Hobo Hank meets the press
Meet Hobo Hank – a very fortunate fellow.
One of the latest horses to take up residence in the MSSPA barns is a charming, mature gelding called Hobo Hank. Society staff members named Hank when he arrived at the South Windham, Maine farm in November 2008. Often, horses brought to the Society by municipal code enforcement officers, district humane agents or police officers come with very little information about their names or backgrounds. What is known is that the animals were taken from owners who were not willing to provide them with adequate food, shelter, or medical attention. Society workers must carefully assess these neglected animals to determine whether they are used to being handled, whether they are frightened by humans because they have been abused, and whether the animal is in pain from an injury or medical condition.
As MSSPA staff members work with a horse, the animal’s personality begins to emerge and often, a good name presents itself. Such was the case for Hobo Hank. Some information about Hank was given to the MSSPA when the horse was delivered by officials from the town where Hank had been roaming the roads endangering himself and others. Because the code enforcement officer’s report came along with him, the folks at the Society knew that Hank had been running loose on the roads. There were many complaints from people in the town about Hank being unconfined and looking thin and hungry. Hank was not being given enough to eat, and he went roaming the roads in order to find food. In the fall he was spotted in people’s gardens, eating plants. Other citizens saw Hank rummaging through dumpsters, nosing through the trash, trying to find enough to fill his belly. Several people in Hank’s neighborhood did the right thing and called the animal control officer to complain about the horse’s situation.
Poor Hank’s hooves were long, cracked, and badly in need of trimming. His teeth were in very poor condition, and the horse dentist paid him a visit as soon as Hank arrived at the Society’s barns in South Windham. Hobo Hank was very thin; he weighed nearly 200 pounds less than he should have. He was slowly starving to death.
Hank turned out to be a very sweet, charming horse who is grateful to have been rescued by local authorities. He was quite happy to give up roaming the roads in search of food and settle down into a clean, warm stall at the Society. Hank’s stall is cleaned every day, fresh shavings are put down for him to sleep on, and he is fed grain twice a day. Hank also has abundant hay to eat whenever he wants to. His stall has fresh warm water in a basin so he can drink as much as he wants any time day or night.
The farrier came to the Society and trimmed Hank’s hooves so he could stand comfortably. He can also run and play with his stablemates when turned out each day. Hank sees the dentist quite often because his teeth were in such poor condition when he was brought to the Society. He had one of the worst cases of bad teeth and sore mouth that Society President Marilyn Goodreau had ever seen in the 35 years she has run the farm.
Today, life is looking pretty sweet for Hobo Hank. He is now owned by the Society. His medical problems are being addressed by Dr. Flaherty, who checks Hank each time she visits the barn. As his properly trimmed hooves grows, the nutritious food he eats helps make his feet strong. Hank has gained weight and will continue to do so. He has plenty of playmates to play tag with and he loves halter games. Hank’s days of eating garbage and leftovers from the garden are over forever. He is a gentle, friendly horse who enjoys the affection of barn staff and the attention he receives from visitors to the barn.
You can see Hobo Hank at the Society’s 279 River Road, South Windham, Maine farm any day between 1:00 and 3:00 P.M. You will know him right away – he is the happiest looking fellow in the herd!
The Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals is a tax-exempt, 501(c) (3) and receives no federal, state or local funding. The Society is entirely funded by membership dues, donations, bequests, grants, and fund-raising activities. The Society does not charge for its services and seeks no reimbursement from any public source. The MSSPA provides more than one million dollars in services, annually, to the tax payers of Maine and salvation to abused animals.