Thursday, December 05, 2013

Good Morning Good News !!!! December 5, 2013

Online jigsaw puzzles from JigsawSite.com



Don’t forget to VOTE today !!!!!
Click on Vincent to cast your vote for Rikkis Refuge, VA, USA .....  be a winner for the animals !!!! 

If you set up an account under this link, we could win an additional $1,000 too !!!!
Your daily vote is very much needed.


Rikki’s Refuge Thanksgiving Day Parade
Listen to all the animals give THANKS to YOU !!!!


Mom and me were snuggling the other day and she was telling me about the times before me at Rikki’s ....  what it was like in the early days .... about all YOU wonderful people who made it possible .... about all the animals saved ....    I’m sharing my scratches about Rikki’s Refuge .... 15 Years in the Making with you as much as I can paw in at one sitting .....  if you missed Part I ....  you can catch up here http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2013/12/rikkis-refuge-15-years-in-making.html and read from the beginning.

We ended up last time hearing mom say, “I remember celebrating our 100th animal saved.  Our 1,000th.   Today, at our 15 year mark, we’re very close to having saved 5,000 animals.“



Rikki’s Refuge ....  15 Years in the Making    ....    Part II

But that number is really misleading.  That’s not just saved, but almost 5,000 residents who lived and made Rikki’s their home.  Animals who lived because of Rikki’s Refuge.

During the dark nights of the winter of 1998-1999, while we often worked by the headlights of our vehicles long into the night, while we itched, ached and dropped into uncomfortably hard and lumpy sleeping bags, we dreamed of the animals we’d save. 

Those whose last chance we were creating.  Those who would escape death, torment, abandonment, abuse, to come live in what we were creating, those who would be loved again or loved for the first time. 

No, not JUST those nearly 5,000 residents have been saved by your dreams.  Just as many wild animals have come through the gates of Rikki’s Refuge.  Working with wildlife rehabilitators and animal control officers all over the state, our woods and wetlands are home to many wild animals who would have otherwise died.  Would have been left on the road to die.  Trapped in someone’s house or yard and sentenced to death for trespassing.  Lost their home to “development”. 

Your dream saved these wild animals too.  Gave them 350 acres they can live in, happy, secure, knowing it will never be bulldozed, never destroyed by humans. 

Wow, now we’re talking almost 10,000 animals’ lives saved in 15 years!  And it doesn’t stop there. 

So many animals have been saved, have had their homes saved, when we stepped in and helped them.  They didn’t need to come to live at Rikki’s.  They needed us to make it possible for them to stay in their loving homes.  People and animals who loved each other, who were going to be separated, the animals facing death.  Your dream made them able to happily and safely stay together. 

Sometimes that’s helping with an illness.  The animal’s or the owner’s.  No place for an animal to go while the owner is hospitalized or convalescing.  Time and time again, we’ve been called in by authorities in several counties to help.  Usually it’s an elderly or handicapped person on a fixed income, with a beloved animal they are risking losing.  An animal whose life would be lost if they were taken to a typical pound or shelter.  The need is simple, but beyond their means.  A dog house, a damaged fence repaired, vaccinations, a speuter.  So simple and human and animal live together happily ever after. 

We’ve saved hundreds of those animals.

Every day we help people we never actually meet or visit, find a way to keep their beloved animals.  Sometimes they just need resources.  How can I find an inexpensive way to speuter this stray, and then I’ll give them a home?  Where do I turn for help?  How do I handle this or that situation?  I’m afraid, what do I do now?    Finding the answers, working through the situation with the people, hearing the good results.  A handful of these are resolved everyday.  Handful a day, times 30 days a month, times 12 months a year, times 15 years ....  counting the times we’ve successfully saved a life, a home .....  you can easily add another 20,000 animals saved by Rikki’s dream !

Wow ....  so now we’re talking about 5,000 who found a home, 5,000 released wildlife, 500 touched and helped in their home, 20,000 saved through long distance assistance .....   30,500 lives saved, since we first started clearing up that poison ivy ....  


WOW -- that’s a lot of animals, domestic like me, that means cats and dogs and bunny rabbits and guinea pigs, and farm animals like Petunia the Piggy and Calvin the Cow, and wild animals who live in the woods and go bump in the night too ....  AND ... hoomans !!!  I guess I never realized how much Rikki’s helps the hoomans too.   But till we win the right to vote, there seems to always be a hooman behind each of us animals, doesn’t there?

We’ll hear more from mom next time about other things Rikki’s Refuge does to help animals everywhere .....  

And in the mean time could I please beg you to make a donation to help one of us?  You pick, donate to help a domestic animal, a farm animal, wildlife or hoomans in need ....  just let me know where to help YOU spend your donation! 

Your donation TODAY could enable the Refuge to help one more person keep their beloved animal friend out of a pound or shelter.

Thank YOU for saving lives -- we absolutely cannot continue to save lives without YOUR support !!

On line donations are easy at www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate  you can even sign up for a life saving monthly recurring donation!!!

I’m always happy to hear the check is in the mail!  Rikki’s Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960

Credit cards are accepted on line at www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate or over the phone. 

You can call me directly at 540-854-0870 x5 to make sure your credit info is kept confidential.


Time to Wrap it Up

I need YOUR help -- this is good clean fun -- climate controlled -- sitting down -- Please spare a couple hours to help wrap gifts at Barnes and Noble Book Store ....  YOU wrap ... they donate ....  we eat !!!   It’s a real win win situation. 

In the past we’ve always filled these volunteer slots quickly ....  this year ... it seems no one is raising their hands to donate a little time so we can eat on Christmas ....  Will YOU please HELP ???

Click here to help in Charlottesville: topcat@cstone.net
if you'd like to help even if it's just for a half a shift


Click here to help in Fredericksburg: mail@RikkisRefuge.org
especially need YOUR help on Saturday the 21st and
especially on the 4 pm to 9/10 pm shift


Now Taking Reservations
Also Christmas Tour at noon on the 25th.  This is ONE tour and is not an open house.  Tickets are required in advance.  Email to mail@rikkisrefuge.org for your ticket application, please mention which day in your request !!

You can also reserve for our traditional New Years Day Nature Hike now: mail@rikkisrefuge.org


Turtles Need Home


Congratulations Autumn-Skye !


EVERY Saturday !
Sign up as a docent to stand by and accept donations at our Education Center !   Easy, clean and climate controlled.   Mail@RikkisRefuge.org


THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME TO SAVE SO MANY LIVES
... with your support we’re able to help so many into their new furrever happy homes ....  and to give that life long home to those not quite so fortunate ...  Thank you for your support
Without YOU none of us would be looking forward to Christmas this year  !!

Love you bunches,
           Opie

 

1 comment:

ericka said...

thanks for the great video. looking forward to visiting some day.