Tuesday, April 13, 2010

More Info On the 18 month old Colt

Its been a very long day, so I'll try to be as coherent as I can. 


I spoke to both the lady that is selling the colt and the lady that is trying to upgrade him. 


I truly think that the seller got scammed in this case by the rescue. The "RESCUE" is Skunkie Acres, located in White Springs, Fl. Here is their website.   It looks ok on the surface... until you start seeing things like this- 


8 Hours til Daylight

Don't worry Daddy. Tomorrow is only 8 hours away. We got through today and everyone got their dinner. All of our prayers have been answered for today. Now we have to prepare ourselves for tomorrow and perhaps for a day that our prayers will not be answered. With your help Daddy we will survive. God has given you so much faith even when the days are dark and the night is so long. Your faith is a very bright beacon that seems to brighten the whole world. We know you will be there for us Daddy as you have always been. We are afraid to think how it would be without our Daddy. When we have done our very best and it still isn't quite enough, we know God will allow you to be there for us, as it has always been. Sometimes it is hard for us to show our love and thanks. But each time our little noses touch your cheek we are telling you Daddy how much we  love and  trust in you. If I could speak and write these are some of the things I would say.  I am speaking for all us animals. God Bless you Daddy and all the Daddy's who love and sacrifice for the skunks and all of the 350 animals at Skunkie Acres and all over the world. 



They refer to potential adoptive clients as "Mommy's and Daddy's". Several times they mention "God bless you" and "God Bless all those who help those which cannot help themselves." 


Wanna hear the really juicy part? They are a legal 501(c) Non-Profit that takes in SKUNKS! They are not a specific horse rescue... they are an EXOTIC animal rescue that also just happens to take in horses, dogs, cats, ferrets, cattle, sheep, deer, and other lovely creatures like Possums! They have a childrens petting zoo - free to the public of course. They offer horse back rides, and THATS how they 'make money' for their overhead costs???? They accept school field trips, church trips, and are open to the general public every darn day. They don't charge admission at all - yet they are screaming for donations on every page of their website. Doesn't make a whole lotta sense to me, does it to you? Even a .50 cent admission to the petting zoo will help defray some of the costs! 


OH and LOOK - This is the picture used to advertise the trail rides, showing a little boy getting ready to go out with a group of tourist trail riders! Doesn't this just scream responsible? Wonder if they ALWAYS send out kids without helmets, improper shoes, no jeans, and in saddles that don't even shorten the stirrups enough so the kid can keep his feet in them!!!  They say they have 32 horses that live permanently on property - and wow - I quote: "We have 32 horses, Some of them are horses's that cannot be ridden and they will be on our property and in our zoo for the rest of their lifes.While some of these horses are excellant trail horses, they are helping to support the sick and injured horses, while they are enjoying the rest of their years by doing what they enjoy doing. . So these horse's, we will care for them the rest of their days. We did not create these animals, and we will not take their lives unless they are very, very sick with no hope of recovery.  The other horses on the property are used for Stable Horses for the Trail RidesWe can accommodate 15-20 horses and riders if necessary. My 23 old daughter, Megan, and my 15 year old daughter, Samantha, and my 12 year old daughter Tabitha all ride horseback very well. They know the trails very well. They know the safety  practices and they understand the horses."


This is NOT the way you run a reputable rescue. (Did you also catch the little blurb about not putting the animals down unless they are very very sick? Very sneaky place to put that you are against optional euthanasia!) 


They are a road side attraction, petting zoo, with some exotic animals thrown in to get the general public interested. They are now advertising that they have a female cougar in their zoo. The best part about that is they have NO government Bond to hold that wild cat. 


So... how does an 18 month old quarter horse colt end up in this mess? That part is yet unknown, and probably always will be.


What I was able to find out/piece together is this: Seller somehow gets word that there are 2 young male horses being offered by Skunkie Acres. With a little sleuthing online, I found the ad for the other young stallion on an ebay free classified ad service through Gainsville, FL. He was advertised as a 2 year old male palomino for $400. The other colt was not advertised, or they have pulled the ad. 


Seller pays for the two animals, and makes arrangements for the rescue to drop them off at her private residence. She said when she went to look at the boys at Skunkie Acres, it was at night, they were in an arena with 6-7 other horses, the arena was semi-lit, but she was not able to get a very good look at the situation of the place. 


Representatives from SA tell her that the horses are 2 years old, have been 'trail ridden' and sat on a few times. When they drop the colts off, they arrive at the private residence at night, when the adopters are NOT home, dump the 2 colts off in a pasture without any halters on at all! However in the process they let one of the other horses out of a pen without putting him back in! 


(OK, also how the hell did they get them in the trailer to begin with, if BOTH OF the colts won't let anyone catch them???)


New owners have their vet come check out the new arrivals, and vet states they are NOT two, they are 16-18 months - but that info came out a bit sketchy with the question being asked if the vet can get close enough to check age - again the inconsistencies are showing - why can't the chestnut be caught? 


At any rate this giant Cluster "F" of a tale continues on. They have managed to work with the palomino enough so that he's now accepting a halter and is leading well, but they are having a ton of trouble with the other guy. They took the pair on after being told they were broke, but the harsh reality was they had been barely handled. 


I am now seeking places to send this information to - word has it that this 'rescue' is being investigated for other reasons.


There are soooo many red flags here the sheer number would cover Texas from border to border. 


I - Shady business dealings. The rescue lied about the ages, training levels, and that they could be handled. They also chose to drop off the animals in a very VERY unprofessional way, and by letting the other horse loose, could have been liable for a myriad of things had this loose horse run amok or gotten hurt or run over by a freaking car!


2 - They did NOT geld the animals before the animals left their property. NO rescue worth their salt will allow an un-gelded male horse leave their care as 'adopted'. They were dropped of at the adopters house severely underweight. My assumption is they also had not been wormed, either. The adopter did not mention any type of no-breeding contract either...


3 - They are not a horse rescue in such that they concentrate only on the horses. They use their RESCUED HORSES FOR PUBLIC TRAIL RIDES TO SUPPORT THEIR OTHER COSTS. 


4 - Exotic animal Zoo by the side of a freeway? Seriously. WTF? I get the sanctuary idea. I get that its cool to rescue exotic animals and wildlife, and this in of itself is a very needed service. There are a lot of idiot people out there that think its cool to buy a cougar cub and have it in the back yard, not thinking that its gonna grow into a 1000 pound giant PREDATOR. ......The theory of the exotic rescue is not what I'm having the issue with. I keep thinking  "BUT skunks? Do we really need a skunk rescue that adopts them out as pets????? Or a POSSUM? Who loves these animals enough to want one as a pet???" 


5 - Skunkie Acres is just a screwed up name. (Ok, I'm throwing that one in there because of personal bias. I don't care if you disagree, its my blog LOL. I can dislike the name if I wanna.) Its just too similar sounding to Skanky Acres. Which... would be fitting here.


The reader that sent the ad did talk to the owners about getting the colt close enough to a halter/lead rope to actually get them on him, but she needs help finding someone that either has all day to sit and help get this guy haltered and in the trailer sans trauma, or be willing to lend her a trailer for the day so she doesn't have to worry about wasting their time. 


If anyone is in the area that can help - or at least just offer help as to how to actually GET THE HALTER ON HIM, without scaring him further, that would be greatly appreciated! Just post in the comments. He will allow someone close enough to sniff a hand, but as soon as he sees the halter/lead rope, he has NOTHING to do with it, and is out of there in 2 seconds flat. I do not know how big his pen is, I don't know what the currently owners have done with him. They want the best for him, and just want him to go to a good home that will train him properly.


.........................What a note to end the day on, eh?! 


Be back in the am with a new ad. G'night!

23 comments:

  1. Back when I worked as a Vet Tech we had a client who had a pet opossum. They had found him injured as a baby and raised him. I was really creeped out by him at first, but dang it if he wasn't pretty lovable. Even played fetch! Not saying I would want one....but really no creepier to me than a pet snake.

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  2. Ok, I don't mind the pics of the kids with the tortoises, cows, fawns, etc. But...

    You forgot to mention the picture of a girl (her 15 year old daughter according to the pic's name) Hugging a wolf. It's eyes look glazed (might just be the lighting) and it's kinda leaning over, so maybe it might be tranquilized or something, but there's no explanation next to it, just a pic of a smiling girl holding a big wolf.
    http://www.skunkieacres.com/images/Samantha_and_Amara.jpg

    Oh wait! Here's one of the other daughters (Who's only 12 years old!) in the cage with 2 wolves and playing Frisbee with them!
    http://www.skunkieacres.com/images/Tabby_playing_with_wolfs.jpg

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  3. My favorite pic is the noble skunk standing before the American flag: http://www.skunkieacres.com/images/Puff_and_Flag.jpg

    What a majestic creature so finely suited to symbolize this great nation!! HAHAHAHAHA

    Ahem. Anyway, did you see that they charge $275 to adopt a skunk!?! The one living under our barn came to us for free...

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  4. Yes... I did see the pictures of the kids playing with the wolves... but I have a 10 inch screen on my netbook and I wasn't sure if they were the wolves or just...dogs.

    Thank you for clearing that up though! I *was* wondering...

    Real classy place, isn't it!

    She also mentions on the trail rides that her kids are very safety aware and conscious... THAT MUST be why the kid pictured above isn't wearing a helmet!

    *walks away muttering*

    Ok, I *DO* have to head to work now lol. I'll post the new ad tonight after I get home.

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  5. Jesus, this is a cluster f of a place. Was that a woman and her kids kneeling over a croc for god's sake! Please take off my kids leg! I would never ever give this type of rescue and I use that word loosely money of any sort. These people need to get their priorities straight.

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  6. So are they BREEDING skunks to sell??? I can't imagine they have a steady supply of babies that are rescued to "sell". I hate places like this. We have several in my area. One that for years was open to the public, now the two bears he has left get to live their lives out in CORN CRIBS. Yes the lovely round cage like structures about 12 feet across. Nice huh?
    I will wait to see the news story about a 12 year old getting eaten by a wolf.

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  7. Yes, Whitesprings. In a 3 acre pasture. They are managing okay with the second horse and it sounds like they will be keeping that one.

    I got an update last night that they do have someone buying him this weekend, though he is still for sale until that time. I just hope for the little guy's sake that it isn't a jackass.

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  8. Thingsthatperplexme - hes just $100! Its still tuesday, so if you have the time, space and a bit of extra money LOL!~

    I second your sentiments Anemonie.

    I have sent the links to the blogs, copied emails, and sent them out to at least 6 different agencies / organizations. We'll see what happens!

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  9. You know... I was just reminded of something - a few years back I was working as a receptionist for a 24hr emergency vet's office that also took on wildlife for the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Preserve. The facility had been designed to hold wild animals alongside domesticated ones... at different times we'd have javalina, coyotes, foxes, different desert rodents, tortoises, and at one time... a mountain lion.

    One of the head vet techs who had been there for years, had adopted a de-skunked skunk. He had been bottle raised by her since he was 3 days old, and was her buddy. He walked on a leash, loved fresh fruit, and loved to be picked up and cuddled. I did hold him once, and I can't believe I had forgotten about that till just now.

    The thing is though... they are still wild animals. That particular animal was able to adapt because PEOPLE was all he knew. He never would have survived by his own, because he was no longer able to depend on himself for food and safety. He was unusual, but quite the experience to be around.

    I guess I just don't get stupid.

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  10. Not only the kid with the wolf picture, but did anyone else notice a few other things on that same page?

    Like the cat on the kitchen table? To me that is just disgusting beyond words. I do not want a cat on the table or kitchen counters, or anywhere really, where I place my food. Not after they have been in the litterbox! That is just f#cking gross.

    Then we have the baby skunk being bottlefed on the same table and in the background we can see someones hand holding a remote for Direct TV. I recognized it because we have the same one at home.

    So how happy do you suppose people will be, while they are begging for donations to support the animals, they are spending the money instead on their own, human 'creature comforts'? All the while taking on more animals than they can afford or accomodate.

    Beautiful disaster any way you look at it!

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  11. I am sure my grand old mare would not favor some half-wild colt invading her domain, LOL. My student's TB gives her enough shenanigans to roll her majestic eyes at. But I am willing to help the 'upgrader' capture the little beast!

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  12. A nabor down the road from me found a ad for these people and went there , they ended up buying two horses from them,,not adopting them, The horses were sent with wrong coggins, one was way older then they were told and the other one was way younger..The one thing they did have in common was they were both starved 1 to 2 on scale according to vet. This "rescue" has been turned in alot and hopefully someone will close them down.

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  13. Love the pic on the home page of the skunk in the dishwasher licking a plate. OMG!!!...gasp!

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  14. I to and some of my friends have visited Skunkie Acres and find the place, disgusting and smells awful. The animals are hot and tired. The cats and kittens are sick and diseases. The dogs are in horrible condition. The horses are pitiful and not fed enough. They have no pasture land and all these animals are on a small piece of land. The animals that are there should be in better places than that. The home can you imagine living in that. I would not let my dog live there. I have seen these people begging for money and food at Wal-Mart in Lake City, Florida and then be back in the store later that night buying items for people with I am certain is the money that people are donating for the animals. All this God Bless you and so on is all fake and other people I have seen and talked to have heard the kids screaming and that man screaming at each other. Am I just imagining this or are these people just out for the money and not the animals for the animals look pitiful.
    The ad on the radio says these animals have a forever home, yet right in the cemetary. I would not let my dog live in those conditions. You can bet that the pigs and cows do not live out their lives there, I imagine they make their way to the slaughter house. I would guess that the other animals die from heat strokes. Now let's get back to horses. From what I and my friend saw, the horses were only getting hay and that older daughter said they did not give them sweet feed, it was bad for the horse. IS HORSE FOOD BAD FOR THEM TOO, SO THEY ONLY GET HAY.
    Let me get off my rant and I too hope they close them down soon and the animals find a better place to be
    Disgusted

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  15. I am waiting for come back, I like your story of "8 hours left". Do you also like horses and it's products?

    horse classifieds

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  16. I have also had friends who planned a birthday party at Skunkie Acres and she went inside the home to use the restroom and she said it was filthy and a baby deer was in the bathtub. She said the animals were in inadequate housing and their food/water bowls were filthy!!! They were at a local car dealership this weekend with a "petting zoo" which consisted of a baby buffalo, goat and either a sheep/goat tied to a chain link fence, two saddles paint horses, a opossum in a cage, another cage with a bunch of cats, another cage with a bunch of little dogs (way too small of a cage for four dogs!!!) oh and a friggin wolf hopping around being real mouthy. I have seen these people begging for money in front of Walmart several times and think I have actually given them money on more than one occasion. My husband and I have renamed it Skanky Acres...such a shame!!!

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  17. Confusious say "Yea with big mouth has small Brain. Most people these days do buy grocerys, hard to track exactly where money comes from. We promise to have an all out investigation on where the money came from. We promise Heads will Roll. When dealing with Idiots must think like an idiot. I see alot of Fiction in thse blogs, lets try Honesty. It will sure be different.

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  18. It sounds like Kim has no job and too much time on her hands. She has a lot to say but no facts to back it. Maby Kim should get a job and get off the taxpayers money...

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  19. just called about avail baby skunks, they sell like hot cakes, they claim spring litters, but had 2 unexpected litters, some deformed babies, missing tails, moms ate them off, they didnt know one mom was behind the washer withe 2 babies, no discount if babie is deformed, first come first serve, (didnt seem to care about who buys them) just care about money,,, breeding,,, selling,,, think Ill grab me a non profit number and start breeding!!

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  20. If anyone has tried to rescue animals they would know just how much work it is. When you have people dropping off unwanted or sick animals just because they don't match their carpet anymore what can you do? It can become overwhelming. It is not cheap to purchase cages and housing for all these animals. As far as the cats being on counters or the house being a mess, so what. You don't live there.
    Get off your high horses and help. Whether it be by donations or volunteering. Do something besides pass judgement. Because in the end it isn't your place to pass that judgement. I am grateful for places like Skunky acres because without them there would be more animals thrown out in trash bags or tossed into traffic in pillow cases because people can't or won't care for them. Shame on you to pass judgment on someone who's shoes you haven't walked in.

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  21. You will be happy to know that they are shut down or moving I know the lady that has bought the property and they have 2 weeks to get out

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