Being a single parent to various 4 leggeds, I have considered what will happen to them should anything happen to me.  Since I have put them in my estate plan, I am at ease knowing they will be provided for.  Preplanning for your pet(s) not only gives you relief, but helps them to know you have taken care of their future needs should that be necessary.  Attorneys Earl H. Cohen, Marshall H. Tanick and  Jeffrey C. O’Brien from the Minneapolis law firm Mansfield, Tanick & Cohen, PA have authored the following post to help you learn more about the importance of estate planning for pets.

When the infamous hotel operator Leona Helmsley – known to many as the “Queen of Mean” – died in 2007, she created a stir by leaving her Maltese, “Trouble” a $12 Million trust fund (courts later reduced the amount of the trust to $2 Million).  Ms. Helmsley’s actions received much coverage in the press, and most of it related to the apparent absurdity of leaving such a large amount of money to a pet.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century and now into the twenty-first century, the place our pets hold in society has dramatically changed.  Animals have gone from the barnyard, to the backyard, and now into the bedroom.  According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, more U.S. households have pets than children.

What does this mean for estate planning?  Was Leona Helmsley a trendsetter?  While leaving multi-millions to an animal might seem a bit excessive, the underlying point – taking steps within your estate plan to care for your pet after your death – is a critical one.  For the many pet owners that consider their pets as family members, providing for those pets within an estate plan is a significant consideration.

If you are a pet owner that wants to include provisions in your estate plan for your pet(s), it is not as simple as providing for children and you need to consult with an estate planning attorney who knows the proper planning method given your state of residence.  Why?  Because pets are considered under the common law as tangible personal property.  In other words, in the absence of a statutory provision stating otherwise, the law regards our pets as more akin to furniture, jewelry, etc., than children.  That strikes many pet owners as cold, but it is a reality that has to be dealt with if proper planning is to occur.

Because of pets’ status as tangible personal property, a direct bequeath (i.e., gift) to a pet is ineffective.  Pet owners therefore have three alternatives:

1. Forty states have adopted a form of “pet trust” via statute.  These trusts are created during the life of the owner and become effective when the owner is unable to care for their pet(s) or dies.  The trust names a trustee who will serve as the caregiver for the pet; the owner has to estimate the costs of care for the pets who will be the trust beneficiaries and that amount of money will be transferred to the trust.
2. For pet owners in states such as Minnesota which has not adopted a statutory pet trust provision, providing for pets is a bit more complicated, but is still feasible.  In these states, an owner can bequeath the pet and a sum of money to a specific individual within their will with the requirement that the individual care for the pet for the duration of the pet’s life.  The language of the bequest in the will should specify that if the individual receiving the pet and the money is unable or unwilling to care for the pet, or if the pet has predeceased its owner, then the gift is null and void.  If you pursue this alternative, the gift should be accompanied with a set of instructions to the individual as to your desires for the pet’s care and, of course, you should consult with the individual prior to naming him or her within your will.  And remember that bequest should include the pet’s paraphernalia including bed, other furniture and toys.
3. A third method is to bequest a sum of money to an organization which is committed to find a home for the pet; a pet owner pays for the pet’s care with a minimum endowment to the organization which can vary based upon the age of the owner, the age of the pet and the size of the pet.

Far from being a laughing matter, estate planning for pet owners is serious business.  Providing for your pet within your estate plan gives you piece of mind that your beloved animal companion will receive the same level of love, affection and care after your life as it did during your life.

The authors are attorneys with the law firm of Mansfield, Tanick & Cohen, P.A. in Minneapolis and St. Paul. They can be reached at (612) 339-4295 or through their website.

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Except for three years of my life, I have lived either in Illinois or Minnesota, and those three fantastically exceptional years I spent on Bayou Lafourche in southern Louisiana.

My first job out of college was teaching jr. high orchestra and private string lessons on the bayou.  Bayou Lafourche is located south of New Orleans and just north of the Gulf of Mexico.  Nothing in my entire life had prepared me for living on the bayou with the Cajuns.

The Cajuns are of French Canadian descent and live along the bayous of southern Louisiana.  While I lived there, I experienced them as having close knit relationships with friends and families, and living with a joie de vivre in all they did.  During my stay there, I heard many of the Cajuns refer to themselves as “coonass.”
Fast forward a few decades: I’m in Minnesota and while searching for people to follow on Twitter, I ran across the Twitter account “coonassdotcom.”  This belonged to Jill Guidry on Bayou Lafourche, my old stomping grounds!  Jill and I connected and I am pleased to introduce her to you as a guest blogger.  Jill’s love and passion for all things Cajun and the Louisiana coastline come through in her writing.  Jill has also shared her talent as a photographer with Talk2theAnimals by providing pictures of Pelican and Great Blue Heron for Talk2theAnimals Animal Communication Practice Fridays.  You can connect with Jill at her blog Bayou Child – One Cajun’s Life and on Twitter.

Hello, I’m Jill Guidry and Janet was kind enough to tell y’all about my blog and feature one of the many animals that live here in her Friday practice session.   I was honored to see that she introduced you to Pelican.  Pelican got a powerful spirit and very much a part of life here in Southern Louisiana.  This part of the world is full of hundreds of different animals: gators, nutria, otters, raccoons deer possums, naming only a few of them.  We got hundreds of species of birds here: some live here year round and some return here every year to survive.

Our beloved coastland is being eaten away by damage from hurricanes,  but mostly from coastal erosion.  We are losing our bayous and losing Louisiana.  Experts say an area the size of a football field disappears hourly.  When it goes,  a unique culture and ecosystem will be lost forever.  I’m working, along with others, to stop this from happening.  I have lived out here on the bayou my whole life and my spirit is part of this place.  I would rather die with it then live without it.  The voices of the animals, birds and insects here can be heard like nowhere else in the world.  I thank Janet for this chance to speak for my place and for the Cajun people.  I think sometimes animals make their message known better then people ever could, and I want everything that live here to know I’m listening and if it’s in my power I will never let their voices drown.

In order to live in a place like this we got to live with the animals,  not against them, but we do hunt some of them.  Some of them hunt us.  I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else and I invite you to learn more about the animals here.  Some of them exist nowhere else, they are priceless treasures that we can’t afford to lose.

Jill, thank you so much for sharing your love of the bayou with all of us at Talk2theAnimals!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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This is Emmie, the main character in the Chicken Carcass Caper.  The other morning I was cooking breakfast, left the room for less than five minutes, and heard the sounds of dropping and crunching. By the time I returned, the kitchen had turned into a crime scene.  The garbage container had been knocked over & the chicken carcass I had thrown in the previous evening was missing.  Emmie was eating the last of it.

Dogs and chicken bones don’t mix.  Cooked chicken bones are especially dangerous as they are dry and can splinter into small, sharp pieces and puncture the dog’s digestive system.  At 8:00 AM sharp I was on the phone with the vet.  She recommended that I feed Emmie white bread, it’s bland and would “pad” her system.  I was also told to monitor her for the next couple of days: if she had blood in her stools, diarrhea, vomiting or became listless I was to bring her in immediately.  Luckily, everything is OK.

At the Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota luncheon, I was fortunate to sit at the same table as Lynne Willeke, a trainer at Bark Busters.  I told Lynn about Emmie’s chicken carcass caper, then asked if she had any tips to stop that from happening in the future.  Our conversation evolved and Lynn agreed to appear on Talk2theAnimals Blog as a guest blogger.  Below are her tips and ideas on dogs and trash containers. Thanks Lynne, for sharing your wisdom at Talk2theAnimals!

Training Tips by Lynne Willeke

Does your pooch love to dig for buried treasure in your trash containers?  Then you are not alone in this problem!  Try one or more of these helpful hints to solve the issue.

One of the easiest solutions is management and prevention.  Invest in a container that Fido can’t open.  Put the bathroom waste bin in an cupboard.

Maybe Sammie is bored.  Try using mind stimulation toys like the Buster Cube, a Kong or the Canine Genius.   Or play hide and seek with people, toys or treats.  Does he get enough exercise?

Maybe Bella hasn’t ever been asked to follow any household rules.  Teach her some basic guidelines like sit and wait for dinner, good greeting behaviors, wait before going out the door.  This can help her respect what is desirable behavior in the household, plus engage her mind.

The problem is that every time your dog succeeds in getting that tissue or the chicken bones from dinner, he gets rewarded with his success.  Not only does he get rewarded, sometimes he may ingest something downright dangerous to him. Every time he gets rewarded, he is encouraged to go searching again.

How to deal with Bouncer’s trash digging straight on:

• Try to catch him in the act, verbally correct the behavior and redirect him to a better choice.  But some dogs are so sneaky!
• Spray bitter apple on a paper towel and place inside, on top of the trash. If he starts to dig, he will get an unpleasant taste.  Hint, this will have more effect if he has had a chance to lick bitter apple off your hand previously. He’ll remember he didn’t like it!
• If you have a covered trash container that has a lid Bouncer can open, try placing a ring of keys or some chain-something that will fall off and make noise when he goes digging.  Many dogs will find this surprising and unpleasant enough to stay away.  You will need to repeat this more than once.

Don’t forget to encourage and praise your pooch when he is making good choices!

Lynne can be found on FaceBook and at BarkBusters. Click here to see her bio page at BarkBusters.  Contact Lynne about your dog training questions!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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I’d like to introduce you to our guest blogger today: Coryelle Kramer in an animal communicator based in Germany and New York.  Coryelle not only communicates with animals, she also uses TTouch, Bach Flower and Reiki therapy to assist the animals. Read on to see what Coryelle has to say about animal communication and children.  Thanks, Coryelle, for sharing with us!

Yesterday, I was Wii-sporting with my 8 year old nephew Elias. We were playing Wii Bowling and having a great time except….I was trying my trusty Wii Bowling technique, that works really well whenever I play with my “Adult” friends.

It hardly ever fails to get me a strike, sometimes 2 or 3 in a row. But I digress, it was not working yesterday.  Every time it was my turn, I got up, confident and assured that I could beat an 8 year old kid. And every time I would always hit the splits like the very hard 8-10 split or worse yet gutter balls!

Well then I started noticing my nephew, he held the Wii remote every which way but loose and then ran up to the TV and threw his arm up over his head with a laugh and a yell let the button on the remote and thus the ball FLY!

and you know what?…..

That little guy bowled a strike almost every single TIME!
He was bowling sometimes 2 or 3 and once 4 strikes IN A ROW!

It was stunning to say the least, but then I said to myself
“Self?…why not give it a try? What have you got to lose, certainly not your pride because he is ahead about 5 hundred points now!” OK I am exaggerating a BIT.

So the next time it was my turn I told my nephew I am going to pretend I was him, he looked at me, nodded his head and said “That’s a good idea.”

So I stood a few feet away and said to myself, “I am Elias, I am 8, I am having fun and just enjoying playing the game,” then I ran toward the TV just like Elias, laughing and yelling and I let the ball fly….

You know what I am going to say next right?

I swear, I bowled a strike…so I continued to bowl like my 8 year old nephew and almost every single time I bowled a strike, it was amazing and I had such fun.

What does this have to do with Animal communication you say?…

After the game we collapsed on the couch laughing hysterically.

When we were calmer Elias looked up at me and asked, “Coryelle you can talk to animals right?” I said, “Yes, you know that.”

He nodded his head yes and then looked back up at me and said, “Well when we talk to them it’s just like that right?”

He meant when we talk to the animals it should be just like Wii bowling, don’t over think it, don’t try to get a strike or to make something happen, just let it happen and be free about it, laugh, and just enjoy the moment.

I have spoken at after school programs both in Germany and in the States, and at 4H clubs, and always, always the kids know that animal communication is possible, they believe it, there are no doubts (until they get older and they start believing what we tell them).

It’s just them sitting with their cat or dog or guinea pig or hanging out with their horse and talking to the animals and listening to what they have to say. It is as natural to the children as breathing.

I love working with kids they remind me when I get too into my own head, to just laugh, run up to the TV and let the ball fly!

About the Author:
Coryelle Kramer has been communicating with animals since her childhood.

She has been doing professional consultations with people and their animal companions since 2001.  She lives in both Upstate New York and New York City and travels around the world doing Animal Communication workshops.

Coryelle utilizes TTouch as well as Bach Flower and Reiki therapy with many of her clients. A session can be done in-person, via email (with a photo) and even through video using Skype. A session can be for an animal that is living or in spirit.

It is her hope that in using her gift of animal communication, energy medicine and Bach Flower therapy, she is able to bring understanding and improve relationships between people and their animals.

For more information, or to contact Coryelle for a session or workshop simply go to her  website www.coryellekramer.com
or her blog www.coryellekramer.com/blog/

Harmony

Janet Roper

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I recently wrote a post on Animals and Right to Life.  One of the comments brought tears to my eyes.  With Billie Dean’s permission, I am using her comment as today’s post.  At the end of the post you will see her contact information.  Feel free to leave your comment after reading this!

Hi Janet,

My animal loving husband and partner found this wonderful blog and invited me to read it this morning because I am an Australian animal communicator, shaman, writer and film maker, and mostly an animal advocate.  Getting a better deal for animals informs all my work.

I believe the problem lies at the top of the food chain, and current education doesn’t even begin to address this.  If we stopped killing animals as if they were worthless, if we stopped having euthanasia in pounds, if it were illegal to take a beloved horse to end his days as dog food, then we would see it filtering down to the rest of society. Everyone would KNOW that an animal’s life meant something.  And we would see it making a difference.

I have started a campaign to end euthanasia of HEALTHY animals, and it is bigger than this.  In Germany no homeless animal is allowed to be killed.  If they can do this, so can the rest of the world.  I’ve worked in rescue for over 20 years.  What I’ve seen has left me with a dim view of humanity.  But I am now encouraging people to only focus on the good of people and to visualise or dream in a world where animals and people can live in sacred harmony.  Focus on what we want, so we create this into being, according to spiritual laws that make up our universe.

Our group started just before Christmas.  It is open to anyone who wants to make a difference to the world of animals. I live with about 60, now, of society’s rejects who I have given a forever home to.  And if I’ve learned anything, it is that rescue isn’t the answer.  Nothing has changed in 20 years.  Rescue is a bottomless pit.  And those rejects are souls who are dependent on humanity’s compassion and kindness.  We give our murderers a better deal than we give animals who are simply homeless or who have been abused.  People abuse them again and again because they don’t see them with respect and reverence.

We need to get rid of the concept of kill shelters and give animals a shelter FOR LIFE if they need it.  We need people to understand that animals are really teachers and healers.  And that their silent language  can be heard if only people learn to listen.

www.alllifeisprecious.ning.com is our new community for change for animals through practical work as well as meditation and shamanic dreaming.  www.billiedean.com is my website.  I’ve made two films Finding Joy and Seven Days with Seven Dogs (available from my website) which in a fun way try to encourage people to see animals differently.  Now I have written books soon to be published.  It’s time to change things for animals and I welcome every bit of like-minded community to make the change happen on every level.  We need to make an international net.

As a psychic communicator I have been told by the animals they are finished suffering for humanity.  It’s time WE changed as a species, and it’s time we understood how connected we all are.

Thank you for your blog.  And thank you from my heart for allowing me the space to put my views here.  From a shamanic perspective, the world isn’t going to heal until we start  understanding our true connection to nature and animals.  The pain in people is the pain of animals and nature and the pain of our disconnection from them.  There is a path forward and I talk about it in my books and in my new film This Sacred Earth.  All these are currently self funded — this is the depth of our commitment.

Thank you for caring!

Billie Dean

About the Author: Billie Dean is an author, filmmaker, shaman and animal communicator who works as an animal advocate and with her husband, Andrew, runs Ballyoncree Animal Sanctuary, a forever home for abused and abandoned animals.  Billie launched the For Life Campaign to end death row in pounds and the senseless killing of healthy dogs, cats and horses.   Coming from a background of journalism, comedy and natural healing, she and Andrew are committed to social change through uplifting and inspirational books and films — http://www.billiedean.com, http://www.laughinowl.com.au Watch out for Secret Animal Business and This Sacred Earth — out soon!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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The other day as I was reading Google Alerts about animals, I ran across this beautifully written post from someone claiming not to be an animal communicator.  Bennie is our guest blogger today, and it is with her permission I am sharing her post with you.  Whether we consider ourselves animal communicators or not, this post speaks poignantly and beautifully to the interspecies communication which is available to us all.

Communicating With Animals

I am not an animal communicator. However, I believe that you cannot spend time with animals and not communicate with them. In fact, even a chance encounter with an animal can make a lasting impact on your life. I was walking one evening and suddenly felt myself turn around and go back the way I had come and look down into an open pipe. A turtle was trapped sideways by his shell and had called to me. I know that. It was as if a silent voice had reached into my very deepest self and pulled me back. As I touched this turtle, a sense of oneness enveloped me, this being and I suspended in time. I put the turtle down and as he went back to his journey, and I to mine, it felt as if I had been the one that had received a gift. It reminded me to be ever more aware and to listen, to be more watchful and live more in harmony with the earth and its beings that share this space. Whether I am riding a horse, kayaking with my dog or just hanging out with the dragonflies at the lake, I am reminded to be more in the moment. I don’t want to ever pass up a lesson.

Communication between humans and animals may seem to be widening and seemingly less important in this day of modern science and technology. As many animals face extinction as their environment is taken over by urban society and man-made structures, there are those humans who value the lessons they have to teach us. Animals reach out to us in their songs, with their lessons of survival and value, in their beauty. Horses communicate to us with their trust in allowing humans to ride on their backs, dogs allow themselves to be domesticated and cats come down from their true royalty and allow themselves to be simply pets. We can honor them by not forfeiting the lessons they have to teach us.

True animal communication is being open to the wisdom of the species. Walking in awareness, living with all senses open and alive so when the opportunities offer themselves, we are ready. Open your minds, hearts, souls, spirits and bodies. Be an open channel of communication. You never know what incredible adventure awaits you.

About the Author

Bennie Jean Kuehnle is a speaker, motivator, teacher, writer, poet, artist and animal advocate. She is certified and accredited by many organizations and affiliated with  The International Alliance of Animal Therapy and Healing (IAATH,), VisionQuest, Mainstream Wellness Center, GAIA, The Association of Alternative Health Professionals, Animal Behavioral Sciences Institute and other organizations focusing on the well-being and care of animals, humans and the environment. She is widely traveled with a unique and diverse background from IBM executive to professional barrel racer and roper.

Bennie is committed to creating a greater awareness and involvement in the healing of the planet and the life it supports. She provides a voice for animals through articles and her innovative hands-on clinics, classes and seminars. The greatest asset animals have is the wisdom and compassion of humans. Bennie lives on a ranch in Marietta, OK and serves her community through Equine Ministry and education. She can be contacted through her website The Animal Institute.

Thank you, Bennie, for sharing with us today.

Remember: U2CanTalk2theAnimals!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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I’m happy to introduce you to Therese at PetSitUSA, our guest blogger.  Therese can be found at PetSitUsa and in today’s post she offers some excellent tips, hints and insights about pets and the holiday season.

The holiday season is here again, and so is all the frenzy and excitement that comes along with it. With everything that goes into making the holidays special it’s easy to get overwhelmed and let things slip through the cracks. When it comes to our pets though, it’s important to keep their safety in mind. All it takes is a little bit of planning and preparation to keep your pets safe during the holidays, and here are a few tips to help get you started.

• Stabilize your Christmas tree by tying it to a railing or even a hook in the ceiling. Cats are notorious for climbing trees, inside or out, and even the smallest cat may be able to knock a tree down, causing broken ornaments and/or furniture, electrical problems and more. Tying your tree in place will make it harder for a pet to tip over.
• If possible, put your Christmas tree in a room you can close or block your pets out of when you go to bed or leave your house. If that’s not possible, put all ornaments and lights up high enough that your pets won’t be able to get to them.
• Christmas tree water can make your pets sick, so be sure to block the tree stand if you use a real tree. An e-collar works great for this purpose. It can be wrapped around the base of the tree, including the water pan. Then to hide it, wrap a sheet or tree skirt around it.
• Don’t use tinsel, especially if you have cats. Most cats will swallow tinsel, which can cause obstructions in the intestines and become a life-threatening situation.
• Poinsettias, mistletoe, and other plants are poisonous to pets and should be kept out of their reach.
• Unplug holiday lights when you’re not around to supervise your pets. Just turning them off isn’t good enough – unplug them. Even when the lights are off pets can become interested in the cords and the lights themselves, and bite or chew them. (Remember the charred cat in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation?)
• Keep lit candles in a place where your pets cannot get near them.
• Be sure any outdoor decorations are out of reach of any outdoor pets.
• If your community celebrates the new year with fireworks, be sure your pet is inside. Fireworks frighten many pets and if they’re outside they may get out of their yard in an attempt to escape the noise.
• Keep the holiday treats out of your pets’ reach. You may not like Grandma’s fruit cake, but your dog may think it’s the next best thing to raw meaty bones! Anything containing chocolate, sugar, artificial sweetener, and many of the foods we gain weight on during the holidays can be very bad for your pets.
• If you have a party during the holidays, make sure your pets have a secure place to be away from your guests. A bedroom with soft music is ideal. However, if your pets are social and want to be around your guests, make sure everyone knows not to feed your pets. It’s also a good idea to use a baby gate or some other barrier at your front door so your pets don’t get out as your guests come and go.
• If you’re leaving for the holidays and a pet sitter or someone else will be caring for your pets be sure to put any decorations away that may be dangerous. Keep in mind that even the most well behaved pets may get bored and get into things they normally wouldn’t get into if you were around.

Ultimately the main thing to do is to think twice about how and where you use your holiday decorations. While you and the kids may admire them as the most beautiful things on earth, your pets may have a different idea. Sure, they may think they’re wonderful, but instead of standing back to admire everything, they’ll probably want to get up close and personal. This means your pets will investigate everything with their nose, mouth, and paws which can result in injuries and/or illness. So, as you deck the halls, look at your decorations carefully and consider how your pet may react to them. If you think something may be a potential danger, think twice about using it, or whether it might even be best to pack it up in a box and put it back in the attic.

Sometimes even the best preparations don’t prevent accidents from happening, and this goes for any time of the year, not just during the holidays. So, to save time if there is an accident, keep your veterinarian’s phone number handy and know where the nearest emergency animal clinic is located. You’ll also want to keep the number of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, 888-426-4435. Write all the info down and tape it to the inside of a kitchen cabinet, so it’s easy to find.

With a little bit of planning you and your pets should be able to breeze through the holidays safely and have a wonderful time.

Happy Holidays to you and your pets!

About the author:

Therese Kopiwoda started her pet sitting career in 2001, when she established LucyGirl Pet Sitting in Austin, Texas. Then, in 2003, she founded PetsitUSA.com, which is an online pet sitter directory and industry resource for professional pet sitters, dog walkers, dog runners, and dog daycares. She also owns The Pet Food List, teaches pet first aid, and is the Editorial Director for Wishbones for Pets (a pet sitter sponsored pet charity drive). Therese shares her home with Tequila, a lynx point Siamese; Archie, a border collie; Lydia, an Australian Shepherd mix. Therese can be found on Twitter, Plurk, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and StumbleUpon.

LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/theresek
Myspace – http://www.myspace.com/petsitusa
Twitter http://twitter.com/petsitusa
Stumble http://petsitusa.stumbleupon.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/people/Therese-Kopiwoda/640442513?

Thanks, Therese, for sharing your excellent tips and insights on holiday pet safety!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Earlier this week I did a post on some of my favorite postings.  It went over so well, I’m going to do it again!   If you like what you read at Talk2theAnimals, sign up for the newsletter!

Respectful Communication with Animals – Conscious awareness of our communication skills

Can You Tell if Your Cat is Sick? – Written by guest blogger Darlene Norris of Cool Cat Care Stuff

Communication and the Dying Process - The story of thoroughbred Will and his passing

Do Deceased Animals Go to Heaven? – Written by guest blogger Nicole Roberts

Your Psychic Ability – Experiencing your psychic ability in the ordinary of your life.

To see more postings, feel free to explore this blog and see what tickles your fancy.  Remember, sign up for the Talk2theAnimals Newsletter to keep up with the latest from Talk2theAnimals!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Yesterday you learned how some boarders at the barn where I keep Shiloh came together to rescue Classic Maverick, a thoroughbred off the track. Yesterday’s story ended with Fred and Darla’s timely intervention of Classic Maverick being taken to the kill place in Canada. Here’s the rest of the story, some of it may be difficult to read. For up to date information on Classic Maverick, check out his MySpace page.

“The kids and I were up at the barn before 5:30, let our horses and some more out to pasture to graze and pulled out our chairs to wait. The big truck pulls up again and they took Classic Maverick out and I took him into the white barn, his new home. He had been only gone for a few days. He really got beat up. I read on the internet from a news article about this place he had been and it ain’t pretty. They keep them 3 to a small stall while they wait for the Tuesday ride to Canada without getting fed. Well, the first thing I did was to give him a huge scoop of grain, a huge scoop of sweet corn, and huge serving of hay and some fresh water. Later we took him outside to eat some grass and sprayed his bite wounds from the last few days with medicine and ran cold water over his hurt leg for about 10 minutes. He went back to his stall and fell asleep.

“Since Sunday, we have arranged to have this horse saved, his board and rehab paid for, she also paid the $550, another donor has committed to two months board, another lady who has committed to give, a lady who has worked for the Minnesota Zoo for twenty years commit to retraining him to be a riding horse (she has four horses she has saved at her farm), two girls who have been around horses all their lives and know all about thoroughbreds commit to help retrain and care for him and another vet tech lady commit to watching after his health almost on a daily basis.
These people have always desired to help these horses and are excited about starting a non profit. Karen and Eleanor are going to be on the board. We have also found a lawyer to do the work to start it for free.

“This is one lucky horse and he sure is pretty. We were going to dedicate the foundation in memory of Classic Maverick, but now it will simply be called The Classic Maverick Foundation. Hey, if it is just one horse at a time, at least we will make a difference. We now have three horses and the kids are crazy about the life.

“I don’t have anything against these people who race horses for business, but I do have a problem with people who can just throw an animal away that quickly. Emily even had asked the guy if he could wait till she could secure a rescue place for him. His response? At $20 dollars a day board, he is gone. ~ Fred Jeffery”

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Fred and his wife Darla are boarders at the same barn where I board Shiloh. The other day when I pulled in, Fred told me this story, and later sent me an email. With Fred’s permission, I’m sharing the story with you. For some of you, this may be difficult to read, but rest assured, that at this moment in time, Classic Maverick is receiving the best care possible.

To learn more about Classic Maverick, check out his MySpace page.

“Darla and I had been planning maybe a couple of years from now after the kids are done with school, to rehab some horses and have a ranch for the future grandkids to visit.

“We have our horses at a thoroughbred training facility. There are very few boarders there and it is a great place for us few boarders. We have Moses, a retired race quarter horse, Dolly, a paint, and take care of Buzz, an old quarter horse.

“Canterbury Downs is a racetrack a few miles up the road from there. There is at any given time about many race horses around the barn we are at. We, of course, go through the big blue barn and make friends with the race horses, give them treats and try to make their life a little more enjoyable. It is a rough life for them except when we boarders are around. One of those horses, a VERY sweet one is Classic Maverick, a three year old.

“Sunday afternoon, a woman pulls up in a big truck and a huge trailer asking me where Classic Maverick is. I showed her which stall he lives in and she took him away. I asked Emily, she works there and boards her two horses there and another boarder, a lady who has her horses there and comes EVERY night to feed the cats, sheep and takes care of a lot of things, where the horse was headed. I wasn’t prepared for the answer. They told me that I don’t want to know. I said I wanted to know. Well in a few days he would be dead meat up in Canada because he had recently hurt a tendon in his front leg. The tendon would heal in time, but the owner didn’t want to pay board anymore for a horse that would not race again.

“I walked back up to our white barn and told Darla. We saw Classic Maverick getting loaded into the trailer. It was not pretty. The horse fell down getting into the trailer and the woman didn’t even bother to put the ramp down for the guy. Darla started crying because Classic Maverick had been one of her favorites. We decided Sunday night that one day we would start a non profit and name it in memory to Classic Maverick.

“Today I got a phone call from Darla and she said she found a donor to pay for his rehab and board for a year. She told me to find the dang horse. I call the guy who runs the place we board at and left him a message. Not good enough. I called a horse auction I had heard someone mention before. The lady that answered told me that no females would have been driving a truck to pickup horses, but gave me the owner’s cell number. I called him and left a message. He called right back and told me it may have been his brother’s wife and gave me his number. I called and the guy said that yes it was them and his wife was down at the barn right now loading the horses to haul up to Canada today.

“I told him I wanted Classic Maverick back. He said I had to come down today by 6 P.M. with $500 to pick him up. Well, I don’t have a truck or horse trailer. I asked if he could hold onto him until I could arrange to pick him up. He told me he could deliver the horse back to the barn at 6:30 for $50. Deal done. He mentioned before I hung up that it was my lucky day because the horse was being loaded as I called.”

Come back tomorrow to learn the rest of Classic Maverick’s story.

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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