Montgomery County Pct. 4 Livestock officers, accompanied by SPCA representatives, seized two horses, five dogs and four puppies from a home in the 14400 block of County Line Road near Willis on Monday.
Deputy Don Smith said the animals’ owner, 44-year-old Ronda Bounds, had a few more horses over the last couple of years and law enforcement had been tried to “get her in a routine of feeding the horse and get their body weight back up.” However, two horses died there in December, Smith said.
Click the arrow to view video.
The deputies went to the location with a warrant to seize all of the horses and dogs and have them evaluated by the SPCA. The results of the evaluation will be presented to a judge who will determine whether or not the animals are returned to Bounds.
Smith said the property is made up of three to five acres, and the land was completely bare. He said there were almost no leaves on the ground, indicating the horses had resorted to eating those along with whatever else they could find to survive.
As the economy has worsened, Smith says calls reporting animal neglect have increased because people cannot afford to feed them.