Pierce County prosecutors contend the owner of a horse-drawn carriage business intentionally neglected her horse and refused to give proper treatment despite the pain the animal endured.
Tammy Lynn Sell, 64, was charged with first-degree animal cruelty and second-degree animal cruelty. A plea of not guilty was entered on her behalf at Pierce County Superior Court on April 17, and she was released on personal recognizance, court records show.
Sell was first reported to Pierce County Animal Control on March 5, 2022, after someone complained that one of her horses was observed lying in pain for over two months.
An animal control officer went to the location of Country Wagon Carriages, a business that provides horse-drawn carriage rides for entertainment and events. The officer met a resident there who took him to two horses. One of the horses was in good shape, but the second one, named Bell, was muddy and dirty, prosecutors wrote.
Bell had a large pressure sore on her hip, about the size of a silver dollar, that was dark red and cracked. There was mud caked and cracked on that side of the horse's leg, and the officer noticed there were additional sores on the left leg. The horse was noticeably emaciated with very little fat, prosecutors wrote.
The resident said Bell was often used in weddings for Country Wagon Carriages. The officer contacted Sell and asked about the sores. Sell claimed it was not a pressure sore but an injury from a blanket she put on Bell. The officer pointed out another injury that could not have been from a blanket, but Sell said it was a rope burn and that Bell was "fine." It was later determined the injury was not from a rope burn, prosecutors wrote.
Sell told the officer that she has a friend who is a chiropractor that often massages the horse. The chiropractor was not a licensed veterinarian. When the officer asked Sell if she was willing to let a vet check on Bell, she said she did not see a reason to, prosecutors wrote. The officer advised that the vet could check how much pain Bell was in, but Sell said she did not believe the horse was in any pain.
The next day, Sell told the officer that she had a vet appointment scheduled for Bell.
When the officer pointed out that Bell was underweight, Sell said the horse is a "hard keeper" and "has always been underweight."
Sell confirmed that she uses Bell for work but stops whenever the horse gets tired. The officer noted that the only way to determine if Bell was tired was to measure the horse's heart rate with a tool, prosecutors wrote. The officer also recalled a time when he previously contacted Sell over a complaint that she was overworking her horses at an event in Puyallup. Sell was gone prior to the officer arriving that day, so he could never determine if the horse was being overworked.
A vet reported after the appointment that Bell's food needed to be increased. Sell reportedly refused to allow Bell's vet records to be released. The officer was able to get the records through a search warrant, documents show. The vet assessed that Bell was "significantly" underweight. There was an infection on the horse's body, and it was advised that she not work until she recovered.
The vet agreed with the officer that Sell was neglecting her horse. There was also evidence that Sell failed to provide Bell medical care, leaving her in unnecessary and unjustifiable pain, prosecutors wrote.
The officer visited Sell's property and noted that the horses were kept in narrow stalls, which did not allow them to lie down. When the officer spoke to Sell about the vet visit, she allegedly complained that "$600 went into testing when it could have gone into food." Sell also told the officer that Bell was back to work and pulled a cart for a wedding, prosecutors wrote. There were noticeable wounds on the horse and Sell said she was putting vinegar on them "to keep the flies off."
"It is clear and obvious that SELL is knowingly and intentionally failing to provide this horse with the recommended vet's care, and that it is suffering unnecessary and unjustifiable physical pain as a result," charging documents say.
Animal control officers impounded Bell for further examination and treatment on June 22, 2022. A vet told officers that Bell should not be worked because she had a stability issue. If she worked and had a misstep, then the horse and anyone in the carriage she was pulling could be injured, prosecutors wrote.
On the property, officers found several other animals, including rabbits that were kept inside the dark area of a barn. Three rabbits were dead with signs of starvation. Sell surrendered the rabbits to animal control, but appealed Bell's impound, prosecutors wrote.
Sell told the News Tribune on Saturday that she was not interested in commenting on the allegations at this time.
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