Letter from our Animal Care Coordinator

Reba Wagner; DH Animal Care Coordinator

I would like to say 'Thank You' for the warm welcome my family and I received upon our arrival at Desert Haven Animal Refuge from Virginia, last Fall. We came to this area specifically to volunteer at Desert Haven for a just few months. Earlier this year, I was offered the position of Animal Care Coordinator at Desert Haven Animal Refuge. I accepted the position and my family and I made the decision to make this area our home.

The staff of Desert Haven and the Sierra Co. Humane Society played a big part in our decision to stay. When we saw the dedication, the care and love given to all the critters of Desert Haven, we knew this was something we wanted to be a part of. I applaud the work and dedication that has gone into making these two entities what they are today. Founder Eliana Aubin, all the volunteers of Desert Haven Animal Refuge (past & present), and the volunteers of Paws & Claws Thrift Store have worked together, for the love of animals, to create a worthy asset to the local communities.

Also, it is great that the communities of Williamsburg and TorC are so accepting and friendly to new folks arriving here. This is a great area and the residents should be proud of their towns and tttheir people. They make them what they are. We thank them for accepting my family and I into their community.



Reba Wagner (husband Gene, son Stephen)

Animal Care Coordinator
Desert Haven Animal Refuge

Hot Paws

by George Jepson


Steve & Bessie at Desert Haven

Here in the southwest it’s that time of year again: Folks out walking their dogs, mostly small ones, completely oblivious to the temperature of the sidewalks and the asphalt pavement; dogs bouncing along, taking five steps to master’s every one, in an attempt to keep their feet off the hot surface. It is not a test of a dog’s “manhood” to be able to take walking along on pavement that’s 140 degrees.

Let me ask you to do this: take your shoes and socks off and walk along beside your dog on that very same pavement, Hey! If you can take it. But don’t do it for too long because you’ll be asking for second degree burns. If I were to force you to stand on that hot pavement, in your bare feet, I would be charged with aggravated assault. This is serious stuff. Take care of these guys. Large or small, paws are paws and they can be burned and crippled. So walk your dog in the cool of the day. If you’re unsure of the temperature of the pavement, place your bare hand down on it for a slow count of 10. If you can do it then it’s probably OK. Happy walking.

Oh! Same thing goes for making a dog stand on the bare metal of the back of a pickup truck. Man, that surface gets hot.

Sent in by

George Jepson

T or C New Mexico

Humane Happenings

by Dolly Loftus


Eliana, Joy & Dolly in the office

It looks like summer is here. Somehow we missed Spring, at least a gentle Spring. The weather: cold, hot, windy or whatever doesn’t deter our work campers at Desert Haven. The crew is busy with landscaping projects, refurbishing and painting dog apartments and condos, and maintaining the cemetery. All of our work campers lately seem to be coming from Arizona. Patti and Ben from the Phoenix area arrived a week or so ago followed by Bill from Queen Creek. Not to worry. I’m sure there are still plenty of people left in Arizona.

Scruffie’s puppies are now ready for adoption. There are six: three males and three females. They are a terrier mix and will be medium-sized dogs when they are full grown. They will be getting their second set of shots next week. To see a picture of them, check out the blog post below this one. There are many other adoptees in our care looking for a two-legged companion, so come out and pet a few.

As mentioned earlier, summer is here. That means that we have to keep our animals protected from the sun by giving them some sort of shelter when they are outside and to make sure they have enough water. This is not the time of the year to take your dog to the store with you and leave him unattended in the car or truck. In big cities like Albuquerque and Las Cruces, you will get a hefty fine and be totally embarrassed by your negligence.

A big Thank You to our many patrons who continue to give large and small donations of money, turn in Bullock’s receipts, and drop off pet food and treats at Paws and Claws and Desert Haven.

Our wish list for this week is simply dog and cat treats. Reba mentioned that some outdoor solar lights might be nice to accent our recently spruced up landscaping. If anyone has some that they want to get rid of, please give us a call at Desert Haven (894-2778).

Humane Happenings

by Dolly Loftus


Scruffy and puppies
Photo by Skip Higgins; Raskal Photography

Desert Haven Animal Refuge has welcomed a new group of work campers since the beginning of April. We are blessed again to have individuals with all sorts of talents that really make the care and maintenance of our furry and feathered friends a joyful task. Gene, our jack-of-all trades person, has recently built the framework to enable us to attach some netting over the chicken yard. Then we will be able to move the peacocks there, so they will have more room to strut their stuff. Skip, a photography pro, has taken pictures of Scruffy’s seven puppies as a portrait shot. It will be posted on the bulletin board at Paws and Claws sometime soon. The rest of the crew is busy painting and doing other projects to make the refuge nice for the animals and our visitors. We must have a lot of visitors, because our adoption rate is higher than it has ever been. All are great success stories, and the new moms and dads keep in contact with us to tell cute tales about their new companions.

Dolly Loftus recently visited the schools to ask how the children and teachers liked their subscription to Kind News. The response was great, and we made some changes, so that more students were involved, and the reading material was appropriate to their grade level. Distribution of the magazine is an educational project sponsored by the Sierra County Humane Society to teach children and others how to care for animals. From the response that we get at Desert Haven and our Paws & Claws Thrift Store, we know that our community cares about animals.

We are thankful to a handful of new locals who have expressed an interest in volunteering, and there are some new faces from time to time helping out at the thrift store. Since summer and the travel season are coming, we are going to need some extra help when our regulars decide to hit the road. This includes our office staff at Desert Haven. We could still use someone for filing and clerical work with a minimum of computer skills. If you are interested, please call Desert Haven Animal Refuge at 575-740-0715.

Week of 4/19/09 Humane Happenings

Steve & Webster

By Eliana Aubin

It takes special folks to make an animal welfare organization successful, such as the Sierra County Humane Society, Inc. and Desert Haven Animal Refuge. Volunteer work is not for everyone, and those who volunteer in a small community like ours seem to have their plate always full while wearing several hats at a time. Caring for domestic animals on a daily basis requires dedication, commitment and a great amount of love.

This week, we wish to thank Joy Arnold and her husband Joe Pack, who moved to this area sometime in the summer of last year. Their interest in giving back to Society, together with their love of animals, have brought them to Desert Haven. While Joy handles administrative assistant’s duties every Tuesday morning, Joe Pack helps keep Desert Haven in good state of repairs and comfortable for all its furry and feathered inhabitants. The Mutt Hutt, the large dog house that Rufus and Shadow-2 are sharing in the Mighty Mutts’ yard, looks very Southwestern now, thanks to Joe Pack and Tom, a work camper who spent the Winter at DHAR with his wife Juicy. Rufus is now able to climb on the high platform that they built with him in mind. Gene Wagner recently put the finishing touches on The High Rise, a fancy dog house in the Cape Cod West yard, current home to Indy, Vicky and Shadow. The bright red with white trim structure allows inquisitive Indy, who also likes high places, to feel on top of the world as he oversees his domain at Dog Town from his privileged pad. There is also The Puppy Club House located in the Pooch Play yard. Several lap-dogs are sharing the yard and its structure which was very recently upgraded to add to the comfort of small sized dogs. The Penthouse, formerly housing Lucky, DHAR’s mascot and it’s very first canine, is now home to Maxwell and Mosey. Mosey has taken a liking to The Loft, where Lucky used to spend his days watching over Dog Town, as he used to welcome visitors from his favorite place.

Desert Haven is a true sanctuary, where furry and feathered creatures have a unique chance to enjoy life at its best, either until they are adopted or to the end of their natural life. The animal loving folks who live nearby and those who come from all over the US to care for these creatures, have the chance to get to know each and everyone of our precious animals, to treat them just as if they were their own, and they do. It’s a very special feeling that only a small and home-like sanctuary such as DHAR can provide.

Interested in learning more about our organization? Contact us at 575-894-2778, e-mail us at eliana4pets@gmail.com, visit us on Tuesdays, or www.DeserthavenAnimalRefuge.com.

Week of 4/12/09 Humane Happenings

Juicy in the Mighty Mutts Play Yard

By Eliana Aubin

The Sierra County Humane Society, Inc. uses several avenues to raise funds for some of it’s most crucial programs, including the Spay-Neuter (S/N) and Spay-a-Stray programs, which by themselves cost our local animal welfare organization over $8,000 each year. Bullocks receipts, Pennies for Pets, Doggie Banks and also Cans for Critters are some of our ways to raise funds.

Interested in helping our organization keep this worthwhile program alive? Collect bags of aluminum cans and drop them off at Paws & Claws thrift shop when it is open for business, from Wednesday through Saturday. You can also drop them off at Desert Haven when visiting, or contact us at 894-2778 for the location of our Can Corral on East First Street. This program allows our organization to not only help with the local “green” movement and keep Sierra County Beautiful, but it also brings in $$$ for our Spay-Neuter and Spay-a-Stray program.

Through our spay-neuter (S/N) program, the SCHS distributes rebates to pet owners interested in getting their companion animal sterilized but needing the financial incentive to do so. The S/N applications are available at Paws & Claws thrift shop and also at the T or C Police station, which has been the applications' pick-up point since the program started almost 20 years ago.

Our Spay-a-Stray program allows feral cats to be sterilized at no cost to their caretakers. The typical feral cat is born outside and has never lived in a home with a human family - feral cats inhabit a niche in our world totally their own, neither truly wild nor potential pets. Did you know that more cats are killed intentionally in the US than die of any other documented cause? Every day in every state, feral and stray cats are being exterminated, and this killing is funded by our tax dollars - wasteful, cruel, ineffective and, according to reliable sources, completely unnecessary. We believe that killing them systematically not only is inexcusable, but it does not even solve the problem of feral cat overpopulation. On the other hand, sterilizing feral cats steadily decreases their population. It is also cheaper to neuter a feral cat than to impound, house, kill and dispose of their body.

We believe in a common sense solution to senseless killing, and consequently, in the mid-90’s, we adopted the trap-neuter-release method of controlling feral cats in our communities. It’s also the humane thing to do. The SCHS picks- up the tab, and our local veterinarian performs his services for the Spay-a-Stray sterilization at a reduced rate.

Interested in learning more about our organization? contact us at 575-894-2778, e-mail us at eliana4pets@gmail.com, visit us on Tuesdays, or check us out at www.DeserthavenAnimalRefuge.com.

Week of 4/5/09 Humane Happenings

Jeanette Galliard & Tripp

By Eliana Aubin

Desert Haven Animal Refuge, Sierra County’s domestic animal sanctuary, is welcoming Skip & Marjory of Casa Grande AZ, Don & Ana-Lise of Oregon, and Dee, Dave & son Garrath of California.

Several DHAR Winter crew members have now left to continue on their journey towards new RV’ing experiences and new horizons. John and Rockett, the last “remnant” of our seasonal crew of work campers, will also be leaving this week. They will be sorely missed. John and Rockett were not only very helpful at the sanctuary and Paws&Claws thrift shop, often going above and beyond the line of duty, but they involved themselves in the community as well. They joined the local recycling movement; They became part of hiking groups and other healthy and fun activities during their several months stay at DHAR campground. As importantly, they spent many tourist dollars frequenting local shops, restaurants and Hot Springs while also visiting the entire Southwestern New Mexico region.

CJ of Caballo Lake RV park continues to be a strong supporter of DHAR in many ways. The picnic tables that are enjoyed by everyone in the DHAR RV campground came from CJ‘s park. Regularly, CJ donates construction material and other items to our sanctuary, as well as recyclable items to Paws&Claws thrift shop. The good vibes that are sent our way by this caring lady continue to be felt in many ways - someone who resides in her park and who wishes to stay anonymous regularly drops-off pet food at DHAR, we receive contributions from traveling folks who hear about us from her. Jeanette Galliard of Albuquerque, who spends her monthly R&R in her park, not only adopted Tripp, a dog of DHAR, but also became a strong, long-term supporter of our cause.

We continue to appreciate the seedlings donated to DHAR every year at this time by the Sierra Soil and Water Conversation District. Seedlings and potted native and semi-native plants help beautify the five acre Desert Haven property. Pruning the growing vegetation and watering the new plantings will soon become a weekly task in our high desert in this part of New Mexico. We certainly need a few extra hands year’ round to help our crew keep Desert Haven beautiful.

Wish List: shelving and roofing material for DHAR, bird seeds, cat food, dog and cat treats. We also need someone to help both Administrative Assistant and Bookkeeper in our DHAR office every Tuesday morning - computer skills helpful but not absolutely necessary.

For more information on how you can help our volunteer organization in some way, contact us at 894-2778, e-mail us at
eliana4pets@gmail.com, visit us on Tuesdays, or check us out at www.DeserthavenAnimalRefuge.com. For adoption purposes, you can also call us at 894-2778 for an appointment.

Week of 3/22/09 Humane Happenings

Feather in the Cool Cat Neighborhood

By Eliana Aubin

There is nothing like Desert Haven Animal Refuge (DHAR) on a Tuesday to uplift a spirit or warm a heart. This Tuesday was no different. The volunteer and work camping crew is currently taking care of (27) dogs of all sizes and temperaments at Dog Town, with a group of thirty (30) kitties in the Cool Cat Neighborhood, plus a large number of guinea pigs in Miss Piglet‘s Boarding House and it’s adjacent quarters. Several rabbits, miniature roosters and hens, peacocks, white and domesticated ring neck doves reside in Birdland & Animal House. Besides caring for all these non-human residents of DHAR, the volunteer crew is also maintaining the grounds and keeping in good state of repair and upkeep the entire five-acre property, including it’s headquarters and office building, several workshops and service areas, together with a number of large animal and bird habitats. This Spring, among other important projects, the Peacocks Courtyard is being completed, and we especially owe Gene Wagner a huge thank-you for all his hard work above and beyond the line of duty so to speak. Among other projects undertaken this past Tuesday by a hard-working crew, Deb Peters and Ted Earley completed resurfaced the roof of the camp host residence at DHAR campground. Every year, Desert Haven looks and feels a little homier, a little more comfortable, and a little more attractive for all its residents and visitors alike.

In a few days, RV’ers Tom and Juicy Garvin of Ohio, Jeff Nowlan of New Jersey and Brad Baidinger of Michigan will pull-up stakes once again, after having given DHAR and its furry and feathered residents much of their time and energy over many months to help give them the new life they are now enjoying at the domestic animal sanctuary. Thanks to a wonderful group of animal loving folks, DHAR continues to make a positive impact on the life of innocent creatures who need all of us to protect them and speak out for them.

This past Tuesday, Lee and David Gilmer of Albuquerque - long-time supporters of our small but very active organization, visited the sanctuary for the first time in several years. We were very pleased to enjoy their company at lunchtime. Their generous donation before they returned to their Albuquerque home confirmed their unequivocal show of support of what Desert Haven is all about.

Wish list: several folks to help with watering and pruning and also with administrative duties at DHAR on Tuesdays ; Dog walkers and Kitty cuddlers; Pet treats and canned food - Helpers at Paw&Claws. Contact us at 894-2778, e-mail us at
eliana4pets@gmail.com, visit us on Tuesday, or check us out at www.DeserthavenAnimalRefuge.com.

Week of 3/15/09 Humane Happenings

Tom, Butch & Jeff hard at it!

By Eliana Aubin

The beautiful Spring-like weather was enjoyed at Desert Haven Animal Refuge last Tuesday, by a larger than usual work crew of local volunteers and work campers alike. With the full cooperation of our Southern New Mexico weather, several among a long list of on-going projects were taken on and a lot was accomplished at the end of the day - a truly productive and very enjoyable day!

At this time of the year, painting seems to be one of the priorities at the small domestic animal sanctuary. The “new and improved” Mutt Hutt at Dog Town received its first coat of Southwestern paint. Then came the turn of the Canine Cottage to be freshened-up, and last but not least, the Rainbow Bridge Pet Cemetery cedar picket fence that runs along the driveway ( AKA “Horney Toad Road“) is being prepped for a much needed new coat of protective stain. Another couple of Tuesday, another few extra hands to share with the painting and grounds keeping activities and the Spring clean-up and beautification of Desert Haven will be well on its way.

Dog Town is a fun place to be these days - for dog lovers that is - as every doggy residential area is now fully occupied. From the Penthouse Courtyard to the Canine Cottage, then the Mighty Mutts playground, together with the Pooch Play Yard and it’s adjacent piece of real estate we name “Cape Cod West” from it’s Cape Cod style dog house, also the VIP ( Very Important Pets) yard and it’s indoor section we call “Gene’s Doghouse“, dogs of all sizes and breeds - or so it seems - are enjoying their new leash on life at the no-kill sanctuary. A full life indeed for the lucky dogs of Dog Town at Desert Haven Animal Refuge.

At this time, perhaps some of our readers will consider donating their left-over construction material to us. We it, we could build or complete a new project or two - a spacious dog house, a porch or platform on an existing dog house to help protect the canine residents from the summer sun. With the needed material, we are could build ramps and steps for some of our older and also our smaller dogs. Roofing material, posts and fencing material, also your left-over paint or wood stain are all on our wish-list these days.

Anyone interested in helping keep the DHAR bushes and trees watered and pruned? Call us at 894-2778, or visit DHAR on Tuesday, when everyone shares in a project or another. Do you have a couple of hours or so a week to share with our Paws&Claws crew? We need your help at our thrift shop. For more information, e-mail us at eliana4pets@gmail.com, visit us on Tuesday, or check us out at www.DeserthavenAnimalRefuge.com.

To all our readers who have been loyal to us for so many years, thank-you and have a purr-fect week.

Week of 3/8/09 Humane Happenings

By Eliana Aubin


Reba prepares dinner at Dog Town

Desert Haven Animal Refuge, Sierra County’s no-kill domestic animal sanctuary, welcomes Don and Inid of Sierra Vista who arrived on location this past Tuesday to join a congenial, resourceful and dedicated group of work-campers who are helping the DHAR volunteer crew care for the non-human sanctuary residents. We currently have twenty-eight (28) canines of all sizes and breeds at Dog Town and 32 felines who enjoy the luxury of The Cool Cat Neighborhood, a 1200 square feet feline equivalent of a five star gated community. DHAR also houses a large flock of white and domesticated ring-neck doves, several peacocks, many guinea pigs and a number of miniature chickens and roosters who live comfortably in spacious habitats at Birdland & Animal House.

Work campers at DHAR also help maintain and upgrade the five-acre property and its buildings. We hope that Don and Inid will enjoy their stay at Desert Haven while checking out the many amenities that Sierra County has to offer, including lakes, great museums, hot baths and restaurants, together with a healthy climate that is hard to beat.

There is a lot of activity at Dog Town these days, with the recent arrival of several new resident canine rescues, most of them very small to medium, and all of them young. There is Sahara, female Aussie - Pugsley, cute-as-a-button pug mix -Shasta, playful terrier - Monty the dachshund - Dakota, rust and black long hair Dachshund mix - Sparky, rust white and brown bird dog - Danny Boy, slender black lab. And there is little Scruffy the new mom. Scruffy came to us very pregnant, and her seven puppies, now only a few days old, are the newest and youngest residents- by far - of Dog Town.

Scruffy went through difficult times in her short life before coming to DHAR, but now all that is behind her; At Desert Haven, this new little mom is receiving all the love and care that she deserves and, as she nurses her pups in the sanctuary’s peaceful and safe environment, she never fails to bring many strong emotions in the hearts of those who help care for her. As soon as they have their veterinary check-up and are sterilized, all these new residents will be ready to be adopted into their forever loving home.

Priority wish list: Pet treats and canned food - Helpers at Paw&Claws - Dog walkers, Kitty cuddlers and office helpers at DHAR. Someone to help with watering and pruning at DHAR. Contact us at 894-277, e-mail us at eliana4pets@windstream.net, visit us on Tuesday, or check us out at www.deserthavenanimalrefuge.com.

Week of 3/1/09 Humane Happenings

By Eliana Aubin

Bessie in her new home

There is always something to rejoice about at Desert Haven Animal Refuge (DHAR), Sierra County’s no-kill domestic animal sanctuary. Several residents of Dog Town were recently adopted out, including shy little Bessie, who was born at DHAR over four years ago, together with five siblings. Her mother, a heeler, had been rescued at the sanctuary a few days before, starving and pregnant.

Although we rescue as many companion animals as we can without jeopardizing the health or life of those who reside there already, our sanctuary does not have the resources to take in every unwanted or abandoned dog or cat in Sierra County. We cannot save them all, but we certainly make a difference in the lives of those that we can save, and this is what keeps us energized.

Joe Pack Arnold of TorC is DHAR’s newest volunteer and he has already made his mark. A donated dog house in need of repairs is Joe Pack’s latest project and, once strengthened and painted, it will once again be made available to the residents of the Mighty Mutts Playground at Dog Town. Dog houses, cat platforms, construction material to build some, roofing material and left-over paint are always on our wish list, so if our readers have something they consider donating, contact us at 894-2778. Our crew is resourceful and donated material is always put to good use.

It’s amazing how many compliments we receive on how clean and cheery our animal residents quarters are. Not only we have a crew of volunteers who take pride in what they do as they maintain them clean and in good state or repairs, but the many gallons of bright and colorful paint that we use every Spring help keep them that way.

The drop-off box at Paws&Claws ( P&C) thrift shop is now relocated at the new shop location, across the alley from Family Dollar. We appreciate our animal loving friends for donating to our cause gently used items and also furniture, which is in high demand in this area. If you have a truck and a couple of hours a week on your hands, consider helping us move some of that furniture to P&C.

Priority wish list: Pet treats and canned food - Roll of roofing material - Helpers at P&C - Dog walkers and Kitty cuddlers - office helpers at DHAR. Art Rowher of TorC is DHAR’s grounds keeper. With a new growing season approaching and 5 acres of grounds to maintain, Art could use some help on Tuesdays. Visit us on Tuesday, or check us out here on the blog which Camille of Florida updates weekly and at www.DeserthavenAnimalRefuge.com.

Week of 2/17/09 Humane Happenings

By Eliana Aubin


Reba, Desert Haven Animal Care Coordinator, prepares breakfast for the residents of Dog Town


This week, we wish to thank Pat at Movie Gallery for letting the Sierra County Humane Society keep a poster board at her place of business and update it as time permits. Pat also collects bags of dog and cat food from customers who visit her establishment. Kudos are due to Rockett Morgan of Ohio, who currently work camps at DHAR with her husband John. Rockett recently updated Desert Haven’s poster boards at several businesses in T or C, with photos of most of the newest rescues at the no-kill sanctuary. Our DHAR crew feels especially fortunate at this time, as several of the newest Dog Town arrivals were adopted out sooner than anticipated. Thanks to our diligent web masters - Camille Pronovost of Florida and Stan Brodsky of Hillsboro - both our web sites and blog www.DeserthavenAnimalRefuge.com and DesertHaven@petfinder.com and this blog ) are updated weekly and kept interesting as they attract more and more attention from animal loving folks from all over the country.

Little Whitney is a lucky little girl-dog indeed. Only eight pounds and not yet one year old, Whitney has already won the hearts of everyone who has connected with her in some way. She was recently rescued at DHAR and almost immediately underwent a risky but lifesaving surgery. Only a few days after her return home from surgery, it was discovered that this fragile little dog had become pregnant before being rescued at Desert haven. The unborn pups were pushing against her repaired diaphragm, causing it to tear again. Another out-of-town trip was made - another risky but lifesaving surgery was immediately performed. Whitney’s ordeal is now over and she is recuperating surprisingly well. This little one embodies the philosophy of Sierra County’s no-kill sanctuary, where every creature is given every chance possible at a new and a good life. An innocent creature who was betrayed by the human who not only abandoned her, but injured her as well, is given “a new leash on life” at Desert Haven, a safe and compassionate environment.

This week’s wish list: sunflower seeds, dog and cat treats, dry and canned cat food. Interested in learning more about us? Feeling lonely and wanting to meet folks of kindred spirit and make new friends? Looking for a new companion animal? Perhaps you wish to become a volunteer either at Desert Haven or Paws&Claws thrift shop? Contact us at 894-2778 or visit us on Tuesdays, when the sanctuary is open for visitors. “It’s a good day to be a DHAR volunteer!”