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McBride Horse Rescuers Say , Want Your Horses Back, Pay For the Rescue

By 250 News

Monday, December 29, 2008 10:35 AM

McBride BC. -     McBride area residents who dug two stranded and starving horses out of certain death in the Renshaw region near McBride, say they will not return the horses to their owners without being paid for digging a trench more than one and third kilometres by hand to rescue the animals.

Birgit Stutz of the Falling Star Ranch, one of the people who spearheaded the efforts to rescue the horses, says her group is in the process of compiling a bill to be submitted to the owner of the horses who lives in Edmonton.

Birgit says, “If the Crown does not proceed with a charge dealing with the matter of leaving the animals to starve, we will submit a bill to the owner for our work”. Birgit says the owner did not come to the scene of the digging at any time to assist in rescuing the horses "So now if the SPCA doesn’t charge him; we will want payment for the work that we put in rescuing those horses. That bill is very High."

When found the horses were in a condition 2 out of 9.  In other words, near starvation when they were found by some area snowmobilers. It was this group that launched an effort to dig the trench to rescue the horses after it was deemed that they could not  withstand a flight out by helicopter.

It took local residents more than a week to dig the trench by hand into the area where the horses were. In the meantime they began a feeding program to try and get them into shape to be able to walk a further 25 kilometres down a packed trail after the initial rescue.

The owner of the horses never came to the scene to assist in the rescue say local residents and so if there are no charges laid, he will find himself with a hefty bill to pay the people for the rescue should he want the animals back, that figure could be in excess of $30,000 dollars they say.

Local ranchers and others involved in the rescue will not give the location of the horses  until such time as the matter is resolved. The horses are reported as doing well as they recover from their ordeal.

Meantime, more than $6,000.00 has been donated to the cause to help pay  for  feed and  whatever  was needed to help  get the two animals to safety.

 


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Posted on Monday, December 29, 2008 10:35 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Comment Posted by: numbers on December 29 2008 1:02 PM
Right on! He deserves more than a crunch to the pocket book. He should be charged and share a cell with Micheal Vick.
Comment Posted by: Clean on December 29 2008 1:11 PM
Typical of a Scum Bag,

Not taking responsibility resulting in others to do the dirty work.
Whose rewarded? The Scum Bag.

It happens all the time!

Send him the bill, but this time make him pay!
Comment Posted by: Andyfreeze on December 29 2008 1:11 PM
At the very least,the owner should be charged.
Comment Posted by: Andyfreeze on December 29 2008 1:20 PM
Whoops! ...too quick on the trigger...

The reason I think he should be charged is that he knew the horses were stranded and he knew they would would likely starve to death before spring.
So what did he do for these horses?
Obviously nothing very much.
Did he try to get feed to them by air?
Did he hire a cat to try and plow out a trail before the snow got to deep?
He SHOULD have done more than he obviously did.
And I am curious...did he go up and help those that were digging the trench or did he pretend not to know what was going on?

Comment Posted by: bird on December 29 2008 1:30 PM
andyfreeze, the writer wrote "He did not come to the scene of the digging at any time to assist"
Comment Posted by: Jayda on December 29 2008 1:47 PM
He should be charged but it could be a hard case to prove. He does not have the horses well being at heart at all. The PG Citizen had an article a few days ago stating the owner had contacted one of of the rescuers asking them to deliver the horses to a specified area so he could come and pick them up. The horses still have a very long road to recovery. He is wanting them back before they have even recovered for a week. Good grief. It would be very rough on them to be trailered 4 hours back to Edmonton at this point. Pleas write the SPCA with your concerns if there is enough public pressure it will help their case.


kkokoska@spca.bc.ca and dgoodine@spca.bc.ca


Comment Posted by: Junco on December 29 2008 1:56 PM
He should be charged with cruelty to animals and his name and picture plastered in everynewspaper in BC and Alberta. Let's put a face on this scumbag.

Comment Posted by: He speaks on December 29 2008 2:31 PM
Its hard to prove that he abandoned the horses, If the horse did run away, then he probably should have made a better effort to find them. he and his family may be charged and not allowed to own horses, and or livestock will be a better charge! This should be a big enough embarassment for the whole family or group of families.
Comment Posted by: diplomat on December 29 2008 3:31 PM
It's easy to prove that he abandoned the horses: He did not show any concern for them before and finally by not participating in the successful rescue effort.

Period. That's abandonment, because he left them to their fate: either be rescued or die.

Charge him anyways. Usually the fine is about one hundred bucks or so.
Comment Posted by: Junco on December 29 2008 4:05 PM
"This should be a big enough embarrassment for the whole family or group of families"

Since when is embarrassment punishment for cruelty to animals? I doubt that someone who has no conscience about leaving 2 horses out to die of starvation or exposure is capable of being embarrassed. Did he even so much as tack up a lost poster at the local gas station or on the mailboxes. Call the radio station or newpaper? Nope, he was movin on, cutting his losses and now has the balls to ask for them back...well I am embarrassed for his family.
Comment Posted by: robichal on December 29 2008 4:44 PM
There is something SERIOUSLY WRONG if he/she/they/whoever gets these animals back! He/she/they/whoever should be charged and banned from owning any livestock again. He/she/they/whoever, are dispicable human beings and should pay for the rescue regardless of whether charges can be laid (I'm assuming the only way charges will NOT be laid is if they can't prove anything). However, as the owners of these animals the rescue should be billed to the owner(s). Feeling embarrassed is the least they should be feeling! You're embarrassed if you spill wine on your date...you should feel ashamed (and society should actually shame them publicly before the stoning)if you abuse animals. Anyone who left those animals to starve to death has no conscience and is a sociopath - or definitely lacking morals and values. What a pig!!!
Comment Posted by: lifesucks on December 29 2008 5:39 PM
The bastard should pay the full amount and NOT GET THE HORSES BACK. Him or the family are inhumain and do not deserve justice. People like that should rought in hell. People can speak but animals cannot and they should be ashamed of them self, and they should been shoun SHAME and let the whole world know the way they are. SHAME ON THEM NASTY PEOPLE. There are not enough words and room to say how bad and mean these people are it is beyond me beliefe that there are people like that They are thourly DISGUSTING, and the sad thing the LAW will be on their side. These people are garbage and should be shown across Canada as nast. I hope the S.P.C.A.o not let them away with this one. How can they even live with themselves.
Comment Posted by: Smooth on December 29 2008 9:25 PM
Something I read earlier said he may be a lawyer. He likely has no true interest in getting them back; however, thinking from a legal standpoint him saying he wants the horses back is a tactic in trying to avoid a harsher penalty or any penalty at all.

If he makes no effort to get them back now then there is little doubt he ever wanted to get them.

If he asks for them back he has two options.
1. He can claim that he was still planning an attempt to rescue them.
2. He can claim they ran off and he lost them.
With either option he can claim he would have come and helped, but being in Edmonton never knew of the rescue attempt and was only contacted after they were rescued.

Sure he is a horrible human being, but being a lawyer he likely has a lawyer approach to how he is going to get out of this mess.
Comment Posted by: Denaljo on December 29 2008 10:02 PM
In Dantes Inferno there is a special place for people like this; and lawyers and politicians!
Comment Posted by: DPJ on December 30 2008 1:37 AM
Hunters should hunt this despot down and shoot his brains to pieces. Thats all he deserves.
Comment Posted by: Jayda on December 30 2008 2:42 AM
The owner/lawyers side of the story.

[url]http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Owner
+tried+twice+save+horses/1125336/story.html[/url]
Comment Posted by: Jayda on December 30 2008 2:44 AM
I can never seem to post a link properly on here.
Comment Posted by: downnotout on December 30 2008 9:43 AM
all this for some animals where is the concern for the shafted injuried workers who had their benifets cut by 10 %. Lots of animals freeze each winter. I heard that about 150 animals get hit by trains inbetween Mcbride and PG. I think that to leave those animals out there was a no-no but there are two sides to every story
Comment Posted by: Ocean on December 30 2008 11:08 AM
Who cares about the owner\lawyer's story? He abandoned the horses,leaving them to starve,or freeze to death. Hopefully he'll never have an opportunity to mistreat an animal again. Clearly there should be some sort of prohibition in his case.
Hmmmm, I wonder if he has children?
Comment Posted by: lostfaith on December 30 2008 12:01 PM
Why is it some people think that this guy might hurt his children?
Listen to yourselves.
Comment Posted by: k irvine on December 30 2008 1:28 PM
Leaving a domestic animal to fend for itself and "let nature take its course" is never acceptable.

It's too bad this story doesn't highlight this happens more often than we aware. Herds of feral horses are unwanted horses that have been released or "lost" -normally with no publicity.

Domestic horses, even though they have the survival instinct, are not equipped to thrive in severe conditions. Yes, nature will take it's course, in the form of starvation, freezing to death, or violent death by predators.



Comment Posted by: red2b on December 30 2008 2:52 PM
The owner's(who is a lawyer) side of the storey.

(url)http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=f6088491-3094-48e5-802d-901659b4e19b&p=2(url)
Comment Posted by: opinionated on December 30 2008 3:24 PM
This man doesn't deserve to have any kind of animal. I say let's string him up!!!
Comment Posted by: Smooth on December 30 2008 3:49 PM
After reading the link posted by red2b his explanation makes some sense. He also seems willing to pay so it will be interesting if the rescuers were just bluffing on the money for the horses or if there is more sentimental/moral value in it for them.
Comment Posted by: MrPG on December 30 2008 7:06 PM
I people actually had this much passion for their own fellow human beings the world might be a better place. Oh well...
Comment Posted by: dunfor on December 30 2008 8:17 PM
i know this scumbag.dont hold ur breth on geting paid.