Union County Horse Auction
KFVS UPN
March 26, 2006
Anna, IL
Union County Horse Auction
Union County Horse Auction
By: Carly O’Keefe
Anna, IL - On Saturday there
was a packed auction aimed at finding new homes for 19 horses rescued from a
Union County farm but many that showed up went home with empty horse trailers.
"I had my eye on the albino white one, number 18,
but I don’t think we’ll get it,” said Kristen Hill of Carbondale.
Most hopeful buyers, like the Hills left without a
new horse, as Pets Are Worth Saving of Union County, or P.A.W.S. was the highest
bidder on 17 of the 19 for sale. Following a debate earlier this week on
whether to adopt out or auction off the animals, P.A.W.S. volunteers dug into
fundraising. The group pulled together close to $35,000 to take to the auction
block to prevent the formerly neglected horses from falling into a similar or
worse situation in a new location.
"We understand that horses bought at auctions are
sometimes the ones that go to slaughter,” said Cathy Sheeley of P.A.W.S.
While Union County required new owners to sign an
adoption contract that forbids selling the animals to slaughter, P.A.W.S.
representatives feared there was no way locally to keep tabs on the way the
horses are treated by their new owners.
“We do not have the ability to chase these horses
down all over the place where ever they may go to check up on them in the
future, but if we hear something bad has happened to them, we'll follow up,”
said Union County State’s Attorney Allen James.
For P.A.W.S., neglect or slaughter reported after
the fact is too late. "We also worry about them being traded and passed on and
passed on, and again, we're not in a position to follow up on that kind of
thing, but the folks at the Hoofed Animal Humane society are,” said Sheeley
The 17 horses will be sent to
Woodstock, Illinois, where the Hoofed Animal Humane Society will work to find
them permanent good homes. Some folks who were outbid at the auction argue there
are plenty of good homes here in southern Illinois.
"They just want to save the
horses from bad people, but not all of us here are bad people,” said Leroy Hill
of Carbondale.
"I know some people have been
less than pleased, but we had an obligation to come here and protect these
horses, so that's what we did,” said Sheeley.
P.A.W.S. bid a total of $13,980
to buy the 17 horses.
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