Resident alleges horse left to die at Artesian Ranch; county says Animal Services monitoring and DA active

A caller told the San Diego County Board of Supervisors that a horse on Artesian Road suffered for days after being found with a broken leg, and accused Department of Animal Services leadership of failing to act. County Animal Services replied that staff have monitored the property and that the district attorney’s office is pursuing a related dog nuisance case.

“I want to put on record, this horse that laid for 3 days suffered and died in District 5,” public commenter Zora Fahim said during the non‑agenda public comment period, describing photos she said showed a mare with a broken leg and damaged fencing. Fahim criticized Department of Animal Services leadership by name and said an interim assistant director lacked experience.

Animal Services responded to the board immediately after the comment. A department representative told supervisors the agency had inspected the Artesian Ranch property in November and again on Feb. 7, and said staff found the horses in good condition on prior visits. The department said it had removed a dog earlier under a DA‑filed nuisance charge and that the dog case remains active.

“Animal Services actively monitoring the situation,” the staff member said. “We were there on February 7 as well … So we are continually monitoring the situation. We have active visitations on that specific property as well.” The staff member also confirmed the district attorney’s office had an open file on a dog nuisance complaint tied to the property.

Ending: The complaint led to a public update during the meeting; Animal Services said the situation remains under active monitoring and the district attorney is pursuing charges in the related dog matter. The board did not take additional formal action at the session.