UPDATE: 

"More Starving Horses..."; a post-it note of a phone message is the first thing I see on my desk that morning. "They are in mud up to their knees, I can see every rib and they don't have any shelter.  They don't have food or water, isn't that illegal?  They are standing in their own feces, they look sick, please help them!"

This is a day in the life of Cruelty Investigation. It isn't glamorous.  It is heart wrenching.

One of these cases in particular has been going on for years. At times there have been over 90 horses on this eleven acres, in Kent, Washington. The question I am asked and ask myself every day is, "Why?"
 

This turned into what has been one of the longest standing and messiest cases of animal neglect, abuse and cruelty that I have ever seen.

The hardest part of running an animal rescue is learning to say no. When you get multiple calls day after day of reports of animals in need, the most difficult thing is to know your boundaries and what you are capable of accomplishing. Pasado’s Safe Haven is called out to cases where we find herds of neglected animals.  We go to shelters full of dogs and cats with only hours left before euthanasia. We have seen and know the unimaginable activity behind dirty auction houses and egg farm walls. On each cruelty call we find ourselves having to make that dreaded decision. Knowing we can’t take every animal is not only difficult but extremely painful. These are the faces that are burnt into my heart, and into my dreams at night.

If you do not know these limits, it is extremely common to overstep them and take on more than you can handle and more than you can take proper care of.

Pacific Equestrian Center brought in more horses than they could physically, financially and legally have. This turned into what has been one of the longest standing and messiest cases of animal neglect, abuse and cruelty that I have ever seen.

It has been going on for years. Pacific Equestrian Center (PEC) may have at one time been a good place that boarded, housed and cared for horses. If you are unable to uphold your boundaries when working in this field, it can be unhealthy for the human doing it and dangerous or deadly to the animals in that persons care.

This situation is all too common. What may have been good intentions at one time, ends up as an over crowded, unhealthy, filthy sad mess.

Dean Solomon may have meant well in the beginning, but those intentions got lost or confused along the way.
 

The horses stood in their own urine and feces in the mud laden fields, most without any form of shelter, fresh food or water.
 

When I was called in on this case, there were 67 horses on the 11 acres at the facility. Months prior, over 95 horses stood in these same crowded fields. There was a manure pile over 20 feet long and who knows how high. The horses stood in their own urine and feces in the mud laden fields, most without any form of shelter, fresh food or water.

Two very passionate individuals worked for months to establish enough evidence to finally prove the neglect that was occurring behind the tall dark walls of the Pacific Equestrian Center.

Pasado’s Safe Haven was called back in November of 2007. I began pursuing this case when I was called by Patricia C. and Kim C., who had been watching this horror for years. If these two tenacious women hadn’t dumped their blood, sweat and tears into this case, it never would have gotten to this point. Persistence does pay off.
 

Rain rot, lice, and starvation were just a few of the treacherous symptoms that these horses had to endure in their life at this "rescue facility". As Code Enforcement and Animal Control were inundated with the evidence of the horrible neglect, they began to see the truth behind the "PEC" facade.

This meant we had to figure out a way to place all of the horses that were to be seized from this property. Because we have very limited shelter and our land is very muddy and rocky, Pasado's is often forced to foster our animals out to other locations. We are always in need of foster homes for our farm friends.

Thanks to the incredible generosity and kindness of Patricia C. and Kim C., these deserving animals were finally rescued. Kim and Patricia are working day and night to heal these horses, provide the vet care they need and get them healthy and happy homes. They are in need of your support and are looking for loving homes for these horses.

On April 29th, 2008, Dean Solomon went to trial. Mrs. Solomon was charged with four counts of Animal Cruelty in the second degree. The presiding judge was unavailable, so the prosecutor deferred the case to the presiding judge until Monday, May 5th. The prosecutor asked the judge to prohibit horse ownership and other requirements pending a trial. We have our fingers crossed that the judge will award these restrictions.

We are grateful for the media support in getting this story out. You can view news coverage of this story on two local stations:

King 5
Komo

Horse neglect is one of the most common calls I receive at Pasado's. I hope that with more awareness brought to the neglect and abuse to animals through humane education and media support, we can work to put a stop to the cruelty that happens all too often. The animals are voiceless, and without our commitment to providing that voice, this behavior will continue.

 
Thank you for your kind and generous support and for caring for the voiceless, innocent, feathered and furry beings, that are the animals.

To help support Pasado's Safe Haven STOP ANIMAL CRUELTY, PLEASE DONATE HERE