An Allegheny Township family is offering a $2,000 reward for their pet horse that went missing Sunday.
Jessie, a 10-year-old Clydesdale mare, was last seen on video surveillance about midnight Saturday in the pasture on the family farm and business on Lardintown Road in Clinton Township.
Owner JeNeen Fleishner said Jessie is dark brown with a white face, about 18-19 hands tall and has a friendly disposition.
Fleishner said she fears Jessie was stolen.
“Right now, horses are in high demand and prices of horses are up, which means there are more people out there trying to make a buck without any scruples,” Fleishner said.
Fleishner said the average price for a Clydesdale is about $10,000.
The Fleishner family is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to Jesse’s safe return.
Fleishner said Jessie must have wandered to a pasture out of range of the cameras, and her husband discovered Jessie was missing about 6 a.m. Sunday.
“The fencing was intact. Jessie is so friendly — like a dog — she would have gone into a trailer easily with anyone,” Fleishner said.
The family filed a police report with state police in Butler , but Fleishner said she had not received any leads as of Tuesday afternoon.
“I’m sick to my stomach. I have a feeling she’s long gone.” she said. “We’ve been searching for two days, and my husband rented a helicopter today to search for Jessie.”
Jessie was the sole pet on the farm after her mate died last week after complications from a rare illness.
“I thought she would be safe out there (Clinton Township) because it seemed like such a safe area,” Fleishner said. The family bought Jessie from Canada years ago.
Butler state police were not available for comment, but a dispatcher confirmed a police report had been filed and the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information on Jessie is asked to call 412-603-0302 or the state police in Butler at 724-284-8100.
