09/08/2019
Warning Washingtonians!
Have you been contacted by a woman named Sharon Hunter of Hunter's Wind Wild Horse Rescue about boarding, hauling, supplying or donating to a herd of rescue horses? Please let us know.
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It’s important that everyone be aware that there is an individual in King County who owns more than 100 horses, collected from feedlots and auctions. This individual does not own property on which to house so many horses. Instead, they rely on finding people with unused fenced acreage who can be convinced to allow them to place horses there temporarily. These people will be promised that the horses’ owner will do all the work of caring for these horses, and that they will be moved very soon to a sanctuary where they roam free just as they did when they were in the wild.
But based on the many times that this situation has befallen other people in our community, these promises are unlikely to be kept. The horses’ owner won’t feed them on a regular basis, and when they get hungry, they’ll start breaking through fences to try to find things to eat. If they get hurt, their owner probably won’t be able to call a vet out because this individual doesn’t pay their bills. And if the new property owner decides enough is enough, they will soon discover that they have very few options to get rid of the horses. Even if they can afford a lawyer, they’ll find that the law is not on their side when it comes to situations involving abandonment in Washington state. In order to fight back, they’ll have to be prepared to defend themselves in court if the horses’ owner follows through on their many threats to sue.
The individual who moved the Fall City horses owns another large group of horses that are currently on a property in Auburn. The owner of that property has retained a lawyer and is attempting to evict the horses. This means that right now, the horses’ owner is out there trying to find people to help them move those horses.
As a horse community, we need to spread the word that if you have land and you are approached by someone looking for a place to put a large group of horses in the next few days, you need to be very careful! Do some research before you agree to anything. This individual is facing felony animal cruelty charges in Snohomish County which is a matter of public record. The case number is 2559A-18D and right now the hearing is scheduled for 9/18/19 at 9:00am at the Snohomish County — South Division courthouse. A records request made in King County for Regional Animal Services of King County file no. V18007800 and Animal Services Enforcement Appeal Activity no.: A18000100 will provide extensive documentation of RASKC’s investigation of this individual. And there are likely to be more charges coming soon from other nearby counties.
If the horses’ owner is unwilling to relinquish ownership of the horses in Auburn or the horses from Fall City, then there is nothing that SAFE can do to help these horses. It is our hope that they will make a decision to do what is best for these innocent animals. Felony animal cruelty charges come with a penalty that prohibits the guilty party from owning other animals, which means that there could be more than 100 horses needing to be rehomed very soon.
More info...
https://www.safehorses.org/fall-city-forty-the-full-story
