Sophie with her new owner
The property that is now Desert Haven Animal Refuge was purchased by the Sierra County Humane Society in May 1999. In 2001, while the sanctuary was being built, one project at a time, the first residents arrived – a large number of domesticated ring-neck doves relinquished by an older gentleman who cared enough about them to give them up when he realized he could no longer take proper care of them in his backyard aviary. The sanctuary volunteers built a temporary aviary for the doves. These first residents were soon followed by a family of guinea pigs, taken in the early part of 2003. From then on, and as the sanctuary continued to be built, several orphaned baby rabbits who had outlived their usefulness as Easter Bunnies were accepted at the facility and they became the guinea pigs roommates. An abandoned pregnant kitty arrived soon afterwards, followed by Lucky, a young pup found by a traveler, as he was wandering on a highway between T or C and Elephant Butte some Saturday morning. Lucky became DHAR’s very first canine resident, until he passed away from an aggressive for of lymphoma at the sanctuary in 2007.
Nine years have passed since the SCHS Board of Directors signed-off on the purchase of the Desert Haven property. The sanctuary is now completed. Built out of donated barn wood, it has an Old West charm of its own that many visitors find attractive. Desert Haven is an inspiring and a very peaceful place for humans and non-humans alike – a homelike environment for unwanted feathered and furry creatures who find a haven there until they are adopted into a loving home or to the end of their natural life.
It takes many volunteers to keep a facility like Desert Haven open and also thriving. At this time, we especially need dog walkers and folks to help care for the kitties during animal care, which starts every day at 8 AM and also at 5:30 PM. Contact Reba at 423-243-6530, or Freddie at 894-2778.
We need help at Paws & Claws thrift shop, operated by our animal welfare Society. Contact Eliana at 894-2639. We also need office help every Tuesday morning. Dolly Loftus, Freddie Loveless and Joy Arnold are part of the office crew. They would be thrilled to train someone interested enough to give a couple of hours each Tuesday morning, when they are all in the office. For more information, contact Dolly at 740-0715.
This week’s wish list: dry and canned dog and cat food, dog and cat treats. Metal trash containers, chest freezer.
Visit DHAR on Tuesday, or check us out at www.deserthavenanimalrefuge.com or at www.Facebook.com.
“ Be the change in the world you want to see”
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