Post by coconut on Apr 17, 2009 11:22:06 GMT -5
I know this case has been mentioned here recently & there was a big post on fugly but the Today Show ran a story this morning and I got to start out my morning with tears & coffee 
(and I already knew about this story...it's just so hard to see horses in that condition and not think about our own neglected horses 
)
I'm not happy with the "...So if you have a big backyard, and a big heart, please consider getting one..." I think it probably should have read "if you have a quality facility, extra money & experience with horses and would like to give these horses an upgrade..." I went to the website for the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA & it's adoption application is not very detailed. I would hope that they will do more than a call to a vet & two personal references to make sure potential adopters are worthy!
Also of interest is the lack of the post to mention the owner, Ernie Paragallo by name. His defense, btw, "Poor Management" (really? that's it?) I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that he initially tried to pin it on his stable staff!! Another question is of the 177 horses seized by authorities, there are only 67 that the SPCA is trying to adopt out: What about the other 110?
It was reported last week in the Daily Racing Form that I read in Lexington that the horses were not removed from the property & remained there. What wasn't clear was Paragallo's statement about how he wasn't allowed to move them....where was HE going to take them?
Anyway....here's the story
allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/17/1895781.aspx
Horses left for death now up for adoption
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2009 8:00 AM by Sarika Dani
Filed Under: Live from Studio 1A
From TODAY correspondent Jill Rappaport
As a person who considers my dogs and horses to be my children, I was beyond horrified, heartbroken, and plain SICK to my stomach, to witness such shocking cruelty! On a 500-acre farm in upstate New York, 177 horses were clinging to life, covered in parasites, emaciated, with clumps of hair falling out, cuts, infections, and hooves in desperate need of care. These Thoroughbreds -- once beautiful thriving animals -- were left for months during one of the worst winters we ever had to fend for themselves.
Their owner, considered to be a prominent player in the horseracing world, blames the problem on "poor management," not money. He was arrested and charged with 22 counts of animal cruelty, and all his racing privileges have been revoked. The vet on call assures me that ALL the horses have an excellent prognosis, and should recover completely in four to six months.
And the other wonderful news is that 67 of the horses were turned over to authorities, and are up for adoption! So if you have a big backyard, and a big heart, please consider getting one. I hope by doing this story, and showing the world what can happen to our beautiful animals if left in the wrong hands, that this will never happen again! They count on us for love, care and protection. And in return we get them.What a gift! See the report on TODAY here.
If you're interested in adopting or donating, please contact the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA at their Web site, or call them at (518) 828-6044.
(and I already knew about this story...it's just so hard to see horses in that condition and not think about our own neglected horses 
)I'm not happy with the "...So if you have a big backyard, and a big heart, please consider getting one..." I think it probably should have read "if you have a quality facility, extra money & experience with horses and would like to give these horses an upgrade..." I went to the website for the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA & it's adoption application is not very detailed. I would hope that they will do more than a call to a vet & two personal references to make sure potential adopters are worthy!
Also of interest is the lack of the post to mention the owner, Ernie Paragallo by name. His defense, btw, "Poor Management" (really? that's it?) I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that he initially tried to pin it on his stable staff!! Another question is of the 177 horses seized by authorities, there are only 67 that the SPCA is trying to adopt out: What about the other 110?
It was reported last week in the Daily Racing Form that I read in Lexington that the horses were not removed from the property & remained there. What wasn't clear was Paragallo's statement about how he wasn't allowed to move them....where was HE going to take them?
Anyway....here's the story
allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/17/1895781.aspx
Horses left for death now up for adoption
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2009 8:00 AM by Sarika Dani
Filed Under: Live from Studio 1A
From TODAY correspondent Jill Rappaport
As a person who considers my dogs and horses to be my children, I was beyond horrified, heartbroken, and plain SICK to my stomach, to witness such shocking cruelty! On a 500-acre farm in upstate New York, 177 horses were clinging to life, covered in parasites, emaciated, with clumps of hair falling out, cuts, infections, and hooves in desperate need of care. These Thoroughbreds -- once beautiful thriving animals -- were left for months during one of the worst winters we ever had to fend for themselves.
Their owner, considered to be a prominent player in the horseracing world, blames the problem on "poor management," not money. He was arrested and charged with 22 counts of animal cruelty, and all his racing privileges have been revoked. The vet on call assures me that ALL the horses have an excellent prognosis, and should recover completely in four to six months.
And the other wonderful news is that 67 of the horses were turned over to authorities, and are up for adoption! So if you have a big backyard, and a big heart, please consider getting one. I hope by doing this story, and showing the world what can happen to our beautiful animals if left in the wrong hands, that this will never happen again! They count on us for love, care and protection. And in return we get them.What a gift! See the report on TODAY here.
If you're interested in adopting or donating, please contact the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA at their Web site, or call them at (518) 828-6044.