Tag Archives: Alaqua Animal Refuge

Uh Oh. Alaqua has another one… June Bucket Fund…Meet Angel.






Well, this is a tough one to report…  I heard about this at the last minute from Alaqua our May Bucket Fund Charity who saved Champ.

Meet Angel.

She has a wry mouth and a cleft palate.  Not good.  (To learn more about wry mouth, read an earlier post linked here.)  Note:  This filly isn’t skinny and unkempt due to her wry mouth.  She is skinny and unkempt because she was tied to a stake for the last two months… More on that later…

Meet Angel. She has a wry mouth... and was tied out on a stake for two months with no shelter.

If Angel just had the wry mouth, her prognosis would be fairly positive.  But, she has hard and soft palate involvement which isn’t good .  Vets have been consulted however the specialists are far away and this is a holiday weekend…

Poor Angel had rainrot all over he skinny little body.

You gotta give it to this little filly.  She has survived for 6-8 months (age being verified) without any help from any humans.  In fact, the humans seem to have made her situation worse… Angel’s first owner gave her to another person who had never had a horse before – let alone one with a severe disability – and simply staked the filly out in her yard.

Angel is safe at Alaqua

 

ANGEL’S STORY

Angel was given to Alaqua Animal Refuge this week by that first time horse owner who had acquired the filly through the original owner.  This young girl did her best – which wasn’t so good.  Angel was staked outside without shelter.  If she caught herself up in her chain, she couldn’t reach the water.  She was malnourished and her coat was full of mats and rainrot.

Yup.

At least this young girl figured she needed help with Angel which is why she called Alaqua.  Unfortunately, by this time, the filly had been in these conditions for over 2 months.

 

Her coat was matted and full of rainrot.

Alaqua rushed out to retrieve Angel and much to their surprise, saw the wry mouth.  Yikes.  This filly must have a very strong will to survive!

As soon as Angel was brought home to the Refuge, their vet determined that little Angel’s palate was compromised and some of her liquid food could leak out of her nose.  This is bad because the food can then be aspirated back into the lungs which can cause infection… which leads to pneumonia.

Angel needed help – fast!  So, Laurie from Alaqua got on the phone and called every specialist in the 4 nearest equine hospitals.   The doctors couldn’t diagnose over the phone, of course.  They need radiographs and a scoping to determine her prognosis.

Sadly, no vet with a scope and a radiograph machine has been able to get out there over this weekend.

 

Angel on her first day at Alaqua was a bit timid... but is now so sweet!

 

TINY BIT OF GOOD NEWS

However, the fact that this filly has remained alive, virtually on her own in very unsavory conditions for all these months – is a good sign.  And, if Angel has a chance, Alaqua wants to give it to her.  But, first, they have to get tiny Angel stronger so they can travel her to the specialists for a thorough diagnosis.

I am asking that we support Laurie and Alaqua so they can have proper diagnostics done on this baby and thus create the best plan for her future.

Please, let us help Alaqua, who did such a great job with Champ/JR/Gypsy/The Trailer Accident Horses, help this filly.

 

ANGEL, GYPSY, JR, CHAMP AND ALL THE OTHER ALAQUA ANIMALS IN NEED…

Alaqua does a great job, for sure.

They survive on donations.

Thank you everyone for all that you have donated this month…  If you feel the pang to help Angel receive her diagnosis from the specialists, we would be very grateful.  The Bucket Fund donates every penny that you give.  So, if you only have $1, don’t feel badly, that’s awesome!  The whole idea is to drop any amount into the Bucket Fund.  It all goes together!

If you receive this post via email, click here to donate

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Thank you!

 

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Enough Already. My BLOOD IS BOILING! Meet Champ… And let’s help Alaqua keep up the good work! Our May Drop in the Bucket Fund!






OY, I’m so angry about this.

Imagine…  On May 9th, Alaqua Animal Refuge has to go to court to defend their rehabilitation of this starved mini, Champ, so that his previous owner will not get him back.

Let me say that again…  SO HIS PREVIOUS OWNER CANNOT GET HIM BACK!

Can you believe this?!   The courts are debating whether the previous owner showed intent to harm this mini horse.

C’mon, really?

Champ, a very young mini, on his first day at Alaqua Animal Refuge

 

THE GOOD GUYS

So, I called Alaqua’s Director, Laurie Hood, and she was gracious enough to grant an interview.  Basically, the laws in this county of Florida needed to be addressed properly by all involved.  Alaqua did all the research and has rallied local officials and Animal Control to help her in this fight for Champ…  After a very long time of attempting to bring justice for this little horse, the trial is Monday.

Monday, May 9th.

I am so outraged by this obvious abuse, intent or not, that I want us to help up the good work – big time.  I want them to have the resources to get the word out and to garner as much media support (and pressure on the courts) as possible.

After May 9th, I want to support Alaqua in whatever the outcome since they have tirelessly worked to bring Champ back to life.

(And, to further show Alaqua’s selflessness, Alaqua is the rescue that saved the two surviving horses from that horrible trailer accident a few weeks ago linked here).

This is why I’ve chosen Alaqua to be our May ‘Drop in the Bucket Fund‘.

 

Oy.

 

THE TRIAL IS IN A WEEK!  HERE ARE THE DETAILS:

I have much to say on Champ.  But for today, I simply want to talk about the upcoming trial.

Below is the official word about this case.

Champ, a sweet-natured miniature horse, was rescued by Alaqua Animal Refuge on Aug. 20, 2010 in Freeport, Fla. He was found by Walton County Florida Animal Control officers in a privately owned, barren pasture, laying in dirt and waste, unable to raise himself, and 170 pounds underweight. Photographic documentation shows that Champ had no access to food or water and blood tests reveal that his near-death physical state was the direct result of malnutrition.

In the months that Champ has lived at Alaqua Animal Refuge, he has gained weight and strength and is spirited and playful. In fact, on Sept. 7, 2010 he was able to run across his shady lush pasture at the animal sanctuary for the first time. He is now healthy and his personality has bloomed.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office initially sought to charge the owners with felony animal cruelty. However, Walton County Circuit Court Judge Kevin Wells rejected the warrant, which was signed by the state attorney’s office.

A second warrant was submitted by the sheriff’s office, with the offense lowered to a misdemeanor, but Walton County Judge David Green also rejected it on Sept. 8, 2010 based on a lack of sufficient evidence.

Click to play the video of his first day at Alaqua... And more info on the case.

 

A groundswell of support grew on the Internet, when Laurie Hood, Alaqua Animal Refuge president and founder, posted the news regarding the second rejection. The post ignited responses from bloggers and attracted attention from animal-welfare activists internationally, as the horse could now legally be returned to its owners.

In the wake of the online interest, the case was reopened and a second investigation was launched.

On Sept. 30, 2010 the Office for the State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida filed a felony charge and Champ’s owner was arrested. However, in February, the owner entered a plea of not guilty, and on March 1, he filed a motion to dismiss the case. The ruling on the dismissal motion was denied and the case is expected to go to trial in early May.

(blood boiling at this point...)

 

CONTINUE TO BRING UPDATES

Throughout the month, I will tell you all about Champ as well as bring you news on Utah and GQ, the horses saved from that horrendous trailer accident.   I have much to share…

 

Thank goodness for Laurie Hood, Director of Alaqua, Champ is safe.

 

CALL TO ACTION:  DONATE IF YOU CAN AND PLEASE PASS THIS AROUND!!!!!

ALAQUA must prevail.  This young colt (they are not allowed to geld him as he is not the property of Alaqua – yet…)  cannot go back to his neglectful previous owner.  Please, please donate if possible.  Any amount adds up.  And, if you cannot donate, please think strong, positive thoughts and spread this around!  The Facebook button is on the upper left corner of this blog (click here to go to the website of Champ’s blog) – if you get this via email, here is the permalink (http://www.horseandman.com/?p=14537) to cut and paste anywhere.  The more people who know, the more people can help.  Thank you in advance!

If you received this post via email, click here to donate. 

Click here to watch the donation thermometer rise!

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around! HERE IS THE PERMALINK that you can cut and past into anything.(http://www.horseandman.com/?p=14537)

 

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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.




HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth... if you like this, please pass it around!