If defendants can’t pay these fees, the financial responsibility is still in the hands of shelters and rescues. By the time a conviction is secured, shelters and rescues may have already spent tens of thousands of dollars caring for the animals. States without cost of care laws may require owners to reimburse the expenses after a conviction, but Ann Chynoweth, senior director of animal cruelty and fighting at the Humane Society of the United States, warns that this system doesn’t work. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused even more scheduling setbacks in criminal cases, increasing the amount of time animals may be living in shelters and rescues. This means animals are often held for months or years, all the while municipal shelters and nonprofit rescues foot often exorbitant bills to house, feed and vet the animals. Since animals are considered the owner’s property, they can’t be adopted into new homes until they’re surrendered by the owner or legally forfeited after conviction. In states without cost of care laws, animals are often forced to live in limbo while a court case proceeds. Either the seizing agency or prosecutor must provide sufficient evidence of cruelty, and defendants can present their side during the hearing.
During the hearing, the owner either posts a bond upfront for the cost of caring for the animals or forfeits ownership of them. Photos by Danville-Boyle County Humane Society and volunteers of the 2020 Boyle County Horse Neglect Case The burden of careĬost of care laws (also referred to as bonding and forfeiture laws) vary by state, but they ideally mandate a hearing after animals are seized from an alleged neglect or cruelty situation to secure payment for the animals’ care. Todd Blevins, HSUS state director for Kentucky Jewels and Grace both went to the same home of a retired physician and avid equestrian. They have a huge impact on communities, and ultimately that falls back on taxpayers.” Kentucky is one of the few states left with no “cost of care” law, which left the local government financially responsible for the horses while the cases proceeded. Their collaboration would be crucial in surviving the coming weeks. The two entities work in collaboration and share resources and even a building. All told, Boyle County officials were left with 35 horses in their care indefinitely.īoyle County Animal Control has a unique partnership with the Danville-Boyle County Humane Society, a nonprofit organization. Some of the horses were in such a poor state they had to be euthanized, while others were reclaimed by previous owners and current owners boarding them at the farm.
Some had been standing in stalls filled with over a foot of waste others had coats matted in manure. The horses suffered from various medical issues including anemia, dehydration and upper respiratory infections, says Danville-Boyle County Humane Society.
Police continued to investigate the property, leading to the seizure of an additional 24 horses two days later. It was a major cruelty case for the local government, one that would require extensive resources-and one that would quickly get even bigger. Shortly after, Boyle County Animal Control seized the horses. In February 2020, police in Boyle County, Kentucky, serving an eviction notice found two dead and 18 malnourished horses on a farm. Why we need cost of care laws When pet owners are charged with cruelty, shelters and rescues often pay the price-literallyĪ dog from an alleged puppy mill in Breckinridge County, Kentucky, at a shelter after seizure.
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