I finally broke down and called animal cruelty

You definitely did the right thing. They can do their investigation and find out the whole story and do what's best. Good for you for calling!

It's sad that some people just can't have what they want (in this case a horse), but that's just the way it is. No reason the horses have to suffer for his "enjoyment".

C'mon, economy has NOTHING to do with it. If you have no money at all to feed and no place to keep and no desire to actually care (cleaning poops and brushing horses) - don't buy one in first place. And no, I'm not talking about people having horses, who had some unfortunate change in life (like divorce or loss of job) then may be you can go with the cheaper hay or ask friends or even rescue to help - people will always give you a hand, always! This situation is just pure ignorance and you did a right thing!

Quote:

Anyway, he stated out with one horse, who looks shaggy, unbrushed and it can stick its head through the guys window. Then he got two more and they live in a pen that is so small they don't have room to run. I doubt they have had any vet attention, there is debres all around, and they have no shelter. I had the last straw when the dog ran out into the road and I almost hit him, so I slowed down to make sure he ran back home and I got a good look at the horses. They had two inches of snow and ice on them and from what I could tell they were really boney.

Sorry to be a naysayer - But most of what you have posted is opinion and not facts. Do they look like they need vetrinary attention for any wounds/disease? Do they look sick? If it is snowing, I would HOPE they look shaggy! A small pen is no different to being stalled, except it isn't closed in.

Maybe it would have been worth having a chat to the guy - Oh hey, I noticed you got some horses, I have horses too! So on. You should try not to let any prejudices get in the way of your judgement.

I'd be pretty peeved if someone called AC on me bacsue my horse was in a yard, no shelter, and shaggy. My horses are always out with no shelter and shaggy in winter - And they are all fat and happy.

Well, unless she's blind, I'd say she can see the difference between a well-fed, dirty and fuzzy horse and a starved dirty and fuzzy horse.

Personally if I was in that position, if someone called the SPCA or whatnot on me, even if their investigation revealed nothing, that would be a wake up call to me that maybe I should change a few things, like build a run-in and maybe get the icicles off of my horses belly. If I was really adventurous, I'd but them each a blanket.

I definitely would have done the same thing....probably would have taken the dog home with me too, just to see if the guy actually noticed it was missing or not.

And that^^ is what we call stealing. And you can be prosecuted for it.

I have to agree with Wildspot here.
I had this happen to me first hand.....

Had an older rescue, that was skin and bones. She was on stall rest for about a month due to different ailments...but once she was well enough she was in a smaller corral which was located along side our driveway...(which happened to be visible from the road). She had already gained around 100lbs at this point, but still had LOADS of weight to go. We honestly thought she was going to die, the first month we had her.
The reason she was in a smaller corral was due to some hock and hoof injuries she had, and she wasn't to do a lot of moving around, but she still needed some excersice, as well as the grass, fresh air...seeing other horses, after being on stall rest for so long.

Well wouldnt you know, after about a week of her outside, we get the SPCA on our property a Lady had complained that our horse looked, boney, was in a small corral, and looked grubby and sad.
Uh...yeah...she was grubby...she only a month ago was a blink away from death!

This lady did not take the time to drive in our place to see all the other horses, fat, happy and healthy. She did not take the time to ask...Why?
I would of happily explained why.
Needless to say the SPCA left within minutes of arriving, and seeing our facility our horses, and what we were doing to aid the recovery of this mare.

So yeah, its best to get all the FACTS, and ask questions before jumping to conculsions!

And this is USUALLY the way the situation goes. It could all be cleared up by just asking a question or two.

Well, if the man wanted his dog back, all he would have to do is come and get it. It would be as simple as knocking on my front door, or even posting flyers to which I would respond. A dog running out into the middle of the road is one that I would consider a stray, and so by picking it up I'd save it from most likely being actually hit by a car. I've picked up lost dogs in and around my neighborhood before, and luckily, even though these dog do not have tags, I knew who they belonged to, and had no problems telling them when they opened their door to by a collar and put a county tag on it. While I had this dog in my custody, it would also give me an opportunity to examine, and possibly document, the condition of the dog. Check for fleas, ticks, general body condition, and whether or not the dog has had water recently. If a man doesn't care for his dog, he probably isn't caring for his horses.

If the dog had gotten out by accident, then I'm sure the man would be relieved that I had so graciously decided to pick it up, rather than leave it to become road kill.

I think the OP did the right think, I actually thought about this and when she reported it, she would have told them what she saw. SPCA/RSPCA know EXACTLY what she sad, so they can choose to make a big deal out of it, or a phone call. As for the dog, I would have watched that it went home and then if it hadn't picked it up and taken it back to the owner and said "Heyy, your dog was on the road and I noticed you had horses, so do I" . So what I'm trying to say is, if the SPCA are not worried about it they won't make a big deal. Its their choice in the end.