Re:  Nay vote on horse slaughter

To whom it concerns:

It is out belief after great research and personal contact with a
"killer buyer" that it is imperative that horse slaughter is banned.  ANYONE
that has seen up close and personal the treatment of horses at
auctions, during transport and at the slaughter house would ABSOLUTELY NOT
HESITATE. 

We have found that the majority of horses that are slaughtered are not
"unwanted and starving animals".  On the contrary the majority are in
very good flesh, hence the demand for their meat.  Because this goes on
there is a business for it.  There is a farm in northern Florida that
raises horses for slaughter and send them as late yearlings because the
meat is more valuable.  This is another case of greed where money is
the object.  Yes, ban horse slaughter and then come up with a solution. 
You must put the killer buyers out of business (these are generally not
well bred folk with concerns for the well being of animals).  Once the
ban is in place then we can move forward with options including making
breeders more responsible and having percents of racing purses
designated for retirement care.  It makes more sense to put money in the pocket
of people that want to help with the welfare than to put money into the
pocket of the irresponsible owners, the killer buyers and ultimately
the foreign slaughter companies. 

If there were rules that were actually followed in the treatment at
auctions, shipping and at the slaughter plant, I would still be against
slaughter but what is happening is ugly, very, very ugly. 

By the way, I don't support the AAEP stance and to humanely "euthanize"
a horse with a captive bolt a veterinarian that is trained is supposed
to do this and the head is to be held still to avoid multiple "hits"
with the bolt.   Horses shy away from objects that come toward their
head.  If you stand at the bolt site you will witness this and that they
are hit multiple times and sometimes still struggling while the slaughter
process is started.  If you stand at the bolt site for cattle (I have)
they methodically stand still and drop.

You cannot expect to have a plan totally in place before this practice
is banned or it will never stop.

Ron Dawe, D.V.M. and
Mrs. Ellen L. Dawe