By Staci-lee Sherwood
The story of Gypsy. She is a wild mustang mare brutally rounded up via helicopter by the notoriously sadistic Cattoor Livestock Co. Her story like tens of thousands of others began with freedom and living healthy and ends, so far as of January 2022, with deplorable and abusive living conditions. Millions of other wild horses across the globe are stolen from their natural home and end up in tragedy. You can see from the hundreds of comments made about this story the type of people ‘training’ and adopting her. Their public persona of decency just doesn’t hold up after the first questioning of their behavior. Keep in mind this was them posting online, no one would have known if they hadn’t displayed it. One has to wonder why they would even do that but the disconnect between right and wrong might be an answer.
The case of the cruel Kuehl’s. This couple exemplifies the difference between what people put on social media accounts and what often is closer to the truth. Take the husband of this duo Donald Allan Kuehl. He who grew up in rural Oregon then joined the military, an organization known for many abusive tactics themselves. This pair made a facebook group, which has since been removed once the truth started coming out, for a wild mustang named Gypsy that had been brutally rounded up via helicopter in July 2021. They claimed they wanted to rescue her and others…..but their laughter while she is assaulted caught on tape tells a different truth.
Lack of intellect and ability to speak with proper grammar may not be an indicator of potential abuse but this type of threat doesn’t bode well for someone claiming to respect horses. The laughter heard clearly at watching abuse might be a TRUER indicator of what lies in store for Gypsy.
An interesting post from January 6, 2021 commemorating the 1rst anniversary of a day that lives in infamy. This may not equate to a violent person but adding in nasty foul mouth comments made to those voicing concern over abuse clearly indicates….something amiss.
How people treat animals IS a clear accurate indication of their true nature, perhaps one of the best indicators of compassion, patience, intelligence and decency. Laughter at inflicting pain shows this couple lacks any of that and is NOT qualified to have pets. The wife Debbie Kuehl appears to be the more aggressive and foul mouthed though lack of basic education shines through on her many incoherent rants as she strikes back at those exposing her true dark nature.
Many will be wondering if the saying you reap what you sow will come true. Of the many comments she made there were even more comments made about her lack of sounding coherent. She admits to taking the video so she can’t deny her involvement.
Pathetic attempt to hide behind her 8 year old daughter by using her account to threaten people concerned about the abuse of the horse, many voiced concerns about the safety of her daughter. Animal abusers almost always abuse humans,
Parents are supposed to protect their children not be used as a pawn to threaten people about your own bad behavior or expose them to abuse.
Medley’s Mustangs ranch of horrors. These videos and others clearly demonstrate Fowler’s lack of proper training with wild horses and animals in general. She is clearly out of her depth and one has to wonder why she posts videos online broadcasting both her ineptitude and cruelty? This can hardly be a selling point to anyone wanting a qualified person handling their horse. Factor in the abuse these horses have already gone through and sweet patience is required not ‘tough love’. This mare had been subjected to being assaulted with a shovel, having her head slammed whipped with a stick and this is just what was videotaped. We can only imagine what goes on when the public is not around to witness it.
This particular mare, Gypsy, came from a deplorable facility called Delta located in Utah. For those who haven’t been to Utah it’s home to the Mormons the religion based on sister wives and child brides and terrible animal cruelty. Most of the abusive wild horse wranglers come from Utah and that can’t be a coincidence. Knowing the history of these horses should have been a greater incentive for patience but Fowler insists on ruining the
naturally good nature of this horse.
A longer video had originally been posted broadcasting 'BLM approved training' where dawn was seen assaulting Gypsy with a shovel and throwing a brick at her face. Scrolling through thousands of comments dozens mentioned this. After public questioning Dawn removed the video from public view.
Here we can see and hear the mistreatment Gypsy has to endure at the hands of dawn Medley Fowler on January 2022
The abused often become abusers. There hasn’t been a tangible percentage of how many abused children grow into abusers themselves. Not all of course but many do. A long 30 year study has been published exploring this. It’s important to understand that a lot of animal abusers are drawn to ‘rescue’ groups and hide in plain sight. Serial killers and pedophiles often start with animals then graduate to a bigger challenge. We can’t assume these abusers fall into that category but statistically the odds are in that favor. Statements made by Fowler about using tough love on her kids and Donald Kuehl admitting he was abused as a child combined with strict military training does seem to fit the profile. Click link
A very common behavior among abusers is to blame the victim.. Few people are capable of blaming themselves for their own bad behavior. Typically the worse the behavior the bigger the need to blame others. We see this throughout society but it's especially obvious in domestic situations. To the keen observer it's easy to spot how the abuser blames their victim. A simple example everyone has seen is the husband that blames his wife for not doing the laundry as the reason for him punching her to teach her a lesson. When a person gets abusive and threatening to someone showing concern about their behavior that would also be a prime example of this deflecting attention away from themselves.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations agrees animal cruelty and abuse is a serious crime on its own merit. In 2021 they published this article on the website stating ' animal cruelty is a better predicter of sexual abuse compared to a history of homicide, arson or weapon convictions. Being cognizant of this link allows for law enforcement to recognize that animal cruelty indicates other possible offenses are occurring in the household.' For the full article please click here
The National Sheriffs Association has a project specifically designed to address the growing problem of animal cruelty as a crime itself and as an important indicator of other violent crimes, The Association’s John Thompson urged people to shed the mindset that animal cruelty is a crime only against animals. “It’s a crime against society,” he said, urging all law enforcement agencies to participate in NIBRS. “By paying attention to [these crimes], we are benefiting all of society.” To read about that project click here https://www.sheriffs.org/animalcrueltygateway
click here for more about animal abuse and child abuse
More here
This can’t be approved horse training. According to the website for Medley’s Mustangs they are approved by the BLM as a trainer of wild horses. Many have viewed several videos Fowler has posted of herself and the resounding opinion ranges from incompetence to something akin to Cruella Deville. Studies by law enforcement, psychologists and the FBI all show how abusing animals is a huge indicator violence toward humans, especially children.
At 1:00 minute in the video Fowler is clearly seen bending down to grab a rock(s) and throws it at the head of this already assaulted and terrified horse. Fowler continues the assault against the horse with a long pole. If this type of abuse were done to a human especially a child they would be in prison, Why is it deemed ok when it comes to another species?
The expression only a crook has something to hide seems to apply here
This is what the BLM approves of and yes they know this goes on all the time. Studies going back decades have proven little ever gets done to stop the abuse of these horses. They are subjected to torture by the unhinged wranglers like those from Cattoor Livestock and Sun J located in Utah. After their brutal removal by helicopter they’re shot up, or sometimes just shot, with toxic drugs to sterilize them. From there they languish and starve in feedlots with little shelter from the elements until most go missing into the slaughterhouse pipeline. A few lucky ones go to loving homes but most do not that is the reality the media denies and the government openly lies about. Read about the abusive people the BLM loves to hire here https://www.realitycheckswithstacilee.com/post/madmen-of-the-prairie-making-millions-killing-america-s-wild-horses-burros
Clearly states supported by the BLM who has always been loathe to do anything without public pressure
Shameful abuse, cruelty and waste is the mission of the Bureau of land MISmanagment. Anyone who digs into the BLM wild horse and burro auction incentive program (AIP) quickly sees a lot of problems. For starters they pay people $1,000 of tax payer money to then ‘buy’ a wild horse or burro they removed from their habitat. For those who have worked with animals in need of a lasting qualified home it’s not easy to find good ones. A certain amount of money is needed to provide for these equines like food, shelter and veterinary care.
If you can’t afford a few thousand dollars, or less, as a one time payment how can you afford to keep a horse or burro healthy for say 20 years ? That should be an immediate disqualification. This only serves the kill buyers who reap profits by taking the taxpayer money as incentive then buying these horses for a lot less. Many investigations over the years have shown how this quasi scam sends most horses to kill buyers where they end up in Mexican slaughterhouses. The entire AIP is rife with corruption and should be ended.
This serves as a prime example of failure by the BLM because there is no real vetting process of potential adopters or buyers. Worse is the documented history of BLM staff selling wild horses and burros to known kill buyers. The Oregon BLM has one such kill buyer sympathizer named Rob Sharp. An investigation was done and uncovered the fact that Sharp was in cahoots with notorious wild horse kill buyer Tom Davis. Sharp had also made statements that it's better to just kill a horse that has, what most call a minor injury, than to send them to a sanctuary. You can't get a more clear message from an abuser than that. Despite the outing Sharp is still on the payroll and getting paid by taxpayers, It's no wonder questionable trainers like Fowler and seemingly unqualified adopters like the Kuehl's slip through the cracks. The BLM and even local law enforcement won't do their job it's up to those that pay their salary to fix that. After all they work for the people.
Government runaround
As is often the case with abuse there is run around among those paid to investigate. The Wallowa County DA was called several times and I know she has seen all the videos and evidence. The state Special Animal Cruelty Investigator, Jacob Kammins, was contacted and replied Thank you for writing; this is upsetting information. As a special prosecutor, I am only able to prosecute cases if and when a county District Attorney decides that they would like my involvement. The current DA of Wallowa County (where this business appears to be located) is Rebecca Frolander. I have forwarded your email to her and told her I would be happy to help in any way she or her office needs."
On February 8th, 2022 I called the State Attorney General’s office and spoke to the assistant to Ellen Rosenblum. She called back and left a voicemail message stating I should contact Jacob Kammins and left his email address. I emailed him again and his reply was “I am not sure who you spoke to at the Attorney General’s Office, but my power to prosecute comes through appointment, which I have not received in this case. I am happy to help Wallowa County (as I have told DA Frolander) but the County would need to appoint me as a special prosecutor first.” So this is the runaround you get in Oregon.
If you find the lack of concern and overall corruption nauseating please contact the following and demand that the alleged abuse be thoroughly investigated not swept under the carpet and that the BLM surrender Gypsy to a legitimate sanctuary . The sanctuary Skydog has offered but BLM has refused to respond :
Call Wallowa DA Rebecca Frolander 541-426-4543 x1640
(Jacob Kammins Sp State Animal Cruelty Prosecutor jacob.kamins@co.benton.or.us)
Call GOV Kate Brown 503-378-4582 & staff Annie McColaugh, Director Laura Hutchings, Asst 503-378-6645 – federal affairs
Call State Atty Gen Ellen Rosenblum 503-378-6002
Mustang Heritage foundation - 512.869.3225 and ask that Dawn Medley Fowler no longer be considered a TIP trainer
Sheriff Joel Fish needs to be reminded this is part of his job 541-426-3131
BLM Office in Oregon Robert Sharp Wild Horse & Burro Program Director 541-573-4400
BLM Oregon State Director Barry Bushue. 503-808-6026
BLM press office in Oregon 503-808-6301 / blm_or_wa_press@blm.gov
Humane Society Wallawa County they need to do their own investigation 541.263.0336 / Oregon humane investigation 503.285.7722
Remember that when you think about giving your $$ money away you want it to be to a legitimate non profit with a proven track record of success and transparency of their actions. Avoid the following groups with their lame excuses for refusing to help Gypsy. They all want the grant $$ from the government for pushing PZP a birth/sterility drug they but don't care to make a call to help this horse.
HSUS
ASPCA
RETURN TO FREEDOM
AMERICAN WILD HORSE CAMPAING
CITIZENS AGAINST EQUINE SLAUGHTER
SWAT SAND WASH BASJN ADVOCATES
ANIMAL WELLNESS ACTION ( formed by disgraced past abusers Wayne Pacelle and Marty Irby)
VETERANS FOR MUSTANGS
*SCOTT BECKSTEAD FORMER MAYOR IN OREGON unresponsive to requests made for his help but he does have time to make videos asking for $$ for Animal Wellness Action....
Animals don’t have a voice and like Gypsy depend on people like you to keep them safe from abuse