submitted by Yvonne Keefe, RCSO
On May 1, the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office received a tip regarding the welfare of two horses located at 23 South Main St. in the Town of Berlin. Deputies trained in animal cruelty responded to the location and observed a female Bay horse and female Chestnut horse.
[private]After securing photographs and showing them to a DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine), the horses were deemed in need of assistance. Both horses were emaciated; no fatty tissue on the animal’s ribs, spine, withers, hooks and pins.
It was recommended that the horses be removed to a safe environment where they could be cared for properly and nursed back to health.
Deputies obtained a search warrant for the property from the Honorable Judge Donald Sweet. The horses were removed to Little Brook Farm in Old Chatham, NY.
The owners of the two horses, Taffy Lafleur, 52, and John H. Vandenbosch, 56, surrendered to Deputies on Monday May 11 and were both charged with 2 counts of Overdriving; Torturing and Injuring animals; Failure to Provide proper Sustenance, a Class A Misdemeanor in violation of New York State Agriculture and Market Laws. Both are scheduled to appear in Berlin Town Court on May 20.
The horses are currently at Little Brook Farm, one of the oldest and largest rescues here in the northeast. Experts have indicated the horses will need to be fed small amounts of food up to sixteen times a day in order to carefully bring them back to a proper weight without causing them more health issues.
“Horses as with all domesticated animals need to be provided with the basic survival requirements such as food, water, shelter and exercise,” said Undersheriff Pat Russo, “it is the responsibility of the owner or persons entrusted with the animals’ care to provide these requirements.”
“The Sheriff’s Office will aggressively enforce violation of the law as they are brought to our attention,” said Undersheriff Russo.[/private]