I am sure there are a hundred versions of this old story but this is the way I was told the story. I hope I don’t weaken the integrity of it telling it from my sometimes not so perfect memory, or I hope I haven’t plagiarized someone's story and if I have, I apologize. I believe once a story is told though it is released from its story teller and takes on its own being. That’s the way it should be and I think stories should be ever evolving so that each time it is shared it takes on each teller's special attributes.
A young boy was walking along the beach in low tide after a great storm. The beach was covered in thousands of star fish and the sun was getting hot and the starfish were starting to dry up and die. The little boy would walk over to one star fish, and then another until his little arms couldn’t carry anymore. Once loaded up, this young boy would walk over to the tide some distance away and put the starfish in the tide and they would be drawn in and away out to the ocean. Then he would walk back to the beach and start all over one starfish at a time. Unknown to the boy he had an audience; the devil had come down to the beach and was watching him in his diligent tasks.
Well the little man was barely making a dent as the sun got hotter; he scooped up one starfish at a time and took his little armful to the water. Well on one of his trips back to the beach to save more starfish the Devil went up to him and asked, “That looks like hard work carrying those starfish.” The little boy said, “Yes a little, they get heavy but I don’t mind,” The Devil then said, “Well young man look around there are so many starfish and really wouldn’t you rather stop and have a soda and let nature take its course?” The little fella thought for a moment and said, “A soda would be nice, but I really want to do this.” The Devil getting frustrated at this purposeful child said, “Young man do you think this matters to anyone what you are doing, do you think anyone really cares?” The little fella stopped and thought; finally he answered, “Maybe not, maybe it doesn’t matter to anyone else.” The devil said, “Exactly then why would you waste your time doing such a thing then?” The boy thought then walked over to an exceptionally small starfish, picked it up and said, “You know you are right, it may not matter to anyone, but it means life and death to this little one,” and he began filling his arms again. The Devil walked away in disgust, but he hadn’t realized many people had been watching this child’s unselfish act of kindness and were so moved by this little man they had joined him in his attempt to pick up and save the starfish, and soon almost all were saved.
The reason I bring this up is that a few years ago I met these folks that had a horse breeding operation, and they were animal abusers. Pure and simple animal abusers! They bred beautiful Morgan horses, when I say they bred them, it is they ensured the fantastic lineage was being capitalized on. The mares were allowed to run in a reasonably ok pasture but the five stud horses were kept in 12 by 12 foot pens year round. When I first saw them they were standing on rounded hills inside these pens of their own frozen manure and urine. Their hooves were long and unkempt, even their legs were showing signs of malformation. On that occasion after commenting they had no water the owner said, “They were chewing snow and that we will water them later.” I guess the snow was along the pen she couldn’t have meant under the pile of feces. This breed of horse is magnificent; Morgan horses have big shoulders and thick necks with strong hind quarters something they are known for. Well these looked like an anorexic version of Morgan horse. Their ribs showed through and they looked emaciated.
My wife, at the time, was brought there under pretences by her friend who was hoping that she would do something to stop this and she did try. She filed complaints took pictures and even called everyone she knew to help and then the SPCA told her they would be taking care of it. They certainly did; they called the abuser up and told her they would be coming out and it gave her heads up and time to put water in the pens and throw some feed in as well. Sure enough the SPCA did its due diligence by warning her sternly, that there was another complaint and they would be watching. Oh this was probably the tenth complaint they had against her. They warned her they meant business, and to ensure she fed and watered those horses. When we talked to the lady who at that time had no idea it was our complaint, she said the SPCA couldn’t do anything because she had a Veterinarian on her side and that Vet said they were ok in their pens with no shelter, water and sparse food. She, the Vet; even went so far according to this woman as to give this abuser a letter saying she was monitoring the horses' care.
This matter got worse not better. The lady would leave those poor horses out in the sun with no water, too lazy to water them. She continued to starve them. I know a time my wife and friends of ours were finding buyers and even we had horses coming to be fattened up at our ranch and sold, all to protect them from these people. She even had ads and a site on the internet trying desperately to save as many as she could, not knowing these people were replenishing the pens with other horses as fast as they could. The battle continued and the SPCA kept saying they had their hands tied; there was nothing they could do and so these poor horses suffered. It is as though the farmer that dares run an old truck full of hay down a road and the government nearly fines him out of business, but they won’t stop those that are cruel and ridiculous to the animals that are their living and they give ranchers and farmers bad reputations.
The SPCA seems unwilling to take action and I think these folks should be forced to find a different way to make a living. I don’t think any of God’s creatures deserve a slow agonizing painful death in a 12 by 12 foot square cell. This is just plain wrong and as long as the Veterinarian and the SPCA let this go on they share in the shame. These people seem to be Teflon and nothing sticks to them especially not morals. The SPCA was brought up to speed again and you won’t believe it, they phoned the lady in advance and upon their arrival they warned her again. They are just so concerned it makes me want to vomit. These studs would be better off euthanized than subjected to this living hell.
So here are these once majestic, proud animals and they are unable to move confined to their small feces filled prison. On a sidebar a couple of years back the ladies husband took a fall from his tractor and since because of the head injury he sustained has lost his mobility and is confined to a small wheeled prison, unable to get around. You think he would have found a new empathy for these that he and his wife imprisoned so cruelly. It’s funny how that Karma stuff works... or what you give is what you get... or in another way to say it is sow what you reap, reap what you sow. The choice we all have I guess is the same as faced the little boy: does one star fish matter, do we sit back drink a soda and let cruelty carry on? Maybe we allow those that commit atrocities and cruelty against animals just go on unchecked. Worse we could be the Veterinarian backing these abusers, while of all people, you think she would protect those poor horses. Even worse, mishandle the situation from an enforcement position and let the poor animals you swear to protect go on suffering in a horrible Auschwitz-type environment, at least that’s what it looks like from where this cowboy sits.
Douglas Stacey is a public speaker, humorist and a writer. He can be reached at crossingrafterranch@yahoo.ca
