Over a week ago, Sammie, a 37-year-old brown and white Welsh pony, was not standing at the back door of the Miller home waiting for his usual evening grain meal. Sammie was missing, and because he had no teeth, because of his advanced age, and because of the current heat wave, his owner, Marianne Miller, was distraught.
Did Sammie get lost? Did one of the neighborhood dogs scare Sammie away from his home, and did he wander off into the woods and couldn't find his way back? Did someone steal him? With the failing economy, thieves are known to steal horses to sell them to local brokers for a few dollars, who often sell them at auctions.
" The first person I called was Debi Metcalfe from Stolen Horse International," explained Miller. " Debi got the ball rolling as soon as I filed the report by calling the media. She contacted the Shelby Star, made flyers with Sammie's picture, description, and information about him, and then sent them out to spread the word."
While the Millers were combing the woods looking for Sammie, Metcalfe sent emails to more than 20,000 addresses and thousands of Facebook fans, Craig's Lists, and other social media. Friends and families passed out flyers to the residents and tacking the information up at the local stores.
In addition, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) offered $1000. reward for information regarding Sammie's disappearance or his whereabouts. They also worried about him because of the pony's advanced age.
And then it happened; nine days after Sammie disappeared, Cathy Brissie had been driving to work when Sammie appeared out of the woods, walking dangerously close to the road. Brissie stopped and tied a rope to his halter. She had seen the flyer placed by Stolen Horse International at Kebos, the community store, and remembered the first news article in the Shelby Star. A neighbor in the community had been passing by while Brissie was attending to the pony and walked Sammie back; he was less than a half mile away from his home.
"We are so glad to be a crucial part of bringing Sammie home. We are so thankful that Cathy Bressie stopped when she saw Sammie," stated Metcalfe."Sammie is home because of our NetPosse.com alerts and news releases that brought everything together in the search for this pony and Kathy's kind heart. We are excited that PETA cared enough about Sammie to offer the reward, and Cathy donated half of it to Stolen Horse International. The funds will be applied toward developing our new website, costing us thousands of dollars to create. The reward could not have been better for this nonprofit organization."
"I am happy to share this reward money with Stolen Horse International for helping to find Sammie. I would not have known where he belonged if not for Debi and what she does and all of her own time she spends trying to find these horses. I wouldn't have known what to do with Sammie if it wasn't for SHI. He probably would have gone to Animal Control because no one would know where he belonged," explained Bressie.
Sammie is home now. The family veterinarian was out to examine him, and Sammie is much thinner after his journey. Without any back teeth, Sammie can not graze or eat hay like other horses but will be back to eating his ten pounds of grain daily soon. In the meantime, Sammie is happy; the Millers are happy, and a small nonprofit organization whose motto states, " Never underestimate the power of one," continues to make a profound difference to so many families and their horses.
If you would like to volunteer for Stolen Horse International and become involved in helping, please click here or call Debi Metcalfe at 704-484-2165.
NetPosse.com, or Stolen Horse International, is a 501(c)3 organization that addresses horse theft and theft awareness, many types of missing horse situations, lost, found, and searching for equine history. The organization helps owners search and find missing horses, stolen horses, tack, and trailers. Information about missing and stolen horses is distributed through the Idaho Alerts system.
Stolen Horse International provides news and other resources for free on this website. As a charitable organization we survive on the kindness of people like you. Please consider donating to help fund the organization or purchasing a NetPosse ID for your horse, dog or cat to help protect your beloved animals!
Comments