05/07/2026
This post is hard to write. But it would be harder to stay silent.
Most of you know The Rosie Project. You know our horses, our programs, our belief that healing happens when humans show up honestly in the presence of animals who expect nothing less. What many of you may not know is that none of it would exist without Laughing Pony Rescue.
Laughing Pony Rescue is where I began. It is where The Rosie Project found its footing, its horses, and its home. Celia Sciacca, the founder, is one of the most quietly extraordinary people I have ever met. Rescue is not what she does. It is who she has always been. Over the course of her life, she has saved more than 3,000 animals, one at a time, because she could not imagine doing anything else. Right now, Celia is fighting for her life's work. And she needs our help. Celia believed in me. She gave me a chance. And now I want to give her the love, belief, and support she has always given to me.
In September 2023, a young woman arrived at Laughing Pony Rescue with an elderly dog named Piano. She had already been turned away by multiple rescues. She told Celia that if no one took her, Piano was going to the shelter, where a dog her age would almost certainly be euthanized. When Celia asked about the dog's future, the young woman's response was devastating. "She's lived a long enough life anyway." Celia took Piano in, she felt is was the only right thing to do so save the dogs life. It was the only time she had ever taken in a dog. She placed Piano with Nerice, a beloved LPR volunteer and hospice minister, who gave Piano everything she deserved. Warmth. Safety. A home where she was chosen every single day.
When Piano was later diagnosed with terminal cancer, she passed away surrounded by people who loved her completely. Nerice and her husband (86 years old) are still heartbroken. They will be for a long time. Piano had no microchip. The Humane Society scanned her. There was nothing to find.
Then the lawsuit arrived. Six weeks after Piano was surrendered, a second sister from the same family appeared demanding her back. The initial demand was $30,000. It has since climbed to $250,000, a number that is alleged to correspond precisely to the pass-through amount (to pay for unwanted horses) allowable under 501(c)(3) nonprofit law, as though someone did their research before filing.
They are not just suing for money. They have named Laughing Pony Rescue, Celia personally, and Nerice personally as defendants. They are attempting to shut down
the rescue entirely and take Celia and Nerice’s homes.
Nerice is a hospice minister nearing 80. She and her 86-year-old husband, who opened their hearts to a dying dog, are now being dragged into court for doing exactly that.
The sister who originally surrendered Piano has not been held accountable for a single day of this. Her family refuses to produce her, and we can’t find her. She walked in, handed over a dog she allegedly said had lived long enough, and disappeared. The family now alleges they wanted Piano back, though it is alleged they were not even living in the country at the time of the surrender. It is also alleged that in the period when they did have Piano, she was left in a crate for up to ten hours a day. This is what Laughing Pony Rescue is up against. On one side: Jake Gillick from Gillick Legal Services, a single attorney and animal lover who took this case pro bono because he believed it was the right thing to do. One person, fighting because he cares. On the other side: a large downtown San Diego law firm, staffed with associates and interns, with the resources to outlast, outspend, and overwhelm.
This is David and Goliath. And David needs reinforcements.
We are asking for two things today. First, if you can, please donate. Every dollar goes directly toward Laughing Pony Rescue's legal defense. Every dollar that goes toward attorneys is a dollar that cannot go toward the next animal that needs saving. Donate via Venmo to Laughing Pony Rescue under Charities. Second, if you are an attorney or if you know one, please reach out. Jake is one person up against a firm with full infrastructure behind it. If there is anyone in the legal community who believes in what Laughing Pony Rescue stands for and wants to help, we need to hear from you. Please send a direct message or contact us at [email protected].
Laughing Pony Rescue did not create this situation. They responded to it with compassion, just as they do to everything. Please help us protect them. Share this post. Donate if you can. Reach out if you have legal experience. And if you have never visited Laughing Pony Rescue, this is your introduction to an organization that deserves every bit of your love.
For Piano. For Celia. For Nerice. For every animal that still needs them. Piano deserved better from the family that abandoned her. Celia and Nerice deserve better from all of us.
