For several months now, many folks who live in Lawson Valley (which is near the town of Jamul) have been driving by a small farm that was obviously mistreating its animals. The small fenced-in area was so small that every square inch of ground had been turned into mud by the hooves and defecation of the livestock (cows, horses, and mules) that were kept there. The number of animals was clearly far too high for the space they had, and the animals were suffering.
Well, yesterday fate caught up with the owners. Apparently they were away from home when the cows escaped. Someone called animal control, and that led to a visit by the police. The animal control officers and the police discovered starving dogs, the carcases of at least two cows, and much evidence of mistreatment and cruelty. We're informed that the owners have been given 72 hours to reduce the number of livestock and animals on the property to a reasonable quantity. In addition, they've been told to get veterinary care for those animals that need it. Local folks are rallying to find "foster homes" for the animals, and it looks like there are plenty of volunteers.
Sounds like a happy ending to a terrible story, right? Well, I'm not so sure we should be feeling good about this. We all (and I include myself as a guilty party) could have done something earlier -- and we probably should have, given the obviousness of the situation (if you've taken even one drive by that farm anytime in the preceding few months then you know exactly what I'm saying). Why didn't we do something months ago? I don't have a good answer for that one...
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