Week of 7/15/12 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

Beautiful calico kitties enjoying the Cool Cat neighborhood

This week, Desert Haven Animal Refuge wishes to present the youngest celebrity of its Cool Cat Neighborhood – Tomi-Two-Sox - the veritable rising star of the Fur & Whiskers World. Who is this little Tomi Two-Sox you may ask? Her formal name is Thomasina-Two-Sox by the way. She is only the cutest and most people-loving kitty one would ever encounter. To this two-and-half year old domestic short hair grey tabby, cuddles take priority by far over the very best kitty treat. She came to us in early spring of last year and has been the Cool Cat Neighborhood’s fastest rising star. Nobody who visits our feline community goes away without asking about Tomi.

 Little Tomi has earned her position of Official Greeter for every visitor at the Cool Cat Neighborhood. Of course, just like all the furry residents of the sanctuary, little Tomi is sterilized and her shots are up to date. We try very hard to insure that all our little rescues are adopted out to caring responsible individuals or families. People who want a pet on a whim and who are not truly interested in a long term, caring relationship do not provide the environment that we look for on behalf of our fur-kids. After all, they count on us to keep them safe, and we do our very best. For more information on Tomi and on all the little ones available for adoption, contact us at 575-894-1694 or e-mail us at weR4pets@gmail.com. Tomi Two-Sox is also featured on our DHAR Facebook page. Every Tuesday, between 9AM and 4 PM, you can visit with Tomi and the other little ones who reside in the Cool Cat Neighborhood.

 “Volunteers are a dying breed. Our numbers are growing smaller and smaller” says Dale Lindstedt in a Letter to the Editor recently printed in our local newspapers. Dale speaks for the fire department to which he belongs. Sadly, his comments also ring true for every local service oriented organization operated by volunteers, including our own. The priority of many has been to try to make a living, and in the current economy, volunteering is understandably way down the list. For some other folks, every excuse in the world is found for not volunteering for this or that organization. In the end, they volunteer for none. Unless a strong spirit of community service is cultivated at an early age in our Youth, volunteerism in our community will soon become a thing of the past.

 Paws&Claws Thrift Shoppe and Desert Haven Animal Refuge are operated by volunteers. If interested in helping our animal welfare cause in some way, we offer opportunities for everyone. . Check us out at http://www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge and http://www.Facebook.com/deserthaven. Write to us at POB 638, Williamsburg, NM 87942.

Week of 7/8/12 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

It’s been very hot and dry the past few weeks and the Sierra County Humane Society is urging everyone who lives with a companion animal to ensure that their fur-kids have plenty of fresh water always within their reach. It’s is very sad for those of us who are concerned about the welfare of our dogs and cats to realize that some individuals seem totally oblivious to their own animals’ needs.

Christy and fur-kid

We see dogs living their life at the end of chains all over town. When they are lucky,they have a small bowl filled with water nearby. Sadly, they often are barely able to reach it. In the middle of the day, that water bowl, if not overturned yet, is most often empty and surely too hot to the touch. It breaks our hearts to think of dogs all over our area suffering similar fates caused by Man’s ignorance or his lack of compassion. Why own a dog if it is to let him bake inthe sun, all alone inside a small kennel exposed to the elements?
Christy, Nancy, Debra, Carolyn, also Crystal & her sister Maryah are now an integral part of our DHAR team. Christy recently relocated from Back East to Desert Haven as the sanctuary’s On-Site Manager. This past Tuesday during the Board meeting, she was welcomed to her new position at the sanctuary and introduced to everyone present.

This week’s kudos go to Steve, for his many hours helping out either at P&C Thrift Shoppe or at the sanctuary.  Kudos also go to Glen and Nolla for helping keep Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe open with a skeleton crew.  Interested in helping out at P&C or DHAR? Let us know.   

The current economy has hit everyone in various ways and our organization which depends on the generosity of individuals and businesses has not been spared.Our readers can help us help companion animals in many ways. You can save your pennies for our Pennies-4-Pets container located inside Paws&Claws. Save your Bullocks receipts for our organization and drop-them off at P&C or the local public Library.  We also collect aluminum cans.  We have a large Can Corral adjacent to P&C. 

Don’t throw away your well-used long-handle brushes or brooms. We recycle them to scrub the cement floors in the animal and bird habitats. Small heavy-duty brushes, largebottles of Chlorox and Odor-Ban are always welcome too. 
We can be contacted at 575-894-2639 or at weR4pets@gmail.com. Visit DesertHaven on Tuesdays, between 9 AM and 4 PM. Check us out at http://www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge  and http://www.Facebook.com/deserthaven. Writeto us at POB 638, Williamsburg, NM 87942.

Week of 6/24/12 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

Steve, helping with ground-keeping at Desert Haven this summer

During the summer months, Desert Haven Animal Refuge and Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe seem to slow some of their activities down, as some of the volunteers who can be counted on through the rest of the year either at the sanctuary or at P&C reserve the summer months to visit family and friends who live in cooler climates. The lack of adequate volunteer help in many non-profit organizations throughout our Sierra County communities has become the norm every summer. The skeleton crew who keeps Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe and Desert Haven Animal refuge operating during the summer months deserves a huge "thank-you" from everyone who believes in the cause of unwanted companion animals in our area.

 This past Tuesday, our active volunteer team gained two much needed new members: Nancy and Debra. Nancy is a long-time TorC resident and a member of our organization for many years now. Debra moved to the area only recently and is already becoming actively involved at Desert Haven. Both are cat aficionados and they are helping not only in the office on Tuesdays, but also in the Cool Cat Neighborhood, home of 30 felines of all sizes and temperaments. We are all very grateful that Nancy and Debra both have chosen our organization to donate some of their valuable time. We certainly need and welcome their help. We also wish to thank Glen and Nola who keep P&C open for business two days a week. A huge "thank-you" also goes to Steve who answered our plea for help at Desert Haven several weeks ago. For now and a little while longer, Steve drives almost 40 miles round-trip each day to help care for the animal and bird residents of the sanctuary.

We have several small projects on our Desert Haven priority list. If you are a handyman and you enjoy being helpful, let us know or visit Desert Haven on a Tuesday. We will show you what needs done and you can decide if this is for you.

We need a yard foreman at Paws&Claws Thrift Shoppe, to take in and sort through donated items. We also need someone to test donated small electrical appliances and electronics. Two hours or more a week is all that is necessary to make a difference. Interested? Drop by at P&C on a Friday or Saturday or call us at 575-894-2639 for more information. You can also e-mail us at weR4pets@gmail.com. Desert Haven is open for visitors and for adoption purposes every Tuesday, between 9AM and 4 PM. Check us out at http://www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge and http://www.Facebook.com/deserthaven. Write to us at POB 638, Williamsburg, NM 87942.

Week of 6/16/12 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

Mary Roden (left) delivers canned cat food to Desert Haven

Summer is here. It’s as hot as it’s ever been in our area of the Southwest. We are in the middle of a severe drought as everybody knows. We must take precautions not to dehydrate and not become overexposed to the heat. We morally must have the same consideration for our animals. The normal body temperature of dogs and cats is actually higher than humans. It runs anywhere from 101 to 103 typically. One can see it’s just as important to help them keep their body cool as it is ours. They need shade throughout the day. They need plenty of fresh water. Please be as conscious in keeping your animals cool as you would be for yourself and your children during these extremely hot temperatures.

 Please save your Bullocks receipts for our organization. We have several drop-off boxes around town, including one at Paws&Claws Thrift Shoppe, located across the alley from Family Dollar in TorC. We also collect aluminum cans. You can drop your aluminum cans directly into the SCHS Can Corral, located next to Paws&Claws Thrift Shoppe. In this especially sluggish economy, our small team of active volunteers has had to work even harder and be even more creative in order to raise the funds needed to keep helping the community as we have done for years. Since 1991, our organization has provided spay-neuter rebate certificates to Sierra County residents, regardless of their financial status. With the current demand far exceeding the organization’s available resources, we are no longer able to continue in the same manner that we have in the past. Having a companion animal sterilized needs to be part of the responsibility of pet ownership.

 Mary Roden became involved several years ago with our non-profit animal welfare organization. She understands the needs of our organization and generously comes to the rescue whenever she can. This past week, when she heard our plea for canned cat food, she delivered to Desert Haven enough to feed our kitties for many weeks to come. We also thank Don and Barbara Heller who regularly drop-off dog and cat food at the sanctuary. The kitties loved their fresh-cut catnip, courtesy of Barbara Heller. Don’t throw away your used long-handle brushes or brooms. We recycle them to clean the cement floors in the animal and bird habitats. Small heavy-duty brushes, large bottles of bleach and Odor-Ban are always welcome too. We offer volunteer opportunities at Desert Haven and Paws&Claws thrift shoppe. Contact us at 575-894-2639 or at weR4pets@gmail.com for more information, or visit Desert Haven on Tuesdays, between 9 AM and 4 PM. Check us out at http://www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge and http://www.Facebook.com/deserthaven. Write to us at POB 638, Williamsburg, NM 87942.