Humane Happenings

by Dolly Loftus


Freddie at a board meeting

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, the Sierra County Humane Society, critters and volunteers at Desert Haven, and volunteers who man the Paws and Claws Thrift Store would like to thank the community for their support of time and donations. It is extremely heart-warming when we realize how much people care about animals and their survival.

Life at Desert Haven continues to be fun and hectic. Freddie Lovelace is back after visiting her 92 year old mother in Indiana. Dick and Jane, a couple of short-term work campers, left last Friday to visit their family in Colorado. They helped a lot with new ideas for our cat area and deep cleaning. The new crew, who have become veterans in a short time, is anticipating the arrival of two more couples the first part of next week. We have some really cute small dogs that are ready for adopting. Come out on any Tuesday between 9 AM and 4 PM for a tour. We have several pieces of statuary that decorate the grounds, but we could use more. If you have some that you are tired of looking at in your yard, please bring it to Desert Haven. We still need assistance in the office in order to give our present personnel a break from time to time. If you like to file, do computer work and play with numbers, call Dolly at 740-0715.

At Paws and Claws, the selection of Christmas merchandise is outstanding. The Christmas tree selection, tree ornaments and other decorations have taken over the store. There is such a variety of items that people run out of time to shop assuring us that they will come back again. Stop by, browse around, and see what you can’t live without.

Our wish list this week is for dry and canned cat food. The staff and volunteers wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Week of 11/16/08 Humane Happenings

Ron and Cooper

Every year since Paws & Claws Thrift Shop opened for business in 1997, The Sierra County Humane Society has collected toys and stuffed animals for the Toys-4-Tots program. Our organization collects an average of 125 new toys each year. We would like to continue the tradition, with the help of our customers. By Thanksgiving, a bin will be available inside the store for the occasion.

We had a good group gathered at lunchtime this past Tuesday - 21 folks, including several local and out-of-town guests. We shared a great Italian meal, courtesy of our Chef-of-the-day Margaret Cacoperdo, and others helped to ensure that there was plenty of good food available.

We are still looking for someone to help with office work, filing, and answering phone calls. Ginny, our volunteer from Hawaii, is leaving the area mid December. We met Ginny Nylen two Springs ago, when she was work camping in T or C. Ginny had read about us in the local papers and she visited DHAR one Tuesday morning. The office skills she shared with us during the following three months were a tremendous boost to our office crew. This Summer, Ginny came back to T or C, and once again, she has been helping in the DHAR office on Tuesday and also at P&C thrift shop whenever her schedule permits. Ginny is also a superb cook.

Accolades of the week: To the nice folks who drop-off used furniture pieces at Paws & Claws, also gently used household items, interesting knick-knack of all types, and brand new items, some still in their original gift box: A very special thank-you to Patricia Lehman and her son Samuel for their kindness towards another human being and for donating money for pet food.

Wish List: mannequin for the P&C store window - clothes racks and shelves or someone willing to build one or two for us. Helpers at Paws & Claws.
Someone with heavy equipment to help us level some of the RV sites damaged by the recent rains.

For more information, contact Dolly at 575-740-0715. Consider visiting DHAR during open hours, from 9 AM through 4 PM. You can also check us out at http://www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com.

Week of 11/9/08 Humane Happenings

Casey

Desert Haven Animal Refuge, the Sierra County Humane Society’s owned and operated no-kill domestic animal sanctuary, was full of activity last week. Casey, a friendly young heeler, was taken in at the sanctuary and she is now getting acquainted with the routine at Dog Town. She has already made several friends among the canine population, including young Ralph, who loved to have a brand new playmate.

At lunch time, the hungry crew gathered slowly around the oversize table and as every seat was getting occupied, the conversations were lively and everyone seemed to have a good time discussing the morning‘s events and the day’s projects. The “Chef of the Day“ - Ginny Nylen - together with her helpers had just put the finishing touches on her superb “Chili Relleno” that was going to be served as the main dish of a typical Mexican meal - good food to be shared by congenial folks, some of them brand new to DHAR. Reba Wagner, husband Gene and son Steve had just arrived from Arkansas in the early part of the week. Then it was Jeff Nowland of New Jersey. Finally, Gray and Pettie Mc Henry of California, who stopped at DHAR for a couple weeks on their way to new and exciting RV’ing adventures - It was great to see everyone get acquainted and the rest of the crew made every effort to help them feel like an integral part of the DHAR team.


Freddie Loveless

Freddie Loveless, DHAR Operations Coordinator & Camp Host, is on her way back to Indiana, where she will be spending some special time with her family. She has not seen her folks in over five years, since she made DHAR her very first RV‘ing experience. We wish her a great time and hope she will be back with us before long. Freddie is very special to us. When she arrived at DHAR at this time of the year several years ago, she was planning to stay only a very short while, then the Winter came and went, and Freddie had already made many friends, not only at the sanctuary, but also in town. The years have passed and Freddie is still with us and we appreciate her very much.

With Freddie away for several weeks, DHAR is looking for someone to help out with paperwork, filing, etc, for a couple of hours each Tuesday. All are welcome to stay for lunch, which is served every Tuesday at 1 PM.

For more information, contact Dolly at 575-740-0715. This next Tuesday, consider visiting DHAR during open hours, from 9 AM through 4 PM. You can also check us out at http://www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com.

Humane Happenings

Caballo Mountains behind Old West Pacita

by Dolly Loftus

The Caballo Mountains continue to be a perpetual Kodak moment as the season and our weather gradually change. We are very excited about three new sets of work campers that will be arriving within the week. Our new local volunteers, Art and Pat, have really stepped up to help when most needed. With new people on board, there work should be a little easier. We could not operate without volunteers, and at times there is a critical need for them. Right now, we could use an administrative assistant to handle basic computer work, file and do light correspondence. Another position, a little more challenging is a financial assistant. This volunteer should be familiar with Excel and like numbers. If you feel that you have expertise in sorting and pricing, Paws & Claws could be your place to volunteer. We need help with clothing, appliances, furniture, electronics, collectibles, books, records, and jewelry.

The Quilt Raffle drawing was held on Halloween and the winner was Pat Faulkner. The beautiful blue jeans quilt was handmade and generously donated to Sierra County Humane Society by Linda Christopherson. Mary Jane and Bill Clelland recently donated a computer and regularly give us cash donations each month for animal food. Roger and Diana Doss of Champagne Hills gave a cash donation for pet food and also a sewing machine in excellent condition. Woof! Woof! Meow!


Cool Cat Neighborhood

Our wish list for this week: kitty cuddlers for an average of 30 cats residing at the Cool Cat Neighborhood, a spacious feline gated community; someone with heavy equipment to help us level some of the RV sites damaged by the recent rains; someone with a truck to help us transport donated furniture and large items; dry and canned cat food; helpers at Paws & Claws. Visit our website: www.deserthavenanimalrefuge.com for information on contacting us.

Week of 10/26/08 Humane Happenings

Bullock's Shur-Save Supermarket
630 Broadway
Truth or Consequences, NM 87901
575 894-6622 /fax 575 894-6620


The Cash-for-clubs program is on again, thanks to the generosity of our local community-minded grocery store – Bullocks in T or C. Bullocks receipts, when redeemed by The Sierra County Humane Society, benefit both SCHS Spay-& Neuter and Spay-a-Stray programs. When you shop at Bullocks, consider saving your receipts for us. Our collection stations are: the T or C Public Library, Williamsburg Post Office or also Paws & Claws thrift shop, located across from Family Dollar. Since the program started some years ago, Josephine Varnum has picked them up regularly from those locations and tallied them for our organization.

Saving Bullocks receipts for our animal welfare organization is a great way for caring individuals to help the local domestic animal population. The money donated by Bullocks through those receipts – over $3500 this past year alone – is used exclusively to help Sierra County folks who want to have their pet sterilized. Last year, our organization spent over $8,000 on the Spay-Neuter program alone.
To help fund the program, we also collect aluminum cans, which are routinely transported by Deb Peters to the local recycling center. Our drop-off location is the Can’s Corral, adjacent to where the “old” thrift shop used to be - 109 E-First St in T or C. You can also drop them off directly at the “new” thrift shop when it is open for business, from Wed through Sat each week. A word from Deb: If you crush your donated cans you will receive brownie points! Crushed cans take much less space in her little truck and she can transport so many more that way at one time!
Accolade of the week: Alan and Teira Buckeridge of T or C, for their generous “Thanksgiving” donation of canned dog food.

Kind reminder: Unless your donated printers and computers come to us with their respective software and cables, they are useless to us. Also, if not brought directly to us inside the shop, they may be destroyed by rain or be stolen.
Old units or those without software, etc, can be dropped off at Radio Shack for recycling.
This week’s wish list: A mannequin & clothes racks for Paws & Claws thrift shop - Large grocery bags for our bag sales - Dog walkers and kitty cuddlers at Desert Haven - Cleaning supply, dust mops, sponges, brushes, etc. Helpers at Paws & Claws -
Interested in helping in some way or perhaps you would like to visit some of the non-human residents of DHAR outside of business hours? Contact us at 894-2778. You can also check us out at http://www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com.