Those horses were taken to a rescue near Quakertown. Many of their ribs were showing as they still work to recover.
Last Chance Ranch near Quakertown has been a saving grace for the horses, their emaciated bodies suffering from starvation and dehydration.
Authorities took 16 of them from a veterinarian's property on Sunny Rest Road in Parryville, near Palmerton, just last month, with the help of Carbon County's animal response team.
"It was very upsetting to everybody on the team. We brought in crisis workers to help everybody out," said team member Diane Shapless.
Police charged Clyde and Kimberly Shoop with 11 counts of animal cruelty. Clyde runs a veterinarian office in Jim Thorpe.
Newswatch 16 knocked on the door, only to have a woman answer and then slam it shut, telling us never to come back.
"That a man who's supposed to be dedicating his life to saving animals, and helping them, and making sure they stay healthy, to find animals that were in his care in this condition is just absolutely appalling," said Emily Monsen, Last Chance Ranch.
Three of the horses died. Now, nine of the horses are getting plenty of water and care at the Last Chance Ranch.
Some of the horses staying there were so weak they couldn't stand up on their own. Workers called the local fire department, which brought hoses and used them as slings to help them get up.
Some sheep, 10 dogs, and several other animals were also taken from the property.
Rescue teams say Shoop actually helped them on a call in 2013. They say summary charges are no consolation for this type of abuse.
"Not really," said Sharpless. "Giving water to animals is just something that should always happen."
According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, Clyde Shoop was fined $500 in 2002 for operating as a veterinarian on an expired license from May 1, 2001, to Dec. 12, 2001. His license was reactivated Dec. 13, 2001, records show.
The affidavit said state police in Lehighton were notified Jan. 20 that there were several dead horses and other animals in poor health on the property. On Jan 21, state Trooper Erin Cawley, animal cruelty liaison for the state police in Lehighton, observed a dead horse lying in a rear pasture of the Sunny Rest Road property, as well as five horses that appeared to be "dangerously thin for the current temperatures."
Police said the remains of three other horses were observed Jan. 22 underneath several pallets, and the remains of another horse were located on an additional part of the property underneath a partially burned mattress.
Moreover, two horses, a goat, a dog, two sheep and a lamb — all dead — were found in a pit in a wooded portion of the property, police said.
The Department of Agriculture is continuing to investigate.
(WNEP - Feb 4, 2016)
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