Harmony Township, New Jersey, lives up to its name. It’s a patchwork quilt of quiet farms overlooking a scenic stretch of the Delaware River between Easton and Martin’s Creek.

It’s a world away from the Sunny Rest Road corral where a group of horses owned by a trusted veterinarian lived in fear as they starved, some to death, because of a lack of food and years of neglect.One of those horses, a 7-year-old chestnut mare named Clarissa, lived through that horror. But thanks to a 19-year-old horse lover, and a long list of people who helped her get there, Clarissa’s life has changed 180 degrees from where it was a year ago.Extreme crueltyIn January 2016, state police received a tip about a dead horse lying in a pasture off of Sunny Rest Road, near Palmerton. They found emaciated horses on the property. Over three days, they removed 16 horses from the property, nine in critical condition.Five were found dead, and another two would die before they could get medical care, according to court documents.Police said the horses were the property of Dr. Clyde Shoop, a veterinarian who coached youth sports and was known affectionately as “Renny” among the community.Shoop would eventually be found guilty of 11 counts of animal cruelty, and sentenced to pay more than $32,000 in restitution. His veterinarian’s license has been indefinitely suspended by the state of Pennsylvania.“As this story of extreme cruelty began to unfold, it became one of the worst cases of animal abuse to hit our area in years, and at the hands of a trusted veterinarian no less,” Lori McCutcheon, founder of Last Chance Ranch Animal Rescue in Bucks County, said.Rescue operationClarissa, 300 pounds underweight, was brought to the Last Chance ranch.Boarding a horse costs time and money. Last Chance, a nonprofit relying entirely on donations, was founded to provide a safe haven for rescued horses. They rehabilitate and adopt out horses that were neglected — with the guarantee that they will always take a horse back if the adopter can no longer provide for it.Clarissa almost didn’t make it to the ranch.On the long ride from Palmerton, she wasn’t even able to keep herself standing up — a troublesome sign for a horse.On the body index scale used by veterinarians, she was a zero out of five. Her ribs were clearly visible. Her teeth were damaged from attempting to eat tree bark after the she and the other horses had eaten all of the grass in the corral.“The first 48 hours were tough, but Clarissa proved to be a fighter,” McCutcheon said.A local fire company came to the ranch and helped lift the neglected horse to her feet, but she was unable to stand without the help of a specially designed sling.She was given the name ‘Clarissa’ — she, along with the other horses, were named for Nickelodeon characters. She would remain in the sling for a month before gaining the strength to hold herself up. Over the next five months, she would get back to a healthy weight.“Clarissa started to flourish, gained over 300 pounds, and has blossomed into a wonderful young filly,” McCutcheon said.Found by chanceLike a lot of couples these days, Clarissa and Taylor Dowd met online. One day this spring, Dowd was browsing petfinder.com, an online site used by animal rescue shelters to connect with people looking to adopt.Dowd is 19, a volunteer paramedic, and aspiring radiologist. She works at two horse stables while studying at Raritan Community College.She was online one day looking at dogs, not horses, when she stumbled upon Clarissa — a horse who might be interested in the English riding that Taylor loves.“I came across her, I was like ‘Oh wow, she’s really pretty,’ and she’s exactly what I wanted,” she said. “She was just perfect for everything.”It took only a week, after visiting on her 19th birthday, to make the decision.“She was a total catch,” Dowd said.But Last Chance has a rigorous vetting process to make sure that the person adopting the animal will treat it humanely.She made an arrangement with Patricia Carlin, who owns a stable called Colline de Cheval in Harmony Township.In exchange for working with the other horses at the stable, Dowd would be allowed to board Clarissa at the farm. Clarissa now has a stall in a palatial barn with an indoor corral.Dowd’s mom, Janice, said that the connection between her daughter and the horse were evident.“There’s a picture from when we picked her up — she just wraps her head around Taylor. It’s amazing. It was almost like she was saying ‘thank you’,” she said.Adoption lessonAs the first rescue horse in the barn, Clarissa got a lot of attention.Taylor said that many horse owners haven’t considered adopting a rescued horse, and she takes every opportunity to educate them about it.“I think Taylor has opened up eyes — maybe it’s something they didn’t think of,” Janice said.These days, Clarissa is treated to a diet with plenty of fat and fiber, and loves treats like apples, bananas and carrots. For the time being, Taylor plans on staying local, continuing to work at Colline de Cheval, and continuing to work with her horse.She hopes to train her to perform in dressage events — the sport which is often seen during the Olympics, and involves a highly-choreographed dance between rider and horse.Eventually, her plans could include medical school. One thing she is sure of is that Clarissa will never be far away.“I definitely want to take her with me wherever I go. She’s the number one in my life, so I want to make sure she’s either with me, or well taken care of,” Dowd said.Help Last ChanceLast Chance has saved hundreds of animals like Clarissa from euthanasia and slaughter. The nonprofit is completely reliant on donations to continue its mission.Visit

www.lastchanceranch.org to see how you can donate or volunteer.