Original subtitles

then tried to cover their tracks by scattering food just before the police

arrived. In this particular case, the feed that was provided was an alfalfa

feed. It can actually make a horse that is undernourished sick and colic and

even die if it's given the animal the feed improperly. And these people have a

background knowledge of how to properly do it. It's not a matter of ignorance in

this case. It's just a matter of intent.

They intended to do this.

The owners want their horses back, but Jansen doesn't want to see that happen.

Today, both sides face off in court.

Call the next case.

Do they accurately show what they mean to show? The owners are first to

I realize the horses are not in good conditions. We made efforts to move

They would have been gone on Saturday.

We had no warnings.

We had nothing.

We've been doing the best we can.

We're completely broke right now.

We haven't lived in the house since the hurricane. We've been homeless trying to

wait on insurance.

I've been going out twice a day, every day, hauling a hundred -gallon water

bucket and hauling buckets of water out five gallons at a time.

The judge has heard enough about the owner's circumstances.

He must decide what's best for the horses.

This is not the way the trial is going to go forward.

So the real question is, are you in a position to care for the animals and to

provide them whatever kind of...

food and veterinary care they need. If you're not, then it's in the best

interest of the animals that they'd be awarded to use an SPCA.

The owners have made a powerful appeal for the judge's sympathy, but the

SPCA won't give up without a fight.

This particular horse we had to put on IV fluids because she was so dehydrated.

Do each of these animals appear to have been cruelly treated?

Yes. And we're asking that the horses, that all the animals be forfeited to the

Houston SBCA. Is that correct?

Yes.

She is my next witness, Your Honor. State your name for the record.

Dr. Barbara Powell. Tell the court just briefly what you found.

Body condition scores ranging between 1 and 2 out of 9.

On the horses, we found that there's one that's in possible liver failure,

dehydration, possible renal failure, and the rest show that they have been

lack of food, low protein level.

We rest, Your Honor.

The pictures of these horses and the shape they're in is painful to look at.

I've been doing this 16 years.

I'm not a breeder. I'm not an expert on horses. I can tell a starving horse.

These are starving horses.

Starving horses.

Not hungry horses.

These are starving horses.

Ma 'am, please be quiet.

Okay, I'm...

I'm trying real hard not to tell you what I really think.

Okay?

I think these horses have been treated terribly.

Okay?

And you know better.

If you're breeders, you know better.

You know, if you're hanging on by a thread, you don't have the wherewithal

financially or emotionally to take care of these animals.

You don't.

And they have suffered terribly.

As far as awarding these animals back to the Houston SBCA, this is not a close

call.

And so I'm awarding all the animals to the Houston SBCA.

I'm awarding all the monetary damages you see.

They've suffered to a degree that I would also suggest that you might want

talk to your lawyer because this rises to a level, although I'm not the one to

make this decision.

This rises to the level of possible criminal activity.

I couldn't live with myself if I awarded these animals back to you.

I conclude this case.

I'm done.

You're free to go.

I do feel for a person whenever they say that they're having a lot of problems

in their lives, but unfortunately they are also in charge of caring for another

life as well. And in the end, All lives are precious, and even the animals.

Back at the Houston SPCA shelter, Dr.

Barbara Call is anxious to check up on the horses, especially the gray mare

was closest to dying.

Dr. Call has named her Ivy, after the IV drip that saved her life.

She has improved quite a bit.

She is much more bright and alert, but her personality hasn't changed. She's

still a real sweetheart.

She's gained probably about 25 pounds in the time that she's been here, and

it'll still take her quite some time to gain the rest of the weight. But other

than that, she's doing very well.

Horses are a very herd -oriented animal, and for them to be in a herd

environment, it gives them that feeling of family similar to what we have, and

that's what she needs at this point.

She's much happier out here.

Good to see her trotting.

When she first came in, I didn't think she'd be able to do that again.

But it was all from emaciation and starvation, and she's coming right out

She's a wonderful little filly.

These people were breeding these horses in this condition, and it was horrible.

And so I'm glad that we have these horses now, because now they'll be in

that actually appreciate who they are, what they are, and can enjoy their

beauty.

But she likes people.

It's quite evident.

...can be filed against Betty's owner, who appears to have left her animal to

die. This is the dog that was inside the house.

And like I said, there were...

five sugar gliders inside a cage that were deceased, and then one dead dog in

the backyard.

Oh, my.

Do we know how the sugar gliders died?

I believe it's just starvation and lack of water. I mean, they were confined to

the cage.

Well, we can take one charge for the dog of animal cruelty and

one charge for one of the sugar gliders.

So it'll be $1 ,500 on each charge.

There's a lot of satisfaction to me for that because you can't just choose to

treat the animal any way you want. There are laws that you are required to abide

by, and this is the process, and this is the process that's going to make you do

what you're supposed to do.

So tell me there's a happy ending.

Thanks to the Houston SPCA.

The ADA's wish has come true.

Against all the odds, it looks like Betty's future will be a happy one.

With the right care, she's made a remarkable recovery and has found a

behavior expert, Melissa Chan.

When you get to know a dog that's been through this situation, you realize what

being left alone in horrible conditions can do to a dog.

But that doesn't mean that there's a perfectly normal loving dog underneath

of that. And for most of these dogs, and especially for Betty, all it takes

is just literally 24 hours of attention to

change a dog from, you know, seemingly vicious creature to a really loving,

sociable dog.

I think Betty's just a perfect little dog. She has a ton of fosters just

breaking down the door to take her home with them and get her better.

Sunny, she looked so ugly when I first saw her. She just looked like such a

mess. And Ashley's just such a beautiful girl.

Like, you can see that her soul was very beautiful.

And she's wonderful now.

Recovery from starvation takes time, but four months after they were rescued

from neglectful owners in LaPorte, all the emaciated horses have been found new

homes.

Three of them now live in the West Texas countryside with the Lambert family.

We'd rather rescue horses than just buy them. These horses needed somebody.

Yeah, they did come in. Their ribs were showing, some of them fairly badly, at

least 100, 150 pounds underweight, each of them some 200.

Since that time, all of them are back to full weight.

It's only been a couple months, so these horses pretty much wither up and die if

they're not.

paid proper respect and attention.

They love attention.

They're like big dogs.

Yeah, you are. One of the horses the Lamberts have taken in is Ivy, the gray

mare.

If she does survive, it's going to be a miracle.

She's been the most standoffish of all the horses. She's very shy.

When she first came, we couldn't even touch her. She would back away from

anybody. But she's coming around very nicely.

What we got here.

This one seems to really be developing a connection with Erin.

Seems calm with her.

I was the one who actually chose her.

She's really pretty, so that's why I chose her.

I hate the fact that people do this to animals.

See, I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up, and I like to help animals

because they're not starving anymore.

It's been three months since a herd of goats was attacked by a pack of stray

dogs. Only four of the goats survived the massacre.

And even for those four, it was touch and go for a while.

All four now have a new home with Jim and Susie Godwin.

Sadly, the goats' ears will never grow back.

But the physical and emotional scars have healed.

Against all the odds, Star, Blaze, Baby, and Flash have found a loving new home

for life.

We've been involved with the SPCA. Actually, Jim has been on the board for

12 years.

And Patty called and said, we've got to come see the goats. We walked over

there, and I fell in love with them immediately.

And said, of course, as soon as they're ready to go, we'll pick them up and

bring them to our ranch and give them a good home. And we love them.

One of the boys does have kind of a permanent ditch in his neck that he

turn his neck one direction.

It doesn't seem to bother him, even when we pet him, but the rest of them seem

like they don't have any effects other than the visual, you know, the ears,

which made us concerned about their ability to hear, but they haven't had

problems with it. They hear us coming up in the truck, or if we call from down

the road, they perk up and watch.

We just have to be very careful to make sure that they keep their ears clean and

we keep an eye on it so there aren't any problems.

Oh, they're so sweet.

They are.

I love them.

You like them? Yeah. I do too. Yeah, they're great. I'm so glad that they're

together.

My best achievement is serving on the board of the SPCA and be able to assist

them and be able to be a part of the SPCA. I consider that to be an honor.

We're so happy to give them another chance and give them a happy home,

especially after what they've been through.