Published: May 26, 2009 07:52 am      

Starving horses seized

FITZHUGH — A woman from the Fitzhugh area is facing charges of animal cruelty after officials confiscated two starving horses from her property Thursday.

Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Deputy Bryan Denny responded to numerous phone calls from concerned residents about the horses located at a home on County Road 3500.

Denny discovered the horses were without feed and were nibbling at tiny grass chutes in their pen of mostly dirt. He took photographs of the horses, showing them to be thin and gaunt.

“Upon review of the photographs with the sheriff and undersheriff, it was decided that the horses, for their own welfare, needed to be removed from the residence,” Denny said.

Denny returned to the residence and seized the animals. They were taken to a veterinarian who said the horses did not have any food in them, according to Sheriff John Christian.

Christian said the good news is the horses only need to eat and will not require any medical care. The sheriff’s office is currently searching for a home for them.

A report will be submitted to the district attorney’s office asking for charges against the owner, Shirley Belvin, 62, according to Christian.

Belvin told Denny she tried to feed them grain and sometimes let them into the yard. Denny said Belvin did not object to the horses being seized for treatment.