Moraine, Ohio deputy mayor Elaine Allison helps West Virginia horses recover from neglect
MORAINE, OH (June 2, 2010) — Elaine Allison’s coworkers and her fellow Moraine, Ohio city council members would be surprised to learn how the deputy mayor spent her Memorial Day weekend. Instead of relaxing and enjoying the long weekend with friends and family, Allison joined other volunteers with California-based United Animal Nations (UAN) to care for 49 horses, mules and donkeys seized in one of the largest equine cruelty cases in
  Elaine Allison, the deputy mayor of Moraine, Ohio, donned her Emergency Animal Rescue Service “uniform” to help 49 horses, donkeys and mules rescued from neglect in West Virginia. 
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The Vice President of Business Banking at PNC Bank and co-owner of Possum Creek Stables traveled to Mason County, West Virginia on Thursday, May 27 at her own expense to help set up and operate a temporary shelter where volunteers would care for the animals after they were rescued.
Allison hauled hay, lay down sawdust, sorted and organized tools, unloaded animals from transport vehicles, settled them into their stalls, and brought them food and water. She then undertook the daily tasks associated with caring for the animals — feeding and watering, cleaning stalls, assessing the animals’ needs, and helping a veterinary team corral the animals so they could be medicated. Allison stayed at the shelter for five days, providing invaluable horse handling skills during the crucial early stages of the response, when the horses are most likely to be frightened and skittish.
“You would never guess this was Elaine’s first time responding with UAN,” said Janell Matthies, UAN Emergency Services Manager. “She is extremely knowledgeable about equine care and has been unafraid to jump in wherever needed, plus she understands the flexibility required in emergency animal sheltering.”
The horses, mules and donkeys were found in horrible condition on a property in Wayne County, West Virginia. Many were extremely emaciated and suffering from a variety of medical ailments including overgrown, infected hooves, parasite infestation and untreated wounds. Concerned local citizens, shocked by the condition of the equines, had complained to the Cabell-Wayne Animal shelter and the Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) was called in to act as the lead animal welfare organization in the case and called UAN to provide sheltering support, a core competency of the organization.
Distinguished by their red shirts, UAN volunteers are specially trained to care for animals at temporary shelters after they have been rescued from cruelty and neglect situations or displaced by natural disasters. UAN has 3,000 trained, active volunteers in the
Allison took UAN’s all-day volunteer training workshop in 2008. Though she volunteers with the Humane Society of Greater Dayton and cares for her own two
“I was so excited to be on my first UAN emergency sheltering operation and to get these animals the care they so richly deserve,” she said. “They cannot speak for themselves, so we need to be their advocates.”
- Please support our work in West Virginia by donating to our Disaster Relief Fund.
- Read more about this emergency sheltering effort and see photos on our Emergency Response Blog.
Founded in 1987, United Animal Nations (UAN) focuses on bringing animals out of crisis and strengthening the bond between people and animals through a variety of programs, including emergency sheltering, disaster relief services, financial assistance and education. Learn more at www.uan.org.
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