In April, Calhoun County, North Carolina, Sheriff Thomas Summers visited a horse owner about the condition of his animals and instructed the man to provide them with better care. He warned the owner that, unless the 29 horses’ conditions improved, authorities would seize them and he would face animal cruelty charges. The following month Summers visited the herd again and, seeing that the animals’ conditions hadn’t improved satisfactorily, seized the horses in place and charged their owner with nine counts of animal cruelty.

After the seizure, the local equine community pitched in to provide feed, and a New Jersey rescue organization volunteered to help find the 29 horses foster homes. Still, the seizure was daunting for Summers and his deputies.

“I have been in law enforcement for 20 years, and I’ve never had a case like this,” he said. “If people hadn’t helped us, I don’t know what it would have cost us to feed and care for this many horses.”

Summers isn’t alone. Many jurisdictions grapple with the cost of enforcing animal cruelty laws, especially when cases involve large animals. And while those costs vary between jurisdictions, many law enforcement agencies have to make hard choices about making and paying for animal cruelty cases