View of Central Bark from the Pooch Play Yard
by Eliana Aubin
It was a typical summer week indeed at Desert Haven Animal Refuge, Sierra County’s no-kill domestic animal sanctuary. Desert Haven (DHAR) is owned and operated by the Sierra County Humane Society (SCHS), which is governed by a board of directors elected by the members for a term of three years. Elections for empty or expiring directorships are held during the SCHS Annual Membership meeting in February. The five officers, including the president, are elected by the members of the board at their March meeting. Board members and officer serve in a volunteer capacity.
The DHAR semi-annual guinea pig round-up took place this past Tuesday, with most of the volunteers involved. The guinea pig round-up ( no lasso or spurs, please) is a time for each and every guinea pig to receive special individual attention from the volunteers, including a thorough check-up and also a bath, which is a real treat for them in this hot weather. At the same time, their living quarters, a 10 by 30 ft habitat for the males and another one just as spacious for the females, together with their cubbyholes, ramps, feeding stations and tunnels, is thoroughly deep-cleaned and sterilized, above and beyond the deep-cleaning performed every Tuesday, when the crew is at its largest.
Want to run with the pooches? Take a dog on a jog! The dogs of Desert Haven are waiting for you. We have the space and the trails, and you can pick your favorite four-legged companion who will happily tag along for as long or as short a walk that you choose it to be. All we ask from you is that you come down during the time that is reserved daily for animal care, which at this time of the year is at 8 AM and also at 6 PM.
For more information or to confirm your arrival on a specific day, call us at 894-2778. You can also drop in at DHAR on a Tuesday, visit with the animals and the folks caring for them, share our pot luck lunch and get a better idea of what we are all about. If you love animals and want to spend time with them but without the burden of a long-term commitment, Desert Haven is the place to be on Tuesdays.
Jeanette Galliard of Albuquerque continues to donate to our sanctuary bales of much needed alfalfa for the rabbits, doves, chickens and for the many guinea pigs living in Birdland & Animal House. This week, she and her son Timothy added several bales of straw to the pick-up truck load of alfalfa that they donated and personally drove to the sanctuary all the way from Albuquerque. The straw makes great bedding material in Birdland & Animal House, as well as in the large dog houses that our DHAR canines use during the daytime hours throughout the Winter. Jeanette has been a strong supporter of Sierra County’s no-kill domestic animal sanctuary over the years. Everyone who knows her appreciates all that she has contributed to the sanctuary, while she spent her R & R week a month at Caballo Lake RV park. Even though she no longer comes down as often to her former vacation spot, she has not forgotten the Desert Haven furry and feather inhabitants and their need for alfalfa and straw. A pat on the back is in order this week for Bruce & Donna Ayers, also Lois and Phillip D’Andrea, for their donation of dog food and bedding.
This week’s wish list: canned pet food - treats ( NO rawhide please) - Plywood, roofing material, fencing, and construction material.
If interested in joining our cause, networking for us or helping in some other way, call us at 894-2778 or visit Paws & Claws thrift shop ( next to Family Dollar) and connect with Eliana on Fridays. You can also check us out at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com, www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.blogspot.com, or at www.Facebook.com
Until next time, have a purr-fect week.
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