BANGOR, Maine — When three horses broke free from their barn early in September, a couple of Bangor police officers arrived to help capture them for the octogenarian owner. Now the police department is helping to find “forever homes” for the standardbreds.
“Norman [Murray, the owner,] is a young 87 years of age, a former harness racer and horse lover,” Sgt. Tim Cotton wrote in a Saturday morning post on the department’s Facebook page. “It is tough both financially and physically to take care of his babies.”
Hey Kaye, a 26-year-old mare, found a new home earlier this week with the help of two local women and the city’s animal control officer, Trish Bruen, but two other horses remain and need to be adopted.
“Bertha is lovely, 24 years of age and we hear she is opinionated,” the Bangor Facebook page states. “Comet is 15 years old and curious. Both need a loving home.”
Bangor police Officers Kim Donnell and Dustin Dow arrived to help capture the wandering horses, which already returned to the barn. The officers ended up staying a while to help Murray feed and water them.
The departure of the horses is bittersweet for Murray.
“He is sad but also happy his horses are going to be taken care of,” Cotton said. “Norman … knows that it is time.”
Rachel Garber, one of the local women assisting Bruen, created a page through GoFundMe, a crowdsourcing website, to raise funds for hay, horse grain for older animals, farrier trims and veterinary intervention to remove burdocks from the horses’ manes.