Unexpected twist accelerated charity’s race to build horse sanctuary

No 1 knows precisely however agelong Annie was connected her own.

A 430-pound mare, Annie was abandoned determination successful the Las Vegas Valley. Christy Stevens, the laminitis and enforcement manager of Hearts Alive Village, a Las Vegas-based foundation that helps rescue animals find everlastingly homes, doesn’t cognize wherever she came from.

Annie wasn’t alone, exactly. When carnal power recovered her earlier this year, she was with a fewer of her friends — Chase, a 12-year-old American Eskimo dog, and 5 goats: LaVern, Whitaker, Finn, Ansel and Jax.

They were initially brought to The Animal Foundation, which has a tiny barn, but Annie and her friends needed a semipermanent home, oregon astatine slightest a spot with much space.

Within a month, Annie had gained 160 pounds and was happily surviving connected a marque caller equine sanctuary successful the Las Vegas Valley. Her travel required a spot of luck, immoderate bully timing and a mates flights crossed the Pacific Ocean.

Stevens and her squad had ever dreamed of gathering a equine sanctuary successful the Las Vegas Valley. Earlier this year, Stevens mentioned it successful an interrogation with a newsman arsenic a semipermanent goal, possibly a fewer years down the road. Then things picked up.

First, David Hammer and Alice Whitfield-Hammer, members of the Hearts Alive Village committee of directors, decided to merchantability their spot successful Hawaii and bargain onshore successful Las Vegas. That meant that Tom and Sharon McGarry, who had managed the Hawaii property, abruptly had a caller occupation connection — successful Kyle Canyon.

Excited for a caller adventure, the McGarrys soon moved into a location connected the property.

The program was to yet physique a unchangeable connected the 4.5 acres, suitable for 20 horses arsenic the Hearts Alive Village equine sanctuary. It would beryllium acceptable adjacent the extremity of the year.

For a small bit, it was conscionable them and their rescue dog, Jack, who was frightened to permission their broadside and research the property.

Then, successful August, Stevens heard astir Annie, and she called the McGarrys to inquire if they could instrumentality her successful connected conscionable a fewer days’ notice. A spokeswoman for The Animal Foundation declined to marque anyone disposable to beryllium interviewed for this story, offering lone a one-sentence connection saying that they “appreciate each of our partners.”

Hearts Alive Village wasn’t acceptable to instrumentality successful a horse, but it was clip to accelerate their plans.

“We didn’t person a trailer yet,” Stevens said.

“We didn’t person a shelter,” Tom McGarry said.

Just a fewer days later, they did, moving done the play to marque definite they were acceptable for Annie’s arrival. They besides took successful each 5 goats, gathering a spacious pen for them to roam. Suddenly Jack had a radical of friends. Only astir 8 months old, helium routinely wandered astir the ranch, playing with the goats and making the rounds earlier nightfall each day.

He besides developed a heartwarming relationship with Annie. Sometimes, erstwhile Tom McGarry takes Annie retired to locomotion astir the property, Jack volition drawback the enactment successful his rima and pb Annie himself.

The McGarrys besides program to invited Tyler, different rescue canine from Hearts Alive Village. There are plans to grow of the ranch by the extremity of the year.

Hearts Alive Village has the aforesaid precedence — uncovering everlastingly homes for animals that travel done the charity.

But it’s ever adjuvant to person a wide web of imaginable foster homes, and having a ample spot to location not lone workplace animals but besides dogs and cats is simply a immense assistance for the charity’s mission, Stevens said.

“We’re conscionable going to enactment our tails disconnected to effort to beryllium golden standard,” Stevens said. “And similar the remainder of Hearts Alive Village, the extremity is to determination animals into homes, but knowing it’s other hard to find homes for horses, they’ll person a everlastingly location with us.”

Contact Jonah Dylan astatine jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan connected Twitter.