Teddy Bear at pasture in Creekwood Farm. He is in generally good health, but is 3/4 the size of a normal horse his age. His hip and joint problems seem to be resolving, while he still has some issues with his coat and skin.
	Valor grazing at Creekwood Farm.

Teddy Bear, the young colt rescued on New Year's Eve from a Waller Rd. mud pit, has been reunited with his benefactor, Rose Corey.  On Dec. 31, 2007, the Graham-area horsewoman had answered Pierce County Animal Control's request to retrieve and care for the young horse, woefully underweight and suffering from hip and joint problems.

For the next twenty days, Corey and her 17-year-old daughter Kelsey provided robust care: de-worming and conducting special feeding regimens, coordinating vet and farrier care, and strengthening the wobbly horse with supervised physical exercise.

"We spent hours the first day trying to wash out the mud and dried feces that were imbedded in the little guy's coat," said the elder Corey.

However, on Jan. 19, PCAC retook possession of Teddy Bear, and along with a second rescued horse named Valor, brought them to a Snohomish County facility run by Hope for Horses to be consolidated with the other horses rescued from Waller Rd.

Shortly afterwards, Ms. Corey filed adoption proceedings for the return of the colt she and her family had come to love.  The return home, however, was not without some drama.

[CORRECTION: Ms. Corey did not file a petition to adopt the horses, she filed a petition for their return. She had been the legal owner of Valor since February, but PCAC refused to release him to her. PCAC finally released Valor to her on April 2nd, one day before the scheduled court hearing. HFH refused to release Teddy to her for an additional 4 weeks.]

First, Corey filed a lien on Teddy Bear and Valor with the County, claiming that her initial adoption request had been denied.  She also sought reimbursement for her expenses during the twenty days, which, although promised, the County had not paid.

By April, though, the County did pay the Corey's $2,000 and upheld her claim for adoption.

However, Hope for Horses then blocked the transfer, reportedly claiming they felt the horse was too young to be weaned from its mother, with whom it had been reunited on Jan. 20.

Behind-the-scenes negotiations then ensued, which included State Representative Dawn Morrell (25th LD), Pierce County Animal Control chief Pat McCarthy and Pierce County Deputy Prosecutor Allen Rose.  A compromise plan was reached whereby a vet from the Pilchuck Veterinarian Hospital would evaluate the medical condition of Teddy Bear.

Rose Corey claims that Allen Rose then informed her attorney, Paul Mabrey, that the vet had advised against a transfer. 

According to Corey, Mabrey then contacted the vet directly, and was told that Teddy Bear was "good to go." 

At that point, Corey asked for additional assistance from Dawn Morrell.

In an interview with The Dispatch, Morrell confirmed that she made a round of phone calls, first to the vet, then Allen Rose and finally Pat McCarthy.

"I had a good long conversation with Pat, and after that things were resolved," Morrell said.

However, there was one last-minute hitch.  Corey says she received a second message from her attorney stating that Hope for Horses was unwilling to transport Teddy Bear to Pierce County because they felt tying the horse to a support inside their trailer was unsafe.  Corey's attorney then advised her to contact Pierce County Animal Control.

Corey says the agency gave her the location of Teddy Bear, and she drove to Snohomish.

"It was no problem transporting Teddy Bear," said Corey.  "He was a perfect gentleman.  My daughter Kelsey walked right up to him and cooed a little, then she put on a halter and led him right into the trailer.  And she tied him off without a problem."

"I'm so glad he's home," said Kelsey when asked about her ordeal with governmental bureaucracies and the tangled plans of well-meaning people.