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Auction gives neglected animals a second chance
By JAMIE MALERNEE
© St. Petersburg Times, BROOKSVILLE -- The smell of manure, sweat and excitement hovered over the Hernando County Fairgrounds. The sound of horses whinnying, geese honking and people muttering filled the air. It was strategy time. Hundreds of people descended on the animal holding area at the fairgrounds Saturday morning, hoping to snap up a deal -- a $1,500 Arabian horse for $600, maybe a cute billy goat for next to nothing -- at an auction of more than 50 livestock animals found neglected at a ranch in Spring Lake last month. Cowboys furrowed their brows in concentration. Horse owners sized up a gelding recovering from overgrown hooves. Only the children, some of them decked in Stetson hats and belt buckles, just like their elders, betrayed their favorites. "Nanna and Pappa, look what I got!" squealed Curtis Bashaw Jr., 3, petting a baby goat. "Look it, look it!" As they looked, people walked around the stalls and tiptoed through what they hoped was just mud. Those decked in boots and work shoes tried not to smirk at the city slickers foolish enough to wear flip-flops. The fun really began with the bidding, which started two hours after animal viewing began. It was hot enough that only those truly serious about buying stayed to place their bets, or bids, as it were. The first animals up were a pair of young goats. "I have $10," the auctioneer said, soon building up speed. "I have $10, now $20. Now $30? Now $30, $30. $40? I heard $40. $50. Now $60? I have $60. $65? $65? $65. $70? I have $70, $75. Now $80? $85? $85? $85? Sell it to them for 80 bucks!" Charlene "Charlie" Gray, the auctioneer, did her best to entertain the crowd while taking their money. When she was having trouble seeing bidders, she admonished them: "Come on now, folks. If you got to get up, scream, holler, flap like a duck -- do it!" When a miniature horse had a few character flaws that needed to be disclosed, she breezed over them with a smile: "This little guy's name is Gator. And it's Gator for a reason. He has a little nibbling problem." When bidding slowed on a horned goat, she prodded the crowd. "Can't you see him? I know you can smell him, but can you see him?" Officials expected to take in about $10,000. All proceeds will go back into the budget of Hernando County Animal Services, which originally seized more than 150 animals from a woman who has since been fined $4,000 for animal mistreatment. The agency has been paying for their care. Authorities say Julia Hornik, 50, may suffer from animal hoarding, an obsessive-compulsive condition in which people who think they are rescuing animals take on too many and are unable to care for them properly. Of the animals seized, a dog and two kittens had to be euthanized because of poor health. Jim Varn, director of county Animal Services, was more than pleased with how the auction went. "We've had a real good turnout," he said before the bidding started. "And they're bringing trailers, so you know they're here to buy." He added that he would be relieved come Tuesday, when all the animals would be gone and all the stalls cleaned. Since the animals were seized in late June, he said, it had been an unending saga. "We have people who haven't had a day off since this started," he said. "But we've gotten a lot of feed and money and volunteers. It kind of reaffirms our belief in humanity." The truly happy people Saturday were those who walked away with a prize. Terry O'Donnell of Masarkytown got herself a donkey for $425. "I would have gone up to $800," she said smugly. "He's going to be a pet for the grandchildren." Lisa and Joe DiGiovanni bid $450 for a miniature horse on a whim, and won. "I just thought he was cute," Lisa DiGiovanni said with a laugh. "What the heck!" "We're addicted," her husband confided. "I go to all the auctions. I buy (stuff) at every sale." Diana Gill of Hudson seemed the happiest of all. She beamed as she placed the final $1,700 bid on a 9-year-old Arabian mare. It wasn't a bargain, but that didn't matter. Gill had worked as a volunteer for Animal Services after all the animals were first rescued and moved to the fairgrounds. This rescue mission was personal. "We came in to muck the stalls, and from Day 1 I wanted to take her home," Gill said. "She was thin, real thin, and rough. But she looks better now. There was never any question."
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