Press release dated yesterday from the British Columbia SPCA:
Owner of McBride horses charged with three counts of animal crueltyFebruary 24, 2009. For immediate release.
Frank Mackay, the owner of two horses abandoned in McBride, B.C., in December 2008, has been charged with three counts of animal cruelty, following a BC SPCA investigation. The charges include two counts under the Criminal Code of Canada and one count under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
The dramatic Dec. 23rd rescue of the three-year-old mare named Belle and the 14-year-old gelding named Sundance made national headlines after volunteers spent a week shoveling a one-kilometre trench through the snow to save the abandoned horses. The BC SPCA took the rescued horses into care in late December and determined that they would not be returned to Mackay.
"We placed the horses in temporary foster care where they received ongoing veterinary care until they were ready to be adopted,” said Shawn Eccles, the BC SPCA’s chief animal protection officer. He noted that the horses were malnourished and were suffering from rain scald and other medical issues as a result of exposure to the freezing temperatures. “Earlier this month they were placed in permanent homes in Prince George and Kamloops.”
Frank Mackay makes his first court appearance in McBride on June 12th. If convicted of the charges, he faces a maximum fine of $10,000, up to five years in jail and a prohibition on owning animals.
The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization which depends primarily on donations to carry out cruelty investigations and to provide care for nearly 40,000 abused, injured, neglected and abandoned animals each year. If you can help, please visit spca.bc.ca/help for details.
For more information: Shawn Eccles, Chief Animal Protection Officer, BC SPCA, 604.709.4668; 604.834.7856 (cell); Lorie Chortyk, General Manager, Community Relations, 604.647.1316; 604.830.7179 (cell).
The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.
FHOTD back in: I am so happy to see this and we definitely have everybody who complained about the outrage of this successful, educated man leaving these horses to starve and die. There are certainly cases where ignorance or lack of monetary resources contribute to abuse and neglect; however, this clearly was not one of them. I doubt I will ever think justice has truly been served unless he is assigned to shovel the driveways of all of the people who dug out his horses BY HAND in the MIDDLE OF WINTER but this is definitely a step in the right direction!
For the Seattle area folks:
Save A Forgotten Equine, a rescue that gets my highest recommendation, is holding a fundraiser art show on Sunday, April 5, 2009 from 2-7pm at the Abbey Ballroom on the corner of 19th & Fawcett in Tacoma. There will be great food and lots of opportunities to both shop and help horses. Facebook Page. If you're local, come on down!
Another great update:
Remember the Thoroughbred mare in California with severe white line disease who had to find a home or she'd be euthanized? Well, she found one that got her the good farrier care she needed and now they've been able to start riding her again. She is sound and doing fine and they plan to offer her for adoption as soon as her hooves are 100%. Huge kudos to her adopter and their great farrier for a wonderful job saving this young, beautiful mare!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVGDiPEXE0s&feature=channel_page
Still working on the videos - I have to see if I can upload them straight from my phone or something. They're pretty entertaining - I'll keep working on it!
