black Tie, but their tragedy is a powerful reminder not to take risks. Pay attention to burn bans for your state, don't allow any kind of flame near your barn, and don't even have fire anywhere on your property if there's a decent wind. No one means to have a barn fire...but good intentions won't stop an errant ember.

A New Home for Nash

Nash has a new home!

This morning Nash happily stepped off of the trailer and into his forever home. It's Old Stage Alpcas, near Edgerton, WI, a fiber farm and sanctuary for llamas and alpacas. Jennifer Lafoe is the wonderful lady who runs this place, providing excellent care for critters who have been through as much as Nash has.  Jennifer says that, like the horse market, the llama/alpaca market nosedived a few years ago, and the once-trendy animals continue to be abandoned, auctioned off and even sent to slaughter.

 Jennifer supports her herd entirely out of her own pocket. She works full-time as a nurse at UW Madison and gets a little income from the yearly shearing. The camelids share space with a pot-bellied pig, two dogs, several goats, a couple of mini mules and a horse. Almost all of her animals were surrendered to her over several years from private citizens or through the county, more than a dozen of them from a single hoarding/neglect situation.

My favorite part of bringing Nash to Old Stage Alpacas was when Jennifer's herd suddenly saw Nash, and en mass, charged towards the fence. Here's a video of that, but warning: it was really windy when I was filming so the audio is awful-- it's probably better just to turn the sound off.

 He'll be introduced gradually, but he's in his own paddock for now so that he can adjust to his new surroundings. He already seems to love them-- he jumped right off the trailer and explored with enthusiasm.

 I'll post a few more pictures below.

If you want the back story on how I rescued Nash, a neglected llama running wild on a dairy farm, with the help of friends, the hindrance of a crazy lady, and a vet with a blowgun, just type "llama" into the search bar in the left corner up there. You'll get at least five separate blog posts of llama drama. Before I sign off though, I'd like to mention an awesome phone call I got while trying to find Nash a new home.

• Chris Stull in Pennsylvania helps run the Southeast Llama Rescue, a network of haulers, foster folks, adopters and rescuers. She was incredibly helpful to talk to, and offered to try to organize a transportation chain to get Nash to a top-rated llama rescue in Indiana. She rocks. Fortunately however, I found a local alternative. Anyway, she was great.