JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The couple that lost their horses to a rescue following a devastating house fire has filed a police report and retained an attorney to look into their case.
Alison and Gary Garrett were rescued from their Mandarin home of 38 years on March 8 after a fire engulfed their home. Alison said that in the hours following their own rescue from the Jacksonville Fire Department, as the house was still actively burning, a neighbor recommended Vicki’s Rescue Ranch to come and pick up the couple’s ten miniature horses.
According to Vicki Davis Bozeman, with whom we spoke briefly in an unrecorded phone call, the rescue took nearly seven hours. She told us that Vicki’s Rescue Ranch does not hold on to horses — they rehome them.
Bozeman says that the Garrets knew and agreed to this, but Alison says she has no recollection of the verbal agreement.
“I was in a daze, the house was still burning down, and I had no other options,” Alison said. “They were family — animal family.”
Since then, the couple has still not been given their horses back.
The Garretts were initially discouraged from seeking legal counsel after they contacted an attorney who refused to take their case. But thanks to the horse community and the support from Action News Jax viewers, the Garretts now have an attorney who will pursue this case further.
Action News Jax dug into Vicki’s Rescue Ranch, and using state and federal databases, we could not find the rescue listed as a nonprofit, licensed with the state or federal government or registered as a corporation.
Debbie Dorino, an animal rights activist who helped pass animal abuse prevention laws in Florida, explained the legal process for rescue operations.
“She has to have a surrender form signed by the owners of what the intent is,” Dorino said. “She also has to have a license from the Department of Agriculture — she can’t function as a rescue without that.”
In a text message, Bozeman told Action News Jax the following:
“I’m all about animals. I’m not about the money, and when I say nonprofit, that means I make no profit. I spend my hard time hours on animals just for the love of animals, and I want my name cleared up. I don’t go steal peoples animals, and I don’t take animals from old folks. That’s not me. This was a fact that she surrendered those animals. I didn’t take those animals like she says I did.”
The Garretts have opened a GoFundMe to help with the loss of their home. To donate, please visit Fundraiser by Gary Garrett : Help Us Rebuild After House Fire.
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