Week of 3/27 11 Humane Happenings by Eliana Aubin

by Eliana Aubin

Freddie Loveless

This week, we wish to thank everyone who is inquiring about Freddie Loveless’ health status. Freddie, Desert Haven’s Operations Coordinator, is home now, recuperating from her hospital stay as well as from a severe case of bronchitis that sent her there in the first place. Since her arrival at DHAR several years ago, Freddie has been involved in every facet of its operation. She is now a major player within the Sierra County Humane Society. Her loyalty and dedication to the cause of companion animals in Sierra County, together with a genuine love for animals, continue to play a important role in the success of our animal welfare organization, Desert Haven and also Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe. Those of us who know Freddie continue to send good vibes her way and we join together in our thoughts and prayers for her full recovery.

During Freddie’s unfortunate absence from Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe, everyone involved with the non-profit shop is making an extra effort to help insure that it continues to serve the community as it has. Our entire crew works hard and deserves to be acknowledged: “Bootz” Farester, Jackie Fletcher, Estella Groff, Glen Parks, Velda Preston, Sherry Scott, Jim Seery and Eliana Aubin. A special thank you goes to Glen Parks and Jim Seery for covering Freddie’s responsibilities at P&C in her absence.

The focus this week is on the fabulous work of our pricing crew. Thanks to their dedication and attention to details and also for their effective pricing talents in a fluid economic environment, P&C thrift Shoppe continues to operate in a productive and efficient manner. We constantly strive to seek a level of uniqueness among the sea of typical thrift shops. It’s because of the constant efforts on the part of our entire crew and also because of their dedication that we are able to maintain that uniqueness.

Many local and out-of-town customers find us exceptional and above the watermark of the common thrift shop. What sets P&C Thrift Shoppe apart from the others is the fact that we are all personally involved. It’s not a matter of collecting a paycheck at the end of the week – we are all volunteers with a purpose. Protecting, helping and properly caring for the unwanted, abused and neglected companion animals in this area is our purpose. Willing to give us a hand in some way? Contact us at 575-894-2639 or weR4pets@gmail.com. Write us at POB 638 Williamsburg, NM 87942. Visit us at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com and www.Facebook/com/deserthaven.

Week of 3/21/11 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

This week, we are sending our sincere appreciation to all our animal loving friends who have recently made a point, in their own way, to show their full support of all who make things happen within the Sierra County Humane Society and Desert Haven Animal Refuge. The past couple of weeks, many Paws & Claws customers thanked us personally for what we do to help local companion animals down-on-their-luck. We have also received e-mails and phone calls thanking us and giving us moral support. We have been stopped at the local grocery stores, just to tell us how much our selfless hard work is appreciated. Anyone who does anything worthwhile in one’s life eventually gets to learn first-hand that doing something successfully often attracts personal jealousy and resentment on the part of a few. It goes with the territory. The on-going support of valued animal loving friends, together with determination tremendously helps rise above the pettiness and brush it off. It is always a boost to be reminded that we are not alone in our work of love for local animals in distress and that each one of our supporters cares enough to be counted.

A number of folks contacted us since the story came out about the elderly, blind Miniature Pinscher rescued from the dumpster at Rotary Park. We name him Ray - his owner called him “Cowboy”. With appropriate information, we will prosecute the young woman who disposed of the little guy, like a piece of trash, inside the dumpster before she moved to Las Cruces. We are told that she still owns at least two other dogs, one of which she tried to get rid of as well before her move. We assume that she could not load him over and into the dumpster, in the same way as she “trashed “Cowboy, her old and helpless 10lbs little dog. In a last effort to get rid of that larger dog, she attempted to leave him behind with a “friend”. Since she was unsuccessful, we are concerned that she is now going to ‘discard” her other dogs in some way, somewhere in Las Cruces. Please continue to send any pertinent information regarding this matter to 575-894-2639 or weR4pets@gmail.com.

Freddie, Desert Haven bookkeeper and Operations Coordinator, has been quite ill for many days now. Freddie is well known within our animal loving community and also very much loved by everyone who knows her personally and works with her. We miss her and trust that she will soon recover fully and come back home. At this time, we need someone to help with office work at Desert Haven on Tuesdays, at least during Freddie’s illness. Please contact Eliana at 894-2639 if interested. We can be reached at POB 638 Williamsburg, NM 87942. Visit us at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com and www.Facebook/com/deserthaven.

Week of 3/13/11 Humane Happenings

Eliana with Cowboy after his rescue from a dumpster

by Eliana Aubin

This past week, an incident happened that made us realize that some folks in Sierra County seem to be unaware or oblivious to the fact that there is a place where these individuals can – no questions asked and totally free of charge to them –drop-off a dog or cat they cannot care for, whether that animal is their own or one that they found wandering on a street, in their neighborhood or in the countryside.

The place is SIERRA ANIMAL SHELTER. It is a modern, clean, privately owned business located on Date Street. The building is adjacent to Hot Springs Animal Clinic, a business that is also privately owned and by the same entity. Through its contracts with the City of T or C, Elephant Butte and the entire county of Sierra, including both Elephant Butte and Caballo state parks, Sierra Animal Shelter is funded by S.C. Taxpayers and it operates as the official city & county animal shelter.

Consequently, anyone with a dog or cat he or she no longer want for whatever reason should bring the unwanted animal to Sierra Animal Shelter. There is absolutely no charge to that individual. Abandoning a dog, a cat or any other companion animal on the side of a road, near the river, in some neighborhood, in the middle of the desert or anywhere in Sierra County, is sentencing that animal to a life of misery until death by exposure, starvation, dehydration, or being eaten, often alive, by other animals. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to abandon an unwanted animal in any other way than to drop him or her off at the local animal shelter: Sierra Animal Shelter on Date Street.

The elderly, handicapped Miniature Pinscher recently found still alive inside the dumpster located at Rotary Park in downtown T or C could have just as easily been dropped off at Sierra Animal Shelter. Instead, his owner sentenced him to die a sure and painful death. It was truly a miracle that the little guy was rescued. The little dog’s owner text messaged us:”Look my mother saw your ad up at bullocks about Cowboy. I’m the owner so please take your ad down”. He added: ”He’s very old and blind and deaf. He has a lot of health problems including severe arthritis and he’s in a lot of pain all the time”. The man’s signature: “Donknow doncare” tells it all.

Any information on Cowboy’s owner? Call 575-894-2639. Contact us at 575-894-2778 or 740-4100. Write us at POB 638 Williamsburg, NM 87942. Visit us at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com. Meet us at www.Facebook/com/deserthaven.

Week of 3/6/11 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

This past week, Desert Haven Animal Refuge, Sierra County No-Kill domestic animal sanctuary, received a visit from Chris Anderson, a reporter for Comcast Spotlight.
According to their web site http://site.itsallgoodnewmexico.com, “It’s All Good New Mexico” program brings New Mexico cable viewers uniquely positive stories from across the state, highlighting people, organizations, businesses and employers that are doing good things in our communities. Series of 60 second segments profiling people and organizations that are “giving back” to New Mexico are aired on various networks (TBS, USA, ESPN, FOX NEWS, etc) on 20 local cable systems across the state. “

Desert Haven is receiving recognition through “It’s all good New Mexico” and several of its furry and feathered residents will soon become TV stars as they are featured as part of Chris’ interview with the Sierra County Humane Society president Eliana Aubin. It’s quite an honor for Desert Haven to be recognized in this way.

As they walked through the several animal and bird habitats and visited with the residents, Eliana asked Chris “Why us?”. He answered “We received many stories from all over New Mexico and I chose yours”. How humbling! Someone local (Ellen Evans ) had thought enough of what has been accomplished over the years to help the unwanted and abused animals in Sierra County, to take the time to write a story about it and then to send it to the TV station. And then a perfect stranger had chosen our story out of many, to air on the program.

Desert Haven Animal Refuge is truly a labor of love in progress. Folks from all over the entire United States come to the small but effective sanctuary to share in the experience of caring for companion animals down on their luck. Whether they stay a few months or a few years, everyone who loves animals and shares in the day-to-day care of animals and birds makes a difference. We can’t save all the unwanted, the suffering companion animals in Sierra County, but we certainly and without a doubt make a difference in the lives of those that we can save. That conviction makes everyone involved with Desert Haven feel good about what is accomplish there. In the end, it’s ALL for and ABOUT the animals who call the sanctuary their home.

Interested in adopting a cat or dog from DHAR? Contact us at 575-740-4100. To learn more about us or to help us in some way, call 575-894-2778. Write us at POB 638 Williamsburg, NM 87942. Visit us at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com. Meet us at www.Facebook/com/deserthaven.

Week of 3/1/11 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

David, Stephen, and his dad, Gene Wagner, unload pet food in the the "Feed Store" on a Tuesday morning

This week, the Sierra County Humane Society volunteers wish to acknowledge a local business for its on-going commitment to Sierra County and our animal welfare organization: Bullocks Grocery Store in downtown TorC. Bullocks receipts that are saved and dropped-off at the T or C Public Library, Desert Haven Animal Refuge and also Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe are tallied regularly by Josephine Varnum, long time SCHS member and Desert Haven supporter. Once redeemed, they provide much needed funding for the SCHS Spay-Neuter program. Our organization is very proud of this program initiated in 1991 -twenty years ago. Sterilized companion animals live healthier and longer lives. Download an application for the SCHS Spay-Neuter program, also available at the T or C Police Department, Hot Springs Animal Clinic, Desert Haven and at Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe. Also thanks to Bullocks, the feathered and furry residents of Birdland & Animal House continue to enjoy fresh veggies and fruit chef salads every morning, with a little help from Freddie Loveless, a volunteer since 2003. Freddie picks-up the boxes from Bullocks and transports them in her vehicle three times weekly.

Did you know that in Dog Town alone, the daily breakfast for everyone amounts to no less than 30 to 40 cups of the regular size dog food and another 5 to 7 cups of the Little Bites that we reserve for our very small dogs. Every morning, dry dog food is mixed with 4 to 5 cans of canned food and, “voila!” breakfast is ready to be served at Dog Town. It’s not hard to imagine how many bags of dog food we use every day to feed our canine army! All the donated dog food is mixed together with Pedigree and Purina, providing our residents dogs with the very best we can provide.

Over the week-end, local residents Michael and Shelly dropped-off at Desert Haven two large bags of dog food – They had found out that morning that dog food was urgently needed. This week again, dog food is number one on our high priority list, with cat food not far behind.

Interested in adopting a cat or dog from DHAR? Contact us at 575-740-4100. To learn more about us or to help us in some way, contact us at 575-894-2778. Write us at POB 638 Williamsburg, NM 87942. Visit us at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com. Meet us at www.Facebook/com/deserthaven.