Eric and Kathy Arnold

Cruelty to a donkey, cat, dog and 13 horses

Spencer, Roane County, West Virginia

1999

On 1/4/03 a donkey, a cat and 11 horses were sold at auction, 3 years after they were seized from the Arnolds, Roane County farm.

The animals were seized by sheriff's deputies after an investigation in 1999 showed that the animals were not being cared for properly.  2 horses and a dog died.  They were close to death at the time of the seizure.

Shamus a 6-year-old stallion was one of the horses that sold at auction.  When he was taken from the Arnolds, he weighed 700 pounds.  He now weights 1500 pounds.  John Parker and Carla Underwood of Elkview, who had been caring for the horse prior to the auction, purchased him for $8000.

The Arnolds horses were held in foster care for 3 years in order to nurse them back to health.

Reference:

The Dominion Post