Week of 9/28/08 Humane Happenings

Jody Koch

The Sierra County Humane Society, Inc. has been operating since November 1989 and the service that it provides to the community is crucial. It is entirely funded through personal and corporate donations and receives no support from any government entities, local or otherwise. Contrary to popular belief, the SCHS receives no support from larger humane organizations, such as the Humane Society of the US or the ASPCA. Each animal welfare organization operates on its own. Consequently, Paws & Claws thrift shop - operated by the Society – is necessary to our organization’s success. Paws & Claws thrift shop helps cover the costs of the Spay-Neuter, Spay-a-Stray and Adopt-a-Classroom programs. It also helps operate and maintain Desert Haven, Sierra County’s no-kill domestic animal sanctuary, where every rescued animal can be guaranteed a new home or a good life without fear of ever being euthanized, except under extreme circumstances.

The Humane Society crew spent last Tuesday afternoon at Paws & Claws thrift shop, either sorting through donated items or putting-up steel shelving to be used for the shop’s once a month bag sale, to start on the third Friday in October. If you have not yet visited our newly set-up shop at its current location, consider doing so. It’s conveniently located across the alley from Family Dollar in T or C.

While you are at the shop, take time to say “hi” to Jody Koch, the shop’s new volunteer cashier. For several years now, Jody has served in our organization as its recording secretary and her new volunteer activity at Paws & Claws has been a tremendous help to all of us. Jody, who suffers from Spina Bifida, a birth defect that confines her to a wheelchair, is an inspiration to all of us who know her. We are very grateful for her help each week and extremely proud to count her as one of us.

This week, we wish to thank the anonymous contributor of a large bulletin Board to be used at Paws & Claws. It will soon help publicize our dogs and cats available for adoption, as well as become a useful information board for our community’s current events.

Special thanks go to Barbara Dreyfus who has been a strong supporter of DHAR over the years. Her recent donation of several bags of pet food was very much appreciated. We continue to need helping hands at Desert Haven and also at Paws & Claws. For more information, contact us at 505-894-2778 or check us out at http://www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com.

by Eliana Aubin

“A chained dog can only watch as life goes by…Please don’t chain your dog.”

Week of 9/23/08 Humane Happenings

Diana Rivera at Paws & Claws Thrift Shop

This past Tuesday, Desert Haven was buzzing with activity as the clean-up after the latest heavy rain storms began. Kat, Jerry and John made a huge difference as they repaired some of the damage created by the heavy rains that had washed out a section of the driveway. The latest rains came at a very bad time for DHAR, as the heavy damage created by an earlier rain storm had just been repaired by heavy equipment contracted the day before.

Terry and Sharon Howell have now left Desert Haven for new adventures on wheels, after spending the entire summer at the sanctuary. This friendly and very helpful couple was well worth knowing and the members of our Desert Haven extended family have fond memories of their stay. Terry and Sharon will be hard to replace. We trust that in the not-so-distant future, they will be able to visit Desert Haven and its inhabitants again, on their way to or from one of their destination.

This past Tuesday, both Diana Rivera and Eliana Aubin were treated by the Paws & Claws and Desert Haven crew to a Birthday cake with plenty of candles. Ginny Nylen’s Hawaii Dream Cake was a huge success – exactly the type of “gooey” cake Eliana is especially fond of. Thanks, Ginny. Diana has been involved at Paws & Claws thrift shop for over four years now. Three years ago, she became the recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award at the Sierra County Humane Society yearly get-together dinner. Her time and efforts are very much welcomed and appreciated.

The local media continues to be great to our non-profit organization. We could not spread the word about everything that we do and how we help the community through our programs without the on-going support of the media in printing our Humane Happenings as a PSA in the weekly newspaper - totally free of charge to us.

Paws & Claws thrift shop, located across the alley from Family Dollar, needs volunteers to help sort clothes and recycled items and also to help display electronics and move large donated items. Volunteers are also needed to set up steel shelving in the open storage area reserved for the to-be-sorted donations and that is adjacent to the DHAR building.

Anyone with a grader and small bobcat interested in helping us repair the heavy damage created at DHAR by the recent rains, especially on the driveway? An hour of the time of an operator and his grader would do wonders to repair our major damage. We realize we are not alone in this, since Sierra County was declared a disaster area after the latest rain storms. Regardless, the damage is real and not easy to assimilate by our volunteer organization. The road repairs contracted for out of necessity last week were washed away the following night, by the walls of water that came rolling down from the adjacent hills, through the neighboring property and into Desert Haven. Such a shame that none of us can predict the immediate future, most especially when it comes to the weather in New Mexico!

Anyone interested in donating statuaries, wind chimes, perhaps a bird bath to enhance Central Bark, the garden area adjacent to the main building? We welcome any piece of old equipment to add more character to the DHAR Old West Placita.

Interested in helping in some way? Wishing to visit an animal at DHAR outside of open hours? Contact us at 894-2778 or check us out at http://www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com.

“Doesn’t every dog deserve a warm bed?”

Week of 9/7/09 Humane Happenings

Gene Trelewicz

Desert Haven Animal Refuge, Sierra County’s no-kill domestic animal sanctuary, became the recipient of a large set of wind chimes this past Tuesday. It was built and donated by local resident Gene Trelewicz in memory of his wife Mary, who passed away in 1997.

Gene became part of the DHAR work crew several months after the land was purchased by the Sierra County Humane Society in 1999. The work crew consisted at the time of Jerry and Eliana Aubin, Leonard Bullington and Chuck & Linda Davis. It was faced with a huge undertaking in cleaning up the five-acre property of accumulated trash and debris from many years of neglect, then in removing a dead orchard, one tree at a time, also taking down and removing an old dilapidated fence, post by post. Gene’s expertise was soon put to use and he became instrumental in sorting the newly acquired tools at the sanctuary, fixing them as needed and keeping them in good state of repairs. Gene also restored some of the older donated machinery that is now housed in the large, recently completed work shop located on the property.

Local school teacher Molly Williams is moving out of the area. We are asking someone in the community to help us fill the huge gap that this dedicated animal loving lady is leaving behind. Molly is special to all of us at Desert Haven. When she adopted Trisha, a young DHAR dog, Molly realized that she could help our cause in some special ways - and she did. Aside from helping care for DHAR non-human residents when the need is crucial, Molly also regularly picks up and launders the dog and cat bedding. A beautiful park bench that she donated in memory of her mother Bessie William is sitting under a group of mesquite trees at Rainbow Bridge Pet Cemetery, facing the Caballo Mountains. If any of our animal loving readers wishes to help take care of some of our canine and feline laundry, please contact Freddie Loveless at 894-2778.

This week, we wish to thank T or C resident Bill Rogers for taking the time to visit Dog Town at Desert Haven whenever his health permits. Bill walks some of our little dogs and they love the treats he brings for them.

Deb Peters donated the use of her vehicle as well as her time this past Tuesday, to pick-up a number of RV windows donated by CJ Ellis of Caballo RV Park. Deb, a former DHAR work-camper who became a local permanent resident a few months ago, continues to support the cause of the animals of Sierra County in many ways. She generously divides her time with her employment in town and the sanctuary’s extended human and non-human family which would not be complete without her.

Anyone interested in helping keep the grounds weed-free at Rainbow Bridge? This worthwhile undertaking could also perhaps become a team project taken on by small groups of local youth. We can use your plastic containers to help with sorting and displaying recyclable items at P & C and also in the P&C storage. Pet food, canned and dry, is always a high priority.

Bullocks receipts, a community service project of our local food store, are collected again through the Cash-for-Clubs program. This year, with the new retail giant in the area, the efforts of our animal loving friends in saving and collecting Bullocks receipts for the SCHS and DHAR are even more crucial since Bullocks is the only business in our area with a program such as the Cash for Club program. This program translates into cash that helps fund the SCHS Spay-Neuter program. Applications to receive a S&N rebate from our organization can be picked up at the T or C Police station, Paws & Claws thrift shop, El Rancho Poodles and Hot Springs Animal Clinic, a local business owned and operated by Doctor Cardwell, the local veterinarian. For more information our organization, please contact us at 894-2778 or 894-1694, or visit us at http://www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com.

Week of 9/1/08 Humane Happenings

A young customer at Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe

As of September First, Bullocks Receipts are being collected again for The Sierra County Humane Society, Inc. and Desert Haven Animal Refuge. The Cash-for- Clubs program allows Bullocks’ Grocery Store to serve the community in yet another way – by financially supporting local organizations that are also supported by the public. The program -now in its 16th year of existence - is designed to let loyal Bullocks customers decide where Bullocks’ donations should be directed, offering local organizations a cash donation equal to 2% of the cash receipts totals that are collected between September 1 and July 31. This is how it works: your Bullocks receipts earn $$$$$ for our organization when you drop them off in one of our collection boxes located at the T or C public library, Williamsburg Post Office, Cielo Vista RV Park, and Paws & Claws Thrift Shop in T or C.

This year again, through the program, the SCHS and Desert Haven have received, by far, the largest amount donated by Bullocks. Sierra County residents are obviously very supportive of our organization and we are grateful. The money collected each year is earmarked for the comprehensive Spay-Neuter program offered by our organization, with a price tag of over $8,000 each year.

Margaret Cacoperdo’s renowned spaghetti and meat ball dish was much appreciated last Tuesday, when the crew gathered for lunch at Desert Haven. Margaret is no stranger to our organization, as she and Father Peter of St Paul’s Episcopal Church in T or C regularly donated much time and efforts when they first moved to the area several years ago.

A huge “Thank-you” is in order this week to Mark Humble of Elephant Butte, Jo Brewer of New Hampshire, Mike Carson and Barbara Dreyfus of T or C for their donation of pet food or cash to purchase pet food. A very special thank-you goes to the anonymous person who so generously covered our latest pet food expense at Sierra Feeds in T or C.

Interested in visiting Desert Haven? Come out on Tuesdays, or call us at 575-894-2778 for an appointment. If you wish to adopt a dog or a cat directly from the owner, contact our Adopt-a-Pet Referral program coordinator, Stan, at 575-895-5551. Courtesy of the SCHS and thanks to the efforts of Stan Brodsky of Hillsboro, five three-month-old Calico mix kittens can be adopted out through the program. Contact the owner for more information at 575-743-3107.

This week’s wish List: Clothes racks for use at Paws & Claws – thrift shop volunteers –Statuaries and garden tools for Desert Haven. And of course our high priority : Dog and cat food, canned and dry.
By the way “Have you hugged your dog today?”