Wednesday, August 09, 2017

Happy Birthday Rikki's Refuge



Happy Birthday Rikki's Refuge
LOOK LOOK LOOK I turned SIX BIG YEARS OLD on Friday !!!!   I'm a big boy now !!!! 

Rikki's Refuge will be 19 years old on Monday !!!!!   

What a wonderful journey this has been !!!!   Who could have asked for more? 

Certainly not all the cats and dogs and cows and goats and pigs and chickens and all the others who's lives were saved and who got to live happily ever after in peace and joy in a home where they were loved forevermore !!!


I love sharing my world at Rikki's Refuge with you !! 

No longer struggling to survive on the streets,
Tic-Tac takes time to smell the flowers !

It's such a magical and happy place.  It's a place where each one of us is so special and so loved and the world was created just for us !!!!  
Norman loves his caregivers!!

It's a place where when the moon is full, we howl and boom and crow with joy and when the moon is new we prowl the darkness in wonder. 

It's a place where we found love and happiness and caring, a world meant just for us. 

Come on a tour and we'll run to greet you, we'll jump up and down, we'll climb on your shoulders, we'll lick your face.  Get our tour schedule and sign up at Tours@RikkisRefuge.org

So many people hesitate about visiting cus they fear they'll see sad unhappy critters in cages, they'll feel so sorry for them they want to take them all home. 

But at Rikki's they find happy animals who are happily at home.  Cus Rikki's it's just a shelter, it's HOME. 

Rikki's was designed to have neighborhoods for each and every species of critter who lives here.  We want them to feel at homes.  Us kitties can be kitties, dawggies can be dawggies, piggies can be piggies.  Some of us like to live together and we can share.  If we don't like somebody, we choose to live in a different house.  There's so many environments, neighborhoods and homes to live in and da hoomans help us choose where we'll be the happiest.  But in the end ... it's all up to us !!!!


At the end of tours we so often hear ....  gee I'd love to adopt you, but you just look so happy here, I just couldn't take you away from your home !!!!

And that's what we strive to be, the best home ever !!!!!  

Don't get me wrong ....  some of us really would love to be adopted and go home with you!!!   You can meet a few of us at our Thrift Store in Frederiicksburg called Re-Tail ... we have a little adoption room where you can come and play. 


AND DON'T FORGET ...

We've got a couple wonderful special sales going on this month at Re-Tail, 3503 Lafayette Blvd, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22408, for more info 540-891-5300 re-tail@rikkisrefuge.org

August 12 - 14

Happy Birthday Rikki's Refuge Sale! 

All day Saturday, Sunday and Monday

It's Rikki's Refuge's 19th Birthday!

So, to celebrate, we're having a HUGE sale! The ENTIRE store will be 50% off for these 3 days!

And, as you know, if you donate 10 cans of cat food, we will give you a coupon for 20% off of your purchase.

But, we're taking it a step better!

If on Monday August 14 you donate 10 cans of cat food we will give you a coupon for 30% off of your entire purchase! Use it now or use it later!


And YES, it can be combined with sale prices!

New items will be added daily, so come out and shop!


BUT WAIT ....  THERE'S MORE !!!!

National Thrift Shop Day
August 17 from 10 AM - 5:30 PM, that's Thursday

Shop at Re-Tail for some GREAT savings!

Clothes will be on sale for $5 per bag!

That's good on any clothing that is regularly priced at $5 and under.

Anything clothing over $5.00 will be 50% off!

And HUGE saving in other areas, too!

Christmas, Kitchen, Toys, Candles and Knick Knacks will be a whopping 75% off!

Opie says, "If YOU're smart ... you'll start every day at Re-Tail,
August 12, 13, 14 and 17th, with an empty basket ....
fill it up ...  and go home with tremendous bargains !!!" 

STOP ... don't throw that out .....  DONATE your gently used clothing, household items, art work, furniture, appliances, toys, and more to Re-Tail. 

We'll sell the things you no longer need, and then we can buy more nums for the critters.

WOW ... is that cool or what !!!!


DON'T GO WAY
AUGUST 17th means something else too !

BLACK CAT APPRECIATION DAY

Did you know that Black Cats are the least adopted in our shelters here in the United States and around the world?  Why?  Much of it hinges on old myths about bad luck. 

Many years ago I drove to a very rural shelter to pick up a dog they'd called about.  He was in the euthanasia room and when I went in to see him, I met 13 cats and two other dogs in there too.  One was pregnant, and the others were black, black with only a little white, and black or very dark torties.  They looked healthy, young and seemed friendly.  I asked why they were in the euthanasia room waiting to be killed.  I was told pregnant cats can't be adopted out, and no one ever takes a black cat, so they are always sent to their death with even the chance of adoption. 

You probably guessed it .....  I went home with 13 cats and three dogs. 

The dog I'd gone to pick up was elderly.  One of the other two was his brother.  Why?  They'd both been horribly matted up and when they shaved that one, he came out ugly looking, so they didn't even ask if I'd save him too.  Like I care one iota what somebody looks like? 

Those two live out their lives in peace and happiness as free ranging mascots at Rikki's.  The other dog and all the cats were adopted out to wonderful forever homes.   

But the thought that those cats had faced death just for having been born the color they were ..... never to be given a chance ... kept haunting me. 

How do you stop superstitions like that?  Education.  How do you do that? 

A group of Rikki's volunteers were brain storming about it and started a facebook page to promote the appreciation of black cats.  Today we have over 400,000 followers. 

When this many people speak up and share their myth busting posts, something happens. 

Lives get saved !!!!

August 17 was a significant date to one of our volunteers, and he chose it as Black Cat Appreciation Day.  Every year we celebrate it and invite YOU to join us !!! 

Come with us on our 2017 journey and let's see how many lives are saved this year !!!   August 17th has become a global celebration at shelters all working to save the lives of predominately black cats.

If you can, adopt in honor of the day.  If not, volunteer, or help a shelter, and for sure, join us on social media and share ......  that's how we reach the media and help to spread the word !!!

Just a few of our many black kitties at Rikki's Refuge

Thank you for helping the Black Kitties of Rikki's Refuge and of the world !!!


Yup that's right !
Rikki's Refuge will be 19 years old
on Monday, August 14th !!!!!   

That's 6,939 days !!!!!   And over 15,000 animals saved .... that's more than THREE a DAY !!

Not to shabby, huh ???

Rikki's Refuge houses over 1,000 animals every day.    

We also maintain 350 acres of pristine woods and wetlands for the native wildlife. 

I think we're doing a pretty good job!  What do
YOU think?

Won't you donate $19 to celebrate with us !!!!  

$19 will feed 76 meals !
No, Mouky, that's NOT what you're getting for breakfast !

$19 will take care of a dog for 8 days !!
Obie works like a dog making sure all his friends have enough to eat

$19 will take care of a cat for 12 days !!!

$19 will take care of a cow for 2 weeks !!!!

$19 will take care of a pig for 3 weeks !!!!!

$19 will take care of an emu for a month !!!!!!

$19 will take care of a chicken, turkey or duck for two months !!!!!!!

Who do YOU want to take care of ?  

or you can send a check or money order to
Rikki's Refuge
PO Box 1357
Orange VA 22960

or use www.paypal.com with our address mail@RikkisRefuge.org


THANK  YOU  FOR  LOVING  ALL  OF  US  AND
    TAKING  THE  TIME  TO  SAVE  A  LIFE  TODAY
          CUZ  EVERY  ONE  OF  US  MATTER S
                       DON'T  YOU  THINK ?

                www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

Love,
  Opie
YOU can fill my bowl, Pleaz?


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.