CAVE
CREEK – Seems like horror stories involving animal cruelty
are everywhere these days.
Pets
dying in overheated cars, dogfighting, abandoned animals
– the list is endless.
A
lady checking on her mother’s home in Cave Creek made
a disturbing discovery Aug. 10.
A
chestnut mare had been abandoned in a stall on the property.
The
mare had been placed in the stall with no food or water,
was thin, and her feet were in terrible condition. Left
with the mare were a lead and halter with a tag bearing
the name “Sienna.”
Deputy
Bert Rowe, of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, investigated
the incident and released Sienna to the Conquistador Equine
Rescue & Delivery Program for care.
Dr.
Pat Haight, a member of the MCSO Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals Posse and president of the Conquistador Program,
has been monitoring Sienna’s progress.
“This
type of thing seems to be happening more and more,” Haight
told The Desert Advocate. “I know of another incident
that happened a couple of weeks ago where another horse
was abandoned. The lady who called us from her mother’s
home said their had been a rash of abandonments in the
Cave Creek area recently.”
Abandoning
an animal is a crime in Arizona, punishable by a fine
and/or incarceration.
“The
court determines the guilt or innocence and administers
the fines accordingly,” said Capt. Paul Chagolla, information
officer for MCSO. “Each case is different. There is no
standard fine.”
Sienna’s
heart‑breaking story has a happy ending.
The
Conquistador Program arranged for Sienna’s feet to be
cared for while she is temporarily fostered in Cave Creek
at Blue Grass Arabians. Wynne Zaugg, president of Hacienda
los Milargos (House of Miracles) Animal Sanctuary in
Chino Valley, has arranged for Sienna to go to a permanent
home near Prescott.
“I
don’t want to give people the idea to dump their animals
and they’ll get a good home,” Haight said. “There are
other things you can do if you are unable to keep or care
for your animals besides abandoning them. Sienna could
have died of starvation or dehydration.”
Haight
cites an increase in the number of home foreclosures in
the Valley as one reason for the influx of abandoned animals.
“It’s
happening more,” she said. “People are leaving their houses
and some of them are leaving their animals behind, too.
If you can’t care for your animal, log on to www.pacc911.org
for a
list
of animal shelters and rescue facilities in Arizona. Or,
try to place your animal in a new home. Some newspapers
offer classified ads for free or at a reduced rate to
help place animals in need of a home.”
Anyone
wanting to adopt or help homeless animals can contact
the MCSO Safe Hospice, Maricopa County Animal Care &
Control, or an organization listed at www.pacc911.org.
