caring for other peoples' animals

The 2 new rescues (the horses, not this kitty, you'll read about the kitty at the end of this post) went to the Vet last Friday. And spent the night. Rocket, the pinto, needed to become a gelding. They were both excellent for their shots and both hopped right in the trailer for us. Today Andy at the Humane Society called me and asked about Rocket. He is swollen. Bigger than a grapefruit size. She called the vet and they discussed what's going on and he told her not to worry. I know what that's like though. We rescue these guys from horrible situations and it seems we have to do more bad things to them to make them better. So yes, we feel bad and we worry for them. We'll see what tomorrow brings, but I'm guessing he'll be okay. The pony TooLoo is only about 8 years old. She is getting really nice now too. They are 2 really nice horses and they need homes! Please!

Here's the deal about my attitude. I get a call from a lady asking if we are the "horse rescue assistance place." I knew what kind of a call this was going to be. Seems her mother is in the hospital and her mother's horses will be without feed at the end of this month or sooner. She would be happy to drop them off someplace and not let her mother know where they went. She didn't want anyone to go to where the horses are. She would not give me her name or tell me where the horses are. She said there are 6 to 8 of them, 6-7 years old (so far it didn't sound too bad but I knew the bad part was coming). sure enough, none of them are broke. they are broodmares. Pregnant? not sure. no stallion there now. You have to know that I never know how much of any of this is true. okay. there is some reason she doesn't want anyone to go there. couldn't someone take them another round bale? couldn't a neighbor take care of them for a while? could you find one little stupid ounce of ambition and post a FREE ad on keloland.com, or something????????? But, at this point, I was still trying to find out the location of the horses. All I got was "near Miller." that was odd. the phone number was Mitchell. but I didn't ask.

"Are they registered?"

"I believe some are, but you won't be getting the papers with them."

"WHAT???????"

okay, here comes my attitude.

"listen lady, you called for help, do you have any idea how much money it will cost to get all of these horses trained? we are trying to find something marketable about them. Papers might make them marketable.

"Nope, we won't be signing them over."

she should have just told me they were all grade mares. then I wouldn't have exposed my "attitude." well, not as much anyway.

things went downhill fast at that point. She hung up on me because she didn't like "my attitude."

Here is the traceback number: 996-1212. It's the 1st Reformed Church in Mitchell. My thought is maybe the lady who called works there (there's a recording that sounds an awful lot like the voice that called me) and her mother's horses are near Miller. I forwarded this info. on to a Humane Officer and the Animal Industry Board. The AIB told me when they get a formal complaint they can check it out.

Okay, I understand it all. I understand how it works. but I was kind of wondering, could we get just a little creative, a little unscientific for just a moment? could a deputy or anyone who might just know this woman go find out where the horses are so someone can go check on them? I am sorry that I cannot just let everyone dump these untrained horses off here. How can people still be so fogged over about the horse industry and how the bad breeders (yes, there are good breeders too) have bred themselves right out of business? and placed the blame on us "do-gooders" as they like to call us. And, okay, really, how much effort does it take to post a free ad, or find someone to do it for you. anyone with a computer can do it!

Have I vented yet? I guess.

and then, this morning, I thought he was kidding but he wasn't. Greg says, "we have a new cat."

or something like that.

anyway, here she is. photo at the top of this post. She can barely walk so someone must have dumped her off here.

hey, thanks a lot! next time could you tie about $200 on to her bones please? just to get me started with her?

my my my my my. what a weekend I'd say. I did get her to eat some kitten chow in warm water. we'll see what tomorrow brings for her.

TooLoo and Rocket need new homes

We are helping a Humane Officer with placement of the cutest little pony, TooLoo. And the friendliest 2-year-old horse, Rocket. Rocket has 2 names so far. Rocket and Lucky. We'll call him Rocket for now. Though he is a very lucky boy. We don't know a lot about them yet. There are some legal things going on that we are not involved with. But they have both been signed over to authorities and they are available for adoption.

TooLoo is a little pony mare. seems to be okay. sound. etc. The farrier said she was good to work with. She needs to have a vet exam though. shots, age estimate, etc. She was basically abandoned. A little thin but not bad.

Rocket was extremely thin. He was rescued from starvation. But after 2 weeks he is doing better. He is a pretty grullo paint color. seems to be sound and okay now. He too will get a thorough Vet check soon. next week we hope.

We will get you more info. as we get it. For now, if you think you might be interested in adopting one or both of these sweeties, just give me a call. Thanks, Darci. 605 359-0961.

Earlier this week I received emails from people about some horses in trouble in Emery SD. I had heard about this last year too I think. I forwarded the info. on to Rosey at 2nd Chance Rescue and to the SD Animal Industry Board. And Holy Horses if they didn't do a rescue over there too. I think 8 horses, some doggies and some bunnies. There have already been arrests in this case.

It was all on the news today.

Will it ever end? no, probably not. There are people who lock their 2-legged children in closets and starve them and beat them and worse. of course there will always be animal neglect.

But, we need to keep reporting, keep arresting, keep punishing, keep decreasing the numbers of cases of animal neglect. We need to keep saying

(1) it's okay and necessary to report suspected animal neglect

(2) it's not okay to let your horses starve to death or let their hooves curl up into their knees or die from parasite infestitation, and you will be punished if you get caught doing this.

This is a good time to do my lecture again about bailing people out whether it's from them directly or from one of the horrible little neighborhood salebarns that still exist (you know the salebarns I am talking about in our state). If you go to one of these salebarns and see skinny, sick, foundered, or otherwise neglected horses. REPORT IT! It's neglect! Why should neglect be lawful just because it's at a salebarn? It's not! REPORT IT! Take the poor babies home if you want to. That is wonderful of you. But REPORT IT! They should be able to find out who consigned the poor babies, and deal with it and for sure go check on other animals they most likely have at home. REPORT IT!

End of lecture. I'm sure I made my point.

recent rescues

Please give your horsies some extra time and kindness today. The past few days Greg & I have been helping with some recently rescued horses. It is a legal deal and so we don't know much about it. We are just helping as we are needed.

Just please give your horsies some extra time and kindness today -- and tomorrow -- and always.

thanks.

and thanks Heidi and Rocky for this beautiful beautiful photo. and Jamie Flinn the photographer for allowing us the rights to it.

Photo Copyright Horse Help Providers, Inc. (DoubleHP) and Jamie Flinn of JF Photos in Sioux Falls.

Percherons in our yard

Last Wednesday while Deb and I were out in the front yard with Paul & Prince, our neighbor Mary Gibson drove in and said they were having a big event at their house Saturday. (last Saturday, just a couple of days ago.) One of their sons was getting married and they were going to give horse & wagon rides to the guests and could they use our turn-around driveway. Sure!

They hired McCrossan Boys Ranch. And the team selected was a beautiful pair of Percherons.

I didn't get their names, but I'll try to find out.

Back in the Saddle Again.

This is Paul and Prince. I wrote a little about them in the previous post. Paul has a Special Heart. And, well, I guess Prince does too.

Prince & Butterscotch back with herd

This is Prince & Butterscotch, with Spirit in the background.

Prince & Butterscotch are very happy to be back out with the herd, after their recent Vet trips and stall rest.

The evening we got back from our Minnesota / Wisconsin vacation, August 23, we had visitors. Deb & Randy Antonsen and their children Christina, Amanda, Paul & Gabe came to visit. Paul is a 5-year-old boy who has had 4 open heart surgeries and now has a mechanical valve (as of June 2009) and I believe his status is still "congestive heart failure." Their whole family spent over a month in Ann Arbor Michigan in June-July for Paul's most recent 2 surgeries. And then of course he was not allowed to ride for a while. So, finally, he can ride again! But the kids didn't ride on this day. "Their" horse, Prince, was very sore. He suffers from severe arthritis in his right hock. I took him and Butterscotch to the Vet the following Tuesday. Prince had a total of nine needle pokes, and he was not sedated at all. The theory was to block out certain nerve areas with an injection of some numbing product (sorry can't remember the name). and, if Prince were to trot off with less lameness or no lameness, we would have found the sore area. We had him injected a couple of weeks before we left for vacation, but it did not help. So I knew something else was going on. Xrays show more of the same, severe arthritis in all 4 joints. with some more changes going on. Prince is only 7 or 8 years old. But lived the first year and a half of his little life in a state of starvation. His bones and joints did not have a chance to develop as they should have. other than this hock thing he really does pretty well. Anyway, by the time the Vet was done with the "blocking," he was numb from the top of the hock all the way down into the foot. And he was still as lame as he was when we started. Along with the "blocking" the Vet had injected some other stuff into the joints, hoping to help him feel better somehow. Sadly, however, I took him home just as sore as he was at the start. The Vet gave me some kind of "experimental" pills to try. For dogs. Which I am more than willing to try. But I thought I would give all those injections a couple of days to kick in before I started the pills. And sure enough! In a couple of days, Prince was doing much better. And he still is. He is lame, but at least he is back to where he was a few months ago. He runs so fast I can't believe his leg just doesn't fall off. I have not tried the pills yet. But I will, if he gets more sore again.

The following 2 Wednesday evenings, the Antonsens came to visit Prince again. The first Wednesday Princie was still really sore, it was the day after the trip to the Vet. But the next Wednesday, just last Wednesday, Prince was ready to ride again. Deb and Paul came just the 2 of them that evening. And Paul rode for a long time, out in the front yard. Prince was such a Prince! What a fine pair they are. We have more info. about our Paul's Prince Project on our website http://www.doublehphorses.org/

During one of these visits we also picked apples. Christina and Paul are quite impressed with the holes that Scarlet has been digging.

And while Prince was sore, the kids got to ride Flicka. Deb rode too! Christina told me she felt like she was going to cry because she was so happy to get to be riding again. I told her that was perfectly okay, that's the way the horses make me feel too!

I love this picture. Amanda & Christina with Flicka.

end of vacation

Here's Greg, goin' down the road in his midlife crisis sports car.

and here's me, in my new vacation clothes. I don't know, I still like my "barn goddess" tee shirts, dirty jeans and boots.

on night 8 we stayed in Rice Lake Wisconsin. We had supper at a most interesting place. An old flashing neon sign. Lehman's Supper Club. Frank Sinatra music playing. "Serving travelers and locals since 1934." Greg calls it a "throw back" from an era long ago. The menu prices were very high! My little fillet was $30 or $40. Everything was $10 to $20 more than it should be. But, they did have several specials for around $20. And, with your meal, you got a relish/fruit tray, soup, salad, like in courses kind of. And my fillet was delicious. Greg's was really good too. It is a really neat place and family owned, handed down through the generations. I really liked it.

Oh, I almost forgot. Somewhere along the way, out in the middle of nowhere, is a little tiny town called Clam Lake. I found my very favorite vacation shop in Clam Lake. The Northern Post Gift Shop & Boutique. Beautiful womens clothes. I bought some summer vacation clothes there! really great sale prices. I highly highly highly recommend this boutique!

We were on the road the next day, Saturday, headed for Chippewa Falls, home of Leinie Lodge. We took the tour of the Leinenkugel's Brewery.

It was really a great tour. I learned the difference between ale and lager. It's in the aging. They have a new beer. Oktoberfest! For my Birthday I am sure! bought some shirts. They have a huge gift store with some old pictures and stuff from the brewery back in the "olden" days where they pulled the wagons with horses. Our tour guide was Seth. He was great. I had on my new Apostle Island tee shirt and he asked if we went to Madeline Island. We said sure. he said he had been there not too long ago. I asked if he wrote on the tables at Tom's and he said he thought he might have. We wrote on some brewery postcards that they would send out for us. I addressed mine to my sister Mick in Rapid City. Greg wrote his to his mom Hazel in Sioux Falls. He said we were there sampling beer, and then he started writing really crooked and bad and then said, "well, I guess we'll go drive some more now." But really, they just gave us 2 little 7 oz samples. and that was all you could have. We were there for quite a while, and then on the road again. At least it was nice out so we could have the top down on the little car. We arrived in Red Wing, Mn. Greg said he used to have some Red Wing shoes and we did see the building. across the water was a music gathering going on. Some guy on the stree told us that is definitely where we wanted to be. So over we went. It was kind of like a hippie gathering. the music was mostly like karaoke. A guy standing up there with his guitar playing along to his music system, with a white bird sitting on his shoulder. There were lots of people there having fun. We didn't stay long though. maybe an hour. Then, on the road again. We stayed in Winona. can't remember the name of the restaurant, but they had steak fajitas which I love. and they were good. the waitress was great, except she had the bad habit of saying "okay, but you'll have to remind me to bring your milk." Greg & I share this as a pet peeve. Me because I was a waitress all through college and after a few summers. Greg because he is in the hospitality business. Why don't you forget the mashed potatotes? why don't you forget the soup? why just the milk? we think we could have a restaurant where "we promise we won't forget your milk," and everyone will know exactly what we are talking about. Why do they forget the milk? I can't remember having a hard time remembering people's milk when I was a waitress. And now I can't even remember if we did have to remind her or if she remembered. anyway, it was another good meal.

Also along the way Greg educated me on Kwik Stops. I think that's how you spell them. They have the cleanest bathrooms! And in the bathroom is a sign from the owners saying that if you don't think the bathroom is absolutely clean and nice, to call them. and then there is the owners phone number for you. The bathroom really was clean in the Kwik Stop I went in. Oh, and Greg says they have the best coffee too.

On Sunday morning we had breakfast and headed for home. We got home before supper time on Sunday August 23. Heidi had called on Saturday and said she almost made it through the whole thing without any horsey incidents. But Butterscotch had an owie on her back right leg. didnt look like much but it was getting pretty swollen. She was right. It was really swollen. We went to the Vet on Tuesday. a puncture wound, all the way to the bone. but we followed the vet's instructions and got lucky and there was no infection and no apparant bone damage and Butterscotch is back out running with the herd now.

It was a great vacation. I missed the horses but quickly got used to having no horse chores to do. But now I'm back home, back in the barn, my new vacation clothes are packed away in the closet but I hope to throw them in a bag and jump in the little car again next summer. And maybe we'll have more time and Greg can do his Route 66 Drive. Maybe.

vacation nights 6 & 7 in Bayfield Wisconsin

on day 6 of vacation we were headed toward the Apostle Islands. We stopped at a cute little village type town called Cornucopia. not much there. but several nice shops. arts, books, antiques. I bought a children's book called "Agate." Then I bought another one. One for me, and one for Heidi who took care of all of our horses while we were gone. It's about a moose named Agate. It's a beautiful book and I highly recommend it for young kids and old kids. We took some pictures of some really old boats and pretended that that's what the cruise ship would look like that would take us touring the Apostle Islands.
























also some cute pictures of a mama Mallard and her 2 babies. Greg said he better not tell the guys that we were taking pictures of plain ol' Mallards on vacation. So now he won't have to tell them. They can just look at the picture!
















Then off we went, and we did make it to Bayfield.
We decided to stay at the Bay Front Inn hooked on to the Pier Plaza Restaurant and Pickled Herring Bar where all the employees wore shirts that say "We're so brine." or "I'm so brine" or something like that. anyway, good food here! Always busy and not a lot of seating so you gotta be patient and grab a seat at the bar for a while. No reservations or hostess either. Seat yourself. We were invited to sit with a nice couple who were finishing their meal, because they noticed we had been waiting for quite a while. How nice of them! well of course, the woman's name is Darcy! Another really neat place to eat in Bayfield is Greunke's. Full of neat old art, posters, photos, etc. It rained a lot while we were in Bayfield and the Apostle Islands. But we did everything anyway. The first day we took the ferry over to Madeline Island. It's the Island that has a bunch of shops, hotels, bar & restaurants. lots of artsy stuff. Lots of vehicles went over on the ferry with us. It poured while we were on Madeline Island. We bought the last umbrella to be found on the Island, I'm pretty sure. I think it's one that is supposed to be displayed somewhere. It's really pretty and has a fancy design. but it kept us dry. We spent some time in Tom's Burned Down Cafe or Bar. Mostly a bar I'd say. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures. It's kind of like some old trailers and tents kind of put together and it does indeed look as though it has burned down. In fact a woman in a shop told us it has burned down a couple of times. Xmas lights strung everywhere. handwritten signs everywhere. kind of an anti-establishment, anti-government type of feeling. picnic tables where everyone writes and carves stuff. (we didn't). there were a bunch of tshirts hanging on a line, well, I can't remember how they were hung up, clips or something. some of them were pretty neat but I didn't know if you would actually buy that shirt that was hanging there or if those were just samples. and I didn't feel like asking so that was that. It is unique for sure. and you must go there if you go to Madeline Island. Because there really isn't much else to do there when it is raining. plus everything was all under construction when we were there. Don't get me wrong. Madeline Island is nice and beautiful and I would sure go there again. But it would be twice as nice with the sun shining and the construction equipment gone. There are a lot of Islands in the Apostle Islands. 18? 22? can't remember for sure but something like that. The next day we went on a tour of the Islands aboard the Island Princess (you know, we have a horse named Princess!)















This is a picture of part of Bayfield, taken aboard the Island Princess.





















This was really a great tour. except it rained the
whole time again and it was kind of cold. We couldn't do the whole tour because of the rough waters. But it was nice. I think one of these islands in my pictures here is Rocky Island (you know, we have a horse named Rocky.) It was pretty neat because when you are near one island you can see several others around you and in the distance. really really pretty.













On vacation Day 8 we were I guess on our way home. one little town we went through not far from Bayfield is Ashland. I think it was in this town where I noticed this neat Lion head on an old building. Greg drove around the block so I could get the camera out because I thought this was so neat. And........ It wasn't raining, so we had the top down on the little car, for the first time all vacation.

vacation day 5, north shore, highway 61

Well Greg has always wanted to drive Route 66. We will need more than 10 days for that one. But, Highway 61 would have to do on this vacation. To start off the day though (still in Duluth at this point), we had breakfast at a little coffeeshop type place. Amazing Grace Restaurant & Bakery. A really neat menu. Quiche included! At night they have musicians and poets, that type of thing. just real cute and laid back and the food was very good. The bakery was incredibly busy! Then we took off driving. This won't all be in the right order. These are just some of the names/places I remember. North Shore, Highway 61, Two Harbors, Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse,

First for a couple of places that we didn't go to. Glensheen Historic Estate. I didn't know what it was. It looked big & beautiful though. when we got back, Volunteer Tina told me a family was murdered there! We also didn't go to Betty's Pies and a couple of people mentioned that so it must be good. Next time! And we did not do the whole Highway 61 drive. our destination was the Apostle Islands, and we still wanted to get there.

We did spend a lot of time though at Gooseberry Falls. Lots of hiking trails. We walked a lot on this day, and I was very hungry by the time the sun went down. But Greg was on a mission to get some neat pictures of Split Rock Lighthouse, so supper would have to wait. We stayed at Larsmont Cottages on Lake Superior. We talked about staying there 2 nights, because there was a lot of relaxing stuff to do there, a beach, etc. But it started to rain again so we decided to move on, in search of the sunshine. I don't remember where we finally had supper on this night, we were very tired I think. next day, on to Bayfield Wisconsin, which is right across from the Apostle Islands!