Week of 5/27/07 Humane Happenings

Spring is in full splendor at Desert Haven Animal Refuge, in Sierra County New Mexico. At this time of the year, because of the recent heavy rains and the blooming desert plants, many of them donated by The Sierra Soil & Conservation District and long-time supporter Ardell Scartaccini, the entire property is an especially beautiful sight.

Recently, we welcomed for the first time to Desert Haven The Sassy Red Hat ladies, former commissioner Lois Reaver-Black and several other Sierra County residents. They toured the facility in the company of Freddie Loveless, the sanctuary’s Operations Manager and seasoned Tour Guide.

Ginny Nylen of Hawaii, Desert Haven’s “Administrative Assistant Extraordinaire” for the past three months, has now resumed her travels and is already on her way to new adventures across the continental United States. Anyone with office skills, computer knowledge and who can be depended on each week, willing to consider sharing office duties with Freddie, Eliana and Linda on Tuesdays?

Kathy Stoud, Desert Haven’s Animal Care Provider, recently relinquished her part-time position to take a full time job locally. We will miss her smile and outgoing personality. Our work camper from Texas - Karen West – is leaving Desert Haven two months before schedule, due to some unforeseen health problems. Now is the time for our members and friends to consider donating a few hours each week to help the volunteer crew take care of the animal and bird residents of Desert Haven. Walking dogs or caring for cats, birds, rabbits or guinea pigs a couple hours each week can bring a lot of pleasure to anyone who loves animals and at the same time help the on-site crew during this time of unexpected volunteer help shortage. Morning animal care starts at 8 AM - evening at 6 PM. If working at DHAR is not for you, consider helping at Paws & Claws thrift shop, which is open from Wednesday through Saturday each week and is the major fundraiser for the Sierra County Humane Society and Desert Haven. Contact Freddie at 505-894-2778 for more information.

This week’s “Thank-you” goes to Dot & Larry Plaatje, who donated dog food in memory of Katie the German Shepherd - the town’s canine-orphan for several years until she died on the streets of T or C. Katie is now buried at the ranch of Ron and Lois Turner.

Interested in knowing more about us? Visit Desert Haven on Tuesday or check us out at http://www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com.

Have you seen this dog?

Have you seen this poodle? He was kidnapped from downtown Truth or Consequences recently. If you have any information as to the dog's whereabouts, please e-mail Dave at ds61563@windstream.net.

Week of 5/25/07 Humane Happenings

Jessie, saved from Death Row, needs a forever family!

The Adopt-a-thon recently held at Desert Haven Animal Refuge was very successful. While Operation Manager Freddie Loveless greeted visitors, Facilities Manager Linda Estavillo gave tours of the facility. Several other DH volunteer team members also made themselves available, while at the same time working on various projects. The dogs and cats loved the extra attention, and the crew heard many compliments, not only about the peacefulness and the beautiful setting of the entire property, but also about its cleanliness, the way the animals were obviously being treated and how well they behaved. Everyone volunteering at DH that weekend was pleased with how the entire event had gone. This was “Teamwork” at its best! A job well done and many thanks to an awesome crew!
We are already planning to hold another Adopt-a-thon this coming October, on the Birthday of St Francis, Patron Saint of Animals. A life size statue of St Francis, a generous gift made to DH in 2000 by the Scartaccini Family, presides at the main entrance of Rainbow Bridge Pet Cemetery.

Benjy look-alike “Shaggy” made an impression on one of the visitors during the Adopt-a-thon, and the following week, the little fellow started a brand new life with his new human companion.


Shaggy, the "Benjy" look-a-like, was adopted in record time!

Cute-as-a-button, five-yrs. old rat terrier Jessie (see photo at top), and Ponette, a small black lab puppy, are now the newest members of the Canine gang at Dog Town. To know more about our dogs and cats ready for adoption, visit us at www.deserthavenanimalrefuge.com

Last Friday, Desert Haven held its first adoption clinic at The Movie Gallery in T or C. Linda Estavillo and Deb Peters attended with canines Suzy-Q and Winston and Feline Lover-Boy. Pat Armijo, The Movie Gallery Manager, offered to run a special through the month of June: a free rental for anyone who brings a bag of pet food to the store, to be donated to Desert Haven. Thanks a million, Pat.

With school soon over, we hope that young people will consider making the sanctuary part of their fun activities, as dog walkers and kitty cuddlers. Interested in staying in shape this summer and having fun doing it? Share Daily Animal Care with one of the finest volunteer crew one could wish to be acquainted with. Contact Freddie at 894-2778 for more information. We continue to need canned and dry pet food, also helpers at Paws & Claws thrift shop.

Letter from a Volunteer/Work Camper

Pete, Eliana, and Larry at work

It has been my privilege to volunteer at Desert Haven Animal Refuge for the past three months. Believe me, it was highly worthwhile and rewarding work.

Sierra County is extremely fortunate to call this fine animal refuge its own. In addition to housing and caring for domestic animals until they get adopted, or to the end of their natural life, the sanctuary also assists pet owners through its’ Spay-Neuter and Spay–A-Stray Programs, among other services.

The Executive Officer at Desert Haven, Eliana Aubin, Operations Manager Freddie Loveless, and the Facilities Manager, Linda Estavillo, run a very tight ship. I was impressed not only with the way the Work Camper and the local resident volunteer programs are being run, but also with the excellent care that is given to the animals, poultry and birds. The habitats are kept very clean and high quality food is consistently purchased, to be mixed with the food that is donated by caring folks. Twice daily exercise, along with obedience training, is provided to the dogs, who spend their days inside large fenced yards. The cats have a spacious and stimulating indoor-outdoor, all enclosed area in which to play and snooze. The dogs and cats are well socialized. The guinea pigs, rabbits, chicken, doves and peacocks live in large housing. There are always interesting projects in progress at Desert Haven; repairs and upgrades to the buildings and grounds, and improvements to the operational processes.

While handling Administrative Assistant duties at Desert Haven every Tuesday, I was impressed to see the amount of support the sanctuary receives from local and out-of-state animal loving people. Annual memberships, cash and in-kind donations, and purchases from the Paws and Claws Thrift Shop are an integral part of that support.

I am very glad to have had the opportunity to join the volunteer staff at the Animal Refuge. I wholeheartedly recommend to others with even a few available hours a week to give to a worthwhile cause, to take advantage of this truly enriching experience.

Virginia N.
Honolulu, Hawaii

Week of 5/13/07 Humane Happenings

Time for Donnie's walk

Many changes have happened lately at Dogtown, the Canine gated community at Desert Haven Animal Refuge, Sierra County’s No-Kill domestic animal sanctuary. Several long-time residents have now moved to their forever home, allowing others to be rescued.

A special thank-you goes to local volunteer Bootz who, for several years now, has shared Animal Care duties at DH, several times a week. Also, Bootz fostered Sassy in her home in Williamsburg while the cement work was being undertaken in Dog Town last Winter. The black lab mix rescued as a puppy four years ago adapted well to the home environment offered by Bootz and husband Jack. Recently, Sassy found her Pot o’ Gold and she is happy now, as the only companion animal of a wonderful human being who gives her all the attention she feels she deserves. With Sassy adopted, Mosey, the new kid on the block at Dogtown, is finally receiving what seems to be the very first chance at a normal life that she obviously had ever had. Mosey is a gentle female Ridgeback mix whose scarred and emaciated body could only begin to show a life of misery when she was rescued at DH. Still, her eyes reflected such trust that she melted the heart of everyone there as soon as she arrived. Already, Mosey looks and feels better and Dog Trainer Al Wilkinson is taking special care to insure that this precious creature is given the same opportunity as all the other canines of DH, to find her niche in a forever home.

With young Chowder and two years old Hammy also recently adopted out, fun-loving black schnauzer mix -Winston, spirited black & white young terrier mix - Suzy-Q and “Bengy” look-alike - Shaggy were taken in at DH. Shaggy made an impact at the Adopt-a-thon and is now adopted. The others are quickly assimilating to the Canine Gang: Lucky- Desert Haven’s mascot and Dogtown’s first resident, Vickie, “Queen of the Girls”, Marshall the loveable, Scotty the teenager, calm and collected Bud, shy little Bessie, Indy the acrobat, and Top-Dawg Maxwell. Also an integral part of Desert Haven, Hatch Flood rescues -Taco and Bell - who reside at the DH campground with their foster mom and two canine buddies their size. For more information on Desert Haven and our adoptable dogs and cats, contact us at 505-894-2778, or visit us at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com.

CAN YOU HELP? Cooper, a feline rescued last year, is currently being fostered by Deb Peters, who currently resides at the RV Campground. Deb will be returning to New England for a few weeks this Summer and needs a temporary foster home for Cooper, who requires a special diet. If interested, call 505-894-1694.

Copper rolling in the sunshine

Week of May 6 Humane Happenings

Chowder found his forever home!

Last week was very productive at Desert Haven Animal Refuge, thanks to a great group of animal loving folks who enjoy working together as a team – in fact, the “Old Timers” agree that it is one of Desert Haven’s finest. The Dynamic Duo - Ron Gjurovich and Ted Kuzdrovski - are now known to be able to move mountains if needed, and they are kept very busy. Letha has taken-up the task of thoroughly cleaning the main building every Tuesday. Her son Tim is picking-up responsibilities that more often than not, teenagers his age shy away from. Kathy Stoud, Desert Haven’s Animal Care provider, is not only handling grounds beautification as her pet project, but she can sure cook some good food for the buffet lunch. Deb Peters, Desert Haven’s Repair Parts Specialist, is using her National Guard training as Tool Shop Mgr to keep the bunkhouse ( DH’s tool shed ) in tip-top shape. Gene Trelewicz, who is currently building the Kitty Walk, continues to restore donated tools and to keep them in good working condition.

Linda Estavillo, DH Facilities Manager, is working closely with Eliana Aubin, the organization’s president and Desert Haven’s CEO. Freddie Loveless, DH’s Operations Manager and The Sierra County Humane Society’s secretary, keeps order in the office.

Local volunteers Robbyn Brodsky and Marian Parks tend to the newly planted bushes donated by The Sierra Soil and Conservation District and also by Ardell. Middle school student Sam Ahsley, Desert Haven’s youngest dog walker, helps keep his canines buddies in good shape.

Ginny Nylen, who volunteers in the office every Tuesday until she leaves the area in May, has been DH’s “Administrative Assistant Extraordinaire” and it will be a huge loss when she moves on.

Karen West and her two black labs, DH’s newest campground residents, is already showing strong Team spirit and the same interest in helping animals down-on-their luck as the rest of the crew.

With Sassy, Chowder and Hammy adopted within the past few weeks, Mosey, Suzy-Q, Winston and Shaggy were taken in at Dog Town. Until they get adopted out to their forever home, they can now enjoy life at its finest, the canine way, that is.

We continue to collect Bullocks receipts and aluminum cans, also dry and canned pet food. Contact us at 505-894-1694 or 505-894-2778 or visit us at http://www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com

Week of 4/29/07 Humane Happenings

This year, Desert Haven Animal Refuge - Sierra County’s No-Kill domestic animal sanctuary - will host an Open House to be held in conjunction with Fiesta Activities Saturday May 5th and Sunday the 6th. This weekend, hundreds of animal rescue organizations join nationally known sponsors such as Purina and K9 Advantix among others - as part of the International Pet Adopt-a-thon. The common goal is to help find the forever home for each and every animal in their care. We hope that local animal loving folks will consider a visit to Desert Haven as an integral part of their Fiesta celebration, either to spend quality time with its furry and feathered residents, or to adopt a new family member. Desert Haven is located on HWY 187, two miles South of Williamsburg, and the Open House will take place from 1 PM to 5 PM on both days. For more information, contact Linda, Desert Haven’s Special Event Coordinator, at 894-1694, 740-2775, or 971-533-3020.

Robin Brodsky of Hillsboro and local volunteers Marian Parks and Mona have recently joined the Paws & Claws thrift shop crew. Their timing could not have been better, as Dianna Rivera, who has an invaluable asset for Paws & Claws thrift shop over the past four years, is taking a much needed, but hopefully short, leave of absence. Paws & Claws thrift shop always needs volunteers – it’s a very small shop with a lot of activities, and we have to make-up for the lack of space with enough volunteer help to keep donations moving. If some of our readers wish to donate a couple of hours to a good cause each week, we can utilize their help every Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays. Call Freddie at 894-2778 for more information.

A sincere pat on the back to Dan Mason of Turtleback Pest Control for his latest – and generous - donation of dog food. Now that the pet recall is behind us, we certainly hope that our animal loving friends will consider dropping-off, once again, pet food to Paws & Claws or Desert Haven when they are able to.

The crew is getting ready to install approximately 200 ft of wire fencing to completely enclose the western section of Desert Haven, to be used as a playground for our canine residents. Anyone interested in giving us a hand? Join our team on Tuesday morning. To check-out our animals available for adoption, visit us at http://www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com, visit us every Tuesday, or call 894-2778 for an appointment.

Featured Pet - Indy

Indy - Blue Heeler, also known as Austalian Cattle Dog

Indy is an amazing mix of energy and eagerness to please. He thoroughly enjoys the company of people and/or other dogs. He would love to have a special home with lots of room to run and someone to tag along with. He will make a great companion animal for someone who can spend time with him. True to his breed's temperament, Indy does not like being left alone with nothing to do. He is very smart and full of life.



Along with five siblings, Indy was born at Desert Haven in the Fall of 2005, from a young pure-bred blue heeler mother who had been taken in at the facility a few days earlier, starving and pregnant. In this photo, Indy is the one in the back.



Indy is a medium size young adult, good looking and slender. His spotted coat makes him quite distinctive. He is also quite an athlete and needs a secure place to exercise vigorously. He would be perfect for agility training or as a working dog as long as he has a warm lap to come home to!

Indy is up to date with routine shots, is already house trained, and has been altered.

You can visit Indy at Desert Haven any Tuesday, at our Adopt-a-Thon Open House on Saturday, May 5, or by appointment. Call Freddie at 575-894-2778 for more information.

Week of 4/22/07 Humane Happenings

What if the Sierra County Humane Society earned a penny for Desert Haven every time you searched the Internet? Well, now we can! GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. You use it just as you would any search engine, and it's powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results. Just go to www.goodsearch.com. Be sure that Sierra County Humane Society is listed as the charity you want to support. Just 500 of us searching four times a day will raise about $7300 in a year without anyone spending a dime! And, be sure to spread the word!

DiAnna and George Schnetzer of Los Lunas stopped at Desert Haven last Tuesday, to check out the results of their very generous donation: the professional cement job on the indoor-outdoor kennels at dog town, as well as in the Cat Patio and the Cat Howdy Room, The volunteer team was ready for them with a plaque – a tribute to an exceptional couple. Gene Trelewicz is already putting it up in a permanent location at the entrance to Central Bark and the DH main building. The upgrade has made a major difference, surely with the residents of Dog Town and The Cool Cat Neighborhood, but especially with the folks who handle animal care every day. Photos were taken to commemorate the moment , and will soon be posted on our web site:

http://www.deserthavenanimalrefuge.com.

Who said the kitchen is a woman’s place? Here at DH, it’s any good cook’s place. And Ron Gjurovich, our work camper from New York, passed the test with flying colors! Ron proved to us last Tuesday that some men can be just as comfortable in the kitchen and just as effective as any woman! The delicious pasta and clams he prepared - no shortage of clams in that dish - received the acclamations of the 20 hungry volunteers and guests who stayed for lunch that day. Great job, Ron!

Saturday May 5: Adopt-a-thon and Open House at Desert Haven, in conjunction with the 2007 T or C Fiesta. For more information, contact event coordinator Linda Estavillo at 894-0359

Our Wish List: dry and canned pet food - helpers at Paws & Claws thrift shop. Contact us at 894-2778 for more information.

Week of 4/15/07 Humane Happenings

Donald Gisler passed away recently. He and his wife Denise spent several months at Desert Haven Animal Refuge a few years ago, when the no-kill facility had just rescued its first residents: a large flock of domesticated ring-neck doves, given up by an elderly man who could no longer care for them, along with a mother cat with her newborn kittens, left behind when her owners moved on, and also a dozen miniature baby chicks, an Easter gift from an overzealous son to his elderly mom. The first phase of The Cool Cat Neighborhood was barely completed and Don, a retired veterinarian, with his wife and business partner Denise, made a tremendous impact among the volunteers, helping get the no-kill sanctuary started in the right direction. Denise, who moved to Nevada with Don after leaving Sierra County, requested that memorial donations be made to Desert Haven Animal Refuge in Don’s memory. We are touched by the thought and appreciate the contributions that have already arrived to celebrate and honor the life of a caring and much loved man. Thank-you, Denise, for remembering Desert Haven Animal Refuge in your time of loss. Our thoughts are with you in this very difficult period in your life.

We are welcoming to Desert Haven Ron Gjurovid of New York and Letha, husband Ted & son Tim Kuzdrovski of Alabama. These friendly and very helpful folks have now settled at the campground and they have already become an integral part of the DH team of volunteers. It’s a real pleasure to work with each and everyone of them, and we trust that they will make Desert Haven their home for a long while. Folks like them are special and so appreciated.

Now that everyone is aware of the pet food recall and know what to purchase and what to stay away from, we trust that our readers will consider adding, once again, dog and cat food to their donations of rabbit pellets, bird and sunflower seeds and chicken scratch. Feeding over 200 furry and feathered creatures is an expensive budget line item. Any help in meeting this expense is always very appreciated.

We are still looking for someone with a small bobcat or grader to clean less than 200 ft of fence line through light brush on terrain relatively flat. If no such piece of equipment becomes available, any donation covering the cost of renting one would help tremendously. Once this is completed, our resident dogs will have a new, large all-fenced area to exercise in and add to their comfort and well-being. For more information, and to checkout our list of dogs and cats for adoption, visit us at http:// www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com, contact us at 505-894-2778 or visit Desert Haven on a Tuesday, when the No-Kill sanctuary is open for visitors.

Week of 4/4/07 Humane Happenings

Tigger, Frankie and Snowshoe

These past few weeks have been trying times for pet lovers, with the discovery that their beloved companion animals can be poisoned, suffer, and even be sentenced to death by the very food that they themselves chose for them each day.

The Pet Food Recall is now the major conversation of interest among animal loving folks, and those who use the internet are able to find what they wish to know by visiting the following web sites:
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_dog.html
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_cat.html

Without the modern luxury of the internet or even a computer, we need to contact “Recalled Dog & Cat Product Information” at the following number:
1-866-895-2708. More information can also be provided at: 1-866-894-BARK.
Consumers should have already stopped feeding their dogs any type of dog or cat products until they had assured that the brand they used was not on the list of recalled pet food products. Any health concerns with their pet should be shared with a veterinarian.

As the information on the pet food recall continues to mushroom, horror stories are now being brought out in the open on the internet, such as wheat gluten containing melamine, a substance not approved for use in food, or rat poison mixed with the food, pet food smelling like dead carcasses, or even unidentifiable mixtures being found in bags of pet food. Animal loving folks obviously have been much too trusting for much too long that pet food companies have the welfare and health of their companion animals in mind while they keep producing the pet food that is making these same companies wealthy.

Perhaps the on-going tragedy of beloved companion animals dying of pet food poisoning is finally the wake-up call for all of us who love animals. We must become more active in our routine decisions of which brand of pet food we choose to use and why we choose to use it or reject it. We must now carefully ask for information and look closely at labels.

Here at Desert Haven Animal Refuge, to protect the animals in our care, we carefully inspect all incoming donations of pet food. Please donate only the safest and the healthiest pet food for our animal residents – the pet food you would feed your very own beloved companion animal.

For more information about Desert Haven, to sponsor or adopt an animal from the sanctuary, or to find out how you can become an integral part of our labor of love in progress, contact us at 505-894-2778, or visit us at http://deserthavenanimalrefuge.com.

3/30/07 Humane Happenings

Desert Haven Animal Refuge, owned and operated by the Sierra County Humane Society, Inc., has come a long way since May 1999, when President Eliana Aubin, Treasurer Jerry Aubin and several Board members gathered to walk through the undeveloped and rugged 5 acres property they had just purchased on behalf of the small, non-profit 501-c-3 animal welfare organization.

A giant step had been made - a lot of work needed to be done - that day, the Sierra County Humane Society had broadened its horizons.

Today, Desert Haven, a small No-Kill domestic animal sanctuary built from the grounds up, is fully operational and home to no less than 200 feathered and furry animals. Built on a sound foundation, the facility continues to grow in strength and capacity, thanks to careful planning, hard work and dedication on the part of an all-volunteer crew who is determined to help Desert Haven fulfill its mission: protect abused, abandoned and neglected living creatures and give them back their lives. The work of Desert Haven reaches beyond the sanctuary, through adoption, humane education, and spay-neuter programs in Sierra County.

Our small but very active organization receives absolutely no funding from government entities, local or otherwise. Our funds are generated from private and corporate contributions, yearly membership fees and Paws & Claws thrift shop, a small second-hand store operated by volunteers and located in T or C. Our budget is carefully planned each year to help insure that our organization is able to function effectively within its means. Volunteer help is always needed, either local or through the Society’s work camper’s program. Together we are building a better world through kindness to animals and we are seeking out people of like-mind.

Our Wish List: someone with a small grader, fencing material, pet food, brooms, Clorox bleach, cleaning detergent and brushes, , dry dog and cat food, bird and sunflower seeds, chicken scratch, rabbit pellets, Dog Walkers and Kitty Cuddlers, handy folks to help on Tuesday projects, helpers at Paws & Claws thrift shop.

For more information, check us out on http:// www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com, contact us at 505-894-2778 or visit Desert Haven on a Tuesday, and experience first hand the wonderful energy created through our labor of love in progress.