A Little Bit of Heaven

August 262015

OHAAT Grant Received

One Horse at a Time, Inc. (OHAAT) has awarded a $350 medical grant toward our own "Bucks for Babies" fundraiser toward the cost of critical corrective surgery for our foals who were born with herniated belly buttons. Owl, Lonestar, and Blessing are three of the foals born to Owls Head mares this past spring, and all suffer from this life-threatening hereditary defect. (You can read more details here.) In addition to awarding the maximum medical grant available, OHAAT have also appealed to their Facebook community and are running their own fundraiser. They have already collected a large portion of the revenue needed, but we (and they) still need your support! Please take the time to thank them for going above and beyond to "help us help them!"

Source: One Horse at a Time, Inc.

August 2015

"Bucks for Babies Fundraiser

A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc. staff and volunteers are working hard to raise money to fund critically needed surgery for three of the foals living at the rehabilitation center.

Colts Lonestar and Snowy Owl, and filly Blessing, all born to rehabilitation center mares from Owls Head, NY, suffer from a stud-thrown hereditary defect that caused them to be born with herniated belly buttons. The defect, known as an umbilical hernia, prevents horses' navels from closing after birth, and appears as a sack beneath the horse's belly. A portion of the animal's intestines fall into the sack, and depending on severity, can leave the horse at risk of infection, abscess, intestinal blockage, colic, and even death.

The three LBH foals have been vet-checked and confirmed to be at high risk because their intestines are no longer able to be pushed back into place. Cornell University will perform emergency surgeries to correct the hernias, but the foals and their mothers will need to be housed on-site for at least three days of recovery. The estimated cost per foal is $500.

As a result, LBH has started a "Bucks for Babies" fundraiser to help cover the $2000 needed to complete the surgeries. Individuals wishing to donate may contact A Little Bit of Heaven for more information, or donate directly via PayPal.

Source: A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc.

August 8 2015

A Little Bit of Heaven at Brasher Falls Parade

Those wishing to see some of A Little Bit of Heaven's rehab horses up close may do so at the Brasher Falls parade on Saturday, August 8th.

The rehab is planning on featuring a wagon float pulled by a pair of Belgians on loan from The Silver Star Ranch and carrying some of the honorees recognized during the dedications of the new tack room and library at the Center's recent Open House. Some of the horses who have given rides at events may also make an appearance, including striking rehab gelding Quickie and one of the children's favorites, Bella.

July 18 2015

A Little Bit of Heaven Horse Rehabilitation Center Holding Outdoor Open House July 18

Vendors are rolling in for a July 18 outdoor open house at A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc.

“We have lots and lots of vendors. As soon as we can respond to them, more are rolling in. That is very exciting,” said Leigha J. Burkhalter, a board member for the horse rehabilitation center at 35 Hallahan Road.

The event is scheduled to start about 10 a.m. and run until 5 or 6 p.m., Ms. Burkhalter said.

She said there will also be opportunities to walk through the pens, meet the horses and take part in wagon rides throughout the day.

“Anne (Foley, president), Mike (Woods, vice-president) and the board are dedicating their time. They’re more than willing to talk to people about it,” Ms. Burkhalter said.

She said the open house is part of an effort to let people know what work is being done at A Little Bit of Heaven, which has submitted paperwork to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The center takes in unwanted, mistreated, abused or neglected horses to rehabilitate them and place them in good homes, preventing them from going to slaughter.

“We’re trying to get our name out there and educate the public on where the horses are coming from. We are doing a lot of community outreach right now to try to get our name out there so people know what we’re trying to do and raise awareness that these horses come from someplace,” Ms. Burkhalter said.

Some of the community outreach will take place this week.

“We’re going to be at the Potsdam Summer Festival. We’ll have a booth there with information. We’ll be handing out T-shirts trying to raise awareness of what we have going on,” Ms. Burkhalter said.

The center also holds a “Kids Day,” which she said has been “a huge hit.”

“We have the kids come out and do wagon rides and horse rides. We do community outreach on educating kids how to approach, how to handle and how to brush horses. We recently started offering birthday party packages as well. It’s a unique birthday. You’ll never forget it,” she said.

It’s important to get visitors out to the site so they can see exactly what takes place there, she said.

“We’re always looking for visitors. We welcome people with open arms so they can see what we’re trying to do. We’re doing a lot of construction on the farm right now and working on getting people out there to work with the horses. We have great trainers on site and great people working with the horses,” Ms. Burkhalter said. Visitors will receive a friendly greeting from both people and animals.

“We have really friendly horses who come running up to the fence for carrots, apples and treats. They love to be brushed,” she said.

There may even be some new faces as horses are adopted and new ones take their place, waiting for their adopted home. Before horses are adopted, however, the staff does reference checks and site checks and checks on the horses regularly. Applicants must be able to provide food, water, shelter and medical care. If they don’t, A Little Bit of Heaven reserves the right to reclaim the animal and bring it back to the center.

“We have horses coming in and going out,” Ms. Burkhalter said.

She said she hopes that a visit to A Little Bit of Heaven might inspire people to volunteer to help out.

“The facilities are at full capacity right now. The max is about 30. We’re looking for volunteers. We’re looking to save as many horses as we can,” she said.

For more information about A Little Bit of Heaven, call (315) 276-5415, email alittlebitofheaven14@gmail.com or message it on Facebook.

Source: Watertown Daily Times

April 11 & 12 2015

A Little Bit of Heaven at Massena Rod & Gun Club Sportsman's Expo

A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc. staff and volunteers will be hosting a vendor table at the Massena Rod and Gun Club Sportman's Expo from 10 am - 6 pm on Saturday, April 11th and 10 am - 4 pm on Sunday, April 12th. The event will be held at the Massena Arena on Route 37, and admission to the Expo is $6 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. Children under 5 are free.

A Little Bit of Heaven staff will be on-hand to answer questions about our facility, our horses, and our sponsor, foster, and adoption policies. Information on our Kids Days, our newly implemented Buddy Program, and the differences between rehabilitation and rescue will be available. Some items will be available for sale, and the public is encouraged to drop off used printer and fax toner cartridges, and small (pocket sized) electronics for our ongoing recycling fundraisers. We can't wait to see you there!

Source: Massena Chamber of Commerce

March 23 2015

Spring Foals at A Little Bit of Heaven!

Two foals have made themselves at home at A Little Bit of Heaven over the last few weeks, and our volunteers have been putting in extra hours to ensure that these little guys have the best care possible.

The oldest is Owl, a chestnut colt with a tiny white star on his forehead who was born on March 11th to one of our Owls Head mares. Suzy came to us pregnant and missing one eye, and LBH staff feared that her foal might be stillborn or suffer from deformities due to inbreeding. However, this spunky little man has been kicking up his heels since he arrived and shows no signs of health issues! After his birth, LBH asked the Facebook community to choose a name, and after a number of creative - and fitting - suggestions, including Miracle, Hoot, and Native American names relating to his Owls Head roots, our followers settled on Owl.

The younger is Lonestar, another chestnut colt born to Owls Head mare Jewel. Like Suzy, Jewel was already carrying her foal when she arrived at A Little Bit of Heaven, and staff and volunteers harbored concerns for her baby as well. Fortunately, Lonestar is following in his older counterpart's hoofprints and is doing well. This little colt was born on March 24th, and has already been adopted by one of our dedicated volunteers! Lonestar was named by his adoptive owners, and will remain boarded at our rehab facility until he is six months old.

Both colts and their mothers can be seen on-site at A Little Bit of Heaven (from a safe distance!), and are already undergoing socialization training.

Source: A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc.

March 2015

A Little Bit of Heaven Marks 1-Year Anniversary

A Little Bit of Heaven staff recently marked the passing of our first anniversary with a look back on the trials and triumphs of our founding year. We have just passed our one year mark. It has been a rough year with many roller coaster rides. We would not have gotten this far without the love and dedication of our volunteers and business supporters. This next year is opening with horses leaving to their new homes in large numbers, and many are also leaving to be fostered out or are pending adoption. We coming into this year strong and thank all of you who celebrate with us as we climb to the top!

March 2015

Kids Days at A Little Bit of Heaven!

A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc. will be hosting "Kids Days" every Sunday in March from 12 pm - 4 pm! Face painting, horse and wagon rides, games, contests, 50/50 for adults, and much more! Come out and have some fun with our horses!

Source: A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc.

March 14 2015

A Little Bit of Heaven at Hannawa Falls Craft/Vendor Fair

A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc. equine rehabilitation center will have a vendor and information table at the Hannawa Falls craft and vendor fair on March 14, 2015. The event will be held at Hound's Haven (the HWFD hall) from 10 am - 4 pm and will include a silent auction to benefit the volunteer fire department. Also attending will be one of our business sponsors - HeyEvent.com

February 21 2015

A Little Bit of Heaven Participates in Tri-Town Winter Carnival

Board members and volunteers fromA Little Bit of Heaven recently took part in the Tri-Town Winter Carnival on February 21st. Several volunteers braved frigid temperatures to ride on the rehabilitation center's St. Patrick's Day float to greet members of the public and show their support for the local community. Photos of the float, which won third place, are available on the rehab's Facebook page. Other volunteers manned the rehab's vendor and craft table at the Brasher Falls Knights of Columbus, where they handed out information about the rehabilitation center, its horses, and services, and offered up tasty treats and crocheted items for sale.

Source: A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc.

February 7 2015

Heart to Heart Fitness Zumbathon Benefit

On Saturday February 7, 2015

Heart to Heart Fitness Center,
Laura Barnes, Monica Boyea, Cindy Debeer, Maggie Engels, Stephanie Houle and Donna MacPherson

Would like to invite you to a Zumbathon benefit for “A Little Bit of Heaven” horse rescue, sanctuary and rehabilitation center.

Registration will begin at 11:00am
and the event will begin promptly at 11:30am and end at 1:00pm.

The fee for the class is only $10 and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the horse rescue.

There will also be a 50/50 drawing held at the end of the event, we can’t wait to see you here!

UPDATE! (from LBH Facebook Page): Today's zumbathon at Heart to Heart was a complete success! The owner, and staff have hearts bigger than you can imagine and helped to raise enough money for a few weeks of hay for our horses! We would like to thank all of them and also the instructor who won the 50/50 and donated the money back to the horses. We would also like to thank Akwesasne Puppy Style Dog Biscuits, Sorelle Bake Shop and the House of Groom who support us and showed their presence for this fundraiser, the businesses who donated items for the gift basket, and our very own volunteers who came out to show their support for us today: Stacie Ashley, Donna Heath, and Kim Koboski! Every one of you made a huge difference in the lives of these horses today. For those of you who came out to participate in the event - we thank each and everyone of you for your generosity and loved talking with you all!

Source: Heart to Heart Fitness

February 6 2015

Horse Testing Begins at A Little Bit of Heaven Rehabilitation Center

Eleven horses have been cleared at A Little Bit of Heaven after they were tested individually and found not to have equine infectious anemia.

The 31 horses at the horse sanctuary and rehabilitation center in North Lawrence had been quarantined in October after 22 horses with no test history for EIA were taken from Owls Head to North Lawrence.

State Agriculture and Markets Law requires a negative EIA test in the 12 months immediately preceding transfer of ownership.

A Little Bit of Heaven’s owners had been asked to take in the Owls Head horses because of family issues at that sanctuary.

But Ag and Markets officials said the horses brought to North Lawrence were not isolated, which they said potentially exposed the rest of the herd at the facility to EIA, and they imposed the quarantine until all horses had been tested.

Officials at A Little Bit of Heaven had asked to test a few horses at a time because of the cost, but that request initially was denied.

However, in mid-January, state officials agreed to let them do individual testing.

Coggins testing has been done on 11 horses, and Vice President and Secretary Anne Foley said they learned Thursday that the tests came back negative.

The Coggins test is a sensitive diagnostic test for equine infectious anemia developed by Dr. Leroy Coggins in the 1970s.

“Things are starting to turn around,” Ms. Foley said.

She said a previous article about the organization’s plight prompted a phone call from the head state veterinarian at Ag and Markets.

“I’ve been dealing with him directly. We were able to come to a compromise as far as pulling the Coggins,” Ms. Foley said. “It took a while, but they finally contacted us to try to come to some kind of resolution.”

Now that they’re released from quarantine, she said, they will be able to participate in the Tri-Town Winter Carnival parade Feb. 21.

Ms. Foley said the sanctuary is at capacity with 31 horses until it is able to adopt or foster out some of them.

“We’re continually getting hammered with phone calls to take in more horses. The calls come from everywhere — Michigan, Buffalo. That’s just this week. We are obviously refusing them at this point,” she said. “I don’t think people realize how much of a need there is for this sort of thing.”

Some people have expressed a desire to adopt some of the horses once they’re cleared, she said, which will bring in some adoption income.

“As soon as they’re cleared, they’ll be able to be moved,” she said. “We have people ready to take them. Our goal is to rehome some of these horses so we can help other horses.”

One horse has been fostered out and is pending adoption. Another has been adopted and is waiting for the quarantine to be lifted.

A third person has filled out an application for pending adoption.

Because the facility hasn’t been able to adopt out any of the horses, Ms. Foley said, the cost of hay and other items has made funding tight. It costs about $100 a day to provide hay for the horses.

That doesn’t include the cost of grain, critical supplements for pregnant, injured and underweight horses, veterinary and farrier care, and basic operating expenses. Those items alone are more than $3,000 a month.

“We’re hoping that’s going to change once we’re able to let some of these horses go. People are waiting to take some of these horses,” Ms. Foley said.

Local businesses and private donors have helped during the quarantine, enabling the staff and volunteers to continue operating despite the loss of other revenue.

Heart to Heart Fitness in Hogansburg is among those helping the cause. It’s holding a Zumbathon on Saturday to raise money for A Little Bit of Heaven.

“We’re grateful to the people who have donated, and for the hard work put in by volunteers who set up these events,” Ms. Foley said.

“The support of local businesses like Heart to Heart, Laneuville Groceries and Alkies in Massena and Lavigne IGA in Brasher Falls helps more than they realize.”

It is also holding a candle and chocolate fundraiser, and has a donation account set up at GoFundMe.com. PayPal donations can be made at www.alittlebitofheaven.com.

“We’re looking at a couple other options that we haven’t put into place yet,” Ms. Foley said.

“Some people worry that online fundraisers take a percentage of the money, and they want 100 percent of their donation to go directly to the horses,” she said.

“We accept checks or cash, or people can stop into their local Community Bank and ask to make a donation to the Little Bit of Heaven account. The bank will deposit the money directly.”

Other donations also are welcome, President Michael Woods said.

“We’ll accept donations of hay or grain, gas cards, leftover produce, wooden pallets, office supplies — you name it,” he said.

But financial support isn’t all the sanctuary needs, Ms. Foley said. Volunteers are welcome.

“We could actually use help taking care of these horses and getting them ready to be adopted,” Ms. Foley said. “The big push is to get more volunteers — any way that they can help out to kind of free us up to be able to do more.”

“Time is possibly the most valuable donation a person can give,” A Little Bit of Heaven Treasurer Amanda Koboski said. “Mike and Anne can’t do this alone. They have two volunteers who help out at the center several days a week, but we have a desperate need for people who are willing to haul hay, pick up donated pallets, help build additional shelter for the horses and just assist in general.”

Source: Watertown Daily Times

January 29 2015

Announcing February Fundraisers: Candles & Chocolate!

A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc. will be running two additional fundraisers during the month of February. Volunteers will be taking Yankee Candle and Gertrude Hawk Chocolate orders through February 27th. Forty percent of all sales will be donated directly back to the rehab horses, and orders will be available for pick-up in time for the Easter holiday. Online orders may also be placed by visiting Yankee Candle directly (enter group number 990075543) or Gertrude Hawk Chocolates.

January 1 2015

A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc. Announces Board Changes

A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc. recently welcomed two new members to its Board of Directors. Long-term volunteer Amanda Koboski will now serve in the position of Treasurer, and Michelle Martin White has replaced Anne Foley as the rehabilitation center's Secretary/Office Manager. Board leadership has also changed with the new year, as former Vice-President Anne Foley takes on the mantle of President. Former President Michael Woods will continue to serve on the Board in the Vice-President position, which will allow him to focus on training and care of the rehab horses. All would like to thank former Board member Brandon Thompson for his dedicated service and invaluable contribution to the establishment of the rehabilitation center.

January 1 2015

Local Fitness Center Seeking Participants for Zumbathon Fundraiser

Heart to Heart Fitness in Hogansburg, NY recently posted on their Facebook page asking individuals interested in participating in a fundraising Zumbathon to contact them. "The local shelter for horses in North Lawrence is in financial trouble because they rescued another 22 horses and it is the beginning of winter.....

Who would be willing to do a Zumba-thon to raise money and help with the cost of feeding the horses... this is a great cause!" The owner is trying to gauge interest levels before scheduling the event. Interested parties are asked to contact Heart to Heart Fitness directly - the event won't happen unless enough people express interest!

Source: Heart to Heart Fitness

December 30 2014

Little Bit of Heaven Vice-President Disputes Quarantine Restrictions

Horses at A Little Bit of Heaven in North Lawrence remain under quarantine, even those who Vice President Anne Foley said were already there, had already been tested and have been separated from 22 other horses brought in from Owls Head.

The vice president and secretary for a non-profit North Lawrence horse sanctuary and rehabilitation center says some of their horses that were already located at the center should not have been quarantined by the Department of Agriculture and Markets after they took in several other horses from another horse sanctuary in Owls Head.

“We did have horses that were all set and ready to go when the quarantine went into effect. They were vaccinated, had the Coggins and they were ready to go,” Anne Foley from A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc., 35 Hallahan Road, North Lawrence said.

The Coggins test is a sensitive diagnostic test for equine infectious anemia developed by Dr. Leroy Coggins in the 1970s.

All of the horses at A Little Bit of Heaven, which opened its doors in March, had been quarantined by Ag and Markets after they learned in October that 22 horses with no test history for Equine Infectious Anemia were taken from Owls Head to North Lawrence. State Agriculture and Markets Law requires a negative EIA test in the 12 months immediately preceding transfer of ownership.

A Little Bit of Heaven’s owners had been asked to take in the Owls Head horses because of family issues at that sanctuary.

But Ag and Markets officials said the horses brought to North Lawrence were not isolated, which they said potentially exposed the rest of the herd at the facility to EIA.

They said that since EIA is spread by mosquitoes and because ownership of the horses took place while mosquitoes were still prevalent in the area, they informed President Michael Woods of his obligation to test the 22 horses that they said were moved illegally, as well as the other horses that had been exposed to them without testing.

At that point, they said, they had no choice but to quarantine the 22 transported horses and all of the horses exposed to them until testing was done to indicate EIA was not present in the animals.

Without the testing, Ag and Markets officials said, there was the potential to allow a fatal horse disease to spread.

“We don’t deny that the horses need the Coggins. We’ve been aware of that from the very beginning. They told us we could haul without it before as long as it was drawn before they left here, then they turn around and quarantine us,” Ms. Foley said.

The horses were not tested before they left Owls Head because they were too wild, Ms. Foley said, a fact she said she shared with Ag and Markets officials.

“I said the situation is we stated over and over again and the former owner had informed me that no vets would go there to draw these horses because they were wild. We were working to handle it, to get the tests needed,” she said.

Until they’re cleared by Ag and Markets, none of the animals can leave the premises, meaning the loss of adoption income. The organization is also handling the cost of feeding and caring for all of the animals while seeking donations to assist with that effort.

The horses that were already in North Lawrence have not been mixed with the untested horses from Owls Head and should be allowed to be adopted out, according to Ms. Foley.

“Our herd is not mixed in with the other horses on the property. The other horses had their Coggins. We don’t mix the horses until we’re sure they’re tested or vaccinated. I have a couple of personal horses out there as well. They wont let us take any horse off the property, even those that have already been tested. That’s our hangup with it. The stipulations they set up totally contradict each other for releasing the quarantine,” she said.

They have been unsuccessful so far in having a veterinarian come to check the horses brought in from Owls Head.

“Even a vet that would be willing to work with us, that would be good. People just think we’re ignoring the law or we don’t understand it. That’s not the case. It’s not that we don’t know the law. We do understand the law. They’re not working with us or educating us. We’re just trying to find satisfaction with them,” Ms. Foley said.

Ag and Markets officials, however, have previously said otherwise.

“Our department has provided options to this facility and is willing to continue educating the owners of this facility about how they can offer their horses for sale or adoption in compliance with existing law,” Ag and Markets spokesman Joe Morrissey said in an emailed statement.

Among the options that Ag and Markets officials have declined, Ms. Foley said, was to draw a few horses at a time.

“We asked if we could separate the horses and draw a few at a time. They said no,” she said. “They basically stated we could stay under quarantine forever until all the horses are drawn They also worded it so any babies born on the premises would have to be drawn before they were released. Under the law, it’s not required to be drawn until six months.”

The horses, meanwhile, remain under quarantine, with the costs for their care adding up. Anyone who would like to contribute can go to GoFundMe.com. Contributions will assist with hay, feed and other supplies.

Source: Massena-Potsdam Courier Observer

December 18 2014

North Lawrence Horse Sanctuary Seeking Donations to Keep Operation Running

A nonprofit North Lawrence horse sanctuary and rehabilitation center has gone into fundraising mode while it is prevented from earning any income by adopting out horses.

A Little Bit of Heaven, which opened in March, is unable to allow animals to leave the property after a quarantine restriction was placed on it by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.

“They are unable to allow animals to leave the premises, and therefore the adoption income is no longer available. In addition, since no animals can leave, they are being financially buried because there is no way to lower the cost of feeding and caring for the animals. They were told that their best viable option was to send the horses to slaughter in Canada or Mexico,” volunteer Michelle S. Martin White said, adding, “saving the animals from that very fate is the reason they exist.”

The financial burden for hay, feed and other supplies is getting to be too much, according to President Michael Woods. Hay alone is costing approximately $3,000 a month.

“It’s getting close. We have 30 horses right now,” he said.

Mr. Woods said many of the horses came from another horse sanctuary in Owls Head.

“We got a call from a guy in New York City. He had a herd of horses in Owls Head and asked if we could take them. His father started a horse sanctuary, but he died in a fire and his mother has Alzheimer’s,” he said.

Mr. Woods and Vice President Anne Foley went to Owls Head to look at the horses.

“It was kind of a mess. There were a couple of studs in the herd. There was inbreeding and everything else. They were paying caretakers who weren’t really doing anything. We ended up taking the whole herd (of 22 horses). We trucked them all to North Lawrence,” he said.

Agriculture and Markets officials say that in October it came to their attention that 22 horses with no test history for equine infectious anemia had been taken to A Little Bit of Heaven. State law requires a negative EIA test in the 12 months immediately preceding transfer of ownership, they said.

Without financial assistance, he said, the only option they would have is to close their doors.

Launeuville Groceries and Bottle, 310 E. Orvis St., Massena, is trying to help by holding a bottle drive. The store has a container near the counter for people to donate their bottle receipts. That drive runs until Jan. 31.

The owners have also started a GoFundMe campaign at www.gofundme.com/i5v84s. Contributions that will assist with hay, feed and other supplies are very welcome, Mr. Woods said.

As of Wednesday, the sanctuary had raised $1,170 toward its $25,000 goal.

“If people could find it in their hearts to please donate $1, we may be able to reach $1,000 to buy us three weeks of feed to continue our different fundraising projects,” Ms. Foley said on the fundraising page.

State officials said the horses brought to North Lawrence were not isolated, which they said potentially exposed the rest of the herd at the facility to EIA. They said that since EIA is spread by mosquitoes, and because ownership of the horses took place while mosquitoes were still prevalent in the area, they informed Mr. Woods of his obligation to test the 22 horses that they said were moved illegally, as well as the other horses that had been exposed to them without testing.

At that point, they said, they had no choice but to quarantine the 22 transported horses and all of the horses exposed to them until testing is done to indicate EIA is not present in the animals.

Without the testing, Agriculture and Markets officials said, there is the potential to allow a fatal horse disease to spread.

They said they also discussed options with Mr. Woods for handling untrained or unbroken horses, including suggesting that they built a chute or handling facility on the premises. They also noted that current law permits untested horses to be sent directly to slaughter.

“Our department has provided options to this facility and is willing to continue educating the owners of this facility about how they can offer their horses for sale or adoption in compliance with existing law,” Agriculture and Markets spokesman Joe Morrissey said in an emailed statement.

But Mr. Woods maintains the horses at his farm have been checked by a veterinarian and have been found disease-free.

“I don’t quite understand it myself. Anything we’ve looked at, they have to have a reason to put you under quarantine,” he said.

He said building a chute as state officials had recommended would be too expensive.

“It would cost me like $3,000 to $5,000 to build a chute,” he said.

In the meantime, the horses cannot be adopted out as a source of income.

“They can’t leave here. We have to do the whole herd before they’ll release us from under quarantine,” Mr. Woods said. “I have four personal horses. I can’t even move them, I can’t use them. They have to stay on the property.”

He said he believed that the horses that were already on the property would be able to leave, and they could work with the 22 they brought in. But that’s not the case anymore.

“Then they quarantined me. I can’t get rid of any of the horses that are ready. Everything is on hold except for the feeding and care of the horses,” Mr. Woods said.

Source: Watertown Daily Times

November 13 2014

Saturday Jamboree in Winthrop Will Benefit North Lawrence Equine Rehabilitation Center and Sanctuary

A Nov. 15 jamboree will raise funds for a local equine rehabilitation center and horse sanctuary, A Little Bit of Heaven.

The event is slated to start at 1 p.m. There will be bands, an auction, a 50/50 raffle and food.

Proceeds will go to building a new barn and taking care of horses they recently took in.

“We take unwanted horses that were heading to slaughter and have potential and rehabilitate them, and adopt out to good homes," A Little Bit of Heaven vice president Anne Foley said.

She says they have taken in 31 horses in five months, which is close to their full capacity.

"These horses have come from places including Long Island, Vernon, Owl's Head, Syracuse and Connecticut," Foley said. "The word is rapidly spreading as many callers with unwanted horses state that all other facilities are full or there is an extensive waiting list."

She says in that time frame, they have also received recognition from New York state as a non-profit.

Foley says they will take volunteers who want to help with the animals.

Anyone interested in learning more about the equine rehabilitation center can contact them at 276-5415 or alittlebitofheaven14@gmail.com. Their address is 35 Hallahan Road, North Lawrence.

Source: North Country Now

September 2 2014

Equine Rehab Center Looking for Owners of Horses Dropped Off at Farm

The president and vice president of an equine rehabilitation center in North Lawrence are in a quandary over four horses that were dropped off at their farm this month.

A Little Bit of Heaven, Inc., President Michael Woods and Vice President and Secretary Anne Foley said they were told the horses would be shot by their owner if they didn't take them in. But now that the horses are in their possession, they wonder who their owners really are and, although they've had folks approach them about adopting some of the horses, they don't want to make a move until they find out.

“We want to let people know, if there are owners out there, number one, these horses are getting the care that they should have been getting and, number two, we are not releasing these horses at this time until we get this sorted out,” Foley said. “We want to find out if there are other owners and where these horses came from,” Woods said.

While they were traveling near Utica, Foley said they received a phone call from a horse hauler at midnight on Aug. 20. He told them he had a loaded trailer of horses that he said were going to be shot by their owner if someone didn’t get them.

“He asked if we had room and could take some because he stated he had nowhere to go with them and they had to be delivered immediately. So we hurried home from out of town to receive the horses,” Foley said.

“We jumped in the truck and headed back home at 11:30 that night,” Woods said.

They arrived back home at 2:40 a.m. and the hauler pulled in with the horses at 4:20 a.m.

“Three of them were underweight,” Woods said.

“When they came in, we were told, ‘They came from a lady in Syracuse who was going to shoot them that night if they weren’t gone because she had no money to care for them,’” Foley said.

But the hauler’s story about the fate of the horses may not have been true, Foley said. They started receiving calls and messages from numerous people the next day, indicating that there was an investigation going on over the horses.

“We got a message that the guy had a horse rescue and riding stable off his range. The next morning we got messages that these horses were from his stable and they belonged to him,” Woods said.

“We did contact the authorities in the Syracuse area and was told there was not a current investigation in the hauler’s name. They knew off-hand that he was not currently under investigation,” Foley said.

However, they also received information via telephone calls and Facebook messages that the horses had names and may have belonged to others and were being boarded by the hauler.

Although they said they were told none of the horses had names or documentation, Woods and Foley did their own research and were able to find out information about one horse, a thoroughbred with a tattoo on his mouth.

“I looked up his tattoo. I found his name and age, but she (Foley) called the Thoroughbred Association to find out more information on him. He hasn’t been re-registered in quite a few years, so they don’t really know who owned him last,” Woods said.

Because of the uncertainty over the horses, Foley said she contacted New York State Police.

“I wanted to let somebody know that I didn’t know if these horses are stolen or not,” she said.

Woods said they were advised by state police not to let the horses go until the issue was resolved, even though there are already some people who want to adopt them.

“I have two people who want to adopt already,” he said.

But, they reiterated, the horses are staying until they can find out who actually owns them.

“My phones are blowing up. Our Facebook site is filled with people saying these horses should have never been taken. Either way, these horses were in desperate need of feed, which is why we took them in an emergency situation. The horses needed to be fed and needed care. We had no information other than the lady from Syracuse was going to shoot them,” Foley said.

Now they hope whoever owns them will step forward and claim the horses.

“If these horses belong to someone, we need to get them back to someone. If anyone has information on these horses, please contact us so that if they are owned we can get them back to where they belong,” she said.

A Little Bit of Heaven Inc. can be reached by phone at 276-5415, by email at alittlebitofheaven14@gmail.com or on Facebook.

The organization, which is located at 35 Hallahan Road in North Lawrence, takes in unwanted, mistreated, abused or neglected horses to rehabilitate and place them in good homes and prevent good horses from going to slaughter.

“Our goal is to give the horse a purpose or chance in life to meet their fullest potential,” their Facebook page said.

Source: Watertown Daily Times