Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Week of 4/6/14 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

Forest gets a bath and a hug from Charlotte
This week, we wish to thank a very special plant-lady who wants to remain anonymous. Every spring since Paws&Claws opened for business some years ago, this generous green-thumb brings to the store, every week, a variety of home-grown cactus, succulents and other interesting plants to help raise funds for the Sierra County Humane Society & Desert Haven Animal Refuge.

Paws&Claws is currently recruiting several volunteers to help out at the Shoppe during business hours, from 11 AM to 4PM Wed through Sat. Until they leave the area in a few weeks, Kendall and Charlotte are on hand at the shop to train dependable individuals who would like to get involved for at least a couple of hours each week. We also need help at the sanctuary from 8 to 11 am any morning of the week, when dogs are fed and walked and cats and birds are cared for.

Welcome to our volunteer team, Jodi, Steve & Joyce! These folks very recently relocated to our area. Their decision to answer our plea and to volunteer their time on some of the days the need is at its greatest is commendable. This is the time of the year when Desert Haven and Paws&Claws must rely even more on local helpers to help make a difference in this little corner of the world.

Interested in perhaps getting involved in a worthwhile cause? Visit Desert Haven on a Tuesday morning. Join our team for a while. Plan to take part in the Pot Luck lunch that our volunteers share every Tuesday at 1 PM. Then decide for yourself if this environment is for you!

This week’s wish list: Bottles of Clorox, Odorban, dishwashing liquid, short and long handle cleaning brushes – also the funds to cover the costs of several bags of cement or quickcrete – transparent plastic bags of various sizes for us to use as a temporary protection for the bedding, blankets, etc., that we sell at P&C. We recycle all of them over and over again - We can be reached at 575-894-2639 or weR4pets@gmail.com. Check us out at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com, www.Facebook.com/DesertHaven, and www.Facebook.com/pawsnclawsthriftshoppe.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

1st week of April; Humane Happenings

Vickie loves her Tuesday afternoons in the office
 by Eliana Aubin


What initiate a small non-profit organization in a small rural community, such as the Sierra County Humane Society, are the efforts of a few local citizens with a vision. That’s what gets it off the ground! That is also what makes it work on a daily basis. What sustains it in the long haul, however, are a few individuals who don’t participate in the day-to-day operation but who share the vision. And it’s through their contributions, be it material or financial, that the organization survives. Now having said this, anonymous people who make such great contributions that nobody knows about are to be recognized. We, the leadership of the Sierra County Humane Society & Desert Haven Animal Refuge, wish to recognize them, not by name because they request to remain anonymous, but by their actions, by their deeds. Contributions from such generous and selfless individuals help with feeding the animals and with veterinary care. They also help with essential physical structures, also with equipment and supplies that are all needed to run the operation and keep the property in good state of repair.


Afternoon siesta in the Cat Patio

These people honor us. We as an organization have a vision. That vision is to protect and care for neglected, abandoned, abused, unwanted dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, rabbits, and other helpless little creatures as if they were our own. Not everybody shares this vision. Not everybody feels this compassion. But the people who have greatly contributed to our organization over the years do share this vision, do share this compassion. They have visited with us, they have seen what we do and they believe enough in us to unequivocally give of themselves in the way they know will help most at the time. This is what makes it an honor for us. They honor us. And through this article, we want to honor them although they selflessly wish to remain anonymous.

This week’s wish list: volunteers at Desert Haven and Paws&Claws Thrift Shoppe. We routinely need large bottles of Clorox and Odorban and long handle cleaning brushes for our sanctuary. We need large transparent plastic bags , also the funds to cover the costs of several bags of cement or quickcrete to build a handicap ramp at Paws&Claws. We can be reached at 575-894-2639 or weR4pets@gmail.com. For more information, check us out at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com, www.Facebook.com/DesertHaven, and www.Facebook.com/pawsnclawsthriftshoppe.

Week of 3/22/14 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin
A visit with Gumbo

What a busy week we had at Desert Haven Animal Refuge! And what an interesting day last Tuesday! Several out-of-town visitors and potential adopters were given the tour of the facility by Kendall, Charlotte and Beth. Gumbo, the Chihuahua recently rescued from an out-of-the-way salvage yard in Albuquerque and currently fostered by Beth, spend most of the day at the sanctuary Tuesday, while Beth was helping out in the office. The little fur-gal’s socialization skills continue to improve and we trust that when Beth returns to her home state up-North in a few short weeks, someone will be ready to adopt little Gumbo. Our little fur-gal deserves the very best home possible.


Peacock round-up
Several pairs of peacocks went to their new adoptive home within the last few weeks. They are now enjoying life all together on a dairy farm in Colorado. Thank-you, Charlotte and Kendall, for making this adoption possible! We are posting their odyssey on our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/DesertHaven. Birdland now has one remaining pair of peacocks still available for adoption. The last adoption of some of our resident doves went well and we are now adopting-out white and domesticated ring-neck doves in groups of no less than 3 at a time. Interested? Contact us at Adoptapet4life@gmail.com or visit Desert Haven this Tuesday, between 9 AM and 4 PM. You can also call our office at 575-894-1694.

Desert Haven is owned and operated by the Sierra County Humane Society – a private non-profit 501-c-3 animal welfare organization dedicated to make a difference in the lives of companion animals in our area. Several winter residents who are currently volunteering at the sanctuary will soon be moving back to their respective home states, leaving Desert Haven and Paws&Claws Thrift Shoppe with a skeleton crew. Do you have at least a couple of hours a week to donate to a worthy cause? Let us hear from you!

This week’s wish list: large bottles of Clorox, large transparent plastic bags, several bags of cement to help build a much-needed handicap ramp at P&C Thrift Shoppe. We can be reached at 575-894-2639 or weR4pets@gmail.com. You can also check us out at www.Facebook.com/pawsnclawsthriftshoppe, www.Facebook.com/DesertHaven, and at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com.