Anderson's Animals

Janedoe,I agree with you that the animals in the county should be taken care of,But animals, the sick,and the elderly,and all children,don`t always end up with either parents,or owners who care for them like they should.And yes there are numerous agency`s that will handle problems that arise for human beings, but sometime that help is to late in coming,and doesn`t even exist for animals.But what I am trying to say is, it is a lot easier to take an animal that is being mistreated,or sick, from an owner, and place it in a safer and better environment,than a mis-treated child,sick or elderly person,or someone who has nobody to turn to.They all need our help equally,and I wouldn`t like to put one ahead of the other.Everyone has to make their own personal decision who,or what is closer to their hearts.I have made my choice,and it sounds like you have too.

it is a lot easier to take an animal that is being mistreated,or sick, from an owner, and place it in a safer and better environment,than a mis-treated child,sick or elderly person,or someone who has nobody to turn to.

-rino

Hello Rino,
Right now, Anderson has no place to take many of the animals in our county that face starvation or injury. With a drought and limited space on all our farms, our volunteers are feeling the pinch and using everything they have to keep our own animals healthy and fed.
It was interesting that someone accused PEARL of not doing their "job" this past week when our “job” is to support a county that has failed to provide even a safe place to take these animals in. The only office that has supported PEARL is the Sheriff's Office and that is because we help them do their job. Livestock is a job that they inherited and have received no money, facilities, equipment or additional man power to accomplish the work with.
From just the money the county saved by not having to purchase land a more than an adequate in-take facility can be built. David Crenshaw has asked for it and John Skipper is aware of the problem. We hope 2009 brings the support the Sheriff’s Office needs to provide just the basics for doing this part of the job.

Nicole Walukewicz
Chair - PEARL

PS There is a meeting tomorrow at the Anderson library at 7:00 where these issues will be discussed.

Hello,nicole-walukewicz,I have a daughter named Nicole, so you must be a good person.My daughter also loves all god`s creatures,both big,and small.I try to help in any cause that I think is worth while,and yours certainly is.I will try to be at your meeting at the library tomorrow at 7 pm,Hope to see you there RINO.

Nicole---The 7pm meeting at the library Monday, 8 Sep sounds interesting. I hope there is a good turn out and it is well publicized. I wish you the best and will see you at the meeting.

I look forward to it. It's not a meeting I called but one I will attend hoping that the dialog will bring attention to the needs of our county and the members of our community will discuss how to use the animal shelter money to accommodate all the animals in our county.

Rino, don't let your daughter anywhere near a horse or she might become infected with the dreaded horse riding disorder. Then it's lessons, horses, tack, shows and trailers. I was infected at 18 months old and look what happened to me!

Introduce yourself to me at the meeting. I look forward to meeting you (kilkenny) and hopefully Rino as well.

Regards,
Nicole

I don't know, why care? Anderson has yet to make the Drudge Report. Can't say that about Richland County & our State Dept of Ag.

I was at the Anderson library tonight at 7 pm,but no one showed for a meeting,did I miss something, or was the meeting changed?

Hey, Nicole, I'm not surprised nutjob Ortis didn't show tonight, but where were all the PEARLs before the swine?

I sincerely apologize to anyone that showed up at Anderson Library for the “animal rights” meeting sponsored by Dr. Capt. Leonardo Ortiz. I either had the date wrong or the meeting was canceled and I was not notified.

What is relevant is that just an hour prior to that time PEARL was asked to provide a veterinary field assessment to a county, this time Oconee. This could just as well have been Anderson, Pickens, Abbeville or any county in South Carolina.

On Friday; last week, while delivering feed and parasite control medication at the Oconee Shelter as well as basic horse care equipment for one old horse in their custody the ACO asked PEARL to assess and offer assistance to an Oconee County family down on their luck. When our first volunteer arrived she knew the issue was greater than being resolved with feed and hay. She correctly called the PEARL Board of Directors and our Vice Chair Nancy Traynum went out. At the invitation of a friend of the family she walked the property and took pictures.
PEARL submitted the report and a complaint to Oconee County Animal Control. At 1:30 this afternoon, we asked Dr. Alice Beretta to meet PEARL and the Oconee County Animal Control Officers at the location. What we found was discouraging. The wife of a now, disabled man had tried to maintain a large farm but once given the cost of rehabilitating her farm animals, (pot belly pigs, goats, donkeys and many horses, most pregnant) she agreed to surrender many of the animals to the county.
Thanks to friends of Oconee County, they were able to load the 11 starving pigs and 16 malnourished goats as well as half the horses onto a transport for relocation. The state veterinary office was contacted as one mare could not safely be caught and tested for Equine Infectious Anemia. We were granted a pass to the Oconee Animal Control Facility by Dr. Boyd Parr. These laws are both state and federally mandated so compliance is especially important.
In all, Dr, Alice Beretta lost five hours of her day to trying to help Oconee County with this case. Her immediate expenses are covered by PEARL but her regular clients were all asked for understanding and a later visit for the standard issues of equine care she is used to managing. At this time she is still catching up with the most important cases and needs from this day. She is still working, while I started this post and it’s midnight.
While we beg Anderson County to build a small but effective in-take facility for this kind of situation, we are amazed that they currently fail to respond with a "yes". Oconee County is commended for agreeing to accept in animals as a surrender case today. Their day ended trying to jockey goats and pigs to friends and family and how to divide very limited space at the shelter. All these animals came from JUST ONE FARM in trouble. All were malnourished and in need of vet care, parasite medication, a farrier and groceries.
I had to disinfect my car, shoes, floor mats, halters, lead ropes, unused lead lines and clothes so I did not pass on the obvious infestation of round worms and possible other infectious diseases to my herd.
The problem is real and still there is no talk of using the saving from the land donation to have a place where these animals could be taken. Had one person been there and saw the fresh manure wriggling with worms, they would have a full understanding why a quarantine facility is needed.
I’ll find Dr. Ortiz and ask what happened to the meeting. Again I apologize. Some good came out of it, I had dinner downtown after a long sweaty day figuring out how to catch horses no one has ever touched, just left in a field to get pregnant & starve.

I am so sorry Rino, I showed up and disrupted the two meeting going on then had security call the other libraries to find out if it had been moved. I will call Dr. Capt Ortiz and ask. As I said, dinner at Jax was a good end to a long day.

No problem,Nicole,Let me know when, and if the meeting is re-scheduled and I`ll try to be there.

The pigs and goats were not all surrendered because Oconee County simple ran out of space and time.
If anyone can help them with a herd of starved pot belly pigs then please call the Oconee County Shelter and let them know that, same for goats.
The horses are being taken care of. They have two pregnant paint ponies that need homes and the stallion. We are providing feed and de-wormers for them however, they can’t remain in the little space Oconee has for a prolonged period of time.
I hope someone in Anderson is paying attention to this as PETA has gotten involved once it became known the animals are starved and still remain in the same conditions they were found. The problem facing Oconee is what we are asking that we plan for not find outside pressure to resolve. There is no time like the present to fix what is broken while you have the money and space.

Nicole Walukewicz

Good luck - the Oconee County Officers had been there many times. Freinds of the family "in the system" stopped prior action. You get someone like PETA to ask questions and things happen. Too bad it's all after the fact not pro-actively. Good luck!

If there's a way for a horse to get itself into trouble...