Just when I'm starting to feel discouraged, I remember the starfish story.
A man was walking along the beach. Ahead of him, he saw a woman dancing in the waves. As he got closer, he saw that she was throwing starfish, who had been stranded by the low tide, back into the ocean. "What are you doing?" he said to the woman. "I'm saving these starfish," she replied. The man laughed. "There are thousands of starfish along this beach who will die today. You cannot throw them all back in. You cannot possibly make a difference." The woman threw another starfish back in, and laughed. "It made a difference to that one."
Well, five starfish are sitting at the Petaluma, CA auction yard. They are five skinny senior horses who will go to auction on Monday, and they need our help. They are just five of the many hundreds of horses around the country this week who face an uncertain fate, but we have the power to help them. They have been brought there by various people who no longer want to care for them. This auction is frequented by several local slaughter dealers. If purchased by the slaughter buyers, these horses will be destined for a Mexican or Canadian slaughterhouse next week.
A tiny, grassroots local organization, Sonoma Action For Equine Rescue (SAFER), is trying to help these horses. They wish to raise the funds to bid against kill buyers on Monday and either find homes for the animals, or at the very least put them to sleep humanely, saving them the horror of a long, cold ride to slaughter.
Please contact SAFER president Kate Sullivan at katesgate@comcast.net or 707-824-9543 if you can help in any way. Can you offer a home, a foster home, or some funds to help Kate help these horses? I have promised Kate $50 toward this mission. Just $5 makes a huge difference. Even if just one starfish was thrown back to sea, it would be worth it.
This was posted by Kate Sullivan of SAFER in the comments section. I copied it here for easy access:
Hi - This is Kate of SAFER. My friend Katie has surprised me by posting on her blog - and I am very grateful! We don't have Paypal yet but if checks are promised I know how much I can put on a credit card on Monday at the auction. I am meeting the fellow in charge of the horses Sunday at 2pm to see what's what and get pictures.
News will be posted on my email list and on the website www.saferhorse.com
We are calling this save "The Christmas Horses: Room at the Inn"
Hozzat for marketing ;-)
Thanks for caring and thank you to Katie for being a great Mom, a great friend and an Angel to horses.
Kate
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8 comments:
ok, i can give $100. i emailed that lady.
scary scary scary. i dont get it, i just dont.
I'm in, Katie. I'm going to contribute to CHANGE again as well. You have inspired me before, and it's time to give again.
Great analogy, awesome way to get a point across.
They should set up some system where you can just donate online via credit card or PayPal... as much as some people can be motivated to give, they're more inclined to do so if they're able to the second they make the decision.
Keep on being an advocate for these gorgeous animals!
Hi - This is Kate of SAFER. My friend Katie has surprised me by posting on her blog - and I am very grateful! We dont have Paypal yet but if checks are promised I know how much I can put on a credit card on Monday at the auction. I am meeting the fellow in charge of the horses Sunday at 2to see what's what and get pictures.
News will be posted on my email list and on the website www.saferhorse.com.
We are calling this save "The Christmas Horses: Room at the Inn"
Hozzat for marketing ;-)
Thanks for caring and thank you to Katie for being a great Mom, a great friend and an Angel to horses.
Kate
I found your blog about a week ago. I have just finished reading every post. Argus's story -- as well as all of the others are so heartbraking and touching. All I can say is that the world needs more people like you. My own horse is also an adopted ex-racer (although not abused) and I can't say I will ever own a horse in my lifetime that I didn't adopt. I just don't believe in "buying" a horse when there are so many out there that need good, forever homes!
You are doing what I wish I had the $$ to do (rescue and rehab horses). Unfortunately, I am not in a position (either landwise or finanically) to do that -- but I tell myself all the time that I strive to give my boy a great home. Just like your starfish story -- I may only be able to provide a good home for a handful of horses in my lifetime. I can't adopt them all, but it will matter to the ones I do.
I believe I read in an earlier post somewhere that someone suggested that you write a book. That would be a wonderful idea!! You do have a talent for writing and a way of bringing out all the horses' personalities in what you write.
Thank You for sharing your experiences through this blog! ....Hugs to Argus, Caleb...and all the others!
Carol
Is there a paypal link on the site that one can use to make a donation? I'd like to make one in Argus & Katie's honor. Thanks!
Kbryan:
We do now have a link on the Website but it wont be active till after Christmas. You can send checks tho to
SAFER
9501 Mill Station Rd
Sebastopol CA 95472
I will know today if the three I saw at the auction can come with me to a temp home I found. I will have to buy their hay as the home cannot afford to feed. I depend on contributors like you to make these actions possible.
THANK YOU
Kate at SAFER
Unfortunately we ran out of time for these 3 horses at the Petaluma auction. I just got off the phone with the auction yard. We lost those horses to slaughter. They were there yesterday morning and I had a call in to that did not get returned; I dont know if the fellow even got it. I had just gotten a place for them temporarily and a back up after that. But too late.
We must find more ways to alert the general public as well as the horse community. We need a list of pre-approved foster homes ready to take horses. SAFER needs volunteers to help with this activity most of all.
Hope your Holidays are Great - mine will be a little quieter than I thought...sorry to be a bummer. But there will be an auction next Monday as well, so we must keep going.
Kate Sullivan
SAFER
707-824-9543
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