When they dropped her off at a ranch in Langley, BC, her handlers called the adorable 10-month-old filly "Fatty Patty" because she'd been overfed to fatten her up for a  slaughterhouse in Manitoba.

Angel-as the inquisitive and frisky filly is now called-was considered a "byproduct" and would have been killed, her edible body parts shipped to countries where horsemeat is eaten, such as Japan, France, Belgium and Italy.

Angel's mother, meanwhile, is kept literally barefoot and pregnant on what's known as a PMU farm, where estrogen from pregnant mare's urine is harvested for hormone replacement therapy drugs (Premarin). Once Angel's mother is past her usefulness, she too is destined for a slaughterhouse, either in Canada or abroad. Unlike Angel, she probably won't be rescued.

In 2006 and 2007, the last three equine slaughterhouses in the United States closed-good news for Canadian slaughterhouse owners, judging by the increasing number of horses now shipped here and to Mexico. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the number of horses exported from the US to Canada rose 46 percent: 18,901 in 2006 to 27,688 in 2007.

Last year, almost 80,000 horses in total were killed in Canada. In 2006, the head count was just over 50,000.

Bo Derek, celebrity spokesperson for the Canadian Horse Defense Coalition (DHDC), came to Vancouver last January to publicize the fact that Canada has fallen behind the US in terms of protective legislation.

The US has enacted the Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, but we, in contrast, are opening new slaughter plants. As of April 2008, there were seven approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec.

Ironically, the majority of Canadians (64 percent) don't support horse slaughter for human consumption, according to a 2004 Ipsos Reid/TRACS poll.

Mares no longer used to produce estrogen for Premarin (an industry that is itself criticized by animal rights groups) and/or other horses intended for human consumption can be retired in other ways besides slaughter. Alternatives include donating them to  a rescue, a shelter, or a therapeutic or handicapped riding organization or retiring them to a farm.

While groups such as the CHDC aim to raise public awareness and facilitate legislative change, people like Vernon Groetchen and Yvonne Allen are also making a difference by providing homes for "rescued" horses like Angel.

When the filly first arrived in Langley via a horse-lovers network that bought her for "meat market price," she wouldn't let people walk on her right side.

But watching her now, after only one month of freedom from a guaranteed death sentence, one is reminded of a child learning how to walk. The nice, floating gait that she's growing into delights the audience that has been lured outside to watch her  first playful forays in a new paddock.

Her receptive nature has helped Groetchen and Allen overcome the horse's initial mistrust and today, it's evident that if she thought she could sit on Groetchen's lap, she'd try. She does succeed in walking as close to her new "Dad" as horsely possible.

For updates on Angel, visit www.voiceforthehorse.com.

For updates on horse slaughter and animal rights issues, see www.defendhorsescanada.org.

Vancouver writer Michelle Hancock has a very spoiled Rottweiler-German Shepherd cross who enjoys an organic diet and lots of massages.

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