Atticus

Atticus is back at Safe Harbor these days, and he’s looking like a million bucks! He’s an exceptionally handsome Arab gelding, and now that he’s no longer bony and thin, he’s looking really good. He even has a cute little belly! Now that Atticus is healthy again, he is ready for a forever home of his own. The new and improved Atticus is a spunky, playful horse and we are hoping to find him a home where he can have plenty of turnout. He needs this because if he stands around too long, he will stock up a bit in his hind legs, and that causes him some discomfort. We help ease this by having our volunteers hand walk him as much as possible, but what Atticus needs is a good home where he’ll have lots of room to roam around and keep comfortable. 

Atticus is just one of the companion-only horses currently in SAFE’s care that is ready for a home. Since we are limited in the number of horses we can have in our program at any given time — our maximum is 28 horses plus the two minis — we must place our current horses into adoptive homes before we can help new horses. This is why it is actually fairly urgent that we find good homes for horses like Atticus, because then when we get calls about horses like Ruby, who desperately need our help, we need to have room for them. Atticus deserves a home of his own, he doesn’t need to be at a rescue any more. He’ll make someone a great friend…and by offering Atticus a home, it may also mean that we’re able to save another horse like Ruby. Two for the price of one? You can’t beat that deal!!

Atticus has been very spunky and playful in turnout, now that he’s settled back in at Safe Harbor. He continues to have food aggression issues and does not want anyone near his food. Our volunteers are being trained to ask him to back him up before they enter his stall to deliver his mash. He did have a very sizable abscess that popped on his right hind heel bulb. He wouldn’t let me soak it afterwards but did allow me to irrigate and get antibacterial ointment on it.

With the lack of turnout we have available at SHS, Atticus needs to be hand walked as often as possible or else he stocks up behind. We’re still hoping that someone with a big heart will come along soon and offer him a good home where he can have lots of room to graze and wander around. He sure did enjoy his time at Brittney’s and we’d love to see him back on pasture most or all of the day.

Atticus had an vet exam today, and Dr. Penny feels he is nearly up to weight. He has a fat pad at the tail head! She drew blood for a follow up liver enzymes test, and we should have results tomorrow. She checked his mouth and found nothing unusual to explain his lack of desire to eat timothy hay…of course, he eats alfalfa just fine…go figure!!

Atticus was released from the vet hospital last week and was transported to SAFE Harbor Stables. Six weeks post rescue, he is feeling a lot better…in fact the excitement of moving caused him to get quite amped up! He loaded well into the trailer, but was fairly fractious on the ride home, which resulted in him nicking one of his hind fetlocks and bleeding in the trailer…not what you want to see when you open those doors! The wound was pretty superficial, and once he regained his sense of calm, he allowed it to be cleaned without too much fuss. 

Atticus is now living in a stall/paddock in the main barn, next door to Kai and with a good view of the six mares that reside in the other two barns. He’s particularly fascinated by the lovely Miss Savannah, and spends his afternoon staring wistfully in her direction. His eyes have taken on a wonderful look of calm contentment, and he seems to be adjusting to the ebb and flow of activity at the barn. He is still dragging his hind toe at the walk, and we are keeping a careful eye on him. We’re hoping that as he continues to gain weight and build back his strength, the toe dragging will diminish. If it doesn’t we may have to do some diagnostic lameness testing to see what is going on in his hind end.

Atticus has been enjoying his play time in the indoor arena, and he had a great time rolling in the sand and exploring his surroundings. The first time he got up from a roll, he had a bit of difficulty standing back up, but the next 4 or 5 times he attempted it, he did just fine. It’s nice to see this sweet old man enjoying himself and feeling more like a normal horse!

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If you’ve been following local news, you may already know that SAFE is involved in an animal cruelty case involving two horses in the City of Snohomish. The horses first came to the attention of Snohomish police after neighbors reported seeing an emaciated horse on a property within the city limits. Officer Dawn Davis found two horses living on the property, one who was extremely underweight and malnourished. She advised the owners on proper horse care and feeding, giving them three weeks to turn the situation around. When she followed up on the case three weeks later, she found the thin horse’s condition had not improved. She also discovered that the other horse on the property was severely lame and could barely walk. She contacted SAFE, and fortunately we had space available and were able to help with the situation.

The two horses were surrendered to the City of Snohomish police department, and signed over to SAFE. They were immediately transferred to NWESC to be examined by Dr Hannah. She determined that the thin horse, “Atticus” was a 1.5 on the Henneke scale, with protruding ribs, spine, hips, and shoulders. At about 150 pounds underweight, Atticus is very lucky that Officer Davis took action when she did.

The second horse, who we named “Scout,” was not so lucky. The condition of her hooves indicated that she had foundered badly at some point in the past, and x‑rays revealed that her coffin bones were severely rotated. When she was removed from her home, she was suffering an acute bout of laminitis, and her pain was so severe that she was reluctant to even take a step forward. Efforts were made to control her pain while she was being examined by the vet, but in the end, it was decided that too much damage had been done and the kindness thing would be to let her go and end her suffering. Scout was humanely euthanized the morning after she was surrendered.

The loss of Scout had a profound effect on Atticus. Atticus was given the chance to see her body after she was put down to say goodbye, but for days afterwards, he would call for her and look for her. Atticus is making new friends, but it’s hard for him, given his age and how close he and Scout were. It’s our hope that once Atticus is fully recovered from his ordeal, we can find him a new home where he can live out the rest of his life in comfort and safety. He would make a great companion for another lonely horse, and he certainly deserves a good home after everything he has been through.

Atticus is receiving careful treatment to help him recover from the neglect he suffered. His dietary intake is being carefully monitored to help his regain the weight he has lost without upsetting his digestive system. Atticus is looking and feeling much better after three weeks of proper care, but he still has a long way to go. He is definitely improving but his appearance is still quite shocking. His ribs are still visible, his spine is still protruding, and his hip and shoulder bones are still jutting out. He is also showing signs of lameness that may preclude him from ever being ridden.

The cost to care for the neglected horses is an ongoing challenge for SAFE and the public’s financial help is needed. SAFE has already spent close to $2,000, just in the first month of caring for these two horses. The veterinary costs alone have been significant. And Atticus will be in our care for many more months before we can even think of offering him for adoption. And as with most of our companion horses, it will take time to find him a new home.

The City of Snohomish still plans to bring Animal Cruelty charges against the owners of Atticus and Scout, so at this point in time, we can’t share much more information about them. We don’t want Scout to be forgotten and she will be memorialized on this site when we are able to do so, in hopes that her story will somehow help other horses not suffer her fate.