UPDATE: Coleadero Rodeo at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds to be held this Sunday has been CANCELED due to outrage by animal rights activists.
Despite an ongoing criminal investigation into alleged animal abuse at the Coleadero Rodeo at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, the county will allow the rodeo to continue this Sunday.
"We were surprised," said sheriff's department spokesperson Jacki Kelley. "We are extremely concerned about any event where we have 11 animals injured."
Both organizers of the Coleadero Rodeo have been charged with multiple animal cruelty charges stemming from a cow-tripping event in which a horseback rider grabs a cow by the tail and slams it to the ground.
Sheriff's investigators say the event has lead to broken bones, tails ripped off, and skin pulled from tails. After the last rodeo, two cows were so badly injured they had to be put down.
County officials, however, say that although some offenses at the rodeo may be criminal, the event itself is legitimate and legal. Jefferson County, they say, has a contract for nine rodeo dates over the summer, four of which are still ahead.
"The Coleardero Rodeo event is legal, and we do not discriminate against any party or group that wants to have an event at the fairground," County Administrator Ralph Schell said Tuesday. "As long as the event sponsors agree to the policies procedures, and it says there that you have to follow state laws...if they do that we don't discriminate against any event for the fairgrounds."
Schell says he feared a lawsuit if the county tried to back out of its rodeo contract.
"That's why I look at it more from a business stand point," he said.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office asked the county to reconsider holding the Coleadero event. They were stunned when administrators seemed to side with the rodeo organizers, who are already charged with multiple crimes.
“Wag’N” Donates pet masks
Carol Monaco, with Marketwise Insights, Inc., recently nominated Greater Brighton Fire to receive pet oxygen masks through a company called Wag’N. Brighton Fire was selected and Wag’N has donated pet O2 masks through a program called “O2 Fur Life” that provides the necessary equipment for pet rescue breathing. Greater Brighton Fire is one of only 14 fire departments in the State who have received pet O2 masks through this program. Five kits were donated through the program, which provides for one set of three masks for each of our five fire stations. Each kit contains three masks of different sizes for various size pets. The kits have been placed on the fire engines and crews have been trained in using the masks. Thank you to Carol and Wag’N for the generous donation.
