For years, the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office has received regular complaints on the horse, a skinny 34-year-old mare that has become a fixture at Mattawan Auto Sales on Main Street in Antwerp Township.
This month, a local veterinarian and an animal control officer checked on the horse to see if it was being neglected after people called, concerned about a large growth on the animal's face.
But no vet care was provided until the investigation began so therefore, he failed to provide needed veterinary care - which is prosecutable under the animal cruelty statutes.
"The owner of the horse is currently cooperating with local volunteers and a veterinarian in making sure that Sugar’s medical needs are being met and that it is being provided with food, water and clean bedding," the news release said. "The tumor on the nose of the horse is reported to be inoperable according to the volunteers and veterinarian."
Nearly 4,000 people are members of the "Mattawan junk yard horse" Facebook page and regularly post their concerns about how scrawny the horse looks or report Sugar sightings.
"Sugar is an icon!!!!!" one person wrote on Facebook. "I can remember riding the bus to school and seeing her and another every morning! It is awesome that she has lived and been taken care of well enough that she is still there 20 years later!"
(MLive - July 15, 2011)
