January 12, 2010

Pet Rescue operators giving up farm animals

By Jake Griffin Daily Herald Staff
Published: 1/12/2010 12:01 AM

The operators of a controversial Bloomingdale pet shelter are giving up custody of farm animals they own and keep in upstate Hebron.
Donna Ewing, founder of the Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society, said her group is picking up the farm animals today and will be looking for foster farms to care for the animals. Ewing said owner Dale Armon, who runs the recently de-licensed Pet Rescue in Bloomingdale, agreed to give up custody of the farm animals on a temporary basis.
"She can take them back if she can pay for all the vet bills and feed bills," Ewing said.
Ewing's group has been caring for the animals for about a month, she said. They are all in "decent condition" considering they were found in "desperate need of water," she said.
The animals include 12 sheep and goats, two Arabian horses, four donkeys, several chickens, a miniature potbelly pig and a "huge Brown Swiss steer."
For information about providing foster care for any of the animals, call HARPS at (847) 382-0503 or visit harpsonline.org.
Arson and Pet Rescue partner Penny Horak are also on the verge of giving up custody of the animals being housed at the Bloomingdale shelter. A DuPage County judge has set a Jan. 19 deadline to come up with a relocation plan. That same day, the village's plan commission will discuss revoking the shelter's special-use permit now that it is no longer licensed by the state.