Week of 7/19/09 Humane Happenings

Marge & Reba

Saturday July 25, between 10 AM and 2 PM, several Desert Haven Animal Refuge volunteers set up an Adoption Option booth in front of “Red Bone”, an animal-friendly business located downtown TorC. This is the first DHAR Adoption booth in several months, and animal loving folks who were shopping downtown TorC on that day visited our booth which was fun and interesting. They also had the opportunity to check out our literature and last but not least, to pet the several pups that “helped” keep the booth lively and full of surprises. We have wonderful little girl and boy-dogs at this time, and anyone interested in a cuddly lap dog should consider checking them out at Desert Haven.

Orio and Shasta

If you can’t visit Sierra County’s No-Kill domestic animal sanctuary on a Tuesday, the day it is open to the public, contact us at 894-2778 for an appointment. If you wish, you can also be taken on a tour of the facility as well. If you like cats, The Cool Cat Neighborhood will catch your imagination. Several years ago, it impressed visitors from Florida enough that they named it “the feline equivalent to a 5 star gated community”. There is also Birdland & Animal House, home to a large flock of white and ring-neck doves, several rabbits and many guinea pigs. Adjacent to Birdland, Birdland-2 houses a number of miniature roosters and hens. A few weeks ago, the Desert Haven peacock population moved from their former home in Birdland to their new, recently completed “Peacock’s Place”, an all-enclosed, 1600 square ft area with peacocks-approved amenities.

Bullocks receipts earn $$$ for The Sierra County Humane Society and Desert Haven Animal Refuge. The receipts are being collected until the end of this month, when the program ends for the summer to resume the first of September. They can be dropped-off at the TorC Public Library, Williamsburg Post Office and Paws & Claws thrift shop in TorC. Please bring your Bullocks receipts to us before the first week in August, or they will no longer be redeemable and of no value to anyone.

This week, we wish to thank Ray & Kay Steinline of TorC for their generous contribution to Desert Haven, also “Lady Bug Pest Control” for dropping-off pet food donated by Sean Hoyt of Champagne Hills. A very special thank-you goes to long-time supporter Gretchen Tatsch of Las Cruces for her on-going support through monetary and in-kind contributions as well as kind words she continues to have for DHAR and all of its volunteers.

We do have a great crew of volunteers in our organization. Our work campers come from all over the country to help us operate the sanctuary on a daily basis. Several local folks also help with the daily animal care from one to three days each week. We sincerely could not do without them at this time of the year. We certainly can use more dog walkers and kitty cuddlers during morning and evening animal care, at least until our winter work camping crew arrives in the fall. Paws & Claws thrift shop needs helpers. If interested, call us at 894-2778. Our animal loving readers can learn more about us by visiting www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com.
Saving a life is a beautiful thing - sponsor a Desert Haven companion animal today.

Week of 7/15/09 Humane Happenings

Desert Haven Animal Refuge is home to abandoned, neglected, mistreated and unwanted companion animals who, safe and wanted at last, finally find their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. So is the story of Sprinkle, one of the six remaining puppies born in early March to Scruffy, a small and very loving terrier-mix rescued at DHAR while very much pregnant. See the photo on our masthead above taken by Skip Higgins.

Sprinkle was adopted Tuesday evening by a young family who came all the way from Los Alamos, NM, to visit DHAR with the intent to adopt, for their very young daughter, “a black puppy with white markings” that reminded the mom of her own companion animal from years back – a black puppy with white markings given to her by her own parents when she was her little girl’s age.

Since six black puppies with white markings were still available for adoption at DHAR, the choice was there and obviously worth the long trip for that family. Adoptions like this one have become more and more the norm at the sanctuary, thanks to the common efforts of a friendly and cohesive volunteer crew.

Meet the crew: Stan of Hillsboro routinely updates the DHAR list of animals on the Petfinder web site. It can be reached by clicking on www.petfinder.com, as well as on www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com, which is maintained by Camille of Florida. Freddie and Reba, who both reside on the premises, handle all dog and cat adoptions. Their responsibilities involve keeping veterinary visits and medical attention up-to-date. They also do home visits prior and after adoptions whenever feasible. While Freddie handles DHAR visits for adoption purposes, either on Tuesdays when the sanctuary is open for visitors, or by calling her at 575-894-2778 for an appointment, Eliana and Reba keep-up with all e-mail correspondence related to adoptions. All intakes of unwanted animals and birds are handled by Freddie and Reba, who take into consideration the sanctuary resources, such as availability of space and volunteers at that specific time. Day after day, the entire DHAR crew, together with several local volunteers, keeps the non-human residents in good physical and mental condition and their living quarters clean and attractive. Thank-you all!

This week, we call on our computer oriented friends in the Sierra County Humane Society and DHAR, to support us as they interact with other animal loving friends on Facebook. If you are not already a member of Facebook, it is free and anyone can join at www.facebook.com for a wonderful tool for networking with family and friends. We have two pages on Facebook. The “Sierra County Humane Society” has a “Group” page and can be found by doing a search in the box of the upper right hand corner of your main Facebook page. The SCHS group page has a wall where you can post about your experiences with us or start discussions about relevant topics. We would love to hear your adoption story and see photos of your pet in his or her new home. Are you a volunteer? Share your story about why you work with us or tell something funny or touching that happened at Desert Haven or Paws & Claws.

If you are able to support us financially, we also have a “Causes” page for Desert Haven Animal Refuge. You can donate on line through the non-profit organization, Network for Good, which process credit cards for us. You may join the cause without making a donation but still express your support for our work. There is also a tool to send invitations to your friends and families to join our cause and help us spread the word about Desert Haven in order to help save the lives of more homeless pets. If you have any questions or are unable to find our Facebook pages, please write to our web master, Camille Pronovost, at ccpronovost@earthlink.net or www.facebook.com/ccpronovost.

Week of 7/5/09 Humane Happenings

Brad, after hanging the sign made by Bootz

“Hot” is the key word at this time of the year in this part of New Mexico, and “humid” is also very much on everyone’s mind as well. The Dog Days of Summer are here, and our DHAR dogs are certainly enjoying them to the fullest. DHAR is still home to the six remaining puppies from Scruff’s litter. On March 7 of this year, Scruffy, a 18-20 lbs terrier mix with long, mostly back hair, gave birth soon after her rescue at DHAR to seven healthy puppies who are looking more and more like their mother.. Until they find their forever adoptive family, Peppey, Orio, Sampson (Sammy for short), Sprinkle, Chrissy, Zorro and Trixie are very content to spend their daylight hours exploring their special gated domain at Dog Town.

The Pooch Play Yard has a lot of amenities. There is an adjacent indoor dormitory with private fluffy beds and condos, available to the puppies all day long. There is also The Puppy Club House, a brightly painted two-story wooden structure built in the middle of the play-yard with energetic and inquisitive puppies in mind. The Puppy Play Yard is one of the most exciting places to be when you are a puppy at Desert Haven.

Hardy, a tiny, cute-as-a-button long-haired Chihuahua, shares the puppy housing with the six siblings and there is nothing more enjoyable for the volunteers who help with animal care on any given day, than to watch puppies at play. Whitney, who lives with her foster mom at DHAR campground, joins the playful group every Tuesday. Whitney is DHAR “Million Dollar Dog”, a name she received soon after undergoing two life-saving – and expensive – operations to repair some of the internal damage she sustained before being rescued at the sanctuary. If you are interested in adopting a companion animal, even a puppy or a small dog, visit DHAR on Tuesday or call us at 894-2778 for an appointment. We certainly have plenty for you to choose from.

The volunteers at DHAR are very appreciative of our readers who make it a point to help with our wish list. Large or small, cash or in-kind, any contribution is put to good use and goes for the intended purpose. This week, Desert Haven especially needs canned cat food, cat treats and dog biscuits.. Paws & Claws thrift shop needs helpers.
To keep-up with repairs, maintenance and also upgrade of the facility, we continue to need wood to work with- also a roll of welded wire fencing - a miter saw - a router with bits - a portable table saw - air nails and an air staple gun - drill bits - power or battery operated hand tools.

To learn more about Paws & Claws, The Sierra County Humane Society, or Desert Haven Animal Refuge which we operate under its umbrella, contact us at 894-2778 or 740-0643. You can also visit our very informative web site at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com. Until next time, we wish all our readers a purrr-fect week.

Week of 6/28/09 Humane Happenings

Juicy & Rufus

by Eliana Aubin

It is that time of the year, when the Cash for Clubs program is about to end for the summer, to start again in September. The program was generously initiated some years ago by Bullocks Grocery store (Shur-Sav) in T or C, to help non-profit groups benefit financially from the folks who patronize the store and at the same time who wish to help their favorite charity benefit from it. Animal loving folks can save their Bullocks receipts and collect those from friends and relatives, then drop them off either at Paws&Claws thrift shop, the T or C public library, Desert Haven Animal Refuge, or at the Williamsburg Post office. Josephine Varnum handles the program and has set up in those locations boxes specifically designated for that purpose. When redeemed ($1 for every $1,000 redeemed goes directly to our organization.) the $$$ generated from the receipts help fund the Sierra County Humane Society Spay-Neuter program which has an average annual price tag of$8,000 and continues to grow every year.

Our organization’s Adopt-a-Pet Referral program is successfully handled by Stan Brodsky, a Sierra County Humane Society volunteer who lives near Hillsboro. Folks who wish to give up a companion animal but who are reluctant to relinquish that animal to the city shelter have the opportunity to contact Stan at 575-895-5551 (a local call by the way) who will help them find that animal a new home. Stan keeps a current record of all domestic animals referred to us through that specific program. He also places them and their profile – including photos if available - on the SCHS Petfinder web site, which is visited daily by folks from all over New Mexico and neighboring states.

On the other hand, anyone interested in adopting a companion animal directly from his owner can also contact Stan and look for any specific type, breed, etc, available at the time. The Adopt-a-Pet Referral program is provided courtesy of the Sierra County Humane Society, inc. and is free of charge to anyone interested in giving up or adopting a companion animal.

This week’s wish list: Dog biscuits - kitty canned food and treats - Puppy chow for seven growing puppies - Dog walkers and kitty cuddlers at DHAR- Volunteers at Paws & Claws thrift shop – Used lumber – Insulation - Roofing material, etc.
Interested in the work we are doing? Visit us on Tuesdays, or check us out at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com.
This blog at is updated weekly by our wonderful webmaster and animal loving volunteer Camille Pronovost of Florida, with current photos of Desert Haven and of our volunteers at work. We can also be reached at 894-2778, or email eliana4pets@gmail. com.

Humane Happenings

Dog walking - Sparky & Sophie

by Dolly Loftus

A Tale of Tails. That sounds like a good name for the log that our animal care coordinator Reba uses to keep track of our adoptees. Tuesday morning at the work campers’ regular meeting, Reba brought us up-to-date on how our furry friends were doing. It turns out that our friends have ventured near and far from Desert Haven. Two have gone with snowbirds to Canada and Michigan, but will be back when their weather turns cold. Some like Noah, Monty and Crystal are as close as Elephant Butte and T or C. Reba mentioned that some dogs’ names have been changed and told cute stories relayed by the animals’ present companions. Landscape work continues as cuttings from the Virginia creeper are planted. The light rain made working outside a pleasure.

We have a new dog that will be up for adoption soon. She’s a long-haired Chihuahua about two to three years old with honey-colored fur named Sara. She was found in Elephant Butte some weeks ago. The lady who rescued her went to great lengths to find the owner, but the consensus is that she wandered off from some Memorial Day campers. If Sara doesn’t sound like the pet for you, check out our Petfinder.com website for more dogs and cats.

Our thrift store Paws and Claws continues to thrive with your generous donations. We always need more volunteers to help sort clothing and other items. At the present time, we are looking for someone who is free on Friday to test electronics to make sure they are in working order. We would prefer a gentleman, because some things are heavy and awkward to handle. If you are interested, please call 894-2778.

Our wish list for this week includes cat treats, dog treats, and cat toys. Remember to visit Desert Haven Animal Refuge on Tuesday when we are open to the public, and join us for lunch. Paws and Claws is open Wednesday through Saturday.

Humane Happenings

Peacock
photo by Charles Nissen

Desert Haven Animal Refuge is living up to its name more and more every day. Just recently we have taken in Hardy, a long-haired blond Chihuahua/ mix, about two years old. Another dog that we have given refuge to is Oliver, a black/brown colored Chihuahua/Daschund mix, about six months to a year. For over a year, people have been telling us that they want to adopt smaller dogs and puppies. Now, we have both in good supply. Trixie, one of Scruffy’s puppies, was adopted this week. There are still six squirming little bundles of joy left. These dogs can be viewed on Petfinder.com or by coming out to the refuge, either on Tuesday when we are open to the public or by appointment.

Freddie Lovelace, our refuge tour guide and adoption chief, mentioned that people have been asking about Whitney, our million dollar dog, who was so badly abused and went through two expensive surgeries. We are happy to report that Whitney believes that she was a jack rabbit in her previous life and is delighted to show off her jumping and leaping skills to anyone who cares to watch. Not only is she healthy, but she is full of energy.

Now that the peacock courtyard/meshed enclosure is complete, thanks to the hard work of Gene, Skip, Stephen and Ben, the peacocks are strutting their stuff. We actually have a year old male that is up for adoption.

Ginny Nyland, one of our wonderful office personnel who help out whenever she’s in town, gave us a generous donation this week. Ginny is leaving to go traveling again; in fact, she has her travel agenda complete until May 2010. Thank you for your generosity and have a great time on your travels.

We also want to thank, once again, the wonderful people who drop off donations to Paws and Claws. The thrift store has too many items to mention; some are vintage collector’s and others are everyday things that are essential to our lives. Stop by. Maybe you’ll find something that you can’t live without.

Please visit our beautiful desert-blooming refuge and our happy furry friends. Become a volunteer and have fun serving your community.

Humane Happenings

Vicky & "Bird of Paradise" tree in bloom
Photo by Charles Nissen

Things are blooming at Desert Haven. Not only the Bird of Paradise trees and many other bushes, but the creative work of our skilled work campers in building dog houses and play areas designed for the special needs of furry four-legged friends. Because of the progress that these artisans are making, one of the things on our wish list for this week is plywood pieces and rolled roofing. Please join us on Tuesdays when our facility is open to the public for tours and lunch at noon.

Our readers may not be aware of our Adopt-a-Pet Referral Program that is part of our Pet Finder Program featured on our website at www.deserthavenanimalrefuge.com. Stan Brodsky heads up this program for us. If you have a pet that you need to have adopted, call Stan at 895-5551 and give him all the information and your phone number. He will put it on Pet Finder, and those interested can contact you directly. Anyone adopting your pet is eligible for a spay/neuter rebate. These pets are also included in the Humane Happenings. For instance, this week we have eight long and short hair kitties, mostly black and white, approximately two months old. Call Patty at 894-7371. We also have five week old kittens, three gray, one calico, and one orange tabby. Call 894-1852. When you are adopting out your pets, you should be careful that they don’t get into the wrong hands, for instance, someone interested in training dogs to fight.

It never ceases to amaze us at how generous our donors are. This past week we have received several anonymous donations. One was a check to purchase a freezer for Dog Town or whatever else we needed and the other decorative wood animal creations that will be sold at Paws and Claws.

We owe a big “thank you” to one of our local volunteers Joe Pack Arnold who is in the process of researching the pricing of pins and buttons that will promote Desert Haven. If our readers have any information or sources for acquiring these items at a good price, please call Joe at 894-8772. If someone is interested in helping with the initial investment, your donation would be greatly appreciated.

Don’t forget to drop off your Bullock’s receipts at various locations around town and the Paws and Claws Thrift Store. Those receipts finance our spay/neuter program. We always need volunteers for animal care and working in the thrift store. If you are interested, please call 894-2778.

Pepper's Story

Gene & Pepper (photo by Skip Higgins)


by Reba Wagner; DH Animal Care Coordinator


A caring couple found a dog trapped in a cactus patch in the Elephant Butte area on Saturday/Sunday, April 4/5 and brought her to Desert Haven. After rescuing her, they discovered that the poor dog was blind, deaf, and had a large tumor-like growth on her side and there was another smaller one on her stomach. Her long hair was matted and full of burrs and thorns. She had cactus thorns all around her bleeding mouth and she had very few teeth. She may have been so hungry that she tried to eat the cactus. After cutting her hair and removing the thorns, it was apparent to them that she was a Poodle mix, dark gray in color. We named her Pepper.

Pepper didn't bark, but made a very mournful cry that just would tear your heart out and brings tears to your eyes. I believe she cried for help until she lost her voice. We have no idea whether the dog wandered off from someone's home or whether someone just disposed of her by dumping her in the desert.

On May 31, 2009, Pepper crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She was such a sweet, gentle dog and fought so hard to survive, but her body could not handle the fight. Pepper's last days were filled with love and human touch.


After being found in Elephant Butte in April, Pepper never fully regained her health. Vet care, food, love and attention could not overcome the horrific damage done to her system. She is missed already, but she is not suffering.

Abandonment was a grave offense to this very loving and beautiful dog. She did not deserve this disrespect and treatment by human hands. Situations like this can be avoided if pet owners will exhibit some decent, moral responsibility for ownership of their pets. They are not something to be discarded on a whim. They are a lifetime commitment and should be treated as such.

Letter to the Editor from Our Work Campers

Fay in the kitchen


Ted , taking a little rest from fence building

Letter to the Editor:

We just returned home after spending the month of March as work campers at the Desert Haven Animal Rescue(DHAR). This was our fourth straight year of spending March at DHAR.

Each year we have met and worked with a great bunch of people, some new faces each year as work campers come and go, and some older faces of local people that have volunteered their time and energy year after year.

Also each year we see new improvements at the facilities. Not a small accomplishment when everything is done by volunteers.

The most gratifying thing that keeps us coming back each year, besides working with and getting to know fellow animal lovers, is the wonderful way the animals continue to be taken care of. Not only in terms of the good food, shelter and medical treatment, but the loving way they are treated, walked, petted, played with and talked to.

You are really fortunate to have a group of people who spend so much time and energy taking care of these animals and we would encourage you to visit and support this facility. They can't save all the abandoned and unwanted animals, but the ones that end up there are the truly lucky ones.

Ted and Fay Earley
Redvale, Colorado

Week of 5/21/09 Humane Happenings

Sophia and her lemonade stand

Nine year old Sophia Nelson of Havelock, in North Carolina, recently held a lemonade stand while her mother and several friends were having a yard sale. Sophia decided that the money collected from her sales would be sent to Desert Haven Animal Refuge, the Sierra County Humane Society No-Kill domestic animal sanctuary. Together with the money, Sophia had placed a handwritten message in the envelope:”Last weekend at Mr. West’s house we had a yard sale. It went very well. I decided to have a lemonade stand to help earn money for Desert Haven. I made 20.50 profit selling lemonade for 25 cents a cup. I am sending the money for Whitney’s new operation.”

Whitney at the vet for her 2nd post-op visit

The words speak for themselves and we at Desert Haven find it heartwarming to see such compassion in such a young child. Whitney is Desert Haven’s miracle little dog whose strong will-to-live helped her beat the odds. Whitney was found wandering in the countryside a few months ago. She was starving, weak and badly injured. It took two costly life-saving operations to repair the damage created either by human hands or a larger dog, as she had been abandoned in the desert to fend for herself. Her story went on the internet, on this blog that Camille Pronovost of Florida started several years ago and continues to maintain. Sophia was moved by it and decided to help.

Whitney with Whitney

Sophia is The Sierra County Humane Society's youngest Life Member. She and her mother lived in T or C when she was a baby and until they moved to NC. Every time they come back to visit their folks, Sophia spends much time at Desert Haven, nurturing her compassion for animals in need. A special little girl indeed! Her mother is also to be congratulated for raising such a caring child.
Whitney roughin' it!

This week’s wish list: Chest freezer for Rainbow Bridge Pet Cemetery - Air powered staple gun – Dog Walkers and Kitty Cuddlers at DHAR – Dog and cat treats - Puppy chow for the seven cuties born at DHAR March 7 of this year and ready to go to their forever home – We also need canned cat food for the thirty felines of all ages and temperaments residing in The Cool Cat Neighborhood, which, according to a former DHAR work camper, is no less than the feline equivalent of a five star gated community – We need helpers at Paws&Claws thrift shop, also someone to help check and display donated tools, electronics and small electrical appliances to be sold. We also could use a grant writer for our animal welfare organization and Desert Haven. Interested in the work we are doing? Visit us on Tuesdays, or check us out at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com. We can also be reached at 894-2778 or 740-0715, and at eliana4pets@gmail. com.

Week of 5/17/09 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin


Jeannette Galliard, a DH volunteer with her two rescued dogs and John, a former volunteer at DH this past winter


Richard and Linda Brook - one native of England and the other of New York respectively - two soul mates, adventurous spirits with a deep love of animals, nature and the outdoors - committed to park their RV and volunteer for a couple of months at DHAR early in the year 2005. To this day, we still remember Linda’s compassion towards all animals and her special love for cats and we can’t forget Richard’s wonderful sense of humor.

A few weeks ago, the Sierra County Humane Society president received a package in the mail – a personal gift from the freedom-loving couple she had enjoyed working with in 2005. Inside the package was a newly printed hard-back book “The Long and Wine-ing Road”, written by Richard himself and published by Authorhouse on 10-7-08. In this witty and easy-to-read book, Richard, an excellent writer by the way, was describing the couple’s “ true life fairy tale” which began in Africa when they met in 1999 and later took them together on their new adventures-on-wheels across America. Richard and Linda had also written about their two months experience at Desert Haven and the surrounding area. How amazing for our small domestic animal sanctuary to be acknowledged in this way! These are your own written words, Richard, as you contemplated your volunteer work at DHAR : “for me, this was a way to give something back without any financial reward: it was a good feeling.” A good man with a good heart!

This week’s wish list: Construction and roofing material - Insulation - Good used chest freezer for Dog Town - Used refrigerator for Birdland’s Snack Shack - Office help at DHAR on Tuesday mornings - Dog walkers and kitty cuddlers. Daily animal care at DHAR starts at 8 AM and ends before 10 AM. It starts again at 7 PM. While many of our local volunteers are either on vacation or taking a needed rest at this time of the year, we need folks to take their place for a while, any day of the week and shift of your choice.

Paws & Claws thrift shop needs volunteers to sort donated items and keep the shop open from Wed through Saturday. The crew is great, the work never boring and as a bonus, the great majority of P&C customers is very appreciative of the community services that we provide. We recycle and make available for sale at a very reasonable price to thrifty-minded shoppers a huge assortment of items, from the routine household wares and furniture to unique works of art and antiques.
If our readers are interested to learn more about our organization and find a way and time to become part of a work of love in progress, call us at 894-2778 or 740-0715. You can also e-mail us at eliana4pets@gmail.com, visit us on Tuesdays, or check us out at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com. Until next time, have a purr-fect week.

Week of 5/10/09 Humane Happenings

Butch hauling brush

by Eliana Aubin

Lee and Susan Newman of Animas Creek Nursery deserve the sincere appreciation from all animal loving folks who are also interested in the on-goings at Desert Haven Animal Refuge, Sierra County’s no-kill domestic animal sanctuary - owned and operated by The Sierra County Humane Society, Inc.

Lee and Susan’s recent generosity, both monetary and in-kind, is very heartwarming to everyone currently volunteering at DHAR. Thanks to this kind-hearted couple, Desert Haven is now the lucky recipient of several gorgeous rose bushes and a number of potted plants and young trees. As an added bonus, many bags of potting soil was added to the contribution that Animas Creek Nursery Foreman Mike Slater very graciously helped load into the flat bed of DHAR caretaker Gene Wagner, who had visited the nursery with his wife Reba and son Stephen.

Reba, DHAR Animal Care Coordinator, informed the group attending the Tuesday meeting at DHAR that two mature shade trees will also be donated by the management of the Animal Creek Nursery as soon as arrangements are being made to have them delivered and planted.

As Susan was walking around the nursery with Gene, Reba and Stephen while selecting the plants and trees to be donated to DHAR, she told them: “We read the Humane Happenings every week and we appreciate the work that is being done at Desert Haven. We feel that it is a very good cause, so we want to do something to help”. Your kindness and generosity are very appreciated, Lee and Susan!

We certainly hope that the DHAR volunteer crew will soon have the opportunity to share a Tuesday lunch with them, walk around the property and show them first-hand what their contribution is doing to enhance the grounds of the animal sanctuary. Thanks to them and folks like them, and to a dedicated group of volunteers from all over, Desert Haven has become the “ Haven of Compassion in the Heart of Desert Country” that its founder envisioned in May 1999, when the then-undeveloped property was being purchased.

This week’s wish list: good used chest freezer for Dogtown - working refrigerator for Birdland, to store fresh produce regularly donated by Bullocks grocery. Dog and cat treats – no rawhide please. Summer vacations, unforeseen situations and emergencies have now left a smaller than usual crew at Paws & Claws thrift shop and also at DHAR, to care for its non-human residents. Consequently, we hope that local folks will consider donating time as Dog walkers, kitty cuddlers, office helpers at DHAR, or become volunteers at Paws&Claws thrift shop until Summer is over and our long-term crew comes back.

Interested in learning more about our organization? Wanting to check-out our list of dogs and cats for adoption? 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.