It happens to horses, too!

Although I write about rescued dogs and cats with a lot of frequency, horses are abandoned, neglected and abused as often as dogs and cats. Horses are also much more expensive to maintain, need more room and generally can be in a neglectful situation for months before anyone reports it.
In this case, the neglect was once again, someone trying to help and getting in over their head. Unfortunately, two horses had to be euthanized because they were so emaciated and starving.
In another case, the owner got 6 months of jail time, 5 years probation and $10,000 in fines.
And in this final news story, someone simply unloaded a horse on a woman's property and drove away.
This is the recommended requirement for a horse from an agricultural extension agent. It is pretty interesting how much land is needed for the horse to actually thrive and be a horse.

The horse requires a minimum level of forage in the diet to maintain normal gastrointestinal function, as well as, normal behavior. There has been little research done on the space requirements of horses. One and one-half to two acres of open land per horse is the recommended starting point to supply adequate acreage for a pasture forage program. The one and one half to two acres is actual pasture area and does not include land for any type of buildings, barns, arenas, etc. One acre of land is 43,560 square feet or approximately 210 feet x 210 feet. Obviously many people keep horses on smaller amounts of land and do not depend on the land to provide any forage. The optimum land amounts per horse then is two acres for pasture and then whatever is desired for barn space, hay and equipment storage and riding area. The next question then is what is the minimum area needed for a horse for a turnout (exercise) paddock. In other words, the horse will be maintained solely on harvested forage (hay) and no pasture land will be provided. Again, little research has been done to determine the minimum area needed for a turnout (exercise) paddock. The Guide For the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching recommends a minimum area of 0.1 (one-tenth) of an acre of open land per horse. This is approximately 4500 square feet. In most cases horse owners fall somewhere between the optimum and minimum open land levels for maintaining horses.

John D. Atkins
Extension Agronomy/Livestock

So before you decide you can give a horse a good home, check out how much land you have to work with, how much supplemental food you will need, how many vet visits will be needed. Please don't subject the horse to no pasture, poor food, no vet care etc. Then they end up being euthanized, once again because of a human's inhumanity.

If you would like more information on horse protections, check out this website and see what the Horse Protection Association of Florida does. It is a great group which does great work.

Special Labrador available for adoption

Editor's note: Please consider the reason this beautiful dog needs a special home. Many rescued animals are like Stella and do not do well around other dogs. It is a failing on the part of their previous parents and the dogs are who suffer for it. Let's not punish her for human error.
Hi everyone! My name is Stella, an affectionate gal with a pretty yellow coat, 2 years of age. I LOVE people. I am not friendly with other dogs and I do chase the kitties. In my past no one properly socialized me so I only like being around people. I enjoy offering my paw to folks to show them that I'm friendly and I am great on a leash. I would do best as an only dog in an understanding household.
I don't care for the rowdy, rambunctious dogs and I am not a big fan of dog parks. I would prefer to hang out with my human companions and enjoy all the attention they give me. I do have a habit of jumping up on people but my foster parents are working with me on that. My foster mom says that I am housebroken and trustworthy in the house. Come cuddle with me and let's see if we are a perfect pair.
If you are interested in meeting or adopting Stella or one of our other labs contact Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida by visiting our website http://www.labradorrescue.net/ or call 1-866-464-LABS.
LRROF has all our Labs microchipped, spayed or neutered, up to date on shots and each adoption comes with a 30 day pre-paid pet health insurance plan. All applicants will have a home inspection and vet reference (if applicable)

Don't shop! Opt to adopt

The headline on this item says it all. Don't go to a pet store, craigslist or the neighborhood backyard breeder if you want to add a new family member. Go to a shelter or rescue in your neighborhood.
Go online to petfinder.com or saveadog.org or rescue911 or any of the numerous search engines which list dogs, cats and other critters who need homes. Put the breed you are looking for in the search field and see how many pop up. then go meet them. Check out their personality. Ask questions of the group doing the adoption. Make sure they are the right fit for your family. Then adopt a pet.
We have a saying in animal rescue work. When you adopt from a rescue or a shelter, you are saving two lives. The life of the animal you are adopting and the animal who will take its' spot. Believe me when I tell you there will always be one more to take that empty spot. Please don't continue to fund puppy mills and vacations for backyard breeders. Let's take care of the ones who are already here.

Who lives and who dies?

I find it interesting when people who are writing for adoption animals use the terms high kill, or low kill or even no kill facility.

The reason most shelters or rescues become known as high kill is because they simply have no other avenues open to them. If you believe the people who work at these places enjoy having to euthanize animals every day, you are living in another world. Low kill facilities also euthanize but their numbers are not quite as high and no kill facilites do the same thing under the guise of either medical problems, behavior problems or other determining factors so John Q. public doesn't get angry at them.

Unless an animal is at a sanctuary, which believes in rehabilitating the whole animal, medically, behaviorally or otherwise, an animal can and does get killed.

I am going to run pictures of two dogs which were sent to me today from out of state. Both these dogs need medical help but otherwise seem to be nice dogs. The chances they will be rescued could be very slim. If one or both of these animals is euthanized it will not be the shelter's fault. It is a county run facility with only so much money and so much space. So why list it as a high kill facility when they are obviously doing the best they can with the resources they have.

Why not instead begin a massive campaign on people who dump their animals at these facilities with all these problems due to neglect and hold them accountable, instead of labeling the shelters and rescues who are doing the best they can under the circumstances.

Although both these animals are out of state, if you do know of anyone who could help them, please use the contact information below. Every one counts.

NAME: Tulip
ANIMAL ID: 9047668
BREED: lab mix
SEX: female
APPROXIMATE AGE: 6 months
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: 38 lbs
HEALTH: appears healthy except that she has some puncture wounds and is missing an eye, we are not sure what happened
TEMPERAMENT: friendly and very, very sweet
RESCUE PULL FEE: $0—SPONSORED!!!!

NAME: Splenda
ANIMAL ID: 9083154
BREED: Yorkie mix
SEX: female
APPROXIMATE AGE: 4 yrs
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: 8 lbs
HEALTH: healthy except her eye is badly injured and she needs it removed
TEMPERAMENT: very friendly and sweet
RESCUE PULL FEE: $40—we won’t spay her, that can be done when her eye is removed with the rescue’s vet
ADDITIONAL INFO:
UPDATE: will be PTS 11/12

If you know of anyone in South Carolina who could pull these dogs and get them a home, should their medical issues be a reason to euthanize? It is a question which must be decided every day all over the country.
Please use this contact information if you are interested.
Please email us at animalcareservices@greenvillecounty.org
We may have transport available—just ask
When you reply to confirm dogs, please include in your email what rescue you are with. This saves us a lot of time because we currently work with a TON of rescues. Thanks for making it easier for us!

Actions speak louder than words

Learning to live with wild creatures as the population continues to escalate, which it does despite what the experts say, can cause concern with those of us who have seen Florida change drastically over the last 30 years with more development, more cars, more people and generally more of everything. Unfortunately, this can spell disaster for many native species who do not adjust well to the "more."

Sandhill cranes are native to Florida but their population increases in the winter months due to migrating birds from up north. I have seen many killed on the highways surrounding Sarasota by speeding motorists who pay no attention to the signs warning of habitat or even the speed limit. So this morning, as I was coming back from the rescue and going west on Clark Road, the pair of cranes calmly walking across 3 lanes of traffic caused my heart to pump faster. As I slowed to a stop, the cars in the other two lanes did the same.

The birds reached the median and with incoming cars in the 3 eastbound lanes, I held my breath to see if the birds made it.

All three lanes of traffic stopped and let the birds cross Clark Road. It was nice to see people still stopping to enjoy the birds and helping them arrive safely to the other side. Thanks!

Shooting the Breeze by Baxter

Good morning, good morning, good morning. How are all my favorite readers this morning? I am good, good, good. I have to tell you, all my hard work finally paid off, in spades. (that means a lot, in case you were wondering)

Treats, I got treats. Soft ones in a big container. You see, I knew if I just asked long and hard, every week, someone would feel sorry for this old gentleman and bring me a whole container. I will tell you this: I am willing to share. Not because I want to, I can be pretty selfish, but because my Mom told me I had to. I would do anything for her. She saved me, you know. So I try hard to please her. She isn't my permanent mom, just the one I have known all these years. Well, maybe she is my permanent Mom, since I don't think I will ever find anyone to give me a real home outside of this kennel.

But, I am not a complainer. I learned a long time ago many dogs have it much worse than I do. We have a new guest, well, actually two, but let me tell you about the one who had it bad. He should weigh about 40 pounds. When he was found, he weighed 18 but it is up to 24 now, I think. He was almost starved to death. He is a little black dog and seems to like us okay as long as there are no treats around. I think he would fight the biggest dog we have for a treat. That means the volunteers must not try and hand feed him because of the snapping to grab the food. They have named him Gator. Get it? Snapped? Gator? Yeah, well I didn't understand it either so I hope you do. He gets fed like, 8 times a day. Incredible huh? I would eat soft treats 8 times a day.

Oh, I kinda got my wish for the 2nd dog. Well, not really because Jake is still next door yapping his head off all the time, but the new dog is a black lab and he did move next door on the other side. His name is Chesney. Of course, he has to share his kennel with Buckeye, the hound, but they seem happy together and play all the time. I heard they went out in the yard and ran like the wind. They are young and full of energy. I also heard he was smart but not learned. I don't know what that means either, but it has something to do with sitting. If he is that smart, he will get it. (I don't sit because of my crippled leg, but I don't let that stop me from playing and having a good time.)

Everyone here is quite worried about Ceco. She had surgery a couple of weeks ago. I told you, remember? She doesn't want to use that leg. She really needs to because I speak from experience when I say she doesn't want a stiffened up, crippled leg the rest of her life. Then last night, poor Care Bear caught his foot in the kennel and went down. It could have been serious, but Elmo started barking his head off and woke everyone up. It was a good thing cause Dad had to come and check out what was wrong. It made for a long night for everyone once we were up, so my afternoon nap is going to be a long one.

I know I told you this before, at least I think I did. Elsa, the boxer mix came back and now she is everyone's playmate. She is still a pup but she plays with all the boys. I heard someone say yesterday Harry was in love with her. He may be the next playmate she has. She is pretty fast let me tell you. Harry, Brody, Mitch, Anson, Wesley...you name the boys and they all love her.

Well, I am going to close for now. I am pretty tired after our early, early morning with Care Bear's accident.

Check out the adoptable I have this week but don't forget me. I am still here, still LOVE those soft treats and could be adopted to the right home.

Baxter

P.S. Here is the adoptable: His name is Wesley. He has really pointed ears and gets along well with others. He is timid with strangers but loves to play once he knows you. He even has a kennel mate here named Handsome. If you would like to meet Wesley, or have other questions, please drop Caroline a note at comments@satchelslastresort.com.

Labrador available for adoption

Stan the Man here. I am a happy-go-lucky, friendly fella. They tell me I’m about 5-years-old. My family could not keep me anymore, so the wonderful folks at Lab Rescue stepped up and found me a great foster home until I find my forever family.

I love to play fetch. You throw it - balls, toys, bones - and I’ll fetch it. I love all people and other dogs. My house manners are good, but no one ever taught me to do some of the cool stuff I see my fellow foster Labs doing. My foster mom already has taught me some fun things in just a few days, so I’m pretty darn smart and really anxious to learn. I sure am getting a lot of “good boy” praises these days, along with my favorite belly rubs. Please come visit me so we can play and you can see what a happy, loving guy I am. Who knows I could be with you for the Holidays.

If you are interested in meeting or adopting Stanley or one of our other labs contact Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida by visiting our website http://www.labradorrescue.net/ or call 1-866-464-LABS.

LRROF has all our Labs microchipped, spayed or neutered, up to date on shots and each adoption comes with a 30 day pre-paid pet health insurance plan. All applicants will have a home inspection and vet reference (if applicable).