Form Object
home / donations / events / adoptions / wish list / contact us
/ about us / education / newsletter / volunteer
Copyright (C) 2009 Circle P Sanctuary
Welcome to Gracie's Program!
Below is the True story that inspired Gracie's Program
I was fortunate to attend the four day Midwest Veterinary Conference held at the
Columbus Convention Center in February. I had the opportunity to sit side by side
with all types of people in the "Animal Business", as well as listen to a wide variety of
topics. These topics still resonate in my mind daily, and I feel I must share them with
you. The first day of the Conference proved to be a little trying. I admit I did get a little
later start than I wished since we were preparing the foals for an extended period of
time and they needed plenty of milk. Most of all, I was lacking much needed sleep!
Still, we had to pick up credentials and make it to the first class on time. The day
before the Conference, Philip and I were asked to voluntarily check on an alleged
abuse case of a horse. It was reported that there was a horse lying down and
possibly dead. Philip and I were already on the road to the feed store; afterwards we
attended to the call about the horse. We were asked to at least attempt a "drive-by",
and if we felt comfortable doing so, stop in and ask permission to check on the
animals of concern. I was not prepared for what we found. The picture will be
imprinted in my mind permanently. I came upon three horses in a small paddock
adjoined to the side of the house. It actually took my breath away to see one of the
horses was indeed down on the ground.
While we waited, we kept the two horses at bay, and I tried to comfort the mare the best I could. A school bus stopped
at the end of the driveway. Two young boys walked up the driveway and approached us. I announced I was a volunteer
and responding to a call from a person concerned about the sick horse. The oldest boy asked if she was dead. I told
him no, but she was very, very sick. They asked questions about why she wouldn't eat, and if they should try and give
her some food. I assured them she was unable to eat. The boys went into the house to get more blankets to help warm
"Gracie". The boys shared more information about Gracie, and how they were trying to feed her special fattening food
separately from the other two horses. She just didn't eat much.

Apparently, Gracie had fallen down a few days before and their dad had to pick her up. At this point, another younger
boy appeared, he had been home the entire time, but was afraid to answer the door. The additional volunteer and the
Deputy Sheriffs (there were two) arrived at the same time. She brought even more blankets out, but there really wasn't
much hope of bringing Gracie's temperature back up. The Deputies weren't quite sure why they were there. I explained
that we were only volunteers, and they would need to file a report or at least be able to document the condition of this
horse. Gracie had been pretty motionless (her convulsions had ceased) until I pulled back the covers to show the
Deputies her frail body. She began kicking again from the cold wind against her skin. At this point, her tears were not as
prevalent, and her eye continued to ice over. The Deputies left. Perhaps, another fifteen minutes passed, and the vet
finally arrived. When he saw Gracie, I could see the immediate despair on his face. He confirmed she was still alive, but
barely. She had a bowel movement, and there was a considerable amount of drool streaming from her mouth. He agreed
the horse had no quality of life, and no chance to regain it either. We had received permission to proceed from the
Prosecutors' Office. He quickly prepared the euthanasia serum. He had a difficult time finding a suitable vein, as she
was so dehydrated and stiff. He eventually found one and pressed the solution into her body. I thought to myself, finally
her suffering would stop. Unfortunately, her heart was beating so faintly the serum couldn't circulate properly to let her
rest in peace. It became apparent that we would have to roll her over to expose the other side of her neck to try again.
Her body was very cold and rigid. The second attempt proved to allow her final breath. Now that Gracie's pain was gone,
I was devastated that these three young boys had to deal with this on their own. The additional volunteer had let the
oldest boy use her cell phone (their house phone didn't work) to attempt to contact their parents or someone who could
help them. They were unable to reach anyone. The boys had brought an old rug over to see if it would help Gracie to get
up earlier. We dragged Gracie over onto the rug to make it easier to move her later for burial. One of the boys was able
to find a large blue tarp and we stretched it over her lifeless body. The other brothers gathered various heavy objects
from the yard to weigh the tarp down and prevent other animals from disturbing the carcass. The Vet had explained that
it was imperative the body be buried as soon as possible, because it would make other animals very ill if they were to
bite her. The oldest boy seemed to understand.

I tried to convey my sorrow for their experience and the loss of their horse, but I really wasn't prepared for such a
responsibility. As fate would have it my very first class I attended at the Conference was about making decisions for
euthanasia and how to talk to families about such decisions. In addition, it was educational as far as how to deal with
the grieving process. It couldn't have presented itself at a better time. The class was several hours long, and I had been
tardy for previously stated reasons. I could only think about Gracie, and if I could have handled the boys' questions any
better. I stayed after class to speak with the instructor. She was so kind in listening (actually practicing what she had
just preached in class) to my blubbery story. Her advice, find some way to make this sad tragedy into a positive
experience, try to give Gracie's life a meaning moving forward.

This is my opportunity to share Gracie's story. I hope that if someone is experiencing trouble with an ill pet, please get
help BEFORE the suffering begins. Gracie didn't become emaciated and bald over night. If normal measures are not
working to alleviate symptoms, you must ask for assistance. I would be more than willing to help others find some
solutions if they don't know where to turn. Second, for those of us that may know someone in financial trouble, and they
have more than themselves to think of, ask if they need help.

Better yet, make a visit to their home if you suspect trouble. Many people may be too embarrassed or their pride may
get in the way of asking or acknowledging they may need help. Bankruptcy and Foreclosure does not affect only
people, there may be other lives at stake as well. No body said it was easy to step in to someone else's life, but the
results could be much better than Gracie's Story.

Order your copies
of our brand new
all-natural,
pet-treat
cookbook today!
Click Here!
She was up against the high tensile wire fence, and her head was somewhat tangled in the bottom line ratchet. I heard
a faint ticking sound which typically indicates the electric connected to the fence was on. She began struggling to
move, but she was on slicked over iced mud, and there was no traction for her. It was quite apparent she had been
there for some time. Her eyes were full of tears, but she couldn't fully blink them away. Her eyes were physically icing
over. The sun was shining, but it was one of those cold windy days with wind chills in the single digits. She had no
muscle mass left to her body, and was so thin you could count every rib. Her hip and spine protruded to the point that
her skin was barely covering the bones. I was concerned that if she could muster enough energy to get up, she would
promptly fall and break her hip on the ice. She was stiff and cold, but still clinging to life. The other two horses had
been biting at her, leaving some open wounds. I had a fleece horse blanket in the car along with some horse feed. I
brought some food over for the two horses (they were thin, but no where near the condition the fallen mare was in) to
keep them occupied while I tried to warm the fallen mare. I was trying to wrap the blanket around her, in addition to
placing towels under her head. I gently tried to get her head off of the fence line, and her hair was falling out by the
tufts. She had no mane left on her neck (she was completely bald). I phoned the volunteer coordinator back and
expressed to her we needed to intervene as soon as possible. The horse was now in full convulsions. We needed a vet
and felt there was no other recourse for this suffering animal other than euthanasia. I told her there was no one at home
to assist in the decision. This resulted in phone calls being made to the Sheriff 's Office, the Prosecutor's Office, the
Veterinarian, and another volunteer to help document and help in any other way.
Welcome to the Home of Gracie's Program
We have developed several brochures you can download, free of charge that
will help you or someone you know who is facing tough times with their
horse. Visit here often as we will be adding more and more as time goes by.

Tips on re-homing your horse.
Click Here to Download now.