Last month, five emaciated thoroughbreds were relinquished to the Hooved Animal Humane Society in Woodstock. They were the worst off in a group of 21 horses about which McHenry County Animal Control had received a complaint.
Only one of the 21 was in acceptable shape. The others had overgrown hooves, most not having had any farrier work for about a year. About eight of them were balding with little or no hair coat, the result of stress. All needed dental work.
The horses taken in by HAHS (the rest went back to the owners) are slowly being rehabilitated and are becoming accustomed to being handled. Still, they have a way to go. They’re socially stunted, continuing to move as one unit and unsure of how to act in the open air and among people.
The five — a mare of 6, three mares between 17 and 22 and a 24-year-old gelding — are now available for adoption. They are relatively easy to handle and good with the vet and farrier. Contact the HAHS at 815-337-5563 or info@hahs.org.
Henrietta Hippo learned the hard way the meaning of going from the frying pan into the fire. A 1-year-old beagle-ish/hound-ish mix, she had just been rescued from a kill shelter. On the way to the Chicago area she got spooked and bolted, ran across a parking lot into traffic and disappeared into the wilds of Joliet. Volunteers searched for hours but came up empty. The next morning she was found with multiple broken bones after having been hit by a car.
A Joliet animal control officer took her to an emergency clinic, where she was sedated. Then volunteers from the Save-a-Pet adoption center in Grayslake came and got her. They took Henrietta to a surgeon, who treated her broken bones. She’s recuperating as well as can be expected, considering she’s stuck in a cage in an office at Save-A-Pet. What she needs now is a home where she can be cared for. (And yes, Save-A-Pet will pay for her follow-up care.)
Henrietta is good with kids, dogs and cats, although she’s timid around people until she gets to know them (her shyness may be another reason she hasn’t been adopted yet). She is spayed, vaccinated for rabies, distemper and bordetella (kennel cough), is on heartworm preventative as well as flea and tick treatment, is wormed and microchipped.
Anyone interested in this sweetheart, call 847-344-3098.
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