Survivors Rescue

A woman’s journey to save horses from slaughter. By Patty Hutchens / Photos courtesy Jayme Rogers and Bobette Hobbs.

For Dawn Dempsey, growing up adjacent to McGhee Livestock was torture. For years the property that sits on Highway 200 just outside Sandpoint was used as a feedlot for horses. “They would fatten up the horses before slaughter,” said Dawn.

She would lie in her bed; listening as horses were loaded onto trailers in the middle of the night. Ready to take their final ride before being slaughtered.

“There were thousands of them over the years. I can still hear the sound of their hooves as they loaded the trailers,” recalls Dawn. “It broke my heart.”

But things are different now thanks to Dawn’s vision and the help of many volunteers who she refers to as her posse. While she still lives on the property she grew up on, Dawn leases the former McGhee property and just over two years ago turned it into a horse rescue operation, Survivors Rescue, Inc.

“I’ve been rescuing (animals) all my life,” said Dawn of her passion for animals.

To help make her vision a reality, Dawn raised money, sought out volunteers and started Survivors Rescue. She has realistic expectations and is methodical on how she operates her non-profit organization.

“We cannot save every horse, but we have to focus on what we can do,” said Dawn of how she rescues the horses that are at the brink of being slaughtered. “We are absolutely the horse’s last hope.”

Not only does Survivors Rescue, Inc. rescue horses, but they rehabilitate them as well. “Sometimes I am the first person to ever touch the horse,” explains Dawn of how she gently introduces the horses to human contact.

She focuses on education in the hope that one day there will not be any horses that are brought to slaughter. “We have done such a good job with spaying and neutering, why can’t we do that with gelding?”

For the nearly 30 volunteers and those who have been fortunate enough to adopt a horse from Survivors Rescue, the place is a dream come true.

The 60 horses that inhabit the 80 acres are loved, fed and nurtured until they hopefully find a new home. “But we make sure we have a good match,” said Dawn of the adoption process.

One person who has benefited greatly from her experience at Survivors Rescue is 19-year-old Bailey Scrimsher.

This summer Bailey learned about Survivors Rescue and, as an avid horse lover, wanted to volunteer.

“I saw him at that first meeting and was instantly drawn to him,” said Bailey of a young horse named Bravery, who she calls Brave.

Brave had been rescued from the Yakima Reservation where he was at the Moses Lake Kill Pen, and according to Dawn, Bailey and Brave instantly bonded.

But Bailey was devastated when she heard that someone had adopted the young horse she had grown to love. Her boyfriend, Alex Hon, offered to go out to Survivors Rescue to be with her when she had to say goodbye. But what she got when she and Alex arrived was the surprise of a lifetime. It was her boyfriend who had purchased the horse for her.

“I was shocked. I just started bawling,” said Bailey of the unique and thoughtful gift. Hers is just one of many happy endings.

Dawn’s mission when she started Survivors Rescue was to focus only on the horses. But what she found out surprised her. “Once I got going I was amazed at what happened,” said Dawn.

Volunteers have been transformed by their work with the horses. She said there have been people who are shy and lacked confidence that have blossomed and have found a home helping with the horses. There was the woman who, still weak from breast cancer treatments, came to help and gained strength as she worked to do what she could to assist Dawn and the others. “I then realized it is about the people,” said Dawn. “We are saving people one horse at a time.”

But like many good things, it takes money to achieve Survivors Rescue’s mission. First, the horses they rescue must be purchased at auction. “The auctions cater to their kill buyers so it’s important to know who the meat buyers are,” explained Dawn about the process.

Their biggest need is for monetary donations and those who can adopt the horses. “We would also love to have another horse trailer so we can rescue more horses,” said Dawn who adds that she is also in great need of feed for the horses, especially during the winter months.

Bailey encourages others to adopt if possible. “Each horse has a story even though they had been put aside and left to die,” said Bailey.

As for Dawn, don’t expect her to slow down anytime soon.

“It’s in my heart. It’s my calling. It’s what I do.”

To donate to Survivors Rescue, you can mail a tax deductible donation to Survivors Rescue, 34101 Highway 200, Sandpoint, ID 83864; visit their website to donate by Pay Pal (http://survivorsrescue.com/) or donate at any Wells Fargo branch to the Survivors Rescue, Inc. account. For more information, contact Dawn Dempsey at 208.290.6702.

#lifecommunity #goodnews