NEW CUMBERLAND, W.Va. –Three of 10 horses seized during a drug investigation in Hancock County may be euthanized unless the county can find homes for the remaining horses.

"As a last resort," said Nicole Busick, the Hancock County Dog Warden. "In some cases, that's the most humane option. We're hoping that someone will come along."

Busick described the three as special needs horses due to their previous living conditions making the horses hard to place in forever homes.

"There's one horse in particular that his growth was severely stunted from the lack of nutrition and growing up being in such small, confined areas," said Busick. "Two of the horses didn't get to exercise enough to get their legs to be strong enough to do anything."

Tom Zielinski, the executive director of Hancock County's Office of Technology and Communications, said they did not establish a time frame on how soon the horses could be euthanized.

"We're trying to do the humane thing," said Zielinski. "We're hoping that through Nicole's contacts and through our contacts with other agencies, someone will step up before severe weather starts to clip us so we don't have to do the inevitable."

For more information about the horses contact Nicole Busick, the Hancock County Dog Warden, 304-564-3311 extension 292.