We've hit a brick wall!

I'm now starting to understand why I stay away from politics! I contacted Riverside Animal Control about the "Avenue B" horses. I got some very disturbing information! The owner of these horses has been under investigation for 2 years! 2 YEARS!!!! And he still has horses? How can this be I asked the Animal Control Officer! Because he can produce vet bills & hay bills that he is providing care, that is satisfactory to Animal Control...case closed! I ask, how can he be providing adequate care and these horses still are in this condition? They don't know but he continues to satisfy the pending citation is all that Animal Control can come back with. Amazing that the laws surrounding animal right is to protect the ones that do them the most harm! The Animal Control officer told me the owner is wealthy and is well known within the community! That makes me more infuriated! He doesn't want help and is not willing to let them go.

I had planned to feed & water them this morning with a gal who just started a horse rescue organization. I was in e-mail contact with an officer at Animal Control to let her know of our intentions to do so and that we had immediate homes for some of them. I also asked for their intervention on our behalf to make an offer of help to the owner. The e-mail I received back said they did not recommend I take the horses as that is stealing! WHAT??????? How was my e-mail misconstrued from an offer to help & feed to stealing?! 2 minutes later my phone was ringing from Riverside Animal Control! This is when I learned the history of their dealings with the owner. The Animal Control officer I talked to treated me like I was the criminal. My good attempts were being treated as if I were the one doing something bad! She warned me that I could be slapped with a Civil lawsuit if the owner felt I was harassing him by checking in on the horses. Maybe she was trying to protect me, I don't know, but my impression from the tone of her voice was more like "back off"!

So we are going to re-group, monitor the horses from a distance, and decided where to go from here!

Stay tuned!