Longmeadow Rescue Ranch finds homes for the abused and neglected.
By Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends Staff The
Humane Society of Missouri has 137 years of experience in caring for animals, both large and small. While the cats and dogs are maintained and adopted out of several St. Louis area locations, the livestock is given a new opportunity at life through the Longmeadow Rescue Ranch, located about 60 miles west from downtown.
When Longmeadow opened in 1988, it consisted of only a five stall barn, chicken coop, three horse paddocks, and a few outside pens. Needless to say, the facility has grown significantly since that time and they now care for over 300 animals, including horses, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, peacocks, llamas, pot bellied pigs, and even emus and ostriches. In fact the Director of Longmeadow Rescue Ranch, Earlene Cole, says “Just about the only thing we don’t handle is buffalo and bulls.”
Rescuing the neglected
When the Humane Society investigators receive a complaint, if it involves a horse or other livestock animal, a representative from Longmeadow accompanies the visit. Their first course of action is to attempt to educate the guardian on proper animal care. In fact, approximately 95% of their issues are resolved in this way.
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Feeding a baby goat)
Unfortunately, law enforcement must become involved in the remaining 5% of their cases. When a warrant is issued to impound livestock, Longmeadow assists with the capture, transport, and then ultimately the care for those animals. Although Longmeadow occasionally receives a stray or owner surrender, due to space constraints, the majority of their animals come from cases of neglect.
If a court hearing awards the seized animals to Longmeadow, the staff begins the process of rehabilitation to return the animals to health and regain their trust. Cole states, “We put in a lot of money and time to save them.” It may take months to help them get to the point they may be adopted, and even then, some horses may have issues that would prevent them from being ridden, so they must remain pasture pals. In an effort to bridge the gap between the many beginning-level riders visiting the shelter, and the more advanced-level horses needing homes, there is now a trainer on staff to help teach the horses skills which will make them more adoptable. Even the goats are harness trained to walk on a leash.
Every rescuer’s nightmareMany rescue organizations train for emergencies, but hope to never have to utilize those skills. Longmeadow has unfortunately been called on twice in the last two years to assist with overturned trailers containing livestock.
September 27, 2006, a double deck trailer transporting 42 equines to Illinois for slaughter overturned only 30 minutes away from the sanctuary. The Missouri Emergency Response Service (MERS) team acted quickly. Cole notes that they are “trained to get animals out safely,” because often forcibly extracting an animal from wreckage can cause additional damage. In all, they were able to save 25 horses and one hinny, though many were severely injured. Miraculously,
Mama was pregnant when she survived the accident and gave birth to a colt,
Twist of Fate, in April 2007.
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Mama with Twist of Fate)
Due to the extensive medical bills from the surviving equines, ownership of the animals was transferred to Longmeadow. While many of those rescues have been adopted, Longmeadow still has nine, including Mama and Twist of Fate, who are both are now a part of the
Barn Buddies program.
In a horrendous instance of déjà vu, exactly one year later, another double deck trailer overturned, though this time it was in St. Louis and contained 62 cattle. Once again, MERS was on the scene, armed with not only their training, but real world experience from the prior horse trailer wreck. The responders were able to save 45 of the yearling bulls from this accident.
Fava Bean, in search of her forever home
Fava Bean was a part of a seizure case from February 2007. She was one of the lucky ones, as some other animals were discovered to have already been deceased when the authorities arrived.
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Fava Bean in February)
When she was rescued, she scored a one on the
Henneke Body Condition Scoring System. The classification was developed by Don Henneke, PhD, to measure the amount of body fat in six key areas on a horse. Rescues now use this scale of one to nine as the standardized measurement tool to describe a horse’s condition in a court of law. The score of one, designated to Fava Bean on intake, is the lowest rating an equine can receive short of death. Cole says she was skin and bones, “You could set cups on the top of her rib cage.”
Fortunately, the kind folks at Longmeadow took care in her rehabilitation. Initially she could only receive small feedings of hay; however, as time went on, she graduated to regular feedings of hay and grain. She had begun her saddle training when it was discovered that she tested positive for
hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP), a condition caused by an over production of potassium which causes muscle tremors and possibly death. While the disease can usually be managed by diet and exercise, due to an over flooded horse market, finding a home for Fava Bean has been challenging.
Fava Bean is now about three years old and has grown bigger than expected, since it was feared that her neglect early in life would stunt her growth. She is a very sweet and personable horse, though she does have some “appaloosa attitude.” She has already accepted a saddle and wants a home that will understand of her special needs.
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Fava Bean in August)
How you can help:• The Longmeadow Rescue Ranch relies solely on donations. Please consider
sponsoring a Barn Buddy. In addition to both
Mama and
Twist of Fate, you can select from other horses, ducks, chickens, and even
Snortin Nortin, the almost 1,000 pound pig. The cost of sponsorship varies depending on the species; however, all proceeds go to help Longmeadow continue to rescue and care for their many animals.
• Longmeadow holds Adoption Days every Saturday at their facility from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. See one of their
adoptable animals or visit one of the Barn Buddies.
•
Volunteers are always needed at Longmeadow. In addition to socializing the animals to make them more adoptable, they can always use assistance in feeding, watering, cleaning, and working on maintenance of the facilities. While the work is physical, the benefits are very rewarding.
For more information: •
Longmeadow Rescue RanchUnion, Missouri
Directions to Longmeadow Phone: 636-583-8759
Photo credits: provided courtesy of Longmeadow Rescue Ranch.