LOCKWOOD VALLEY : 14 Emaciated Horses Taken From Ranch
Authorities removed 14 emaciated horses from a Lockwood Valley ranch after receiving a tip that the animals were being starved, an animal shelter official said Thursday.
Two of the sickly animals died shortly after workers from the Humane Society of Ventura County in Ojai and deputies with the sheriff’s mounted patrol rounded them up at the Warner Ranch in the remote valley, said Jolene Hoffman, director of the Humane Society.
One horse had a heart attack and the other had to be destroyed after it suffered a seizure, Hoffman said.
Shelter workers also removed 11 Persian cats and three Labrador dogs that appeared to be neglected.
Hoffman would not release the name of the animals’ owner, but said it is a woman in her 70s. If the woman cannot prove that she properly cared for the animals, the Humane Society will ask her to transfer ownership to the shelter, Hoffman said.
If the owner refuses to sign over the animals, the Humane Society will ask the district attorney’s office to file felony animal cruelty and neglect charges against her, Hoffman said.
The woman apparently lives alone in a mobile home on the property, Hoffman said.
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