Facebook: No, 52 Horses Do Not Need a New Home
By Timothy Tibbettson 06/15/2023 |
An almost decade-old Facebook post has been making the rounds again, this time adding a Coronavirus twist and different phone numbers.
The post claims that 52 horses need a new home, and if they're adopted, they will be slaughtered.
The post originally read:
“Do you have friends in Ohio? 52 thoroughbred horses need homes. Off to Sugarcreek Saturday for slaughter. Gentleman died and his son wants nothing to do with them. Most broodmares are broke and some are in foal weanling, yearlings, 2 yrs and 3 yrs old.. most are gelded. FREE and papered. Friend of the deceased trying to find homes 440-463-4288 Barnesville, OH. Please copy and paste this on your status.”
The post first appeared on Facebook in January 2011 and was mostly accurate at the time. Dr. Stearns, a veterinarian, did exist and did pass away. His son shut down the breeding and racing farm and wanted to get rid of the horses, preferably by auction.
Lynn Boggs, a close friend of Dr. Stearns, made the original post, and it appears that the word slaughter was added by other people on the internet who were trying to help find homes for the horses.
She received over 4,000 phone calls, and hundreds of text messages before the last horse was adopted only four days later.
The latest posts add a phone number from the UK (0842 748538), and as mentioned, that the owner died from coronavirus. The phone numbers are a by-the-minute charge type, so even the latest scam feels like 2011 all over again.
The post makes the rounds annually, so your best bet is to share this page, thank your friend, and let them know that everything turned out OK.
Or, for the more twisted people like myself, invite them to play a game:
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The post claims that 52 horses need a new home, and if they're adopted, they will be slaughtered.
The post originally read:
“Do you have friends in Ohio? 52 thoroughbred horses need homes. Off to Sugarcreek Saturday for slaughter. Gentleman died and his son wants nothing to do with them. Most broodmares are broke and some are in foal weanling, yearlings, 2 yrs and 3 yrs old.. most are gelded. FREE and papered. Friend of the deceased trying to find homes 440-463-4288 Barnesville, OH. Please copy and paste this on your status.”
The post first appeared on Facebook in January 2011 and was mostly accurate at the time. Dr. Stearns, a veterinarian, did exist and did pass away. His son shut down the breeding and racing farm and wanted to get rid of the horses, preferably by auction.
Lynn Boggs, a close friend of Dr. Stearns, made the original post, and it appears that the word slaughter was added by other people on the internet who were trying to help find homes for the horses.
She received over 4,000 phone calls, and hundreds of text messages before the last horse was adopted only four days later.
The latest posts add a phone number from the UK (0842 748538), and as mentioned, that the owner died from coronavirus. The phone numbers are a by-the-minute charge type, so even the latest scam feels like 2011 all over again.
The post makes the rounds annually, so your best bet is to share this page, thank your friend, and let them know that everything turned out OK.
Or, for the more twisted people like myself, invite them to play a game:
Similar:
