Owners Say Animals Were Improperly Taken

Owners and caretakers at a farm in Severn said county officials were wrong to , and intend to fight for the animals' return. 

The owners disputed claims from Anne Arundel County Animal Control that the animals were not properly cared for, and claimed they bought several of the horses in order to prevent them from being slaughtered. 

The five-acre farm in the 500 block of Upton Road is owned by the Sweeney family. Donald Sweeney's fiancee, Leah Dorsey, said she has purchased and cared for some of the horses, and Dorsey's father, Ronald Phelps, has also helped care for them. 

Animal Control seized four horses, five ponies and three goats from the property on Wednesday. All are now being cared for at the Days End Farm Horse Rescue in Woodbine, MD.

Photos provided by Animal Control show horses that appear to be emaciated. But Dorsey and Phelps insisted the horses were malnourished or ill because they were recently purchased at auction to prevent them from being slaughtered. 

One of the horses, "Hope," only arrived at the farm a month ago from the Camelot Feed Lot in New Jersey, Dorsey said. Another horse, "Corey" arrived at the farm this year with a condition known as "swayback," or a curvature of the spine.

Another, horse, "Joker" came in October but has since been entered into show competitions.

"It takes a long time for us to build them back up," Dorsey said. 

Phelps disputed claims that the animals were underfed. He said animal control came at a time when the horse's feed grain was nearly used up, but about to be repelenished. 

"None of them were starving," Phelps said. "All of them had hay. All of them had something. It's not like they were neglected for days at a time."

Animal Control first came to the property in January after the death of three animals, including a horse. (Phelps and Dorsey said that horse died of natural causes after living for more than 40 years.) 

County officials then gave the owners a list of responsibilities, including building new shelters for the animals, cleaning up the property and providing necessary medical care. 

"They gave us a list and we had two weeks to do it, and we finished everything," Dorsey said. 

The owners said they have been buying and caring for animals for years, but only began hearing complaints recently as new homes were constructed nearby.

Phelps and Dorsey said they hope all of the animals are returned, and disputed the notion that they were not equipped to handle the responsibilities for the animals. 

"I'm not the type of person who says I'll rescue horses but then doesn't know what I'm doing," Dorsey said.