DOGS FOR ADOPTION

5. Expect less.

Our lives with horses...

Our lives with horses are rich with feeling. You know this if you've ever.... choked back tears watching a new foal wobble to his feet for the First time ...or watched your good horse wobble to his feet after surgery.... or seen the ends of the reins float straight out as a reining horse spins beneath them . . or chuckled to yourself as you watched a tiny tot on a patient pony trot through a barrel pattern at a saddle club payday ... or felt the building tremble as an eight-up hitch of feather-legged giants towed a hand-carved beer wagon into the arena ... or had your heart stop when you saw your horse lying motionless in the pasture on a sunny day and waited breathlessly for an ear to flick ... or cheered at the screen when 'The Man From Snowy River' slid Dennie down the mountainside, .. or when Seabiscuit made his final surge to beat War Admiral ... or cruised along the highway and seen a horse in a pasture and wondered what he's like to ride or pictured him as a prospect ... or sucked in your breath as a horse and rider approached a six-foot wall ... or sworn a solemn oath to your horse that together you would triumph ... or flipped through the TV channels and stopped when you saw a horse even when it was a commercial ... or laughed aloud when you rubbed your horse's face and he rubbed back ... or gotten chills hearing Dave Johnson's 'and DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME!' (or 'Run for the Roses' circa 1980 ish?)
... or stood in awe at your horse in morning play as he sprinted around the pasture, then stopped, head erect, and snorted defiance at the rest of the world
... or been thankful to see wild horses grazing casually at the foot of a hill ... or felt calmed by the sleekness of a silky
haircoat beneath your hand ... or felt your jaw drop as you watched a Lipazzan
perform a capriole ... or if you've ever seen someone in the grocery store wearing a certain kind of hat, or boots, or buckle, or have a certain cut and length to their jeans, and felt some remote kind of connection ... or felt warmed by a soft nicker greeting as you entered the barn ... or slid your hand under your horse's blanket to straighten it out, only to pause in the glowing feeling that you get when you touch the
warmth of his coat... or riding on a trail with your horse, thinking how that trail over there looks nice and almost without asking, your horse has sensed your slightest movement in the saddle and he's now taking you there. ... or pulled up to your barn where you board and only your horse greets you with a welcoming hello from the sound of your car or your voice.

NOTE: Crossed Sabers can not fully guarantee the accuracy of every page on this website which is huge (38,000 files and over 300 pages). We do not have the personnel or time to keep it up to date and accurate for every situation as this Stable and all its programs has always been a dynamic entity, ever changing and improving itself. We do try to make sure each page is up to date and accurate but the best thing to do If you have a question, is email or call us. Additionally Crossed Sabers can not guarantee anything that anyone says about us on line, we have no control over other people and their websites, forums or ads, all we can tell people is if you do not know the person, their name, address and their history/background/education and location do not trust what they say. That is true for everything on the internet. Some things said about us have been grossly inaccurate and did not come from CSS, some come from past employees we fired for cause and from people we helped put in jail on neglect cases. Again, if you have questions about us, our services, our company structure, how we are licensed, how we pay taxes, how we do things or anything at all, please feel free to contact us, just don't assume that all you read on another website is accurate or that it came from us, just call 304-873-3532 or email us at secondwindadopt@aol.com,

To clear up some serious confusion, the horses that have been placed into homes through SWAP have done so by an adoption contract and application and the 7 were sent to another rescue for placement were done so with a signed contract that governs care, adoption, release of ownership and governs resale thus protecting the horse forever from slaughter, abuse and neglect. If any past owners would like to see any of those documents, we have all the originals in our files. Any and all original owners of horses that have been released to other rescues have been informed of such actions as a courtesy and respect to them. Horses that come to SWAP are owned by SWAP and Crossed Sabers, SWAP notifies owners about their horses out of respect for them and because we know they care. All programs and services listed on this website, including SWAP is a part of Crossed Sabers Stable which has been licensed in WV for the last 12 years. The Mountain State Horse School and Second Wind Adoption Program, Inc. and Crossed Sabers International Horse School, Inc. was incorporated on 4 Sep 08 to address the education needs and life challenges of people and horses.

Buyer and Seller Beware!! Update on the Robin Hollingsworth fraud case for those of you who have been asking. The SC prosecutor accepted a plea bargain from her and dropped the case if she paid the people she ripped off (the people she took money under false pretenses from), she did that so she was let go but the 3 arrests will stay on her record and the record of what she did to all those people is still on the books and will stay there. If she is caught again I'm certain she will go to jail but people who are cheated by her must stand up and testify.. If more people that she ripped off would have not chickened out and backed out because of fear (Quote from them was we are scared of her, she is crazy) she would be in jail right now but beware, she is still loose and still taking free horses or companion horses that have things like ringbone and navicular and drugging them and then selling them as high level jumpers and competition horses on the internet. Her daughter works with her, Amanda or Mandy, she helps her rip people off. Beware, I'm getting calls almost every month where Robin has committed more crimes against people, taking horses, not paying for them, bouncing checks, buying vehicles and horse trailers and not paying for them. BEWARE OF THIS WOMAN!!

BEWARE: Do not buy a horse from anyone you do not know, ESPECIALLY ON THE INTERNET, unless they have websites like ours, names and addresses listed and have a long long history and do not buy unless you go to see the horse and have it vet checked and you have contact with the vet, not the seller telling you what the vet said. DO NOT GIVE YOUR HORSE OR SELL YOUR HORSE WITHOUT A WRITTEN AGREEMENT AS TO WHAT IS TO HAPPEN WITH THE HORSE, RESELLING, USE/LIMITATIONS, FACILITIES NEEDED, ETC. It you sell or give away a horse with no agreement, they could go to slaughter the same day you release them to the buy or they could be sold and misrepresented, living a life of neglect abuse, over use and miss use the rest of their lives. If you need help doing written agreements, back ground checks on buyers and sellers, just contact us, that is part of our 'SAFE SELLING' SERVICES. Your horse's life depends on you being safe and thorough!

BEWARE: People are selling horses on the internet that don't even exist so beware, the horse industry is full is liars, cheaters, and thieves, even we have had to deal with them from potential adopters who were in jail applying to adopt, to employees and former trainers who totally ripped us off to people who don't even know us or had any experience with us slandering us on forums and to adopters who don't think twice about breaching their contract or selling their adoption horse to programs like ours and even 501c3's public charities selling horses to slaughter auctions or being put in jail for neglect and animal cruelty. The horse world is full of dishonesty which ruins it for all us honest people that really care and always try to do the right thing, such a shame. Just be very careful.

> Please Remember
> 1) My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you
> will be
> painful for me. Remember that before you buy/adopt me.
> 2) Give me time to understand what it is that you want from me.
> 3) Place your trust in me - it is crucial to my well-being.
> 4) Do not be angry with me for long, I won't remember why you're mad.
> 5) You have your work, your entertainment and your friends. I
> only have you.
> 6) Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don't understand your words, I
> understand
> your voice when you are speaking to me.
> 7) Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.
> 8) Remember before you hit me that I have teeth that could easily
> crush the
> bones in your hand but I choose not to bite you.
> 9) Before you scold me for being uncooperative, obstinate or
> lazy, ask
> yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not
> getting the right
> food or I've been out in the sun too long, or my heart is growing
> old and weak.
> 10) Take care of me when I get old. You too will grow old. Go
> with me on
> difficult journeys. Never say "I can't bear to do this" or "let
> it happen in my
> absence." Everything is easier for me of you are there.
> ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT I LOVE YOU UNCONDITIONALLY!
> - Author Unknown

Sad but true, from a fellow rescue program:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Average Pet Owner:

    Thank you for contacting us animal rescuers,
shelter volunteers, and foster-homes about your
inability to keep your pet. We receive an extremely
high volume of inquiries and requests to accept
surrendered animals (and none of us is getting paid,
OK?). To help us expedite your problem as quickly as
possible, please observe the following guidelines:

    1. Do not say that you are "CONSIDERING finding
a good home" for your pet, or that you, "feel you
MIGHT be forced to," or that you "really THINK it
would be better if" you unloaded the poor beast.
Ninety-five percent of you have already got your
minds stone-cold made up that the animal WILL be out
of your life by the weekend at the latest. Say so.
If you don't, I'm going to waste a lot of time
giving you commonsense, easy solutions for very
fixable problems, and you're going to waste a lot of
time coming up with fanciful reasons why the
solution couldn't possibly work for you. For
instance, you say the cat claws the furniture, and I
tell you about nail-clipping and scratching posts
and aversion training, and then you go into a long
harangue about how your husband won't let you put a
scratching post in the family room, and your ADHD
daughter cries if you use a squirt bottle on the
cat, and your congenital thumb abnormalities preve!
nt you from using nail scissors and etc., etc. Just
say you're getting rid of the cat.

    2. Do not waste time trying to convince me how
nice and humane you are. Your coworker recommended
that you contact me because I am nice to animals,
not because I am nice to people, and I don't like
people who "get rid of" their animals.
    "Get rid of" is my least favorite phrase in any
language. I hope someone "gets rid of" YOU someday.
I am an animal advocate, not a people therapist.
After all, for your ADHD daughter, you can get
counselors, special teachers, doctors, social
workers, etc. Your pet has only me, and people like
me, to turn to in his or her need, and we are
unpaid, overworked, stressed-out, and demoralized.
So don't tell me this big long story about how, "We
love this dog so much, and we even bought him a
special bed that cost $50, and it is just KILLING us
to part with him, but honestly, our maid is just
awash in dog hair every time she cleans, and his
breath sometimes just reeks of liver, so you can see
how hard we've tried, and how dear he is to us, but
we really just can't . . . ." You are not nice, and
it is not killing you. It is, in all probability,
literally killing your dog, but you're going to be
just fine once the beast is out of your sight. !
Don't waste my time trying to make me like you or
feel sorry for you in your plight.

    3. Do not try to convince me that your pet is
exceptional and deserves special treatment. I don't
care if you taught him to sit. I don't care if she's
a beautiful Persian. I have a waiting list of
battered and/or whacked-out animals who need help,
and I have no room to foster-house your pet. Do not
send me long messages detailing how Fido just
l-o-v-e-s his blankies and carries his favorite
blankie everywhere, and oh, when he gets all excited
and happy, he spins around in circles, isn't that
cute? He really is darling, so it wouldn't be any
trouble at all for us to find him a good home.
Listen, we can go down to the pound and count the
darling, spinning, blankie-loving beasts on death
row by the dozens, any day of the week. And, honey,
Fido is a six-year-old Shepherd-Lab mix. I am not
lying when I tell you that big, older, mixed-breed,
garden-variety dogs are almost completely
unadoptable, and I don't care if they can whistle
Dix! ie or send semaphore signals with their
blankies. What you don't realize is that, though
you're trying to lie to me, you're actually telling
the truth: Your pet is a special, wonderful, amazing
creature. But this mean old world does not care.
More importantly, YOU do not care, and I can't fix
that problem. All I can do is grieve for all the
exceptional animals who live short, brutal, loveless
lives and die without anyone ever recognizing that
they were indeed very, very special.

    4. Finally, just, for God' s sake, for the
animal's sake, tell the truth, and the whole truth.
Do you think that if you just mumble that your cat
is "high-strung," I will say, "Okey-dokey! No prob!"
and take it into foster care? No, I will start
asking questions and uncover the truth, which is
that your cat has not used a litter box in the last
six months. Do not tell me that you "can't" crate
your dog. I will ask what happens when you try to
crate him, and you will either be forced to tell me
the symptoms of full-blown, severe separation
anxiety, or else you will resort to lying some more,
wasting more of our time. And, if you succeed in
placing your pet in a shelter or foster care, do not
tell yourself the biggest lie of all: "Those nice
people will take him and find him a good home, and
everything will be fine." Those nice people will
indeed give the animal every possible chance, but if
we discover serious health or behav! ior problems,
if we find that your misguided attempts to train or
discipline him have driven him over the edge, we
will do what you are too immoral and cowardly to do:
We will hold the animal in our arms, telling him
truthfully that he is a good dog or cat, telling him
truthfully that we are sorry and we love him, while
the vet ends his life. How can we be so heartless as
to kill your pet, you ask? Do not ever dare to judge
us. At least we tried. At least we stuck with him to
the end. At least we never abandoned him to
strangers, as you certainly did, didn't you? In
short, this little old rescuer/foster momma has
reached the point where she would prefer you pet
owners to tell her stories like this: "We went to
Wal-Mart and picked up a free pet in the parking lot
a couple of years ago. Now we don't want it anymore.
We're lazier than we thought. We've got no patience
either. We're starting to suspect the animal is
really smarter than we are, which is giving us
self-esteem issues. Clearly, we can't possibly
keep it. Plus, it might be getting sic k; it's
acting kind of funny. "We would like you to take it
in eagerly, enthusiastically, and immediately. We
hope you'll realize what a deal you're getting and
not ask us for a donation to help defray your costs.
After all, this is an (almost) pure-bred animal, and
we'll send the leftover food along with it. We get
it at Wal-Mart too, and boy, it's a really good
deal, price-wise. "We are very irritated that you
haven't shown pity on us in our great need and
picked the animal up already. We thought you people
were supposed to be humane! Come and get it today.
No, we couldn't possibly bring it to you; the final
episode of "Survivor II" is on tonight."

    Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Pet Owner, for your
cooperation.

The Life and Death of an Untrained Dog
Courtesy of and Copyright ? 1994, Robert J. Hoffman
Humane Society of Ventura County, California

"I woke up one morning with my littermates. I saw Mom lying there so I went over to get some breakfast. Mom was warm and she licked me all over. She loved us so much. Things were good back then. Now I am bigger and live in a home with two kids and their mom and dad. I used to be able to come in the house and play. They even let me sleep in the house. The children would run and I would chase them around. When I was little they would let me jump on them and even playfully bite them. The family would laugh and encourage me to play like this. They gave me lots of toys such as socks, shoes and stuffed animals. I had so much fun. Those were the days.

As I got bigger, I would accidentally knock the children down. I would try to bite them on the cuff of their pants as they ran. I found toys like the ones my master gave me when I was younger, and I would chew them up. They started getting mad at me all the time. When I jumped up they would knee me down. One minute they were laughing at me for play biting and chewing and the next minute they would spank me for doing the very same thing. I am so confused!

Now I spend my days, hour after hour, chained in the back yard. No one comes out to play with me. I am so happy to see them when they come out that I jump and bark with joy. I spend my days digging up the yard around me, which makes my masters mad at me. The fleas crawl all over me, which drives me crazy. I get so mad that I want to bite someone.

The more I sit out here the madder I get. I cannot understand why they brought me home just to chain me in the yard. If my masters are unhappy with my behavior, why not train me? Why did they encourage me to jump and bite?

Things have not gotten any better for me. Now I sit in jail. People come by my cage looking at me. I do not trust them so I bark and bare my teeth. No one wants me. Oh, no! Here comes a lady with a leash. Where is she taking me? She walks me into a room. Oh she likes me. It's so good to be hugged again. She puts a thing around my mouth so I cannot bite. What's this? She is sticking me in the leg. Oh, I am so sleepy. What has happened to me? I am asleep now. NO ONE CAN HURT ME ANYMORE."

Sadly, the very same thing can be said of horses. If you don't train your horses,
especially your young horses you might as well sentence them to slaughter.