HARPS TO THE RESCUE IN HEBRON

http://www.harpsonline.org/index.php?src=news&srctype=detail&category=News&refno=27

HARPS rescues animals from Hebron farm

By SARAH SUTSCHEK - ssutschek@nwherald.com

HARPS rescues animals from Hebron farm

HEBRON – Volunteers could hear cats mewing behind a door, but they couldn’t get in to give them food or water because it was locked.
Ten dogs, seemingly friendly, jumped at their cage doors in a foul-smelling room, wanting attention. A duck, a chicken and a peacock shared the same cage in a separate room. A goat was unable to stand.
After someone called to report the animals’ living conditions about a month ago, volunteers from the Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society have been going to Rothmore Farm on Route 173 in Hebron to care for more than 20 animals.
A hose had to be stretched from the house to provide water for the animals, including about 12 sheep, two horses, a large steer, and several donkeys. Their water had been frozen or become black and slushy with manure, said Ronda Ewing of HARPS.
On Tuesday, HARPS volunteers loaded up a trailer and an equine ambulance with many of the animals and brought them back to the organization’s Barrington Hills home base in hopes of finding them foster homes.
Their elderly owner, Dale Armon, relinquished them after HARPS’ founder, Donna Ewing, convinced her that she was not able to care for them properly.
Several years ago, McHenry County officials seized more than 70 animals from Armon after their conditions were deemed “deplorable.” But officials have an even longer history with her going back at least a decade, Illinois Department of Agriculture spokesman Jeff Squibb said.
“It’s not licensed as an animal shelter, so it’s not subject to the routine inspections,” Squibb said.
The only way they can go on site is if there’s evidence of wrongdoing, he said.
“We have been allowed on the premises in the recent past, and on those occasions, the animals were not in any immediate danger,” Squibb said.
The state has re-entered the picture by filing another lawsuit against Pet Rescue Inc., which Armon served as president, claiming financial mismanagement. The organization has a Bloomingdale shelter that recently lost its license as an animal shelter after a series of violations, Squibb said.
The latest lawsuit accuses Armon of spending more than $70,000 of Pet Rescue’s money, much of which allegedly was raised through claiming that it was a charitable organization despite failing to register as one.
Armon is accused of paying property taxes on personal property with Pet Rescue money, as well as personal expenses at numerous restaurants, hotels and gas stations mostly near the Hebron farm.
Attempts to reach Armon were unsuccessful Tuesday. She was not at the farm as the animals were removed. The phone number at the Bloomingdale pet rescue has been disconnected, and no local phone numbers for Armon are listed.
Ronda Ewing said she was unsure of where the animals taken to HARPS came from before they were in Armon’s custody.
“It’s not hard to come by animals in need of homes,” she said.
Donna Ewing said she told Armon that she would be able to have the animals back, should she prove that she would be able to care for them, including paying for food and vet bills.
The animals were just too much for Armon, who said she had another woman helping her, Donna Ewing said. All things considered, the animals were in good shape, she said.
But Armon is a collector, an animal hoarder, she said.
“This is where love goes awry,” she said.

Copyright © 2010 Northwest Herald. All rights reserved.

Pet Rescue Inc. Owners Relinquish Farm Animals

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/special_report/animal-rescue

Updated: Tuesday, 12 Jan 2010, 10:07 PM CSTPublished : Tuesday, 12 Jan 2010, 9:02 PM CST
By Mark Saxenmeyer, FOX Chicago News

Chicago - A small group of private citizens have rescued what they say were neglected animals, living in filthy, frozen conditions. It took them just two hours to complete the rescue-, something state-licensed animal welfare investigators have been either unable or unwilling to do for two years.
To city folk, they might just look like just a bunch of farm animals, but for those who've been monitoring the health and well-being of hundreds of animals under the care of two Illinois women, Dale Armon and Penny Horak, the sight of the four-legged critters scampering into their new home at a Barrington Hills animal rescue facility, was pure joy.
" They're free at last!" said Dr. Susan Lillis, an animal welfare advocate. She was in Barrington to witness the transfer.
The animals were among dozens removed from Armon and Horak's remote McHenry County farm in Hebron today. The leaders of HARPS, the Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society, say they convinced the women to relinquish control after documenting what they call the abhorrent conditions on the farm.
"Deplorable is kind of a strong word but it's pretty accurate, " said HARPS' Geoff Kass.
Nevertheless, many animals, like a dozen dogs that are caged in the cold on the farm, were left behind. HARPS was not allowed to take them away.
"They absolutely need to be removed because they're not getting adequate care," said Donna Ewing, the president and founder of HARPS.
For close to two years, FOX Chicago News has investigated Armon and Horak, the proprietress of Pet Rescue Inc., a non-profit no-kill pet shelter that houses hundreds of animals in suburban Bloomingdale. They stand accused of 22 counts of animal neglect in DuPage County, they've had their license revoked from the Department of Agriculture and they stand accused by the state Attorney General of using money donated to help the animals for their own personal use.
Despite all this legal wrangling, until Tuesday none of the allegedly endangered animals had been removed from Armon and Horak's care.
The animal rescue workers say they stepped in because local county and state leaders have not. FOX spoke with Mchenry County leaders Tuesday and they say they were out inspecting the Hebron farm two weeks ago, and they saw no problems there.
The animal workers from HARPS and other animal welfare advocates say that's hard to believe.
"Pictures don't lie. Documentation doesn't lie. We see what comes out of these situations. None of it is a lie so why didn't anyone do anything?" said Kris Nesheim, a former Pet Rescue Inc. worker.
Horak and Armon are fighting all the charges they currently face, maintaining their innocence on all fronts. HARPS leaders say Horak and Armon are still hoping to have the animals returned to them once their legal problems are cleared up.
This case aside, the recession is leading to more animal rescues than ever before, as many people can't afford to care for their pets. Hundreds and hundreds of animals that need saving state-wide are being turned loose or abandoned because most of the humane organizations are already full due to the overwhelming demand for help.
For more information about HARPS, go to harpsonline.org or call 847-382-0503.