Week of 12/17/13 Humane Happenings

Bar-2s Contribution

by Eliana Aubin

We thank you, Bar-2 Sand and Gravel, for donating a truck load of crusher fine to Desert Haven. We will use it to repair the damages caused by the heavy rain storms and subsequent flooding this past summer. Bar-2 Sand & Gravel always comes through for us – a community-minded business indeed.

Our friends are asking us what we need at Desert Haven this winter. Here it is: bird and sunflower seeds, cracked corn and scratch to help feed our white and domesticated ring-neck doves, hens, roosters and also the peacock residents of Birdland. Timothy hay is always an especially welcome treat for our resident rabbits and guinea pigs. Now that Desert Haven is the new home to several special needs dogs, we need more canned dog food than ever. Young Gumbo the Chihuahua came to us skinny and starving, discovered by accident in a vehicle bone-yard on the outskirts of Albuquerque. Forest is a large, older hound dog with arthritis, recently rescued from the Gila Wilderness; and now we also have Charlie, a senior shaggy dog with dental issues among others. 

Charlie

 Charlie spent his entire adult life alone and forgotten at the end of a chain in someone’s local back-yard. We are asking everyone who wishes to help out this winter, to donate the extra CANNED dog food that we need to help bring our several special-needs canines back to health.

We also need cleaning supplies and detergent: disposable gloves, heavy duty rubber and work gloves, long and short handle heavy duty brushes, a heavy duty pooper-scooper, Clorox, Odorban, Dawn diswashing liquid.

We need volunteer help every morning at Desert Haven. Choose the morning you would like to help! We also need help at Paws&Claws Thrift Shoppe during business hours (Wed through Sat from 11 amweR4pets@gmail.com. Visit us at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com , www.Facebook.com/DesertHaven and www.Facebook.com/Pawsnclawsthriftshoppe. Our mailing address is: POB 638, Williamsburg, NM 87901. Happy Holidays to all our animal loving friend
to 4:30pm). Contact us at 575-894-2639 or at

Week of 12/10/13 Humane happenings

by Eliana Aubin 

Foxie's new family

Charlie is now the newest resident at Desert Haven Animal Refuge. He is a cute, medium sized shaggy dog who was recently rescued by a Good Samaritan from years of misery and loneliness at the end of a chain inside some uninterested individual’s yard. His rescuer could not keep him long, only because of restrictions about companion animals in her apartment complex. Charlie is now safe and finally well-cared for at the no-kill sanctuary. The gentle senior-dog is now able to enjoy whatever is left of his life in a loving environment, with no more chains forever hanging from his neck. Charlie’s new play-yard used to belong to Foxie Girl. Yes, we have even more good news to share with our readers and Desert Haven supporters: Foxie Girl – Desert Haven’s resident Boxer –recently moved to her forever home. Her new family drove all the way from Albuquerque to pick-her up at the sanctuary and it was love at first sight for everyone.

 A huge Atta-Girl is in order for Charlotte, DHAR Animal Care & Adoption Coordinator, who handled the adoption from start to finish. Photos were taken - they will soon be posted on our www.Facebook.com/deserthaven page - good-byes were shared, before our beloved fur-kid left the sanctuary – her home for over two years.

Our Christmas Wish List: Canned dog and cat food (We mix it with the dry food during the coldest part of the winter). Bird Seeds. Cracked corn. Cedar chips. The Sierra County Humane Society has an open account at Horsin’ Around Feed & Tack in TorC. You can either contact them at 575-894-0318 or you can send your donation earmarked for those specific items and we will pick-them up as we need them.

For a while now, we have needed a Cash Register for Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe. If you have one in good working condition that you no longer use and wish to donate to our 50-1-c-3 non-profit organization, please let us know at 575-894-2639 or at weR4pets@gmail.com. Our mailing address is: Sierra County Humane Society, POB 638, Williamsburg, NM 87942. Visit us at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com. Happy Holidays to all our animal loving friends.

Week of 12/1/13 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

Michael Gurnsey

Our community has lost one of its upstanding citizens, 58 years old Michael Gurnsey, who passed away recently. The news of his untimely passing was an absolute shock to many of us in the Sierra County Humane Society. Michael was well-known and well-liked in the community and in our animal welfare organization. Together with his mother, Josephine, and sisters, Joan and Terri, Michael became an active member soon after it was organized in the late 80’s. We join Michael’s family as we mourn his passing. He will be fondly remembered as an animal loving individual, and outstanding member of our organization and of the entire community. We sincerely appreciate the wishes of Michael’s family for contributions in Mike’s memory to be sent to the Sierra County Humane Society and Desert haven Animal Refuge, POB 638, Williamsburg, NM 87942.

Forest, the older, emaciated and arthritic hound dog recently rescued from Gila Wilderness is now safe at Desert Haven. Some of Forest’s wounds are emotional wounds that will heal only with love and special care. He is receiving both at the sanctuary. Gumbo, the small, skin-and-bone, Chihuahua discovered by accident inside a junk vehicle in an Albuquerque bone-yard is becoming more active and friendly every day. One can’t begin to imagine what went into these two canines’ minds when they realized they had been abandoned.

This week’s wish list: we badly need canned dog and cat food. You are appreciated, Edith Matthew. this caring lady visited Desert Haven last Tuesday with her grand-daughter Gina. As their canned dog and cat food contribution was being unloaded, “Grand-Ma Edith” said: “It’s my Christmas contribution to Desert Haven”. Also we thank our supporters for Victoria, Texas. Their generous gift of several boxes of canned pet food and treats, directly ordered from Walmart, arrived with perfect timing. Our mailing address is: Sierra County Humane Society, POB 638, Williamsburg, NM 87942. You can also contact us at 575-894-1694, 894-2639 or weR4pets@gmail.com.

Week of 11/24 13 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

Desert Haven Thanksgiving Turkey 2013

Thanksgiving is being celebrated at Desert Haven Animal Refuge on the Tuesday before the traditional Thanksgiving Day. At lunch time, everyone gathers around the oversized dining room table in the main building. It’s a very pleasant time, not only because of the great pot-luck lunch that we get to enjoy together, but also because of what we at Desert haven, have in common: our love for animals and our desire to make a difference.

 Jim is originally from New York. He has work-camped at Desert Haven for the past four winters in a row. Charlotte and Gerald are from Louisiana. Charlotte is the sanctuary’s Animal Care & Adoptions Coordinator.

Charlotte with Sandy and Daisy

Mike and Laura are General Operations Coordinators at DHAR. They relocated here from Michigan over a year ago. Mike also handles maintenance & projects and Laura helps Eliana operate Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe in TorC. Kelly and Paul are from New England. They plan to help out at the sanctuary until Spring 2014. Aside from local resident Eliana, who has been actively involved with the Sierra County Humane Society since it organized in 1989, Rocky and Tim are also local folks who want to make a difference in the lives of animals. And what better way to do so, than helping care for the little rescues at a No-Kill sanctuary?

Vickie

Thanksgiving 2013 at Desert Haven! We can think of many reasons to be thankful! We make a strong team; we are connected to each-other by our love for animals and our desire to do something to help those in need. We are also thankful for the kind folks - some of them locals and others from throughout the US - who support our animal welfare organization and our no-kill domestic animal sanctuary in any way they can.

Visit Desert Haven on a Tuesday and spend quality time with some of the small residents. Visit us at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com. Chat with us at www.Facebook.com/deserthaven and www.facebook.com/pawsnclawsthriftshoppe. You can also contact us at 575-894-1694, weR4pets@gmail.com and at: Sierra County Humane Society, POB 638, Williamsburg, NM 87942.