Wide Awake and Wondering

It is late at night as usual and I am awake as usual. Every day I see or hear about the horrific things done to horses and other animals and it makes it hard to fall asleep at night. I should have been asleep hours ago, I have to get up early in the morning to drive my kid to a new program, but here I sit watching Animal Planet and worrying about 3 young foals shot near Adobe Springs in Nevada. (Warning: there are VERY graphic photos on the previous link. Not recommended for children or sensitive folks.) I am also smoking, alot, I am trying to quit but days like this make that hard to do. I know, I have heard all the suggestions, don't read the emails before going to bed, don't watch Animal Planet... Honestly I read about the foals yesterday and the Animal Cops are happy stories, usually, about animals saved from the horrors they faced before their rescuers arrived. I know what people think I should do, but I am who I am and I need to know so I can fight for the right things. But it hits me, as it always does, about the time I try to go to sleep.

The poor animals on Animal Planet are there because they were throwaways. Often they are free to good home pets that when people get tired of them they throw them away. To some people if they are free they have no value. When your child gets the free toy from one of those fast food places, you don't care when it breaks, you throw it away. It has no value, ok those really don't have the value they once did, but I think you get my meaning. If for some reason you have puppies, kittens or a horse you no longer want don't give them away for free. If someone has to pay for them then they have more value. Better yet, make sure all your pets are spayed or neutered and donate your horse to a rescue or other program.

What does this have to do with the foals? I think that we all forget that these animals are our horses and our tax dollars go towards supporting them. They aren't some kind of pest causing problems for ranchers. They are worth MUCH more than the $125 (or sometimes less) "adoption" fee charged by BLM. These animals are history, they are living beings, they are beautiful and wonderful and invaluable. Just because the BLM has done a poor job of marketing and showing their value doesn't make them less valuable. In certain areas they are simply not aware of the value of these beautiful animals and something needs to be done about that.

However, these 3 foals that were shot were MY horses, your horses, this nation's horses and someone needs to pay for their deaths and suffering. Unfortunately, I doubt that will ever happen because the BLM just breathes a sign of relief that there are 3 less horses for them to deal with. The state of Nevada breathes a sign of relief because this is 3 less horses that they have to deal with. In a week nobody will remember these poor foals and that makes me sad. Because if we don't remember them and fight for them they will have died in vain.

Why am I so upset about these foals when there is so much horror in the treatment of horses? Because when a horse is abused there is a face and they can be prosecuted. Even if they get off without any significant punishment, there is still a stigma attached to being an abuser. If a puppy is abandoned in the back yard when a family moves, they at least TRY to find the people who did it. If nothing else, there is someone like the Animal Cops and their viewers who CARE and grieve for their passing. There will be no justice for these deaths. There won't even be an effort. So, I am grieving for these poor foals that lost their life simply because someone wanted that land to graze more cattle or because someone thought it would be fun to shoot some horses because their local government tells them those horses are pests. They didn't need to die and their deaths shouldn't be written off.

I've gotten that off my chest, so I am going to try to sleep. I am sure my dreams will be haunted by those foals and all the others that have lost their lives for no reason. I guess that is why I work so hard to save as many as I can, maybe one day no horses will haunt my dreams and I can finally get some rest.