 |
|
|
|
|
|
Graham Edition
|
September 02, 2010
|
|
| 4/9/2008 5:38:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
|
| Valor as he appeared last Thursday morning, April 3, after arriving the previous evening at Rose Corey’s ranch. |
 |
 |
Valor as he appeared in 2005.
Courtesy Photo |
|
Equine good samaritan reunited with her horse
by Bruce Smith
Rose Corey, the good samaritan who rode to the rescue on New Year's Eve to save a bleeding and neglected stallion from a Waller Rd. mud pit, has finally been reunited with the horse she calls Valor.
"I'm thrilled to have him home," said Corey. "He whinnied when he saw me this morning, so I know he's happy to be home, too."
Corey, who in February bought the horse she first rescued Dec. 31, has been waiting over a month for Pierce County Animal Control to transfer the stallion. The county had forcibly removed Valor from Corey's Creekwood Farm on Jan. 20 in a move to consolidate all fifteen horses impounded from Waller Rd. The county sought to preserve their prosecutory evidence against the principals of the Waller Rd. facility, Roxanne and Donna Gale.
In response, however, on Feb. 28 Corey filed a petition in District Court seeking custody of the stallion.
In a deal negotiated last week with Pierce County deputy prosecutor Allen Rose, the county returned Valor April 2. In addition, Corey has been granted "right of first refusal" in the adoption of a second horse she fostered, an 8-month-old foal named Teddy Bear.
As elated as Rose Corey is with Valor's return, she has strong feelings about the care her stallion received from Hope for Horses, the Snohomish facility Pierce County contracted to care for the horses impounded from Waller Rd.
"I had been dreaming for months of how he would look when I got him back," Corey said, "and I pictured him all fat and shiny. But when I saw him step out of the trailer from Hope for Horses, I gasped - he was emaciated."
Further drama ensued following the transfer of Valor, which took place at veterinarian Dr. Linda Hagerman's office. On the ride home to Corey's farm, Valor began eating a handful of loose hay in his trailer, but downed it so quickly that he choked. By the time they reached Creekwood Farm, Valor was convulsing with heavy streams of mucous flowing from his nostrils. Coached over the phone by Dr. Hagerman, Corey removed Valor from the trailer and placed him on the ground, then massaged his throat and administered spurts of water to drive the wedge of food further down the esophagus. Within minutes, Hagerman arrived at Creekwood Farm and injected Valor with Banamine, a drug designed to reduce inflammation and prevent him from going into shock.
"I am so angry at Hope for Horses," Corey said. "Valor is in much worse shape than when he left here in January."
Corey charges that Hope for Horse, a nonprofit organization run by Jenny Edwards, did not adequately feed Valor, nor did they provide sufficient medical treatment for the horse's severely infected genitals.
However, Edwards and officials at Animal Control refute these claims and say all of the animals at Hope for Horses have received appropriate care. Auditor Pat McCarthy, whose department oversees Pierce County Animal Control, believes there has been a communication breakdown among lots of well-intentioned people. She confirmed that the animals at Hope for Horses all received veterinary care.
Corey shared the picture of Valor on this site, showing protruding ribs and a still unretracted penis, suggesting that Valor, at least, has been underfed and did not receive robust treatments.
"I feel like I've rescued Valor twice," said Corey.
In related legal action, Al Rose confirmed last week that the owner of the Waller Rd. facility, Donna Gale, still faces two counts of animal cruelty in the 2nd degree for her abuse of these horses. In addition, her sister, Roxanne Gale, failed to appear in District Court April 3 to answer her petition requesting the return of the remaining horses. Rose said Gales' absence will probably forfeit her claim. Since the county is paying Hope for Horses $4,500 per month in boarding costs, Rose also indicated that he expects adoption proceedings on the remaining horses to be initiated quickly.
A Horse Summit will be held Tuesday, April 15, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Frontier Park in Graham in The Lodge. It is a chance for horse owners to share their concerns with Pierce County's Animal Services and WSU Pierce County Extension. Those offices are seeking partners and resources to address the problem of under-cared-for horses.
Editor's Note
Hope for Horses strongly disagrees with Rose Corey's assessment of Valor, and the organization has been invited to present its side in The Dispatch and on this website. In the meantime, visit www.hopeforhorses.net/.
|
Reader Comments
Posted: Monday, April 14, 2008
Article comment by:
Foster1
As a volunteer with Hope I see every week the effort that goes into the Pierce County horses. I asked them this morning about the $38,000. I was a volunteer with those horses too. 9 horses, horribly abused, I was sure some would die. I helped Hope cared for them for over a year and a half. The money didn't come from the county, it came from the abuser who pleaded guilty to 2 felonies and a bunch of lower level crimes.
I also saw the stallion. He was a wild boy but he looked great. How did you make him look so bad in one day? Oh yes, you almost choked him to death on the trip to your place.
And how much money, Rose, are you getting from the county?? I saw the original lien you sent them - $6000 for 20 days care of 2 horses - special.
And of course the best of all - The lawyer who represented the convicted abuser in the $38,000 case is your same lawyer. How much money did the county waste because you sued th- filled bunch of people I have ever heard of. Just wait. The cost of horse care is skyrocketing. You will have lots of opportunity to do it better.
Posted: Monday, April 14, 2008
Article comment by:
John Nelson
It's about time someone has finally exposed this "rescue" organization. King County won't use them, neither will Skagit, and hopefully after this, Pierce will have it figured out. Every reputable horse rescue out there knows about Hope for Horses and Jenny Edwards. Brilliant idea, tug on the heartstrings of the public with the sad stories, and "tax deductible donations." It's all about money, ego, and arrogance. Where is the accountability?
Posted: Monday, April 14, 2008
Article comment by:
Ute Miethe
Anyone who doubts the current underweight condition of the stallion is simply ignoring the facts and you are in fact lying to yourself if you do so. Weight tapes and veterinarian assessments do not lie either. This stallion most certainly should have gained more weight by now while in Hope for Horses care. There's simply no excuse for his current lack of weight. Trying to divert attention and accusing Mrs. Corey will not change this fact.
Posted: Monday, April 14, 2008
Article comment by:
Rose Corey
Thank-you for a well done story on the situation with Valor and his care by Hope for Horses. When Animal Control called me to pick up two extremely abused horses on
December 31st, we painstakingly cared for them around the clock for nearly three weeks under close veterinary supervision, and documented all of it, knowing criminal
charges may be involved. I spent nearly $700.00 of my own money toward their care with no intention of being reinbursed for it. Animal Control called me on a holiday
weekend with hours notice, to pick up the horses, to be transported to Hope for Horses. After I objected, and two veterinarians advised against moving them, I was
threatened with arrest. I have heard the same stories over and over regarding Hope for Horses, and my worst fears were realized when Valor came off that trailer.
Not counting the $38,000+ Pierce County paid Hope for Horses in 2007, how much have they taken in in donations the last 2 years? Enough to feed these horses?
I would think so.
Posted: Sunday, April 13, 2008
Article comment by:
Karen
Are you kidding me??
I have seen this stallion after he came to Hope for Horses. I never thought a horse could be alive looking like that. his back bone was sticking out, and you could even see his hip bones. It's a wonder how much weight he gained in this short amount of time.
The people behind Hope for Horses are great people, the work they are doing is just amazing. I don't even know how a paper can print such a thing without being totally ashamed of themselves. aren't they supposed to get the opinions of both sides to be impartial?
and pictures don't lie, huh? just use a wide angle lens aiming down, put the horse in the sun the right way, and there you got the pictures of a scrawny looking, out-of-proportion horse. that's the way to make even the prettiest stallion look awful. good job!
Posted: Sunday, April 13, 2008
Article comment by:
Kelsey
Pictures don't lie... When Valor left Creekwood to go to Hope for horses he had gained well over 100 lbs... When he came back from Hope for Horses he had cleary LOST weight. And there's pictures to prove it.
to Foster1- Valors injury was cold hosed, had prescribed medication (not puss!)on, and was wrapped and put in a sling daily.
Posted: Sunday, April 13, 2008
Article comment by:
Foster1
Karma folks, I saw this horse come in underweight and with a puss covered penis when Hope got him from this Corey woman. He left healthy and with a healed (but still scabby) penis. He was still very much underweight but was developing muscle and moved beautifully.
Read the article: They delivered a sound horse to Corey's vet. She loaded him in a trailer and almost killed him.
Corey is also being paid by the county at 10 times what Hope gets for their care. Everything in the article is untrue. Shame on all of you.
Posted: Saturday, April 12, 2008
Article comment by:
Concerned
NOT the first horse they have done this to. Ask them about the condition of a horse named Taylor's Special. They were fostering him for The Exceller Fund. When he arrived at his retirement home he was skin and bones!
Also ask them about a horse who had a great adoptive home set up. Instead Hope For Horses put the horse down.
They sure like to point the finger at everyone but themselves!
Ms. Corey, you are not alone!
Posted: Friday, April 11, 2008
Article comment by:
Diana C Martin
I want to say thank you to Bruce Smith for his accurate story about Rose Corey and the truth about Valor's ordeal. I have been involved from the beginning with this particular rescue and witnessed first hand the condition of Valor before he was sent to Hope For Horses and his condition after being at the rescue for two and a half months. We know the truth and the truth will prevail. Finally, someone is listening.
Posted: Friday, April 11, 2008
Article comment by:
Mary Anne
This is simply the worst kind of bad reporting. If this horse belonged to this woman, where was she before January when the horse was taken into custody as a walking skeleton? Your reporter is not a journalist, but a gossip spreader. Hope for Horses took excellent care of this stallion, including daily medical treatments for the injury, which happened to him before they had anything to do with him. The horse gained enough weight in their care to begin to have energy again, and to begin to have a fat layer over the hip bones and ribs. This "good samaritan" knows this. She told you things that are simply not true, and you made no effort to determine her accuracy. There's a much bigger, much more compelling story here that you missed in tripping over yourself to report this woman's venom without checking her facts. There's a story here about how we do and don't care for abused animals, how difficult it is for people who DO step out on a limb to try to help, the issues of property rights versus the desperate situation of living beings who are "property" without having any rights, how expensive it is to be a conscientious horse owner, how many more horses are being abandoned and starved in this economy. Hay has doubled in price in the last few years because of gas prices. Horses are costly and people don't have any place to turn. Hope for Horses is good people, doing their best with little or no funding to provide care for horses who no one else is taking any interest in. Finding care for 15 horses with medical needs, farrier needs, and in desperate health for $300 per head per month is an indication that Hope for Horses has some seriously great volunteer support-- you present it as though the county is being ripped off. I own a boarding stable, I can tell you that the county is getting a fantastic deal if that's what they are paying these folks-- and since your other facts are so far from accurate, we don't know if this one is either. As a paper, you did the community a very big disservice in publishing this mean spirited article. It's simply completely wrong.
Posted: Friday, April 11, 2008
Article comment by:
Ute Miethe
What made me most upset about this whole case is the fact that the horses did not receive the care they should at the rescue organization, while monetary compensation seemed to be a priority for the humans involved, plus the fact that tax payers money (and personal money) was needlessly wasted in court, by our county who oposed the return of the horses to Rose Corey for really no good reason. However, it now makes me wonder if there are perhaps some hidden personal ties between the county officials and the operator of the rescue organization in question that would explain this needless and money wasting legal hassle over who should have the horses.
Sincerely,
Ute Miethe
|
Article Comment Submission Form
|
|
|
|
|
