Posts Tagged ‘irresponsible ownership – other animals’
Hoarders with Hummers!
Woooo…even for the Fugly Blog, this lady is a piece of work! Dawn Hamill of Painted Pastures Animal Rescue & Sanctuary in Tinley Park, Illinois finally got raided the other day. About time, as Dawn had over 100 animals on three acres and, of course, had somehow neglected to feed them, care for them, or consider the fact that 100 animals might just cost money before she acquired them. Please note that the bitch has a 501(c)(3), for those of you who still believe this somehow confers legitimacy upon a rescue. Dawn seems to have had at least a vague idea she was overcrowded, noting on her web site “Now, in our fourth year, we have reached the property’s space limit. But there is still so much more room in our hearts.” Lady, I’ve got room in my heart for all the Thoroughbreds in the world, but when you don’t have room in your WALLET for them, you are not helping! So of course, here’s what happened:
Shocking Conditions at Suburban Animal Shelter – WARNING, this link has graphic pictures of dead and sick animals.
Animal Shelter Director Faces Cruelty, Neglect Charges
“During the almost five-hour raid, police, the Animal Welfare League of Chicago Ridge and Cook County Animal Control removed 63 dogs, 31 cats and six rabbits. Investigators also removed 30 horses, ponies, sheep, goats and llamas.” Several animals were found dead, including a three year old miniature horse and a Himalayan cat, and several others had to be euthanized. Dawn claims the neglect charges are a “huge misunderstanding.” Bullshit. Can you explain, you disgusting pig, why a dog kennel ever looks like this? I mean, that is just LAZINESS.
“I got a kitten from there, and it was sold at 3 weeks old. Dawn stated they already had their shots, which would have been harmful because they were so young, but wouldnt give me the records. The kitten died because it had ear mites and fleas that caused amemia. The first two days i had this kitten it was in the hospital. Over 2000 in medical bills. When I contacted dawn, she told me to F off. Told me she wouldnt give me my money back for the kitten or do anything about it. Petsmart vet told me he sees this stuff all the time from painted pastures. I hope she goes down!!!!!” Well, Dawn, on behalf of all the animals imprisoned on your property, YOU can F off. I hope you enjoy your time in jail. Maybe they will teach you how to use a fucking broom. I hear they are good at that! This will be an interesting case to follow as Dawn is a talented con woman. She had the presence of mind to thank the authorities for intervening. She will now proceed to talk about how sad she was that things got out of control and how she just looooooved her animals. And she will get a wrist-slap and some of the animals returned to her. I’m psychic about this stuff…just you watch. The only thing that will prevent this is if those of you who saw first-hand the neglect that went on for years come forward and talk to the authorities. It is in your hands now, and you need to do it or more animals will suffer in the future. This includes ex-volunteers, ex-friends and adopters. Speak now, or don’t be surprised when Dawn is still in business a year from now! Video at this link Anyone who works in law in Illinois want to explain this docket to me? It looks like Dawn & hubby were in trouble with the Housing Dept. for something? I’m curious to know what it was, if there were sanitation/health issues even that far back.
Here’s your sign – on second thought, I need it to beat you to death!
Off topic for a dog issue today. I simply can’t NOT blog about this one.
Return to Sender? Not this puppy
Mailed Puppy Alive and Well at Minneapolis Animal Control
39 year old Stacey Champion, of Minneapolis, tried to mail a puppy. And by this, I mean that she put a four month old schnoodle puppy into a damn box with no food or water and dropped it off to be mailed to some equally stupid relative of hers in Atlanta, Georgia.
The puppy, gasping for air since dingbat hadn’t left any air holes uncovered (didn’t we all know to do that when we were, like, FIVE???), squirmed around and the box fell off the counter. As boxes do not usually jump off counters on their own, this put postal workers on notice that the box might contain something that shouldn’t be mailed, and they opened the box and found the puppy.
Let’s all take a moment to reflect on HOW STUPID someone might be to think you could stick a puppy in a box with no food, water or air holes and mail it across the country. That is a special kind of stupid. That is far beyond the sort of stupid we see on “Teen Mom” or “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” It is even dumber than being the hooker willing to be alone with Charlie Sheen. You know, a lot of times people are evil, and a lot of times people try to plead ignorance when they are caught doing something evil, but I genuinely believe this woman is just as dumb as a fricken’ fence post. Can you imagine if she had a baby?
From the article: “So far, Champion hasn’t notified authorities that she wants the dog back, Dodge said.
She did, however, return to the post office to demand a refund for the $22 she paid to mail the puppy. She also wanted a small amount of money she had attached to a makeshift dog collar returned to her.
Postal workers nixed the refund and told her to contact law enforcement about the collar currency. “We asked her, don’t you want to know about your puppy? But she said no. She just wanted her money back,” Ojoyeyi said.”
Stacey, you are officially too stupid to be allowed to roam free. You really need to be duct-taped into a big box for the protection of everything else with a pulse in your vicinity!
Some good little web investigator found Stacey’s Facebook page. In case it disappears, here are some quotes to enjoy:
“Why I went down to the Minneapolis hennipan public aid office today and they told me I could not get my food stamp benefit because I recieved my august benefit in July instead of august how do that sound to my face page friends and I still don’t have no food for august is that some fuck up bullshit to hear?”
OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
But hey, in case some of you find TOTAL IDIOCY sexy, she is also looking for a date!
“Yes I would especially a Italian man that is hard to find in mpls,mn and Jews that is hard to find in mpls,mn help me find a nice white TTY with phat pockets and love to spoil there girlfriend lost without a man in mpls,mn 
”
and there’s more…
“How I can’t get sex don’t no man want me I have bad luck with men why is that find me a superman of love who will fly high for my love I want more than just sushi I want Kobe”
DEAR MEN WHO WILL NOT HAVE SEX WITH THIS WOMAN: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I’m fairly sure she cannot impregnate herself, so perhaps the stupid will not breed on and puppies everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief!
And again, I’ve got nothing against responsibly breeding dogs. BUT you’d better damn well realize THIS is the kind of home they can wind up in if you’re not screening homes. Ask questions. Get references. Don’t be afraid to be nosy. This puppy would have absolutely, 100% died, if not from suffocation, from exposure. Disgusting. 
You have a remote control for a reason!
By now, almost all of you have probably seen this article:
Obama Calls Eagles Owner to Congratulate Him for Signing Michael Vick
And you may have seen this very appropriate response, from Best Friends, who has quite a few of Mr. Vick’s dogs (and is probably not holding their breath for him to shoot a few million dollars their way as a thank-you for their fine work cleaning up his damn mess).
When The President Calls About The Vick Dogs
But I don’t feel it’s all been said, so I’m going off topic today to address this myself.
When the hell did we start glorifying bad behavior to this extent, to the point where we even pat the backs of those who glorify bad behavior? And I’m not talking about stealing hubcaps here. Michael Vick and his dogfighting buddies killed (at least) thirteen dogs by various methods including wetting one dog down and electrocuting her, hanging, drowning and shooting others and, in at least one case, by slamming a dog’s body repeatedly to the ground.
This is not petty crime, “immaturity” (as Vick himself labeled it) or youthful tomfoolery. This is not toilet-papering a house or filling someone’s car with shaving cream. These are the actions of a violent psychopath. These guys were witnessed laughing at the suffering of the dogs. That is not mentally normal. That is Jeffrey-fricken-Dahmer in training.
If I ran the world, Vick and his buddies would spend the rest of their lives in prison. The rest of the world would be safe from them, and their brawny bodies could be put to work doing some sort of appropriate menial job. Unfortunately, I do not run the world, and Vick got his wrist slap and is back playing professional football, making a gazillion dollars, and on top of that, some dumb bunny is actually marrying him. Honey, you better not fold the towels wrong or burn his toast, that’s all I’m saying.
But hey – Vick’s actions show he’s not right in the head. My question is, what the FUCK is wrong with this Lurie guy who owns the Eagles and for that matter, what the FUCK is wrong with President Obama? What the FUCK is wrong with every American football fan who can cheer this man on without throwing up? Anyone who is a compassionate, decent human being should be repulsed at the sight of him and boycott any game he’s in. You know I always say to vote with your wallet. These people are voting for a psychopath. They’re voting for someone who enjoys pain and suffering and has no qualms about causing it.
And worse yet – what you’re all voting against, if you support this football team and its idiot owner, is the right choice. The right choice would have been to hand that opportunity to some perfectly decent college player who is dying for a shot at playing pro ball. How many college players are out there right now who have not done ANYTHING BAD, EVER…who do not have a criminal record, not a single DUI, who work hard in college and treat people and animals with respect and kindness? Guys who have, in many cases, come from nothing and for whom football is what it should be – a stepping stone to a better life? There are only so many of those guys who are ever going to make it to the NFL. One of them is not going to make it because his spot is being filled by this vicious, worthless, soulless piece of shit. And THAT is what’s really wrong here…that we are glorifying violence and evil when we could, instead, have stepped up and said no to that. We could have said, sorry Michael, you have proven that you do not deserve this. We found someone who does deserve this. And you are still lucky, Michael, because no one drowned you. You’re still alive, and you can choose to get therapy and see if you can control your violent tendencies for the rest of your life. You can get a job, you can get an apartment, you can have your freedom. But you do not get a zillion dollars and fame anymore…because you did something bad enough that you can’t have those things anymore, and we are going to draw the line somewhere.
We don’t ever seem able to send that message in our culture…that your behavior is so bad that we are going to, as a society, reject you…that we will vote with our wallets and not put money into your pocket. I mean, look at Charlie Sheen. How many women does he get to beat the crap out of before the American people stop watching “Two and a Half Men?” I won’t watch that crap. I don’t know what the Hell is wrong with people who do. (Now this is not to say that I don’t inadvertently watch stuff with people who might be as bad as Charlie but have covered it up better…but we all KNOW about Charlie, so we can’t plead ignorance about him.)
So I guess my overall message is, when you wonder why there’s so much evil … against animals, against children, against women, against anyone … ask yourself why we keep letting evil rise to the top in our society and stay there, in positions of power, sending the message that this kind of behavior is No Big Deal. And if you think Michael Vick can’t take those millions he’s making and discreetly influence legislation that keeps animals defined solely as property and protects abusers like himself, you’re living in a dream world. We’re giving the asshats the money and then we’re wondering why asshats control the world. Wise up, folks.
This is Baldwin, a nine year old TB gelding up for adoption at Shiloh Horse Rescue in Nevada. What a nice, mellow, naturally low headed boy! Definitely worth checking out if you’re horse shopping for 2011.
Things NOT To Do This Holiday Season
Somewhat OT, because we’re going to talk about small animals here, too, but this is my rant of animal-related things that I am sick of seeing people do around the holidays, so listen up or I’m sending you a stocking full of coal!
Buy a puppy from a pet store. You really would think that, in this day and age, with all the information online, that people would realize that pet store puppies come from puppy mills, that many if not all of those puppies have health problems as a result that may lead to a very tragic, expensive, and short life, and that puppy mills are horrible places you do not want to fund with your hard-earned money. BUT NO! Even in my own circle of friends, I have seen people ready to rush right out and dump $2000 into some poor little parvo-ridden puppy, while somewhere in Missouri, some dickhead with as much concern for dogs as Michael Vick is laughing all the way to the bank.
No, I am not anti-breeder if it’s a proper breeder. My standards for dogs are the same as for horses. If you are breeding show quality dogs that have been tested for all applicable genetic defects and diseases, if you do NOT sell dogs to homes that you have not checked out and approved, if your puppies are home raised and do not live in some scary ass, filthy cage in your falling-down barn, I do not have a problem with you or the people that buy from you. But it’s just like horses. You, as the buyer, need to SEE the conditions the puppies live in and are raised in. If it squicks you out, RUN. Take your money ELSEWHERE. I know you want to rescue the puppies, but that kind of rescuing FUNDS FUTURE ABUSE. So instead, take pictures of the crappy conditions and say you have to show the puppies to your kids so they can decide. Then walk out, FILE A REPORT with those pictures, and go find a responsible breeder or a quality shelter or rescue to get a puppy from.
By the way, the same goes for rescued dogs and cats. There is NEVER an excuse for a rescue to be a scary shithole. I have heard it all about the volunteers didn’t show up today, our donations are down, etc. It is all nonsense. Simply do not adopt from anywhere that is not reasonably clean and sanitary, or anywhere you see sick pets mingled in with healthy ones. If we were able to keep cages clean, litter boxes clean, meds given and sick animals separate in the middle of Hurricane Katrina (and yes, we were) with only 1 person per hundred cats, I guarantee you that there is no reason for poor care to be provided at anyone’s rescue or shelter. It is called getting off your ass and doing the work. Stop funding lazy asshats, whether they are breeders or rescues.
Not every animal wants to be a part of your celebration. Please use a little common sense! When you know you have a scaredy cat or dog, or one that “sometimes” bites or doesn’t handle stress well, stop letting them run loose while you have your 26 relatives and their 13 under-the-age-of-five kids over. It is much kinder to lock the pet in an unused bathroom or a garage, or crate it, than have someone get bitten or scratched and then you have a drama. Or the pet gets out and is never seen again.
The same goes for horses. C’mon, I know everybody wants a picture sitting on the horsie, but again, please use common sense. You KNOW your three year old stallion is not appropriate, and “I don’t think he’ll do anything with someone holding him” are famous last words. Yes, every visitor will want to pet a horse, and you know which of your horses will tolerate that and which won’t. Saying no, even if it creates a bit of drama in the short term, is far better than someone getting hurt.
Animals as gifts! Unless the gift-ee is a child living in your home that calls you Mommy or Daddy, or you have the authorization of those people, animals are never a good gift. I cannot tell you how many times some well-meaning person buys their spouse or significant other a pet or a horse and it is a terrible match and not at all what they wanted (or it’s not what they needed, because Hubby doesn’t realize a green broke Gypsy Vanner is not appropriate for his wife even though that is what she says she wants). Right after the holidays, tons of “mistake” animal gifts get dumped in the shelters. A much better idea is to give something like a lovely gift certificate “good for” the kind of pet you know the person wants, and then take them out shopping at the breeders, rescues, whatever to find the one that is truly a perfect match.
Sure, there are exceptions – I gave a horse to a 12 year old once for Christmas. But she had been showing her for two years at that point, and I’d cleared it with her parents. In a case like that, heck, go for it – there are few things as fun as seeing the look on a kid’s face when she comes out to the barn and finds the horse gift-wrapped in the cross-ties and figures out what’s up.
Cheaping out on pet-sitting. I know, pet and horse sitting is not cheap, and I understand the temptation to just put out a round bale and fill an extra water tank or leave a huge bowl of food and extra water dishes because “we’re just going for the weekend.” But by now you should ALL be familiar with Murphy’s Law Of Animals. Did you see the news story about Kat Von D’s house burning down with her cat in it? All it takes is for a pet to chew a cord, something to get knocked over, an electrical malfunction or whatever and you have a fire. The temperature can drop and leave the water frozen and the next thing you know, you hae a colicking horse and no one there to see it or call a vet. And of course, if there is any time animals are going to break through a fence, it will be when you are 300 miles away at Grandma’s house. Spend the money for someone to stay overnight, and make sure you have checked out that person thoroughly, and that there is also a backup person who can be called in an emergency. And bear in mind that it just doesn’t work for non-horsepeople to horse-sit. I can tell you stories all day about straw being fed to the horses instead of hay, the wrong horses being put out together, and all sorts of physical problems not getting noticed.
Finally, although I would love to believe no one who reads this blog would ever do this, it happens so much that I know SOMEONE is doing it. Namely, dumping off the senior pet at the shelter and taking home a new puppy or kitten to delight the kids. Your kids may be too young to realize this is wrong, but YOU know what you are doing and I’ll bet YOU know enough not to TELL people you did it. You have an old pet and they are sort of blind and sort of deaf and they are peeing on things and kind of cranky and don’t want to play anymore. And you are cheap, and don’t want to pay for the vet, or you are sick of paying for the vet, and somehow a sensible solution like putting the dog in a playpen with a waterproof pad is just tooooo much effort for you, and euthanasia costs money and it might dawn on you that you are not such a great person if you have to sit there and watch your animal die, especially right before Christmas…so you dump off the pet and tell yourself it is sure to get a GREAT home. Then you get a new baby animal that is not screwed up yet and bounce merrily home to show the kids. There is never any excuse for this. It sucks. And you are not only doing something wrong, but you are teaching your kids to grow up and have the same disregard for life that you do. Do you really think that kids raised like this grow up and have any respect for anyone or anything? They will treat people as disposably as you have taught them to treat animals. You are not putting them on the right track to have good relationships in general, because you just taught them that the moment things aren’t perfect, bail out.
Now, for those of you who ARE disgusted by this practice, I want to plug a great rescue that does something about it. I just love Old Dog Haven in Seattle. They take in a ton of these discarded dogs…dogs that can’t see, dogs that can’t hear, dogs that need medication…and put them in long-term foster homes where they will be loved and petted and live in a house until they really are not healthy enough to be happy anymore, and it really is time to let them go. They pick up the ball that is dropped by so many owners, and they are a great charity to send some of your year-end donations to.
All right, I’ve said my piece! For the rest of you who are great animal owners, have a wonderful holiday season full of buying stuff for the pets, making yummy mashes and treats, and of course buying new show clothes for next season!
Now, for those of you who are looking for a good kids’ horse to check out this holiday season, One Tough Knight is a 17 year old Thoroughbred gelding recently rescued from the kill pen at the Enumclaw Sale. His name fits, as he is one of those tough guys who broke down on the track in his last race but survived and is sound and rideable today (and a sweetheart!) He has an old bow but is sound on it and should be fine for normal flatwork. It also sounds like he would be a good beginner lesson horse. He’s in the Seattle area. If you’re interested, contact Second Chance Ranch.
Out of the frying pan…back into the frying pan!
So, remember my story about Beth Lynne Hoskins, the Morgan horse breeder who had 70 horses and 50 dogs in, well, pretty much a pig sty? The one who somehow thought getting a divorce was an excuse for not getting off her butt and picking up a manure fork? The one who, to this day, thinks somehow SHE is a victim even though horses were found with no water?
Well, since this story broke, in August, 40 of her horses were returned to her, despite the fact that 125 counts of cruelty are pending against her. What the hell? And of course Drama Princess had to hire extra security people (sunshine, you ain’t Mariah Carey, give it a rest) because she was hearing gunshots and blah, blah, blah. Oh, come on. Seriously, it’s so predictable. You call someone out on their shit and pretty soon they are allegedly being harassed and someone is threatening their life and they heard gunshots. How dare you actually talk about the bad shit they actually did? Now there’s a lynch mob, really there is, and it’s all YOUR FAULT!
(insert loud, derisive snort)
These days, it seems to be all about the money – the Judge seems totally willing to throw the horses back into the frying pan from whence they came, he just wants the SPCA paid back and Princess can’t pay.
Except for a lawyer. THAT she can pay for.
I can hire a lawyer but not barn help!
So we’re giving 73 horses back to someone who hasn’t paid a dime toward their care over the past seven months? How do you think this is going to end, oh wise Fugly blog readers? I’m gonna do another Madame Cleo like I did with Cleve – THEY’RE GOING TO WIND UP CONFISCATED AGAIN. Or at a kill auction. Flip a coin, it’ll be one or the other!
Elizabeth McNabb, who manages the Buffalo Equestrian Center, hit the nail on the head. She said “You’re not going to find another farm in the area that has that many horses — for a reason.” Yes, and the reason is SANITY. “They were underfed. Their feet were in terrible shape,” McNabb said. “It took a team of farriers three weeks to get their hoofs into shape. One of the farriers actually had to build a new foot for one of the horses out of epoxy.
But Hoskins thinks she did nothing wrong. She just thinks that people are out to get her. Probably because of her close personal relationship on Twitter with John Mayer. We’re just jealous, you know. And that is why we want to steal her ponies!
Beth, they have a great TV show on A&E called Hoarders. Tune in sometime. That is you. You are one of those people, but instead of hanging on for dear life to a Christmas plate from 1976 that’s covered in cat feces, you are hanging on for dear life to skinny, manure-encrusted horses with rotting feet, and the sad part is that you think that’s love. Let’s hope justice and sanity prevail and those horses do not all wind up back at your house for another round of suffering.
On a more positive note, here’s a great story about the rescue of Bucky B Lucky and two of my favorite PNW rescues, SAFE and Second Chance Ranch!
And now for an update on the OSU pony! She is doing great. She has had her teeth done, her feet done and her health certificate/Coggins done for travel and is heading south in another week or so. Best of all, I believe I already have an adopter for her in SoCal, someone I have known for twenty years (I taught her kids to ride in the early 90′s!) and know is just a meticulous and loving horse owner! All we need now are some donations to defray the cost of her trip to Los Angeles. If you can help get Gidget south, please consider making a donation to Falcon Ridge Equine Rescue – specify that it’s for Gidget. Your donation is, of course, tax deductible. The trip will cost only $500 thanks to a great deal being given to us by a reader of the blog, and I’ll give you updates about our progress here!
