Ashley Fox looked at her phone and saw that it was blowing up with people tagging her on Facebook and calling her. She discovered that people were reaching out to her to see if she would help with what is likely to be the largest animal rescue in Oswego County history.
Fox, who owns CNY Event Ranch in Hannibal and owns 13 horses, returned a call and was told that there were horses who needed somewhere to stay. She had never taken in rescued horses before, but didn’t hesitate. “The vet on scene told me they needed three stalls,” she said. ”So I hooked up the trailer and drove out there and ended up with five.”
“Out there” was a farm outside of Sandy Creek in northern Oswego County. She arrived on Friday, March 13, to find the place swarming with activity. State Police, investigating a report of suspected animal abuse, discovered more than 150 animals. The animals ranged from livestock such as cows, sheep and goats to donkeys and horses, from cats and dogs to guinea pigs, fish, exotic birds and a bearded dragon. State Police have not disclosed the exact number of animals seized, citing an ongoing investigation.
Volunteers from the Oswego County SPCA soon arrived and took on the task of organizing an effort to move every animal to safer locations that was several times larger than any effort they’d ever undertaken.
"Number one for the amount of animals, for sure," said Tanya Semchenko, who heads the SPCA chapter. “And conditions are right up there with some of the worst that I've ever encountered.”
She would not say whether the animals were neglected or abused, citing the investigation.
Semchenko did something she never does because of the enormity of the task ahead: She posted a video to Facebook asking everyone to share the video and tag anyone who might be able to help, and help arrived. She said one man saw the post, hitched his horse trailer to his vehicle, and showed up, ready to move horses. Volunteer veterinarians worked for 10 hours to assess the conditions of all of the animals. Every animal, minus two who had to be euthanized at the site, found either a new home or a foster home by the end of that day.
Among the first-time rescuers was Amy Venton. She and her husband run Aquatic Haven, a superstore of fish in Fulton. They took in 50 fish, including Koi, goldfish and GloTetras.
"They gave us a call, said they had a hoarder rescue and asked if we could take some fish,” Venton said. “I said, 'Bring them on in, that's what we do.'" Within days, people came to buy some of the fish and give them new homes.
Both Fox and Venton said the animals they took appeared to have been neglected but not physically abused.
While the rescue was happening, State Police were arresting the homeowner, Jeffrey Zehr. They charged him with Torturing or Injuring Animals/Failure to Provide Sustenance. The charge is a misdemeanor. Zehr was released after his arraignment on his own recognizance, as the charge is not eligible for bail. He will return to Sandy Creek town court in April.
It’s not his first experience with an animal neglect case. In 2019, Zehr pleaded guilty to animal cruelty counts when he lived in Adams Center in Jefferson County. News reports of the event say police found the carcasses of 14 animals and had to euthanize two others that were beyond saving. More animals were taken from the property.
The judge in that case sentenced him to 50 weekends in jail. Semchenko said the punishment in that case was more severe than what usually happens, because the crime is only a misdemeanor and not a felony. Most often, she said, offenders receive a fine and probation. She believes New York’s animal safety laws are weak.
“I understand everybody wants the harshest convictions possible and the harshest sentencing,” Semchenko said. “But with misdemeanors, that is not what comes with it. It's the same for any other law. You can't say, ‘Oh, somebody got a misdemeanor, we're going to sentence them to life in prison.’ It doesn't work that way. And that's not how the court system works. I'm not here to debate whether it should or shouldn't. But the laws for animal cruelty in New York State are primarily misdemeanors. It's rare you get a felony, and you have to show intent, and it's rare that you get jail time.”
Semchenko said a common question is ‘how do these people get so many animals?’ She said that many animals in large seizure cases like this one are acquired one at a time from people getting rid of animals they cannot care for anymore through word of mouth, swap meets, and, increasingly, from posts on social media forums. Potential owners go through a vetting process to adopt an animal from a shelter, but no such background check is required when people give, sell or trade animals privately. Semchenko said the state should regulate these kinds of transactions and online forum moderators should ban those kinds of posts.
The work continues to rehabilitate the animals and move them to permanent, safer homes. Two of the nine horses taken from the ranch are pregnant. At least one of the cats removed from the farm has already delivered three kittens. At CNY Event Ranch, Ashley Fox is working on two young horses who, when you open their stall door, retreat from her. Normally, she said, a horse will come right up to you because they are social animals. These two young horses, she said, were obviously left alone after they were born. “That much non-human contact for so long definitely makes a huge difference in their demeanor and how they act,” she said.
Fox will spend her own money to improve the horses’ health, getting their hooves and teeth in shape and keeping them fed. Families and farms throughout the region have taken the other animals, holding them until they can be placed in new permanent homes or farms. Veterinarians will continue to see the rescues in need of medical care.
In a follow-up video posted to Facebook at the end of the 10-hour rescue effort, Semchenko offered a tribute after what she said was an overwhelming day: “To everyone who showed up at that place today to haul animals out of there and to assess them and to hold their emotions in check and to be professional and courteous and compassionate. You guys are amazing.”
To support the organization's work, you can donate to the Oswego County SPCA online.
