PETA Shakes Up Texas SPCA After Horse-Dragging

April 2001

A Texas woman contacted us in December after witnessing a horrible act of animal cruelty on her street. Her neighbor’s horse, Jake, had apparently gotten out of his stables and was struck by a car. The severely injured animal was down with internal injuries, broken legs, and a broken back.

Jake’s owner stated to authorities that he would put the animal out of his misery “the old-fashioned way” and returned to his house. The man allegedly returned two hours later, tied Jake by his neck to the back of his truck, and dragged the suffering horse 150 yards down the gravel driveway. Officials on site reportedly seemed more concerned with directing traffic than with the tragic events unfolding behind them.

PETA pressure resulted in a full internal investigation on the part of the reporting sheriff’s department to determine if there was any misconduct, and the local SPCA now requires its personnel to be trained in field euthanasia. Jake’s owner has been charged with cruelty to animals.