This is Insane! >:(

This is not only insane, it's absolutely heart-breaking. I'm absolutely beside myself.

There is a rescue group I get emails from on a regular basis. There is one I got the other day that made me sick to my stomach. I'm still a bit shocked by it all. I've been doing this rescue thing for a long time. Just when I think I have heard it all and nothing more will shock me, along comes something that just takes my breath away.

Horses starved to death,owners charged (WPRI.com)
Vet blames animal cruelty on tough economy

Updated: Thursday, 05 Feb 2009, 7:42 PM EST

Published : Thursday, 05 Feb 2009, 5:47 PM EST
Melissa Sardelli
Reported by: Sean Daly

WEST GREENWICH, R.I. (WPRI) -
Three horses are dead and now three Rhode Islanders are charged with animal cruelty.

In West Greenwich two horses were starved so severely that one of the
horses died, and the other one had to be euthanized. The horses lived on Backache Farm in West Greenwich.

In Lincoln, a man is accused of neglecting his horse's injury for so long that that horse had to be put down. The horse named Sadly, had a puncture wound to her foot.

In West Greenwich, a female foal named Shadow died of starvation, and
another horse Cody, was so malnourished that she had to be put to sleep.

"This horse was not sick in any way shape or form. This horse was a victim of starvation, malnutrition said," Dr. E.J. Finocchio.

"What is that like to see?" says Eyewitness News Reporter Sean Daly.

"It is horrendous to see a horse down on the ground, struggling to try
and get up," says Dr. Finocchio.

The vet at the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals believes the tough economy is to blame.

Ok, people. Get a clue. Do you really know how long it takes to STARVE A HORSE TO DEATH??? MONTHS! Not a few days. Not a few weeks. MONTHS AND MONTHS! Are people just so clueless or are they truly full of evil?

I feel guilty if I am at work and the boys are out and it starts snowing. I was feeling bad last night because I forgot to go to the grain store yesterday. So my horses got hay stretcher and carrots in place of their grain last night. (They also got their usual ration of hay.) Then I got up early and went to the grain store and bought grain and feed them 1/2 their nightly feed this morning. A bag of grain is not that much - I paid less than $18 bucks for a bag of grain. It will last me about 4 days. (Remember that I am graining 2 horses quite a bit, a couple of cups for the other three).

How do you cook and feed yourself when you know that you aren't even providing the minimum feeding for an animal in your care?

Owning a horse is not mandatory. It's not even a requirement. Having your license, driving a car, getting a job. Those things, for most of us, are necessities. Having a horse is NOT! If you can't provide for yourself, don't take on the responsibility of caring for another beating heart. Get a plant. That only needs water.

For those of you that know me, I'm rarely at a loss for words. This one has me speechless. Astounded. Heart-broken. Furious.

Yes, I know that all the rescues are over-flowing. Yes, I know the economy is taking a hit. Yes, I know that people are loosing their jobs. Yes, I know that life just sucks sometimes.

Do you not know someone, anyone, who, when you truly are desperate and don't have a thing to feed your horses, you can call and ask for help for them? Please tell me that they didn't put out a last ditch effort to save these horses? AND that someone turned down a plea for help for these horses?

Now, one thing I do know for certain. There IS a rescue just up the road from where this tragedy happened. I KNOW BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT that if this rescue were called, regardless of whether there was room in the inn, money in the budget, that these horses would have been welcomed with open arms.

Is it pure EVIL? Ignorance? Neglect? Lack of some social or moral fiber? Lack of knowledge? Intelligence? A BRAIN????

Had NO ONE witnessed these poor animals? Did NO ONE have the courage to step up and report this? Obviously not. These poor, poor horses. May they now be resting in peace. May there be a special place reserved in HELL for those that starve, mutilate, injure, maim, neglect or abuse animals.

The other thought that has been haunting me since I heard about this. How many more animals are there out there, in the same situation, waiting to be discovered?

PLEASE! If you know of ANY animal that needs help, contact your local vet, law enforcement, rescue, shelter, whomever. Don't worry about pissing off your neighbor. Don't worry about someone calling you names. DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR THE ANIMAL. They have no voice of their own. BE THEIR VOICE! And don't give up.

If you need help, please contact me. I will do everything I can to get help for that animal. I don't care if it's a horse, a rabbit, an emu, or a turtle. Every beating heart deserves to be given the basic requirements of food, water, shelter and vetting.

There is no excuse on this earth as to why ANY animal (or human) needs to starve to death in this day and age. We are beyond caveman days. NO ANIMAL OR HUMAN should have to tolerate abuse, neglect, violence, torture, starvation, for ANY reason at all.

Stand up for the animals. Be the voice that they do not have. Don't give up.

Ok. I'm done (for now). But, I truly and desperately hope, at the end of the day, when those poor excuses of human beings lie down in their bed, put their heads on their pillows, that they have never-ending, horrendous nightmares for the rest of their lives for what they did to those horses. And, even then, I will always believe that they got off too easy for what they did. Regardless of what legal and financial punishment they may or may not face. May they ROT IN HELL. FOREVER.