Arrest made in animal cruelty case involving San Joaquin County pasture
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY — A good Samaritan is being credited for helping rescue dozens of animals from a San Joaquin County pasture after spotting a starving horse.
County Animal Control has identified and arrested that horse's owner, Adolpho Mora. He is facing a charge of felony cruelty against animals and failure to provide medical care.
Katy Mendes recorded video of the starving horse. She knew it needed help as its body had been reduced to skin and bones. Her young daughter was with her when they first saw it.
"The horse was kind of hanging out at the fenceline," Mendes said. "My daughter was in the back seat with me — and she's 6 — and she goes, 'Mom, why is that horse square?' Because she was so thin, that she had no roundness to her body at all."
Mendes stopped the car and called San Joaquin County Animal Contro, which immediately responded to the scene.
"Unfortunately, animal control is very limited in what they're allowed to do," Mendes said. "They cant trespass, they can't jump the fence to try and go see the horse.
"They came out every time we called. The officer had given us her phone number so that we could contact her."
Mendes and others kept watch for several days until, eventually, this horse became so weak it became unable to stand.
Animal control took over, locating, seizing and saving 31 animals on the property including horses, sheep, cows and goats. The one animal that did not survive, the horse, Mendes had tried to save.
"None of us have the time. You drive by and hope somebody else is going to do it," she said. "I mean, the biggest takeaway for me would be if you see something, say something, but also that it takes a lot more than one phone call."
This busy mom stopped everything for what would become a heartbreaking rescue effort. Her work helped save those 31 other animals.