Tidbits of News and Case Updates

I expected to begin this post with 'this is the unhappiest I've ever been to be right' but that would be a long post so I'll do that Monday. Plus I need some time to do some research and double-check on some things. So...today I'll be doing some tidbits of news that aren't long enough for a full-length post and check up on my abuse/neglect cases.

Keum H. Lee - Nothing. Her court date is still 19 days away so I'm not expecting much.

Gordon Dennis Key - News on this front! Story Key was not at his Wednesday hearing where his attorney worked out an agreement with the district attorney's office. Key agreed to donate his 77 horses to the Humane Society. Which apparently is one more than expected. Not entirely sure where that extra horse came from...you'd think they'd know how many horses were there and rescued. Key has ten days to bring all documentation for the horses to the court and pay $5,000 in court costs and the costs of the animals since they were seized.

"This is not a case where a person had a willful desire to not care for an animal or was being intentionally cruel," he said. "He had no employees left. It was just one man doing the best he could for 77 horses. It was just impossible.

"He is an honorable man, and he really did care about the animals."

Lots of people that neglect their animals really do care about them. Those hoarders you see on TV with a hundred cats running around their house care about them. But they're still at fault for having that many animals and letting it get out of hand. He had no employees left? What happened to them? This kind of thing doesn't just happen overnight. If you need help caring for 77 horses, hire someone or find a neighbor kid that can't afford a horse of his/her own. Someone like me for instance. If the horses are rideable, they'd probably do it for free in exchange for a chance to ride the horses or even just be around them.

Kim Dotson - Story Investigations are proceeding and Kim Dotson faces 37 counts of animal cruelty, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by one year in jail and $5,000 in fines. Now is that each or total? Fifteen of the horses have already been adopted out and seven are still looking for new homes.

Jack Ziniuk - Nothing here. Though according to my chart, his court date was three days ago.

Ernie Paragallo - Nothing here either. Not expecting much until October.

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The Walking Horse Celebration is back and ready to crack down on those trainers that use soring as a way to get ahead. Story One question though...it says the first, second, and third place horses will be subject to pre- and post-performance inspections. So by 'pre-performance' do they mean that they're going to inspect all the horses there? Because how can you inspect the winning horse before the competition? Maybe they should do want horse racing does and inspect random horses in the field in addition to the top three.

A Colorado man threatened to kill his 24 horses in protest of zoning regulations which, according the story, have nothing to do with the horses. Story This man is sick! He should be in jail, the horses should be rescued (though I believe they have been), and he shouldn't be allowed to own an animal ever again. Though if he believes the zoning regulations would force him to leave the ranch, I'd like to know what the zoning regulations are.

And as for the Florida horse murders, the reward has been upped to $20,000 for information leading to an arrest and a new watch program unveiled.

"They come from the lowest ebb of society, they don't have any of our civilized notions. And I think everybody is aware of that," said Southwest Ranches resident Maryann Allen. "Thank God for my six gun, I'd shoot em."

Nineteen horses in southern Florida have been butchered for their meat which is sold illegally.