Welcome to

Panhandle  Equine  Rescue

ABOUT US

Panhandle Equine Rescue, Inc. was founded by a small group of concerned citizens. PER became incorporated on February 1, 2005 and soon became authorized by the court of Escambia County, Florida to investigate reports of equines in trouble. In February 2007, PER became authorized by the court of Santa Rosa County, until county government support issues forced PER out in August 2007. PER currently has two investigators to verify if there have been violations of state laws made for the purpose of protecting animals or preventing any act of cruelty to animals. Our investigators attended an intensive three-day Horse Cruelty Investigation Workshop at the North Carolina State University and still do continued education at every opportunity. 

Our purpose is to investigate reports and verify that there is a problem. Our goal then is to educate owners. We would much rather have the owner take responsibility for their horses than for us to have to take them. When we take a horse, it then becomes our responsibility for its lifetime, which involves a tremendous amount of time, work, and money. We spend most of our time doing follow ups to make sure that the owner is following our recommendations. 

Since PER began in 2005, we have worked 93 cases involving 365 horses. 37 horses have been rescued.   

PER has open meetings the second Thursday of every month at Fran's Country Grill on Hwy 29 North in Molino. We eat at 6:30 pm and the meeting starts at 7:00 pm. Sometimes we have special guest speakers. There is so much we want to accomplish this year and we hope to have lots of participants. Hope to see you at our next meeting!

Directions to Fran's: Take Hwy 29 North to Molino. Before the first blinking yellow light (at Molino Rd.), Start looking for Fran's Country Grill on the left side (West) of Hwy 29. The parking lot is usually packed, so a large number of cars on the side of the road is a good indicator. If you get to the second blinking yellow light, you need to turn around and head South.

If you live North of Molino, Head South on Hwy 29 past the Atmore Cutoff (the first blinking yellow light). The next blinking yellow light is Molino Rd. Fran's is just South on the right side of Hwy 29.

Meet the PER Staff:

Diane Lowery, President and Investigator

Chris Jones, Vice President

Michael Satterlee, Secretary/Treasurer

Rose Marie Winchester, Investigator

Jim Nowlin, Trainer, Adoptions Coordinator, and Board Member

Alice Harris, Board Member

PANHANDLE EQUINE RESCUE – MYTHBUSTING!
By Alice Harris, Member, Board of Directors

Various myths and rumors abound regarding the activities, behaviors, and motivations of the people who run Panhandle Equine Rescue (PER). As a member of the Board of Directors of PER for over a year, I would like to do some "Myth-Busting."

Myth: PER does not operate on the "innocent until proven guilty" system.
Fact: PER only investigates when abuse and/or neglect has been reported. Objective standards such as Body Condition Index are employed to determine if horses are underweight and site inspections determine whether water, feed, grass and hay are available and whether fencing is horse-safe.

Myth: PER acts as "judge, jury, and executioner."
Fact: PER investigations may reach the legal system through 2 possible routes – criminal or civil. The State Attorney's office investigates and makes decisions about whether a person should be charged with a crime. Civil legal action is taken when PER believes it is necessary to protect the life or health of an animal by removing it from an owner. A judge decides whether to remove abused or neglected equines based on evidence including photographs and reports from PER investigators.

Myth: PER harasses owners when they have not done anything wrong. These owners do not receive any type of compensation or apology after they have been wrongly accused of abuse or neglect.
Fact: PER cannot prevent wrongful accusations and it has an obligation to investigate abuse reports. Only through investigation can PER determine if abuse or neglect exists. If so, PER attempts to persuade owners to properly care for their equines.

Myth: PER uses "strong-arm" tactics to make owners surrender their horses to PER.
Fact: Some owners decide to turn their horses over to PER in lieu of providing adequate care for them. Only if an owner does not provide minimal acceptable care does PER ask a judge to award the animal to PER.

Myth:PER makes money from taking and then reselling horses.
Fact: PER would much rather have the owners maintain responsibility for their equine, as every horse taken in by PER is a financial burden to the organization. Some require extensive medical care and rehabilitation before they can be placed for adoption and adoption fees almost never come close to covering the cost incurred by PER and foster parents. Because equines are adopted out, not sold, PER is ultimately responsible for the equine's well-being for the remainder of its life. PER is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization depending entirely on volunteers and private donations.

Last updated: Tuesday July 29, 2008.

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