Most people are in agreement. Animal abuse is ugly, no matter how much offenders try to “pretty” it up. 62% of people in a Gallup poll believe animals deserve some level of protection from harm and exploitation.
This was the case for Lily, a horse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, found abandoned in a stable. The horse was discovered starved and covered in scars from paintball shots. One shot left the horse blind in one eye.
Veterinarians were able to nurse Lily back to health and plan to find her a more caring home.
The rescue is the result of Kelly Smith’s intervention. Smith works with Omega Horse Rescue, one of many animal rescue groups around the country.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) estimates there are over 13,000 animal rescues and shelters in the United States.
Animal rescues run two separate and basic functions. They first search for animals in need of help. This ranges from locating strays to pets that have been abused or neglected.
While some operate with the goal of helping many different types of animals, others are more specific. Some, like Omega Horse Rescue and Hope for Paws, cater specifically to types of pets, such as dogs, cats, birds and horses. Others, like Pitties.Love.Peace, are more breed-central.
From here, animal rescues attempt to find adoptive homes. Some rescuers (such as Kim Olewine below) go so far as to adopt the pets themselves.
Even here, though, rescued animals face an uphill struggle.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS, or the Humane Society) cites overpopulation as a major problem in this area. With a greater influx of rescues than outflow, many shelters resort to euthanizing rescued animals to create space. The Humane Society estimates roughly 2.4 million adoptable animals are put down each year due to overpopulation.
Though some organizations adopt a “no-kill” policy, this has its own share of problems. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) cites this as a contributing factor to pet/animal overpopulation. Other organizations – including PETA, in a Huffington News article – have euthanized pets despite claiming no-kill support.
In the face of this, the Humane Society, PETA and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) have offered methods to combat pet euthanasia as a necessity. All three organizations suggest adopting from shelters than pet stores. Another method all three support are spaying/neutering as a method of reducing pet reproduction.
Some animal rescue groups are nonprofit. Consequently, they depend on either private funding or donations to continue operating. As a result, most are operated by volunteers.
One such volunteer is Kim Olewine. An Associate’s degree graduate of Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), she later attended Penn State for a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice. Her motivation to help rescue pets and animals began after she saved a Pomeranian in an intersection.
Kim currently volunteers for various rescue groups in Central PA. Her main commitment is to Pitties.Love.Peace, a pit bull-centric group. “It was my love of dogs, my love of the breed and how they’re so misinterpreted. They don’t have a chance, so I got into that rescue to help be their voice.”
She considers her main triumph to be her three Pitties.Love.Peace rescues: Rocky, Angel and Charlie. Rocky and Charlie were among two rescues she oversaw and facilitated. While Rocky has since passed, Kim managed to have Charlie adopted by another family and still lives with Angel.
For the most part, their efforts are successful. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS, or the Humane Society) estimates up to 83% of dogs and cats are acquired from shelters and rescues. The ASPCA reported that the use of euthanasia has declined over the past decades.
Kim Olewine has her own thoughts for anyone looking into a career in animal rescue. “One of the biggest things would be to research the rescues they want to go into. There are rescues that mean well but don’t end up doing technically what they’re supposed to be doing. There are rescues that have the rescue name but front as a rescue and really aren’t.
“Rescuers really need to do their homework,” she continues. “Interview people, find out what they’re actually doing, find out what their whole thing is. But if you want to get involved, make sure you know what you’re getting involved with. And know what you want to do. There are many aspects to helping.”
Update
Lily the horse was later adopted by former Daily Show host Jon Stewart and his wife Tracey in May and brought to their animal sanctuary in Middleton, New Jersey. Lily passed away a month later.
Sources & References
- http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/adoption-pet-care/issues-information/pet-overpopulation.html
- http://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics
- http://www.aspca.org/position-statement-mandatory-spayneuter-laws
- http://fox8.com/2016/03/24/horse-shot-more-than-100-times-with-paintballs-it-was-deplorable/
- http://www.gallup.com/poll/183275/say-animals-rights-people.aspx
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/05/pets-shelter-euthanization-rate_n_6612490.html
- http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/hsp/soa_ii_chap05.pdf
- http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/
- http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/pet_ownership_statistics.html
- http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/jon-stewart-adopts-lily-paintball-pony-abandoned-horse-sale-article-1.2645152
- http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/03/humane_officials_seeking_owner.html
- http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/06/lily_horse_hit_with_paintballs.html
- http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/06/lily_the_horse_died_after_fall.html
- http://www.peta.org/features/deadly-consequences-no-kill-policies/
Non-Profit animal rescues
- http://www.aspca.org/about-us
- http://www.hopeforpaws.org/
- http://www.maars.org/aboutus/index.php
- http://www.omegahorserescue.com/about.shtml
- http://pittieslovepeace.com/pitties-love-peace/
Other:
Interview with Kim Olewine, March 21, 2016
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