From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 1998:
Renae Ferguson, 28, of Sylmar, California, and
her father, Edward Perry Reddeck, 56, were arraigned on
August 26 on multiple cruelty counts, while Ferguson’s
mother, Darlene Craig, 48, was arrested at the Los Angeles
courthouse for investigation of similar charges, after equestrian
Cathy Becker-Skaggs investigated the fate of a 15-yearold
mare she had donated to Ferguson for the “West Coast
Riding Academy”––which never existed. Police and
Chatsworth animal control officers said Ferguson and family
apparently got horses via ads soliciting donations for the fictitious
“nonprofit riding school,” then allegedly sold them,
often through ads in the same publications. Six neglected
horses were confiscated, including Becker-Skaggs’ horse,
Libertee, who is reportedly recovering well.
Carolyn and Christopher Carradine, of Santa
Barbara, California, are reportedly suing horse trainer Monty
Roberts, for $100,000 in veterinary costs and other material
damages, alleging that he ruined the health of a thoroughbred
of theirs named Big Red Fox by riding him “to the point of
extraordinary fatigue” in pursuit of an untamed mustang during
the making of a BBC documentary called “The Real Horse
Whisperer” on March 30, 1997. Roberts is author of a bestselling
autobiogrpahy, The Man Who Listens To Horses,
which includes a mention of the incident in an afterword. He
t o l d London Sunday Times reporter Christopher Goodwin
that the Carradines had sued “purely to extract money from
me.” The BBC denied that Big Red Fox had been mistreated.
Man’s companion & friend
Marie Dana, 32, former companion of the late
bathroom fixture maker Sydney Altman, on September 22
filed suit contesting Altman’s will. Altman, who died in
December 1994 at age 60, left his Beverly Hills home and
$350,000 to his dog Samantha, termed his “loving companion.”
Ms. Dana, called his “good friend,” was left a stipend
of $60,000 a year to be Samantha’s caretaker, plus $50,000
cash. Upon Samantha’s death, the will stipulated, “the
arrangement with Marie Dana is cancelled, and I wish the
house to be sold and the money distributed to” People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals and Last Chance for
Animals. Dana is reportedly seeking $2.7 million.
Lobbies
The lobbying group Teaching Animal Awareness
in Legislation, of Connecticut, has disbanded after three
years, unable to raise the funds to keep president Cherylann
H a a s on the job fulltime in the state capitol. Haas instead
has doubled as an assistant animal control officer in Fairfield.
Maine Republican state representative R o b e r t
Fisk and about 150 backers have formed Maine Friends of
A n i m a l s, a lobbying organization which is to seek betterfunded
animal shelters, better trained animal control personnel,
a felony anti-cruelty law, and a ban on leghold trapping.
Fisk’s term of office ends this year.
