Not sure if you guys have read this story about Michael Vick but it just describes horrible acts of abuse of dogs.

If you can’t stomach the entire article, I’ll recap.

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Michael Vick and three others procured a property in Virginia for the purpose of staging dogfights, bought dogs and then fought them over a 6-year period.

But not a single line in the 18-page indictment will generate more rage toward Vick and the others charged — Purnell A. Peace, Quanis L. Phillips and Tony Taylor — than a sentence near the end. It reads: “In or about April of 2007, Peace, Phillips and Vick executed approximately eight dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing’ sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road by various methods, including hanging, drowning and slamming at least one dog’s body to the ground.”

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It goes on to describe other incidents of killing and fighting of dogs.

I really can’t take stories like this. I know I have Noah’s Ark at my house and not everyone has to rescue turtles (like I did this morning… about to get ran over)… however, I can’t stomach this.

I think he should be destroyed. Personally, professionally. He has serious mental problems. I don’t know him, and I don’t care. There is nothing that he could say in his defense to warrant or justify such cruelty.

The Falcons better release him and I hope he goes to jail for the max 6 years.

How can people be SO mean?

I haven’t heard from the Cooks’ previous owners and I’m so excited. How long do I have to wait until I email them back? I don’t want to seem like a stalker.

I can’t WAIT to see her little face.

People might wonder why I was so intend on finding out about her past. When I got her papers and found her registration number, I contacted the farm she was born at in New York. I exchanged several emails with the owner of the farm and just felt cold. He explained nicely that he was a breeder and that if they didn’t have racehorse career potential, then they were sold. He didn’t know Cook or Cook’s parents. I can’t explain why but it just HURT me.

So I just wanted to know that SOMEWHERE… somewhere in her past that someone knew her… remembered her… loved her… like I do. So I had given up and settled for the fact that she was with me NOW, I love her NOW and she is probably one of the most spoiled horses I know. Seriously, if the other horses wouldn’t make fun of her, I would wrap her in bubble wrap.

So I was tickled when the FL person I found who had her as a 5 year old knew her and remembered her instantly.

I was looking back at some old posts and I found this one…. I thought it still sums up the way I feel about Cook……

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I have an entire website dedicated to her daily happenings… but I hope that people know that she’s more than just a horse. I know people might look at her and say she’s ordinary, she’s common, she’s “little”. Like Jack Nicholson said in “As good as it gets”, I watch people walk past her stall, or dismiss the ordinary, little mare and never get they just met the greatest horse alive. And the fact that I get it, makes me feel good, about me.

She is truly, truly the most special thing in my life.

I have to believe that on some level that she knows that.

I ran from the time I got up to the time I laid down….

I visited with friends, hung out with Meredith, hung out with Rachel, rode a TON (7 rides in 2 days!) and saw Baby Jackson and Theresa.

Here is a newer picture of Howard, Mere’s baby (this is for nikki :-)

Here is a pic of Rachel on Cook. Look at her dapples!!

So tonight, I’m gonna take a break from the barn and rest up.

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Haven’t heard from the FL person about Cook yet, although it’s only been a few days. I can’t wait! I know she will look exactly the same. How can her face not?

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I realized that in a few days, my 1 year anniversary of riding Miss will be here. Wow. Funny how time flies.

Long story short, I found a previous owner of Cook. I haven’t heard or seen the details but I talked with her briefly this morning and she is gonna send me an email.

I’m so excited!! I can’t wait to see what she sends me.

and yeah… I cried on the phone when I was talking about how much she means to me.

Anyone here can vouch!

So I haven’t apparently been paying enough attention to what I’m doing at the barn. My life is so rush rush all the time, that I really need to slow downnnn.

Normally Birdie is my good little barn dog. She’s nice to all the animals and generally stays out of the way.

Yes the storm was coming and I decided that although the dark clouds were looming overhead, that I would quickly try and run to the ring to lunge Missy. (Shes’ a fantastic lunger). So she’s trotting and everything is fine. I ask her to canter and she canters… then my stupid arse DOG decides to bark and chase her a little. So I’m yelling at Birdie, Missy is freaking out and then ———- the lunge rope is snapped from my hand. So now Missy is running loose around the ring with the lunge rope trailing her which is even more scary to her.

That horse runs and runs.

Add to that the storm has started. So the wind is whipping around.

It takes me a good 10 minutes to catch her.

Sigh. Why is nothing easy?

(So note to self: She’s no Cookie. If you raise ur hand to Cook or tell her ‘whoa’ she stops. and lets you approach her… Perhaps it was because Missy was scared… she didn’t stop or slow down at all.)

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I’m a little frustrated because I virtually moved across the street from the barn and I had these fantasies of riding all the time. Somehow it hasn’t worked out that way. I have plenty of excuses… sick, tired, nchja (show), covering the barn, too hot, Cook lame… but it just still aggravates me. I haven’t ridden in a week now! It’s just frustrating cause I know I have two horses to keep up with.

My friend James sent me this quote.

I thought it was applicable.

“Never make someone a priority when all you are to them, is an option.”

Hmm, what do you think about that?

So Cook’s eye is fine. Her wasp nest armpit thingy is fine.

So annoying!

arrived Sunday, July 8th.  19.5 inches long, 7lb, 1 oz.

 (this is Theresa’s baby…  )

As always, there has to be something going on. Early this AM, I had to go out to the barn because Cook’s eye swelled up again. UGH UGH UGH. I don’t get her. There is nothing in her pasture that is unsafe. she is literally in the most safe area, it’s 3 board fencing, and a square shape pasture. It has two non acorn, non fruit producing trees which provide shade and has fencing around them. Literally it’s a pasture that is as close to a padded room as it gets.

Anyway, Cook managed to rub her eye again and it swelled. She just drives me crazy. This on top of, being lame. I know that’s the breaks with an older TB but still. Drives me batty.

The other day I had to wash her with Ivory soap and put MTG all over her tail because it was itchy and flaking off. The horse broke her stall door itching her butt on the door.

The very same day I’m washing her, I find that a bee or wasp has stung her and she has a swollen ball on her side. (about the size of a baseball).

The horse gets regularly sprayed with fly spray, wears a fly mask, has a good pasture mate (Missy)… I do everything but wrap her in bubble wrap and still! she manages to be on the injured reserve list.

So we are treating and waiting to see if it goes down tonight. It should.