Ohhhh
I've got a sad so BIG .... so so BIG .... so so so BIG ...... Duke .... sobs
into fur .... Duke ..... we've played arch nemesis-es for years ... but
together, at home, when nobody is looking, we've been best of friends and
really working together to run Rikki's .... even though I HAD to win Cats vs
Dogs every year ... I love you .... I respected you ... I valued your knowledge
and your wisdom .... and Duke ... you were always so totally unfailingly kind
and gentle .... even when I wanted to scratch somebody's eyes out .... you were
the voice of reason .... how oh how can I go on without you at my side ......
Oh Duke ....... I've been watching your face turn white ..... and one of these
years I was gonna let you win Cats vs Dogs .... can you come back and I'll let
you win for 2017 ? Oh Duke ...... I'll always love you, Opie.
DUKE WAS OUR MOST AMAZING SPOKES DOG
and
advocate for the blind. He taught many
children and adults over the years that being disabled does not mean you cannot
make a difference.
About
10 years ago, Duke appeared out of nowhere. He was about 7-months old, wearing
a collar and a leash and bumbling about aimlessly. Nobody stepped forward and
claimed to be his friend. He was born with undeveloped eyes making him
virtually blind. As the majority of the world is sighted, it was decided that
one who was not, had no value to society, and did not deserve even the chance
of finding a home and someone to love him.
Thankfully,
someone intervened, and he came to Rikki's Refuge. Loving, trusting, the
sweetest, most gentle personality you will ever meet, Duke joined our program
to help others appreciate the disabled.
He
loved to go on walks, and would keep his head close to your knee to know which
direction to turn. Blindness wasn't the only challenge handed out to Duke, he
also has a bleeding disorder, something similar to hemophelia and must be very
careful how hard would play, as well as a seizure disorder which required
homeopathic medication twice a day.
In
a nutshell, this boy of ours was amazing.
Rest
in peace, Duke.
Your
donation in Memory of Beloved Duke will help other dogs like Duke have a second
chance at life. www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate
COME ON ...
I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU ON A TOUR IN THE SNOW !!!!!
We
have so much fun when you visit ... no mater what the weather is doing !!!!
The
cows are happy to be the first stop ... they hope they get the MOST produce !!!
Next
we visit Bub the donkey and his bonded mate Goose ....
Goose
won't come close enough to take nums from you ... but no problem ... Bub is happy to eat what ever you brought !!!!
Is that a WOLF ?
No
!! That's Beauty, she's a maremma, and
she's our chief guard dog, she's always a little leery of visitors she hasn't
met many times and knows well. She
takes her job of protecting everyone at Rikki's very seriously.
Meet
Obie. He's new on the scene and he's
earned his running rights !!!
You'll
see cats hanging around all over the place ....
Oh
!!! Visitors !!! Nums !!!!
Here come the goats .....
Obie
keeps everybody in line ..... and he'll
assist as your tour guide today.
Once
you've been spotted with food .... you'll have constant goat companions ...
One
of the mostest wonderful things you can do for the animals is to become a
Monthly Sponsor. It's such a feeling of
security knowing YOU are going to feed somebody each and every month !!! You can sign up at www.RikkisRefuge.org/FeedMe and
just tell us WHO you want to feed !!!!
Your support means the world to every one of us. Thank you so much.
Patrick
and Preston are ready for their share of fruits and veggies ...
Smoky
Joe grows the most lovely winter coat .....
and he loves playing in the snow
Petunia
HATES the snow and won't go out on ground that is covered in snow ....
She
knows she's cute enough you'll go under cover to give her treats ...
Everybody
loves feeding the emus ....
cept
for hoomans scared of birds ad big as they are ....
I'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO REMEMBER ....
.....
a dear friend who's been gone 10 years now.
Rob
Darby would have been 46 this January 5th.
How could it be ten years already?
Especially when it snows at Rikki's, we feel Rob here with us. He loved visiting Rikki's, he loved the
woods and the wildlife, and he especially loved visiting in the snow. Happy Birthday Rob.
Donations
in memory of Rob support the wildlife and wild areas of Rikki's Refuge. We currently have 350 acres of woods,
wilderness and wetlands ..... and we
are always ready to expand. Large
donations in Rob's memory are used for purchasing adjoining land ... I think
Rob would approve.
Now
back to our regularly scheduled tour ..
WE HAVE THREE VARIETIES OF CATS ....
Lo
cats who expect you to bend over to pat them ...
medium
elevation cats who like to climb up on things to be at face height .....
and
hi cats who like to be up high and out of reach ...
Baaaahhhhhh
.......
Got
nums for ME ?
Honors
LOVES carrots and apples !
Hope
you enjoyed your tour .... now you all
come back real soon .. ok ?
MEET SOME OF THE NEW RESIDENTS
WHO'S LIVES YOU SAVED !!!
Nibs
and Murphy! Their mom passed late last year and these two brothers came to live
with us. We adore them and they have become absolute sweethearts and charmers! They were so sad at first, but everybody
gave them lots of love and helped them thru their grieving and now they are
happy and making new friends at our Life Center.
This
little beauty is or I should say WAS Lil' Miss Priss. Not long after arrival we found out HE's really Mr Priss
!!!!
He
is about 8 weeks old and is Feluk+. He's just the friendliest little guy ever.
He'd
been found wandering a country road and when he tested positive for Feline
Leukemia, the vet wanted to immediately euthanize this poor little baby. Luckily, the nice person who'd rescued him
said no way and took him back till they could find a safe home.
And
that's how Mr Priss made it to Rikki's !!
We have special houses for kitties with leukemia. They can run and play and have friends and fun .... Sometimes they don’t have lives as long as kitties without leukemia ... but even if they don’t ... it makes us really happy to know that everyday they are on this earth, it is fun in the sun and they weren’t just killed because they are not perfect or are considered unadoptable.
We
are able to help cats like Lil' Mr Priss because YOU support us !!!
These
cuties pictured here - 8 ducks (4 girls/4 boys - bonded pairings) came to us
cus they were "accidents".
They
were born in May "accidentally" as the parents hid the eggs until
they hatch. LOL They are a breed called Khaki Campbell. The folks who brought
them were super nice but not set up for this many birds. The gang are in
quarantine right now but will be out and about soon.
THANK
YOU for your support. Because you always say yes to our mission, we are able to
say YES to animals in need!
Me
n Bowtie are taking real good care of GGP too.
Flash
back to his 90th Birthday Party in September !!
CAN YOU GUESS WHY YOU'D COME TO RIKKI'S
IF YOUR
NAME IS FORD?
I'll give you a hint. Volvo had been hit by one and had a brain injury - and recovered well at Rikki's. Silver Bullet had been shot with one, lost a leg and recovered well.
Ford
.... paws crossed, will recover too.
He
was hit by a truck and left for dead in the road .... a Rikki's person on the way into work stopped to pick up the poor
kitty to bury him .... and found he was
still alive.
He
has a broken leg and a broken shoulder and he lost many of his teeth. He's a real young boy, so has a very good
chance of healing. The breaks are bad
and there could be complications. He
still might loose a leg. But THANKS TO
YOU .... I'm pretty sure we've saved his life !!!!
OK
.... so that is out of place ......
But
I want to share something with you that mom discovered. VEGAN MAYO that is really really yummy
!! She says it's as good as the real
thing, maybe better, and by far the best vegan mayo she's ever had ..... and
it's mainstream !!!! WOW ....
wonderful when mainstream manufacturers turn towards vegan products !!!!!
THERE'S BEEN A HUGE SHIFT IN THE PREDATOR SITUATION
This
summer and fall about 300 acres bordering us to the east have been clear
cut. Three hundred acres of wildlife
have lost their homes ... or their lives.
Over
the years so much land around us has been cut and the animals have ended up
with less and less space to live ..... and many have moved in with us.
Protecting
our animals has become more and more time consuming and expensive. Enclosures are having to get strong as the
wildlife tries harder and harder to eat at what they see a great big all you
can eat buffet .....
The
mesh roofs are being replaced with metal after seeing some critters trying to
chew in for dinner. In the almost 20
years we've been here this has never happened before. It's the stress for space being put on these poor animals.
There
is value in trees ... value in selling
them to be cut down .... yet even more value in them as homes for thousands of
animals. There is always land available
for sale, and we so wish we could buy it to protect it for the animals
forever.
If
you love animals, domestic and wild, and would love to see land protected for
them in perpetuity, you can make a large gift to Rikki's that will allow us to
buy more land and place it into protection forever. Contact us if you'd like to talk about it. The animals will be gratefully to you till
the end of time.
Right
now there's a property of only 20 acres that is surrounded by refuge land that
is for sale. It's small and has a house
on it too. But it's an important piece
of land because we share wetlands with this property. The owners kill the beavers and other wildlife. People hate the poor beavers cus they cut
trees and flood land so they have a home.
But hoomans think they should be the only ones who get land .... they
don't want to share. Even with the
animals that were there first.
It
sure would be nice if we could raise the money to buy this land and add it on
to the refuge so we could protect the wet lands for ever and ever and never see
another member of the beaver family killed.
The
property also has a great big huge nice barn that we'd like to use to expand
Doggy Downs ..... oh the dreams we
could make come to life if this property could be annexed on to Rikki's
!!!!
It's
a big project, but if YOU want to be a part of the team that can make it
happen, please let me know ... Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org
SPEUTER COMMUTER IS A RIKKI'S REFUGE PROGRAM TO
HELP ANIMALS IN OTHER COUNTRIES.
We
believe that no matter where they are, one of the best gifts we can give
animals the world over is that of SPEUTER.
One trip to the speuter clinic is all you need for life !!! By sterilizing just ONE animal you have
stopped hundreds, possibly thousands from being born homeless and suffering a
life of hunger and worse.
Rikki's
Refuge began their Speuter Commuter program in Pana, Guatemala in 2008. Working with Mayan Families' Hope for the
Animals, we helped to establish a Speuter Clinic, and with our vet, spent two
weeks there training vets and vet students in quick assembly line
speutering. We continue to help thru fundraising
to provide free speutering for the Mayan people of this remote region.
We
are now proud to include Paqari's Safe Place Cat Rescue in Temuco, Chile in our
Speuter Commuter program.
As
everywhere in the world, the cats in Temuco, Chile need speutering help. They just won't line up and go to the clinic
themselves !!! Lauri Woods, has devoted
her life to helping the animals in Temuco and runs Paqari's Safe Place Cat
Rescue.
Please
help us make a difference to animals at the far reaches of the globe as well as
animals at home. 100% of funds donated
specifically for a member of Rikki's Speuter Commuter program is passed thru to
that organization. January is for
Paquari's .... help us help them www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate
and be sure to mention Paquari's in the comments of your donation. ONLY donations that are designated for our
Speuter Commuter Partners are spent on those programs.
Learn
more about Paqari's here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/lauri-woods/paqaris-safe-place-cat-rescue-sanctuary/10154393874741051
GET YOUR OWN TUPPERWARE
THIS
IS MINE !!!!!
We
have a great friend who is holding a Tupperware Fundraiser for us! Why not buy
yourself a New Years present or get rid of some of your old kitchen stuff and
buy new! Tupperware is awesome!
Just
check out those colors .... that ain't your mom's Tupperware !!!
Too
Rikki With Tupper Love 2017 get YOURS
right here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1785069368373849/
Are
YOU ready ?
Saturday,
May 13th will be here before you know it !!!!
From
11 am to 3 pm you'll gather with friends, new and old. Bring YOUR craft or learn a new one. Meet new friends who share your
passion. So many of you from so many
craft avenues joined us last year. I
hope even more of you will come this year !!!!
But
HURRY ..... let Nora know you'd like to
come and to keep you informed on WHERE it will be held this year
(Fredericksburg, but we haven't settled on the venue yet) nelmg@aol.com
If
you know a great location that "rents" space for free or very
inexpensively to non-profits for events, or you'd like to volunteer putting on
this event, or you'd like to provide some quiet background musical entertainment,
just let Nora know ... nelmg@aol.com
But
what ever you do ---- put May 13th on
your calendar NOW !!!!
SPEAKING OF CALENDARS
They
went pretty fast ..... I had to tell a
lot of you .... sorry, all gone .....
So
I ordered another great big box full ....
most of those are gone now too
....
BUT
I have a pawful left and I'm giving them away for better than HALF PRICE
..... actually the price of a case of
Fancy Feast $11.99 ......
YOU
give me the NUMS ..... I give you my
pin up calendar !!! Den youz can look
at my picture every month and remember that you feed-ed me and that I LOVE
YOU !!!!
HURRY
HURRY ...... I'll ship a calendar to
you for FREE, like no extra shipping charge, in the USA for a donation of
$11.99 or more ..... just say in the
comments "I'm trading a case of Fancy Feast for an Opie
Calendar." www.RikkisRefuge.org/FeedME and I'll have your calendar on the way
faster than you can say FANCY FEAST !!!!
THANK YOU FOR LOVING
US AND
TAKING THE TIME TO SAVE TWO LIVES TODAY !
Love,
Opie
Don’t forget to SAVE A LIFE TODAY !
Rikki’s Refuge
PO Box 1357
Orange VA 22960
And please come see me soon !!
In the mean time, Keep up with us on Facebook and
you'll get the minute to minute details about what's going on at Rikki's Refuge
.... you'll be the first to see the new residents .... and the first to know
about up coming events !!!
Rikki's Refuge
Opie and Vincent's Page
Duke's Page
Re-Tail Thrift Store in Fredericksburg
The Duke Thomas Peabody Antique and Collectables
Shoppe in Culpeper
Opie's and Mom's Purrsonal Profile
Opie's Edibles for Fun Animal Friendly Recipes and
Cooking Tips: https://www.facebook.com/OpiesEdibles
Vincent D. Cat's Gathering Place, a place to hang
out, chat, and have fun
Kitty Litter-Ature
Rikki's Crazy Cat Person Club
For the Love of Black Cats
Our Website
which needs help getting up to date .... if you
"do" WordPress and would like to help, let us know Volunteers@RikkisRefuge.org
Rikki's Refuge
is owned and operated by Life Unlimited of Virginia, Inc., an IRS 501(c)(3)
not-for-profit Virginia Corporation. Federal Tax-ID 54-1911042. Your donations
provide direct support. A financial statement is available upon written request
from the Virginia State Office of Consumer Affairs.
