There comes a time in all lives that we will bring sadness to the ones
who love us the very most. We can only
hope the joyful memories fill their hearts so full that there is little time
for the sadness. Walker loved everyone,
and he asks that YOU wipe away your tears, and that YOU remember the joyful
times with him.
Walker, a long time Rikki’s supporter and Alumni Spokesdog, went on to
the Rainbow Bridge on 3 December 2014.
Walker, perhaps the calmest Treeing Walker Coonhound/English Pointer mix
in the world, had a battle with lymphoma that he could not win. He has left a legacy of courage and kindness
to all who knew him. For many years,
Walker was a fixture at Rikki’s Refuge and could be found at Doggy Downs nearly
every Saturday – to help with a tour, to cheer up the resident dogs, or just
for a quick cuddlefest.
Walker didn’t always have a happy life. Apparently he was not very good
at hunting, as any loud noise would startle the sweet boy. He was left in the woods after the 2004 2005
hunting season, where he was shot in the back with a shotgun in an extra dose
of cruelty. Brought to the Shelter by
his perpetrator, the wonderful folks at the Orange County Animal Shelter were
able to save his life and patch him up. Once he was ready, Rikki’s Refuge took
him in to give him save haven to heal his physical and mental wounds.
In time, Walker was adopted by a Rikki’s volunteer, and the
transformation from scared coonhound to polished Spokesdog was fast. He began to attend many events in the
central and northern Virginia area, and with his scarred back and sad eyes, he
was able to charm many who stopped at the Rikki’s table. He served as a
tangible example of animal cruelty and demonstrated how wonderful and forgiving
companion animals are even after horrific treatment. Many people have been moved by Walker’s story, and even years
later remembered the sweet coonhound at events such as the Reston Pet Fiesta
(picture below) and the Richmond Vegetarian Festival.
Walker crossed the country several times with his adoptive Mom, but
always remembered where he came from and visited the Refuge as often as he
could. He battled cancer twice, with a bout of Mast Cell in 2012 and then
Lymphoma in the fall of 2014. Walker
remained affectionate and loving through all of his trials and tribulations,
and never turned down a pat on the head or a dog treat by one of his admirers.
He was always the talk of the neighborhood when he hung out with his Reston dog
buddies, the sweetest, kindest dog of the pack. He was strong and never showed
his pain, even while losing his fight with cancer. He protected his owner to the end – whether it was warning her of
tornado sirens or of loose dogs in his Colorado neighborhood. Walker is a shining
example of how animals positively influence and interact with humans, and was
even featured in a story about how he helped a Veteran heal after his tour in
Iraq. Walker’s star is shining brightly in the night sky now, especially over
the Refuge he loved and cherished his whole life.
Get a personalized letter for your child or any adult or child friend
from Santa ~ a very special Rikki's Refuge Santa. Choose from (4) special Santas!
For a $25 donation, you will be mailed (USPS First Class) a special
letter addressed to your child/friend from Santa Opie (cat), Santa Kiki (dog),
Santa Sir Chompsalot (pig), or Santa Emily (emu) with her elf, Mrs Peacock!
Once payment received, we will email you to get the personalized
information from you so that we can prepare your child's letter! HURRY and order your letter today so it will
be there in plenty of time !! www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate use the
Santa Letter drop down !!l
You can tell us to include any special message you’d like -- providing
it won’t offend Opie’s ears - so let Santa Opie, Kiki, Sir Chompsalot or Emily
send a special message to your special somebody !!
Will YOU be Santa’s Elf for the
Animals ?
We need your
volunteer help in Charlottesville, Fredericksburg and Falls Church !!
Pick your day,
pick your shift !!!
Chose to wrap a
gift
turn it into
Fancy Feast real swift !!
Again this year Rikki’s Refuge volunteers will be gift wrapping at the
Charlottesville, Frederickeburg and Falls Church Barnes & Noble to raise
much needed donations for the animals at Rikki’s Refuge.
We have the following shifts in Charlottesville; please respond to Ron
at topcat@cstone.net if you can help in CHARLOTTESVILLE.
Friday December 12 from 4 pm till 9 pm
Wednesday December 17 from 4 pm till 8 pm
Thursday December 18 from 4 pm till 9 pm
Even if you can take a ONE HOUR shift your help will be appreciated and
all the animals will thank you !!
FREDERICKSBURG
FALLS CHURCH
HAVE I GOT A COOL
ANY SPECIES
DEAL FOR YOU !!!!
Just like Rikki’s, our Santa loves all species .... If you can fit ‘em in the store ... we’ll take their picture !! Santa has already been visited by his
favorite duck who comes every year !!
Opie and GGP and Timmy and Sylvestra went to see Santa on Sunday !!! And they had a blast .... photos coming soon .... and YOU can even HEAR what GGP asked Santa
for for Christmas !!!
Stop in the shop for fun and photos with Santa, to buy Gift Cards, and
to find special treasures amongst all our new Christmas Items .... oh and don’t
for get the Rikki’s Wear and the Rikki’s Magnets !!! It’s all right there at Re-Tail !!!
CHRISTMAS DAY TOUR & RECEPTION
Spend your Christmas with the Animals !!! Visit everyone at Rikki’s, then hang out with the volunteers at
the Life Center for a warm reception.
Tickets free to former Christmas Visitors and to Special Rikki’s Family
Members !!! RSVP your tickets here: Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org
NEW YEAR’S DAY HIKE
Well the Nature Hike party have finally been found. After two weeks with no word from them, we
just assumed they’d found Bigfoot’s nest .....
now they have reported back in and all are safe. They tracked Bigfoot round and round in
circles ... luckily finding berries on
the way .... and they finally saw the
civilization of Rikki’s and arrived safely home !!!
Come on New Years Day and try your luck .... will you be the one to finally find Bigfoot’s Nest .... or will
he elude you or will he lead you on a wild goose chase .....
JOIN US SUNDAY NIGHT
We’re reading Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss and will be
discussing Chapter 2 of Part 1. Join us
for lively conversation, meditation and nums !!! Opie, Timmy, Sylvestra, Riley and Yetti participate in the
classes ........ so if youz got
allergies to catz .... I sorry but
they are integral members of classes at
the Life Center !!
Are YOU ready ??
Start this music playing and start singing before you read any further
......
At Rikki’s, we are known for never doing anything in a small way. And so for our 1297 critters of 22 species
..... 12 Days of Christmas would never
be enough ..... we present to you
.... the 28 Days of Christmas at
Rikki’s .... follow along daily
.....
On the Fifth Day of Christmas .....
Look What Came to Rikki’s,
Five
Guinea Pigs a Gnawing,
Four
Elderly Equines,
Three
Burly Bossy Bovines,
Two
Rabbits a Mating,
AND
..... a
Chukar in a Cherry Tree!
WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
ONE DAY AT A TIME
ONE ANIMAL AT A TIME
THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF
RIKKI’S REFUGE
A PART OF A POSITIVE FUTURE
Pick your
species
make ‘em happy
click on any of
the animals above to feed ‘em a meal
or click right
here F E E D M E
At Rikki’s we don’t care who threw you out, who left you homeless, where
you came from. We only care about
making your future bright and happy.
Will you drop a penny in our favorite cat’s hat this holiday season to
make the days bright and happy for the 1297 animals YOU have saved !!! Thank you !!
click on
Vincent’s hat to make our dreams come true !!
NUMS for YOU
today the cows,
horses and guinea pigs fought over what to serve you
the cows won
hooves down
THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME TO
SAVE SO MANY LIVES
... with your support we’ve been able to save so many animals ... it’s
only with your continued support that we can continue to care for them each and
every day .... Thank you for your kind
and generous support for food, medicine, doctors, cleaning supplies ... and
love !!
Without YOU
none of us would be here
thinking about what Santa might bring
this year !!
THANK YOU !!!!!!
Your donations saved every one of us and will keep us all alive the rest
of this year and into 2015 .... we pray.
Please HELP US as we stock our pantries for another winter at Rikki’s
Refuge !!!! Take the Opie Pledge and promise to work each and every day to
make the planet just a little bit better.
If the pictures of the animals you have saved in this issue have made
you smile, please take a few moments to make a donation so we can keep them
smiling!!! www.RikkisRefuge.org/FeedMe
Love,
Opie
PS I want you to
know something very important. We
always spend your funds very wisely and frugally. We buy the basic necessities, we buy generic in bulk, volunteers
drive many miles, donating the cost of gas, to get the best deals, we use day
old produce, recently expired products, others left over construction materials
and recycled products.
We don’t need luxury, we don’t need the best ... we just want to save
lives and create a world of happiness and contentedness.
When we can meet our basic needs, we are happy ... so very happy.
Thank YOU for making that happen.
Join us on
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RikkisRefuge\
Rikki’s Web Site: www.rikkisrefuge.org
Help the Animals: www.rikkisrefuge.org/FeedMe
Re-Tail: www.facebook.com/ReTail.org
our thrift store
Web Site:
www.rikkisrefuge.org/?page_id=6330
Location:
3503 Lafayette Blvd, Fredericksburg VA 22408
Phone:
540-891-5300
Hours:
10 am - 6 pm Monday - Saturday
noon - 5 pm - Sunday
