BE NICE. This is and has always been who I have tried to be. I don't understand how people can NOT be nice. We all know how it feels to be hurt and let down, AND IT SUCKS!
The last couple of weeks ASIAB has been attacked THREE TIMES by a couple of different people, who also rescue and care deeply about animals. Literally attacked, in a negative way. It completely bewilders me. We have YET to EVER attack anyone who is trying to save animals. We donate to other rescues to help them, as we financially can and we work with the community as much as we possibly can to help make a difference. We at ASIAB just want what is best for the animals that we are rescuing, as well as for the individuals who spend their time at the barn. It is as simple as that.
ASIAB was started with the mission and focus to save horses and donkeys from kill pens who ship to slaughter. THAT is what our mission has been and what we FOCUS on and have since DAY ONE. THAT is what is listed on our papers we had to file to be a 501c3 organization. Other rescues focus on shelters, others on auctions, others on local neglect cases. ALL ARE AMAZING CAUSES. If you don't have a focus, then you cant have structure, or a business plan WHICH YOU NEED, to be able to care for the animals that you are taking responsibility for. At the end of the day, we ALL want what is best for the animals and do not like to see any of them suffer. WE ARE ALL just trying to make a difference.
When we started ASIAB, I had no idea how corrupt and messed up this whole horse industry is.It is a vicious cycle and a vicious system of lies, manipulation, back stabbing.. its evil. I guess if you want to play with the devil you have to expect there are going to be negative remarks and people trying to stop such a positive thing.
Some of this system goes like this: People post horses on Craigslist, people purchase the horses for cheap off the ads and sell them at local auctions who have kill pen buyers patiently waiting for a deal, both via online bidding as well as in person, who then snatch them up, and based on the margins they can get on the horse, the horse is either listed and marked up substantially on their websites with a slaughter ship date, or chipped and tagged as a direct ship to hit their quota to the various slaughter houses in Mexico and Canada. They all ship, it is just a matter of when will they ship. Yes, some of them end up at other auctions if the kill pen buyer feels like they can make a higher margin, but it IS ALL STILL PART OF THIS DISGUSTING CYCLE OF A SYSTEM and most of them end up back at another auction and eventually are so skinny or injured or both that they end up as a direct ship horse.
We get SO MUCH SHIT for rescuing horses from the kill pens that are marked up and so much shit for rescuing horses who are direct ship, because these horses are not at local auctions when we buy them. YOU ARE RIGHT, they AREN'T! BUT, they are still stuck in this vicious cycle, and most of them will still end up shipping to slaughter. The cycle isn't going to stop or end, THAT is the sad truth. We are going to continue with our mission, which is to rescue horses and donkeys off of the kill pens. I encourage you to, instead of bashing and choosing negativity, to focus on rescuing and making a difference. To find your own personal mission that helps to save more horses then to bring about negativity to those who are working their asses off, volunteering because they care, to help these horses. CHOOSE WORKING TOGETHER to make a difference.
If you are concerned with horses at auctions, start an auction rescue. If you are concerned with local neglect cases and shelters, start a local rescue with that focus. If you don't know how to start it, ASK! Almost every rescue I have had the privilege with meeting and chatting with, has been more then happy to give you suggestions help you to be successful. BE NICE. DONT BASH. Just focus on what the problem is and be the person that chooses to step up to be the change needed to solve that problem. THAT Is how shit gets done and how change is made.
