2011 PROJECTS FOR DESERT HAVEN ANIMAL REFUGE

Any donations of the following supplies would be greatly appreciated. These are needed for planned repairs and upgrades at Desert Haven Animal Refuge.

1. Commercial grade dog and cat groomer set.

2. Heavy duty four-wheeled garden cart or commercial grade two-wheeled wheelbarrow

3. 1 or 2 dump-truck loads of crusher fine to completely resurface several of our most rocky canine play-yards. Providing a smooth surface for our dogs to play on would be a huge improvement, both for the resident dogs and for those who care for them, as it would also make the yards easier to keep clean.

4. Indoor/outdoor plywood, pegboard, rolled insulation, roofing material.

5. Replace with concrete the rotted and sagging 12ft by 12ft wooden floor (12x12) in the Birdland service area

6. New or good used refrigerator/freezer for the Birdland service area. This is where we store fresh produce routinely donated by Bullocks, together with other perishable food products that help feed our rescued rabbits, guinea pigs, doves, chickens, rooster and peacocks.

7. New or good used computer in our main office. Our over 8 years old computer crashed very recently.

8. Resurface the 12 by 12 ft Feline Dorm with new, easy-to-clean vinyl tile. At DHAR, we house an average of forty residents throughout the year. Especially during the cold winter nights, most if not all the felines of DHAR usually sleep in individual condos located inside the insulated Feline Dorm.

Please consider helping us out in any way you feel appropriate. We put to good use each and every donation that we receive. We sincerely value and appreciate any support you can give us at this time.

Sincerely,

Eliana Aubin
President since 1989
The Sierra County Humane Society, Inc. is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization.
All contributions are tax deductible in accordance with the law.

Week of 5/22/11/ Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

Rhonda Brittan, owner of Black Cat Books & Coffee in downtown TorC, recently donated a large number of paperback books to Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe, the Sierra County Humane Society major fundraiser. When Eliana Aubin picked-up the boxes of books, Rhonda kindly took the time to show her the Santa Style patio addition that her husband Bob created for the customers. Those of us who appreciate spending our leisure time in a Santa Fe style environment, surrounded by interesting books while enjoying the taste of a freshly brewed cup of coffee from countries all around the world, Black Cat Books & Coffee is the place to be. While there, let’s make a point to tell Rhonda that we value and appreciate her support of The Sierra County Humane Society & Desert Haven.

For many weeks now, dry and canned cat food has been our most needed food items at Desert Haven. Local resident Bill Stoffels and other thoughtful folks dropped-off several bags at P&C Thrift Shoppe over the past couple of week. Your generosity is helping keep our feline fur-kids well fed and happy.

The summer season has arrived. P&C Thrift Shoppe volunteer Bootz has left for her yearly summer vacation. Bootz is a jewel at the shop – dependable, friendly and always ready to give 110% wherever and whenever needed. Velda, who volunteers every Friday, is also leaving for the entire summer. Jackie Fletcher, Estella Groff, Freddie Loveless and Eliana Aubin will continue to insure that P&C stays open throughout the summer. We need extra help at P&C Thrift Shoppe - to sort and display donated items and clothing, keep our Book Nook full and attractive, test electronics and electrical items. We also need manpower to work with Jackie in the sorting & storage yard. Interested in volunteering for a good cause? Call us at 575-894-2639 or visit the shop on Wednesday or Friday and talk to us.

This summer, our biggest challenge is to locate the funds and manpower to resurface the very rocky ground of several doggie play-yards with a layer of crusher fine. We need this done, to make the canine play-areas smoother and easier to walk on. Our fur-kids and also those who care for them will appreciate the upgrade. Cat lovers, do you enjoy painting? Several Kitty Condos are now in the front yard and ready for a new coat of paint. Once repainted, they will be moved back into the Feline Dorm in anticipation of the cold winter nights. Interested in helping? Call us at 575-894-2639.

Ready to add a fur-kid to your family? Call us at 575-740-9412. Desert Haven is open for visitors every Tuesday or by appointment. Check-out our web site at: www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com and www.Facebook.com/deserthaven.

Week of 5/14/11 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

Middle School teacher Rhonda Spence recently visited Desert Haven with several students in her class. At the end of last month, Mrs. Spence had contacted Sierra County Humane Society President Eliana Aubin to inquire if some of her students, who had just started a Humane Group as part of a project she was welcoming in her classroom, could visit Desert Haven Animal Refuge on a Sunday afternoon and take part in caring for the animals.

Last Sunday, Animal Care Coordinator Sherry Scott, who resides on the DHAR property, welcomed to the sanctuary Rhonda, her husband Bob and some of her young students. Together, they shared the routine evening care of all the furry and feather residents. Dogs were walked, water buckets and bowls refilled with fresh water, habitats and play yards cleaned and readied for the night. Also every little fur-guy and girl wanting cuddles and special attention received plenty of it along the way. At the end of the long visit, Rhonda and Bob commented to Sherry that they both were “impressed with how happy and friendly all the dogs and cats are” and “how clean the whole place is”.

It was a great visit. Everyone enjoyed every bit of it. This was Sherry’s first time at welcoming a group of students and their teacher and she mentioned that it went so well that plans are already in the works for more Sunday visits by Middle School Teacher Rhonda Spence and members of the “Humane Club” at her school. At the start of the school year 2011-2012 and at Mrs. Spence’s request, every student in her classroom will receive the bi-monthly monthly newspaper KIND NEWS ( Kids In Nature’s Defense), courtesy of the Sierra County Humane Society. This award winning children’s newspaper enables educators to more effectively teach youngsters to be kind to each other, animals and the Earth, and to empower them as they seek to embody the ideal of respect and appreciation for all life.

Are you a Sierra County Elementary or Middle school teacher interested in receiving a bi-monthly Kind News subscription for each of your students during the school year 2011-2012? Contact Eliana on or before June First at 575-894-2639 or e-mail weR4pets@gmail.com. Include in your message your name, the classroom level you will be teaching during the 2011-2012 school year, also your school’s mailing address. The costs of the subscription is entirely covered by the Sierra County Humane Society – therefore totally FREE to you, your school, or the tax-payers of Sierra County.

This week, we urge our animal loving friends to donate dry and canned cat food. Forty healthy and hungry felines require a lot of food every day and we need to constantly replenish our Kitty cupboards. Your donations of cat food for our sanctuary kitties are critical at this time. They can be dropped off at Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe during business hours, preferably on Wednesdays between 1 and 4 PM and Fridays between 10AM and 4 PM.

Interested in connecting with us or learning more about us? Call us at 575-894-1694 or e-mail us at weR4pets@gmail.com. Visit our web site at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com, our blog at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.blogspot.com. Check us out at www.Facebook.com/deserthaven.

Week of 5/7/11 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

Kim and his new buddy...who picked whom?

It’s been a great week at Desert Haven – lots of good weather and also many heart-warming activities as the summer crew is arriving and getting settled at the campground and at the sanctuary. Since he moved to Desert Haven from Albuquerque at the end of last month, in anticipation of staying long-term in his new and overwhelmingly approved position as “DHAR Handyman”, Frank is often seen inside the sanctuary grounds at any hour of the day. Tools in hand and a wonderful disposition to boot, Frank fixes and repairs as he goes along. Diane, DHAR new “Cat Lady’ is already making friends in the “Cool Cat Neighborhood”. Pat, one of our local dog walkers, is recognized by everyone to be a great individual to work with at the sanctuary. He is a true professional with a kind heart – a former judge by the way, who loves animals and likes what is being accomplished at our sanctuary. After all, he drives all the way from the Gila mountains where he lives with his wife Judy and his fur kid Indy, a little guy he adopted from DHAR, just to walk the dogs of DHAR two mornings a week. Larry is a former DHAR work camper who with his wife Christy, lives and works at a “ranch’ way out in the mountains. Larry returned to DHAR very recently, to walk our dogs one morning a week. Thanks Larry. Diana, “The Queen of Clean”, is back with our P&C crew for a little while each week, and we are all delighted that she concentrates on insuring nice displays. Diana has indeed a natural flair creating great looking displays.

Until our local helpers return from their summer vacation, and until our animal loving winter visitors come back to our area and help us care for our residents, we certainly appreciate those who stay with us year-round and those who recently came back to help this summer.

This week, Kudos got to two generous individuals who chose to remain anonymous. They started an account for DHAR at the new store “ Horsin ’Around’ in T or C. We purchase some of our feed supplies for Birdland there, and it’s a great help for us. Sandy and Teston Milton routinely donate canned and dry cat food, something we seem to always need. Catnip anyone? Our kitties sure love Catnip and we would love to have some for them. Kim Nelson is a new – and very strong - supporter of DHAR. Already he has made a huge difference with the little residents, with the three months supply of Front Line Flea and tick spray that he recently donated to Dog Town.

Interested in connecting with us or learning more about us? Call us at 575-894-1694. Visit our web site at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com. Chat with us at www.Facebook.com/deserthaven.

Wish list for Desert Haven

Can you help with any of these needs? 

Any assistance with donations of materials or time is greatly appreciated!

CLEANING SUPPLIES
Long handle scrub brushes / hand scrub brushes
Small shop brooms / heavy duty brooms
12 brushes for concrete floors
Bleach
Odorban
Dawn dish soap with bleach
Food and treats for our residents
Good quality wild bird seeds
Sunflower seeds
Cat nip and cat treats
Alfalfa and straw
Timothy Hay
Rabbit pellets
Heavy duty, long handle litter strainers.
Heavy duty pooper scoopers


MISCELLANEOUS
Large see-thru plastic tubs
Small & medium galvanized water buckets
Galvanized outdoor trash cans

LARGE ITEMS
New office computer
Roofing material
Plywood

VOLUNTEER HELP
Dog Walkers and Kitty cuddlers at Desert Haven
Someone to help sort and display small items at Paws & claws Thrift Shop
Someone to help the Paws & Claws Yard Foreman with donations intake.
Someone to help maintain the Rainbow Bridge Pet Cemetery grounds, handle routine paperwork on Tuesdays and enter information in computer.

Call us at 575-894-1694 or email to eliana4pets@gmail.com. Thanks in advance!

Week of 5/1/11 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

A little break from reading

 Many good things are happening at Desert Haven Animal Refuge these days. A new staff is on board, fresh volunteers have arrived and everyone is excited about being given the opportunity to be a part of our companion animal oriented team. Frank, the newest arrival at the no-kill sanctuary, first learned about Desert Haven from the TV segment that recently aired on a number of TV channels this past month, as part of the “It’s All Good New Mexico” program. We can’t thank you enough, Ellen Evans, for taking the time to write about our story and to send it to reporter Chris Anderson of Comcast. Thanks a million, Chris Anderson, for selecting it from many others in New Mexico and for doing such a great job publicizing our work of many years to protect companion animals down-on-their-luck. From the responses we received the past few weeks, the program on Desert Haven aired on many stations not only in New Mexico but also in Colorado.

Cinder, a recent arrival

Frank was so inspired by the program he watched that he decided to move here from Albuquerque to become part of our DHAR team. Frank is a handyman, which is a huge “plus” here at the sanctuary. He is also eager to get started and use his new workshop at Desert Haven to keep things running and in good state of repairs. It will really be a huge step forward to finally have a talented handyman on board.

"Did you call me, Mom?"

 This week, we are reminding our animal loving friends to please save their Bullock’s receipts for our organization. When redeemed, the receipts generate funds for the Sierra County Humane Society Spay-Neuter and Spay-a-Stray programs. Several of our long standing and reliable volunteers will be away on vacation for much of the summer. We could use extra help at both Desert Haven and Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe during their absence. The funds generated at P&C allow the Sierra County Humane Society and Desert Haven to provide important services to all the residents of Sierra County, people and animals alike.

Interested in connecting with us or learning more about us? Call us at 575-894-2778. Visit our web site at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com, our blog at http://DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.blogspot.com. Chat with us at www.Facebook.com/deserthaven.