agillooly@observer-reporter.com
A pair of horses - one brown and one white - nibbled on a bale of hay Tuesday at a South Franklin Township farm, their ribs protruding and spines visible under stretched skin.
They were among 29 horses that were starving, sick and in need of a home.
Washington County humane officer Matt Walsh said they were without food and drew their only source of water from a creek that had been contaminated by the carcasses of three dead horses there. Other horses had pneumonia and severe dehydration.
He said the owner of the animals will face more than 30 animal cruelty charges. Walsh said he was not permitted to name the owner, but she has been barred from the property. Her name will be released when charges are filed.
"She's looking at some jail time now," he said.
Walsh said Washington Area Humane Society received numerous calls about the animals and obtained a court warrant Monday to seize possession of them. The farm owner has a history with the humane society that dates to last summer, he added.
While the majority of the horses will remain on the farm until foster homes can be found, four were in critical condition, Walsh said, and were being transferred to a nearby barn.
Hay and water troughs were being brought in for the remaining horses.
"At least, they have food and water," Walsh said.
As a veterinarian briefed him on the animals' conditions, a neighbor drove up and said that she and neighbors were rallying to provide hay and foster homes to those remaining horses.
"I'm glad somebody is doing something," said Cherie Keith, who lives on Bedillion Road. "It was awful, just awful."
In the meantime, the humane society is seeking hay for the animals, as well as people who are willing to foster, adopt or house any of the animals. Those interested in donating are asked to call 724-222-7387.