ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, September 28, 1996 TAG: 9609300035
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRISTINA NUCKOLS STAFF WRITER
It looks as if Chico and Jackson won't be parted by their good fortune.
The apparent high bidder for the two orphans, who have been in the custody of Roanoke County since July, wants to purchase both the Pasofino and the Tennessee walking horse.
Kay Johnston, a buyer for Roanoke County Procurement Services, said the county received 15 bids on the horses. The apparent high bid of $1,650 was submitted by Dorothy Ramano of Glasgow.
All bidders were required to provide references, and Johnston will be checking Ramano's before the bid is officially awarded. If all goes well, the two horses will move to 116 acres in Glasgow.
Ramano could not be reached for comment Friday, but Johnston said the Glasgow woman already owns one Tennessee walking horse.
"She's a horse person, and it sounds like they're going to a good home," Johnston said.
County officials don't know how long Chico and Jackson have been together, but the two tended to stay close together as they grazed. Twelve of the 15 bids were for both horses. The remaining three were placed on Jackson, the black Tennessee walking horse whose outgoing personality had made him a favorite among county officials and potential bidders.
The bids for both horses ranged from $400 to $1,650. Bids for Jackson alone ran from $300 to $779.
A judge awarded the county custody of the 4-year-old geldings when their owner, Laura Looney Wright of Boones Mill, was convicted of inhumane treatment of animals. County officials said when they found the animals they were malnourished and ungroomed.
While the SPCA takes cats or dogs seized in neglect cases, that wasn't an option for the horses, so the county advertised for bids.
Since July, Chico and Jackson have been the guests of Lindsey Garvey, a part-time clerk in the Roanoke County Police Department's records division who had an available pasture in Botetourt County.
Earlier this week, Garvey said she would miss the horses, but she at least had a wedding to take her mind off their departure.
"I'm getting married this weekend and I'll be on my honeymoon next week," she said. "That's probably a good thing."
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