Stop Euthanizing Days End Horses!

Dear Board of Directors,

     We the undersigned are submitting this petition in protest to the change in your euthanasia policy.  We are extremely concerned by your lack of full disclosure.  While you have every right to make and change policy, your refusal to admit the truth is troubling.  You allowed innocent parties to be called liars, to be cursed at, and to be threatened.  You sat in silence.

     This policy has damaged Days Ends' reputation.  Rescues, both equine and other species, fear your policy will affect their donations. The public already has misconceptions about rescues.  Shelters kill for space.  Most rescues do not kill for space.  Other rescues would like you to make clear that this is your policy alone.

     Whether donating time or money, people have a right to know what type of organization they are supporting.  You chose to keep people in the dark.  Corporate sponsors, individual donors and volunteers deserve the truth.  Some will continue to support Days Ends' new policy.  Some will choose to donate to and volunteer for rescues whose policies are more conducive to their own ideals. Unfortunately, some may decide to no longer support rescues.

     Aside from the backlash DEFHR may face in the court of public opinion, have you considered the plight of returned horses?  There are good and bad adopters.  Some return animals for the simple reasons that they can and they no longer wish to be bothered.  Some adopters truly love their animals, but can no longer care for them physically or financially.  Imagine the ramifications of adopters NOT returning horses to DEFHR, because they fear the horses will be euthanized.  These adopters will take matters into their own hands. They will attempt to re-home the horses.  Some will do a good job.  Others will not.  DEFHR will lose track of those horses.

     We are well aware of the various issues facing the horse industry.  We do not believe that euthanizing a few horses to make room for a few "new" horses will even begin to make a dent in the problem.  We wish the volunteers had been given a chance to be part of the solution.  We could have found homes for some of the horses BEFORE they were euthanized.     We have a few suggestions we hope you will consider….

1.  Hire staff with specific skills.  DEFHR needs someone who can evaluate and train the horses.  Ensure the individual can truly serve this purpose and isn't just talking.

2.  Screen staff carefully.  A former staff member was actually abusive to the horses.  She hit Pogo in the head, when he was a bottle fed baby and Tinkerbelle, while she was in a sling.  DEFHR does not need employees such as this.

3.  Please turn off the electric fences.  First the horses were being burned.  Qutie still receives shocks when petted through the fence, even if neither the horse, nor person is making contact with the wires.

4.  Develop a relationship with a riding barn.  It is possible that a school could take on a few of the horses for training purposes.  The horses would be ridden consistently.  The training would enhance adoptability.  The horses would get double exposure – both from DEFHR and the riding barn, which would increase its' chances of being adopted.

5.  The SOS program is wonderful.  Please publicize it more  People who know about it, still don't seem to really understand how it works.  We think better awareness would encourage more people to adopt an SOS horse.

6.  When a horse is returned, please get the whole story.  Often the animal is portrayed in a poor light, by the previous owner.  Take nothing at face value.  It is easy to blame the horse and the horse cannot speak for itself. 

     We understand that every horse cannot be saved; we therefore should have a mission to save the ones we can.  It is our hope that we can focus on our small corner of the world.  Maryland is a wealthy state with many farms and horses.  DEFHR is a well-known organization.  You have the power to educate the public about the unwanted horse crisis.  If some of those farms would take in just one horse, it would make a difference.  Please use publicity before euthanasia.  We had definite homes for Maggie.  Many more offered to take Mountain and Gatsby.  We asked that they contact DEFHR directly and can only hope they did so. 

     This protest was difficult for all parties.  It was not entered into lightly.  It was time consuming and painful.  Bridges were burned, friendships ended and relationships strained.  We hope that you will find alternatives to euthanizing the SOS horses, unless they are truly suffering.  We hope that something positive will transpire as a result of this protest.  Please use all of your leadership skills to guide the rescue in the right direction.

Thank you for taking the time to read our petition.