Formerly Abused Horses Need New Homes

While the former owner of four horses is still in the midst of serving probation for animal cruelty, two of his former animals need new homes. Earlier this year, the Washington County-Johnson City Animal Control Center charged Billy Self of Gray with animal cruelty after finding four horses living in poor conditions.

According to Senior Animal Control Officer Randy Buchanan, the lot where Self kept the animals was too small to house the horses, full of mud, and lacked enough good hay to feed the horses. One of the animals had to be put down on site and another was ultimately adopted, Buchanan said. Now, the two remaining horses are up for adoption too. For the last 10 months, they’ve been recovering at the Washington County Farm.

“The horses was in awful shape,“ Buchanan said. “Their body conditions, they was just, it’s indescribable, they were very thin…I really didn’t know if they would live or not.“

That’s hardly the case anymore.

“These horses have made a remarkable recovery,“ Buchanan said. “They are fat. They are healthy. It’s unbelievable how much progress they have made in about 10 months.“

With winter quickly approaching, Washington County-Johnson City Animal Control Center Director Debbie Dobbs says the sooner the horses are adopted, the better.

“It takes a lot of hay and a lot of feed to feed them and we just don’t have the money for that,“ Dobbs said. “I do believe they’re good girls and they deserve a better life than what they had.“

If you’re interested in adopting one of the horses, call the Washington County-Johnson City Animal Control Center at (423) 926-8769. Before you can adopt the animals, you must pay a $100 adoption fee and pass an interview. Only those who’ve cared for horses before are eligible. If no one answers when you call, Dobbs asks you to leave your name and number so she can eventually call you back.

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