Horse case makes the Trooper log

Once in a while, I check the Alaska State Trooper log. The log is not complete by a long shot, and many items disappear after being uploaded, but still.....you can stumble across some interesting items there.

Like this one-

Location: Anchor Point> Case number: 09-6133> Type: Cruelty to Animals> Text: On 1/22/09 at approximately 1621 hours, AST received a report that four horses were being neglected by their owners at a residence located off of Resch Road, near Anchor Point. Based on the investigation, it was determined that two of the horses were in a state of starvation, and the other two horses were in poor condition. All four horses were seized and placed in protective care. The horse owners, Katy Campbell, age 25 of Happy Valley, and Wesley Campbell, age 30 of Happy Valley, were both issued summons to appear in court on charges of two counts of Cruelty to Animals.> Author: MRH1> Received Friday, January 30, 2009 8:30 AM and posted Friday, January 30, 2009 9:08 AM

Now people that read this from the L48 are probably thinking-what's the big deal here? Well, it is a big deal here in Alaska. If you read our statutes you would find them laughable compared to many other states. Minimum standards of care? Shelter-which can be interpreted as a single scraggly spruce, or clump of alders, or nothing at all.....if there is a water container (not necessarily running water on the property, mind you) and a spot that used to have hay, that's good enough to satisfy the law. Fencing is equally interpretive, and restraint can be chained or roped to a tree. Conditions? Well, I can't even fully describe this one-anything goes.

People only call the Troopers as a last resort when Animal Control cannot or will not respond. Troopers generally are the only people who can legally seize a horse, as we have very strong private property laws here. Just how bad were they, to be taken into custody?

I can easily imagine the condition of the horses. My heart breaks for their suffering. The most punishment these people will get, many months down the road, is a small fine.

That just angers and saddens me, it truly does. They stand a good chance of getting the horses back also, and probably won't have to repay the thousands that will be spent to recover them to health. And there is not much to be done about it, really. I have no idea who has the horses in care now, but I wish them well. It can be very challenging to recover horses in a moderate climate, and much more difficult over our long winter months.