I think I'll call myself something with better connotations...like a crack whore!
Good God, yes, it's another bottom-feeding, criminal-minded con artist $cammer pretending to be a horse rescuer! Yes, Catherine Petersen of Fair Dinkum Equine Rescue/aka Homestretch has been jailed for bad checks and now all the facts are coming out about how she $cammed kindhearted folks on the Internet for horse care that was never done and horses that were never even rescued!
From a post on the Alex Brown board:
"Now, this one really hurts, Snickers NEVER HAD HER EYE SURGERY. Petersen again took advantage of the devotion of the FOBS to this poor little mare, and proceeded to weave a web of lies – but the fact is, she never had Snickers evaluated, let alone had her operated on. This was all a lie – to the tune of $3,500 that she collected from the people here for that surgery. Snickers is still as blind as she was the day she walked out of Cavel. Her current condition shows no evidence of any past eye surgeries. This was verified by an evaluation I had done at Michigan State University’s Ophthamology Department, immediately upon her arrival here. Discussions did take place for a possible surgery for her."Snickers got a lot of attention because she was rescued out of Cavel the day we banned slaughter, and had a surprise foal immediately thereafter. They, along with all other Petersen horses, are safe...thanks to OTHER rescuers!
Oh, it's not over. Asshat Petersen collected money for an alleged thirty two horses rescued from a Montana auction. But oops, what was the actual number? ZERO.
"Ultimately we spoke with the sales manager at the Billings Montana livestock auction and the Montana Brand inspector in Billings. Neither Catherine or Jeff Petersen or Fair Dinkum Farm and Equine Rescue purchased any horses in Billings Montana the weekend in question. The brand inspector had not written any brands in any of those names in April or May. Also the Billings Livestock auction manager checked her records and said that Catherine Petersen had not written any check under her name or the rescue name that she could find in her system going back to 1999.
There is also an email correspondence written by Catherine to the woman that was fostering the horses stating that she couldn't take in anymore horses and that she would save the money given by the FOB'S for a future rescue.
There was never a rescue of 32 horses, it was all a lie. I am so very sorry to have to be the one to tell you this. I'm sure you are all as stunned, as I was. "
Check this out. This poor woman leased out her gelding to Peterson. Very fortunately, she got him back safe and sound. It could have been another Petunia scenario. (Those asshats have been criminally charged, HOORAY, waiting for a new update now.)
"When the pictures were enlarged [we] found out that these were from a manufacturer's web site and not the barn he was going to be in. I now have learned the night he arrived at their "ranch or farm," it was a house on 1 acre with metal panels next to their house right off the highway with no shelter. That night he got loose from the pen and was running up and down the highway they lived on. The police woke them up to ask if this was their horse. The next day he went to a boarding barn. I have since learned that there was no daughter and that at one time she tried to sell the gelding."
*sigh* The United States Equine Rescue League is the rescue that is cleaning up this particular mess...and they do need donations.
Now, all of those of you with extra money? Donate it to rescues YOU HAVE CHECKED OUT. I am SURE there are local rescues where you live. STOP SENDING MONEY TO PEOPLE YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ON THE INTERNET!
