Week of 8/22/10 Humane Happenings

Yes, that me...I'm Blue!

 

 

 by Eliana Aubin

It’s often not easy to be a companion animal in Sierra County, especially a puppy that nobody wants. That’s what happened to a furry little guy who came into the world in this part of the desert southwest during the spring of 2004. When the pup was still very young, his owners moved from Elephant Butte to TorC. They did not want to bring him along, so they passed him on to some neighbors of theirs. Soon after that, his new owners moved away, leaving the little guy behind - only a few months old and already all alone. He had to find his place in the world or die trying. The little dog had blue eyes, so “Blue” became his name – a Blue Heeler puppy not yet four months old.

As time went on, Blue made many friends throughout his neighborhood. JR of Casa Taco built him a dog house and cared for him for a while. When JR’s health deteriorated, the folks at Butte General Store & Marina became his new guardian angels. Blue is 6 years old now. Along the way, he has earned a reputation of being gentle, easy-going and also very loyal. Blue has indeed carved his place in the world – he is now the unofficial “greeter” at the General Store.

Blue is very special to the folks in E.B. who know him or his story. They care enough to help insure the safety and well being of this little guy who came into this world several years ago as a throw-away - a small pup nobody seemed to want. Blue is now neutered and his shots are kept up-to-date, thanks to a community that rallied together in his support and made a commitment to help with his upkeep and routine vet bills. It’s obvious that Blue means a lot to a lot of people in Elephant Butte who have come to see him as a community dog. In a society that, sadly, tends to see animals as unimportant creatures, throwaways discarded at will, it is very refreshing to know that there are still folks in our communities, in our neighborhoods, folks who care enough to do what is right when the opportunity arises. Kudos are due to all the great folks who are watching over Blue, the "Community Dog of Elephant Butte City".

This week, we dedicated this article to Blue and we trust that our readers will appreciate our reason for doing so. Those of us who sometimes wonder whether or not there is some compassion left in our materialistic society, the story of Blue rekindles our trust that there is still a lot of good in the human heart.

The Sierra County Humane Society operated thrift shop in T or C continues to need volunteer helpers. Desert Haven needs an administrative assistant on Tuesdays. Interested in helping us in some way? Contact us at 575-894-2778 or 740-4100. You can also check us out at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com, http://DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.blogspot.com, or at www.Facebook.com/deserthaven. Our mailing address is POB 638, Williamsburg, NM 87942.

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Week of 8/10/10 Humane Happenings

Maxwell

by Eliana Aubin
The Dog Days of summer have arrived in our area of New Mexico and Desert Haven, Sierra County’s No-Kill domestic animal sanctuary, is also feeling the effects. The weather has been very hot and humid the past few weeks, and during the hottest part of the day, the dogs especially are most appreciative of their kitty pools and also of the young shade trees planted several years ago inside their play yards and with them in mind. Keeping up with the fast growing weeds and grasses at this time of the year is also a goal that can’t be overlooked and the DHAR volunteers are very good at keeping them in check.

Rascal

This week, we wish to acknowledge Don and Barbara Heller of Elephant Butte, for regularly stopping at the sanctuary with donated pet food. Our thanks also go to Cecilia Perez of El Paso who adopted Chiquita several months ago and who continues to remember us with a donation which we use to purchase needed bird seeds for the residents of Birdland. Folks ask us from time to time why we have chickens and roosters, rabbits, guinea pigs, peacocks and even doves. These little feathered and furry guys and girls deserve a decent life too. Every one of our non-human residents is special to us, even Alice the now-elderly rabbit who refuses to eat if either apple or carrot is not part of her menu. There is also 9 year old Elvis who with all the other guinea pigs, some of them elderly like him, is used to choose from a large assortment of fresh veggies, served to the Birdland group early every morning. There is also Rustle the proud Peacock, Jr. and several peahens, also George the feisty rooster, and all the other residents who arrive at DHAR, each one a little rescues, each one with a story.

Riley

This week’s wish List: gas operated power washer, manual post driver, plywood and other building and construction material, fiberglass sheets, plastic or other water resistant paneling, table saw, plastic and straw brooms, long handed squeegees, cement floor brushes, large clear storage containers. We also need helpers at Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe and also at Desert Haven Animal Refuge. If you love animals and are paperwork or number oriented, helping in the office at DHAR on Tuesdays may be for you. Interested in giving us a hand? Contact us at 575-894-2778 or 740-4100 or 894-2639. Interested in learning more about us? Visit us at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com and www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.blogspot.com.
Become a fan of DHAR at www.Facebook/com/deserthaven.

Week of 8/3/10 Humane Happenings

Cactus garden and Memory Bench

This week, the Sierra County Humane Society & Desert Haven Animal Refuge wishes to acknowledge Sierra County Soil & Water Conservation District for the part they play every year in the beautification of the no-kill domestic animal sanctuary. For the past several years, Desert Haven has received seedlings and small container plants - all of them carefully chosen for our desert climate - courtesy of the SCSWCD. The sanctuary volunteers plant and care for them. At this time of the year, many bushes are flowering all along the trails of DHAR and around the animal and bird habitats and the recent rains have been a blessing.

As visitors and volunteers alike enjoy their scent and their beauty, the DHAR staff makes a point to mention how generous the SCSWCD has been to the sanctuary since it opened its doors several years ago. A very special thank you goes to both Mary Jo Fahl and Bonnie Freeman of the Soil & Water Conservation District. We appreciate their friendliness through the year and especially their helpfulness when we order the seedlings, courtesy of SCSWCD.

Bootz cleaning up outside Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe

Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe continues to be a great local destination for thrifty shoppers, E-bay sellers and also for those who wish to find a very special item, perhaps vintage, antique or simply unusual. The great majority of P&C patrons acknowledge the hard work involved in keeping the store open for business four days a week. We are literally a recycling point-of-contact for the community. We sift through the donations that are dropped-off; we pick out the best as we trash the rest, always keeping in mind what is most in demand within our small community of folks who come from all walks of life. As more and more “lake visitors” from out-of-town patronize our store, especially on week-ends, we keep their needs and special interests in mind as well - not an easy task for our volunteers, since available space and dependable manpower are at a premium at P&C Thrift Shoppe.

A retail shop such as ours is extremely labor intensive and not for everyone, but it has its rewards. We run a tight ship at P&C, under strict policy and procedures. Absolutely no one receives any type of salary. Sierra County’s animal welfare organization operates the shop and its profits benefit the community in many ways. The success of P&C Thrift Shoppe is intimately connected to the success of Desert Haven, which could not operate without the funds generated by the shop.

We need helpers this summer at P&C Thrift Shoppe in TorC, also dog walkers and kitty cuddlers at Desert Haven. We also need office help on Tuesdays. Interested in giving us a hand? Contact us at 575-894-2639, 894-2778 or 740-4100. You can also visit us at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com and www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.blogspot.com. Become a fan of DHAR at www.Facebook/com/deserthaven.