Rescued animals star at auction

Dedicated people place their bids on the 30 or so critters found neglected and starving Aug. 15 on a farm near the Pasco County line.

By BETH N. GRAY
Published November 5, 2004

BROOKSVILLE - The piglets were wiry and lively. The goats' coats were sleek, a sign of good nutrition.

The Holsteins, reknowned for putting their feed into milk rather than muscle, stood lean, their major bones jutting out as they should.

Ribs showed on some of the horses, but Hernando County Animal Services investigative officer Teri Blake said they are well on the road to recovery - just in time for Thursday's auction.

The animals, neglected and starving, were seized this summer. After 21/2 months of proper feeding, housing and veterinary and farrier care at Animal Services' livestock barn, the animals were being sold to recoup some of the $15,000 in unpaid boarding and other fees incurred by owner Adrian Cuesta of Land O'Lakes.

"I hope that we make enough to offset costs so it doesn't impact taxpayers," said Animal Services manager Liana Teague, before the auctioneer's gavel sounded. The $15,000 doesn't include veterinarian and feed costs, Teague said.

The roughly 50 prospective bidders who arrived to inspect the animals seemed to be a knowledgeable crowd. One man browsed through Farmer & Rancher, a newspaper, before the auction.

Many of those waiting for the midday event wore cowboy boots, leather hightops and Western shirts. A golden horse pendant hung from a woman's necklace. A T-shirt was emblazoned with the slogan "Saddle Up."

These were dedicated animal people waiting to bid on the 30 or so farm animals rescued Aug. 15. On that day, acting on an anonymous tip, Hernando County Animal Services employees found dozens of emaciated goats, pigs, sheep, cows, horses, ducks and geese at 25735 Dan Brown Hill Road near the Pasco County line. In all, 48 animals were seized.

Investigators found three dead pigs and a dead goat at the site. Some of the seized animals, including two sheep, are in Animal Services custody recuperating.

The county accused owner Cuesta of animal mistreatment, according to records filed in county court in August. No criminal charges have been filed.

Cuesta apparently fed the animals taco chips and vegetable refuse from restaurants - "anything he could get for free," said Blake, who handled the case for Animal Services.

Swine, without food, were ravaging carcasses. Pigs and goats were skin and bones, Blake said. Horses and dairy animals, penned in a grassy area where they could forage, were in slightly better condition.

Water troughs were green with algae. The small amount of feed stored in barrels was contaminated with garbage and infested with maggots, Teague said.

"When the animals were seized, a lot of them were starved," Teague said.

Blake blamed Cuesta's lack of knowledge about animal care and nutrition for the state of the animals.

"People buy an animal and think it will exist on clumps of grass and weeds," Blake said. "We have to educate (them)."

At the auction, many of the winning bidders were old farm hands.

Van Leeuwen, 70, of Citrus County, who bought a Holstein bull calf and a Jersey bull calf for $300 each, has been involved in dairying all his life. He planned to haul the bulls home to breed with his 10 heifers.

Chris Suter of Brooksville, who has raised swine "off and on for 10 years," arrived early to inspect the 10 piglets up for auction. He checked his handwritten notes o n thei r breed and physical development as bidding started.

Suter paid top price, $40, for a Yorkshire gilt that he estimated to be 4 months old.

"She was the biggest female in there," the 45-year-old said. He will raise the swine to maturity and breed her along with eight other sows on his farm, where he raises cattle, horses and guineas.

Debi Parker of Brooksville bought a goat for $30. Parker, acknowledging she has never kept a goat before, planned to visit the feed store to seek feeding advice.

Parker bought the red, white and blac k nanny goat to be a companion for the thoroughbred horse she has owned for five years.

"I just thought she was cute," Parker, 48, said of the nanny. And she was not disappointed about being outbid for a Nubian, a goat that fetched $90. Her nanny was a treasure to look at. "She's got a pretty little face, with that white spot," Parker said.

After the auction, Parker dashed home t o collect a dog crate in which she'd transport her goat to the family's farm.

A 2-year-old Paint filly advertised as "green," meaning untrained, fetched $925, the highest price among all the animals sold.

The winning bidder was William Manfull of Myakka City, who called in his bid by cell phone to auctioneer Mark Atkinson of Atkinson Realty and Auction Inc.

Manfull bought the filly for his 11-year-old daughter, Atkinson said.

The sale netted about $3,670 for Animal Services.

"I'm not disappointed," Teague said after the bidding.

Sale proceeds will go into the county's general fund and will help offset Animal Services costs, she said.

[Last modified November 5, 2004, 01:26:06]