SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Another horse was found dead at a property in the unincorporated area of Rancho Santa Fe.
San Diego County investigated the same property after a horse died there last year. The same owner was investigated for animal cruelty to horses and dogs.
San Diego’s Department of Animal Services (DAS) confirmed it is again investigating two properties in Rancho Santa Fe, both owned by Craig Netwig and Debra Barkley. But people who see what’s happening to horses and dogs on these properties say the county is not doing enough.
On Wednesday, Jan. 24, DAS was contacted about a dead horse at 7612 Artesian Road.
Here’s what they told CBS8 in a statement:
"An Officer from DAS responded that evening but was unable to confirm if there was a deceased horse due to limited access to the property and no visibility as the property is not illuminated at night. On January 25, 2024, an officer with DAS responded to the property and was allowed full access and confirmed there was a deceased horse. The cause of the death is unknown and there is a pending necropsy. Due to the nature of the investigation, DAS is unable to respond to further questions until the investigation is concluded.”
L.A. animal advocacy group gets involved
Zohra Fahim is the President and Founder of Los Angeles Alliance for Animals. Her organization got involved with what’s happening in San Diego after they saw what’s happening with animal cruelty cases here.
“The county of animal services has become a textbook example of government failure," she said. "Individuals in the community continue to submit complaints to them, and their ongoing investigations seem to never end, and it’s going nowhere.”
Fahim said the county is incapable of investigating or enforcing equine cruelty cases.
“They have a dog vet examining all of those horses, which is unacceptable. Standard investigations involve an equine veterinarian to examine all of those animals. Someone that specializes in horses. Horse anatomical and biological features are very different than dogs," Fahim said. "This is not the first time we have allegations. This is not the first time horses are dropping dead. We have no herd management.”
She said state laws and penal codes are not being followed based on what she’s seen at the property on Artesian Road. Animals are supposed to have shelter from the elements. That’s not happening there.
“They’re out there in the hurricane. They’re out there in the rain. They have no wind break. They’re standing on their own manure. They have a really hard time going through," Fahim said.
Cielo neighbors reach out about dogs
In the Cielo neighborhood where Barkely lives, neighbors reached out to CBS8 again because of all the dogs running loose. They sent us videos and pictures of their bodies, and you can clearly see their ribs.
But they and the people who live around the horse property said nothing changes no matter how often they contact DAS. Half a dozen neighbors and Zohra told CBS8 they reached out to County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer but got nowhere. Lawson-Remer’s office sent CBS8 this statement:
“Constituents have contacted my office, raised concerns about the condition of animals on certain properties, and we quickly acted on each occasion dating back to spring of last year. Our Department of Animal Services investigated and took action based on applicable laws.”
Fahim said this is "unacceptable."
"These are very minimum standard laws that are not being enforced," she said. "We’re wasting valuable county resources.”
Fahim said she's in touch with detectives from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department who are looking into the complaints. The District Attorney’s office also said it’s investigating and its Animal Cruelty Unit is aware.
CBS8 started reaching out to DAS Sunday night. Just before we went to air Monday night, we got a response. Here is Anna Laurel’s conversation with the Department of Animal Services.
Q: Are there rules for what conditions horse owners must have for their animals?
A: There are many laws referenced when enforcing equine investigations. A guide that can be used is special_castandards_feb2014.pdf (ucdavis.edu).
Q: Is there a rule for how many horses a property owner can have?
A: This depends on what the property’s zoning is. The Artesian Rd property has “V” animal regulatory zoning, which per the Zoning Ordinance, states raising horses is permitted. No limit is referenced in the code. An owner will have to comply with setbacks. Reference z3000.pdf (sandiegocounty.gov) for the full zoning ordinance.
Q: Can you tell us the last time someone was on the property at 7747 Camino de Arriba to see how many dogs Debra Barkley has?
A: The last time an officer was physically at the 7747 Camino de Arriba property meeting with owner was July 2023. An Officer is on property today investigating a new complaint.
Q: Neighbors have sent us new pictures of emaciated dogs and say they can hear what they believe are puppies now on property also.
A: Animal Services received a complaint about the Camino de Arriba residence yesterday concerning a dog running at large and an emaciated dog. An officer is there this afternoon to contact the owner and check the property.
Q: Did Debra Barkley ever get a kennel permit for all her dogs at Camino de Arriba?
A: During the last referenced July 2023 activity, an officer verified the property was within the legal limit of dogs which is 6 for this property. No further complaints on the number of dogs have been received. The reporting party referenced breeding on the most recent activity but did not state more than the legal limit of adult dogs. As stated earlier, an officer is there this afternoon to contact the owner and check the property.
Q: Because the county investigated Ms Barkley and her horse operation extensively, was she told to keep a certain number of horses that might be more manageable for her?
A: As stated earlier, there is no legal limit of horses for the Artesian Road property. The owner worked to voluntarily reduce the number of thoroughbreds and other older horses.
Q: Neighbors tell us there are even more horses than when we covered this last year. Now there's a dead horse and piles of mud and manure in the pasture. And the county is again using resources to deal with her, her horse property, and her personal home off Camino de Arriba with reports of so many emaciated dogs running loose.
A: County of San Diego Animal Services has not received any complaints about the property on Artesian Road since August 2023. As stated earlier, we have an officer at the property on Camino de Arriba this afternoon.
Q: Is Kelly Campbell stepping down or being reassigned?
A: Kelly Campbell remains the Director of Animal Services while the recruitment of a new director is underway.
Q: Can we interview her about this situation with Debra Barkley. She costs taxpayers money for these investigations she keeps creating.
A: The County has provided answers to your questions and will continue to do so. Kelly Campbell is not in her office and is unavailable for interview.
Q: And finally, is there anyone who could talk to us on camera about how the department of animal services operates? We get calls and emails all the time from people who take pictures of animals in their communities that they feel are not being taken care of properly. We think it would be helpful for taxpayers to understand how county/state rules for animal ownership work.
A: Our investigative process is noted on our website at https://www.sddac.com/content/sdc/das/license-laws/Enforcement.html
WATCH RELATED: San Diego County investigating ranch with sick, dying horses (March 31, 2023)