Photos, in sequence:
- This pony was 6 months old and weighed only 300 pounds when he was seized.
- Placed in a trailer and given hay and water immediately.
- Several months after being adopted, and at his "forever home."Rescue stories play well. We love to loathe the bad guy and praise the rescuers.
Norma Worley should know.
As director of the state’s Animal Welfare Program, she’s seen plenty of abuse and neglect. The state has successfully seized hundreds of animals and prosecuted dozens of cases during her six-year tenure.
Still, Worley takes heat for not doing enough for the state’s horse population. Many NickerNews readers have asked, “Where is the state?” when we’ve reported rescue stories.
I met with Worley at her Department of Agriculture office in Augusta.
Here are some facts:
- Worley has six agents and one full-time vet in the field. Her annual budget is $1.2 million.
- Each agent covers a territory of 550 square miles.
- All but one agent is a horse owner. (Worley has an Appaloosa mare.)
- Horses rank second (to dogs) in number of abuse and neglect complaints received by her department.
- There were nearly 300 equine complaints in 2008. That’s up more than 30 percent over previous years. Of those, about 20 cases worked through the lengthy court process and ended in prosecution.
- Maine lands in the top five for states with the best animal protection laws, in a 2008 ranking by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
I thought winter would be the busiest season for her department, but I was wrong. All those neglected and abused horses are closed up in barns, out of sight.
Turns out, spring and early summer are the department’s busiest times.
The typical case usually involves several common issues, said Worley: not enough food, not enough shelter, not enough care.
Often the department will do a certain amount of “babysitting” before it cracks down more severely.
“We love to educate,” said Worley, whose agents work with horse owners to worm regularly, treat hoof ailments and address teeth issues. “We give them notice to comply. As long as they’re working with us, we won’t come in.”
"It's when they [horse owners] dig in their heels and say, 'Get off my property!' that we go in," said Worley.
In order to seize animals, the state needs to document the abuse or neglect. Animals are evidence. The department needs a search warrant and an
ex parte order to remove the animals. A district attorney must approve the affidavit and a judge must sign it.
At that point, Worley is authorized to spend a whopping $10 per day to keep the horse.
The state does not have any paddocks or other space to keep seized horses. When it moves a horse, it places them with a rescue agency, most often the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals (MSSPA) in Windham or Open Gates Equine Rescue in New Gloucester.
Tough economic times have compounded and strained issues with seizure. On one end, more and more horse owners are struggling to do the right thing. At the other end, rescue agencies are “horse butt to horse butt,” said Worley. "They're completely full."
Of the 35 horses taken from owners by the state last year, 25 were surrendered, not seized.
I told Worley many NickerNews readers simply cannot comprehend how any
sane person could hurt an animal so badly that the state has to intervene.
Exactly. Most just aren’t all there.
Worley suggested many cases involve mental health issues. Take the horrendous 2007 Buxton puppy mill seizure as an example: The owner denied through it all that she was ever harming her animals.
I asked Worley about the story of Honey, a pony rescued by Good Samaritans earlier this year.
According to reports, Honey was taken before the state arrived. At that point, Honey was, at least temporarily, out of danger.
“There isn’t a DA's office in the state that would prosecute when an animal is no longer in danger,” said Worley. “I know it’s frustrating for private citizens. It’s frustrating for us. But it’s the way the court system works.”
If you see abuse or neglect, your first call can be to your local Animal Control Officer. If you still have concerns, call the Animal Welfare office at (207) 287-3846.
Disclosure: I have two horses initially seized by the state. In separate cases, they made their way to a rescue agency and years later I adopted them.
Worley remembered the seizure of my bay mare and her stable mates. (Up to five of them shared a 10 x 10 stall). She told me the guy was one of the few she'd known to do time in prison.