Friday, March 30, 2018

March 27, 2018


March 27, 2018 -  Opie's Diary of Daily Doings at Rikki's Refuge
                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal
Yawwnnnn  .....  looks like a cloudy day .....   but it's gonna be a citing one !!!!    Auntie Lolly is up to something this afternoon .....   I just might get new friends!!!

But first things first
                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal
But first things first .....   everybody wants nums no matter what the sun or the clouds say

                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
Thank you Lynn for bringing the donations from the Re-Tail yesterday  !!!   And thank you to all the donors who dropped off cans of cat food at the store.  You DO know that you get 20% off your purchases if you donate 10 cans of cat food, right?  So grab some cat food and get on over to Re-Tail to shop!!!  

As you can see, the kitties love there donated breakfast !!!

                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
The goats and geese are always the first to the cracked corn

                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal 
But not to worry ....   everyone else shows up pretty quick !!!!!

                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
After breakfast .... comes exercise time !!!!!   

                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
Valerie says I can jump higher than you can !!!!

                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal
Yeahh .... says Ben ....   I can make it to the top of the cabinets !!!

                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal
You silly cats !!!

                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal
I can leap tall buildings !!!!!! 

                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal
And the driveway alarm goes off !!!!!     Wanda hears someone coming .....

It's Auntie Lolly !!!!    She's here to pick up the Candy Van .... it's named that cus our beloved Candy used it to bring produce to the animals 2 or 3 times a week and when she went to live at Rainbow Bridge she left the van for the animals to use forever. 

And why does Auntie Lolly need the Candy Van?

Cus she's got an important mission today.  Auntie Lolly is our Intake Coordinator.  And she talks to hundreds of people about animals who need homes here every day.  We all wish all of them could come here ....  

The only reason they can't is enough money.  We have to have enough money to build good housing for them and to keep it up and to clean it everyday, we have to have enough money for food, enough money for medical care. 

Only so many animals can live in each area.  Sometimes it looks like there's a lot of extra space.  But if animals get crowded bad things happen and they get mad and they fight and they get sick.  Everybody needs lots of their own space.   So Auntie Lolly has to be very very careful and know when there's a vacancy and what kind of animal might fit in there. 

And then she's got to make sure about all the medical things.  Like it wouldn't be very fair to take in an animal that we can't provide the right kind of medical care for, now would it?  Some things we can do .... some we just can't ... we don't have the money ... we don't have the expertise .... we don't have the ability.  Lots of times this means having our doctor go over the records and see if we can help or what we can do.   Like this time, Auntie Lolly had to get xrays of Camelot hips and legs and our doctor had to study them before she could say yes.



Then Auntie Lolly has to coordinate quarantine time with Hospital Manager Lauren.  Cus everybody who comes in must go thru a two week quarantine to be sure they have nothing that might not have shown up yet, but that could be contagious, even deadly, for our other animals.  That's really important.  Our loyalty must first go to our residents who we've promised safety to forever. 

All the things got worked out for these five kitties to join us.

                                                                                            photo compliments of Adoption Volunteer in Qatar
Bea is a 12-month old social butterfly who lost her leg after a bad injury and has adjusted beautifully as a tripod, but nobody will adopt her and keep her safe.

                                                                                            photo compliments of Adoption Volunteer in Qatar
Camelot is sweet and silly boy who will need either orthopedic surgery or physical therapy - we will know more once he gets to us, goes thru quarantine (or not if he seems to be in much pain), and our doctor gets to examine him and do more xrays and such.  They don't have the facilities for the surgery that is likely necessary for Camelot in Qatar.

                                                                                            photo compliments of Adoption Volunteer in Qatar
Cangaroo is a gentle but shy 18-month old who lost his leg after being terribly injured but also has adjusted beautifully as a tripod, and still .... no one wants her. 

                                                                                            photo compliments of Adoption Volunteer in Qatar
Scarface is a gentle 2-yr old cat with FIV, but the myth of the horrors of FIV still abound in Qatar and he has no chance of a home. 

                                                                                            photo compliments of Adoption Volunteer in Qatar
Seth is a highly sociable 18-month old with FIV, and again .... no chance of a life outside a cage at a rescue that is full ..... and would soon have to ......    Ohhhh I can't even think of what they do to unwanted animals.    Not just in Qatar ....  but here in the USA too, millions are just murdered every year when no one will take them home.  Please do your part, adopt, never shop, and support the organizations who house and really care for animals and love time till they find a really truly forever home.  Thank you ....   It's people like YOU who can make a difference and make our shelters no kill.

                                                                                            photo compliments of Flight Volunteer

After lots of coordination and a Flight Volunteer who was visiting Qatar and willing to fly home with the five kitties under her care .......  they're at the airport for the start of a long journey. 

Being a Flight Volunteer is one way you can help when ever you travel too.  Be it business or vacation ....   contact rescues in the country where you'll be and ask if they have anyone needing transport back home with you.   It adds a little to your time, getting them checked in, getting them thru customs and immigration.  The rescue there will meet you at the airport with them and have all their paperwork and passports in place. 

A few extra minutes of your time on each end of your travel can save a life ....  OR FIVE !!!

                                                                                            photo compliments of Flight Volunteer
The flight's on time ....  and we're ready to go ....    Auntie Lolly receives final confirmation .....   and she meets the plane a couple hours away from Rikki's at 3:45 this afternoon.  She'll be there waiting while they go thru customs and immigration and are checked in to the USA.  Then she'll get them settled in the Candy Van for a long ride home to Rikki's !!!!

Auntie Lolly has an itty bitty car and needed to van to comfortably fit all five !!

And there she goes .....   off on the journey ....  and we all get back to work ....

                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal
Playing in mud puddles

                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal
Hanging round hooman watching .....   we aminals get the afternoon off ....  the hoomans ... they gotta be workin and cleanin and fixin things all day long .... no break for them ...

Until Papa Doug's phone rings...   Uh oh .... it's raining and something just awful happened to the Candy Van's wipers and Auntie Lolly can't see where she's going ....   Doug tells her to stay put ....  he'll be there for the rescue real quick ....  she hadn't gotten very far. 

And in a while Papa Doug is back for tools.  One of the wiper arms came loose.  He gathers the tools and gets back in the truck to go back to the rescue ......   but oh no .... 

                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal
This is the business end of a goose ... a mad goose ....  a goose who's about to jump and bite you !!! 

Curley Goose says, you park here in the middle of the day, that means you're bringing donations ....  and that means food, so hand some over or you gonna get bit. 

And by then everybody is all over the truck, in the truck and under the truck.  It's all hands on deck to clear the critters away so Doug can get back on the job of rescuing Lolly.  Yup, we're an all species rescue and Doug's gonna rescue a hooman today !!!!

Auntie Lolly is off to the airport and coming home Papa Doug finds a BIG package in the driveway !!!  

                                                                                            photo compliments of Lauren Todd
Lil Girl opens the box and discovers brand new nice clean litter boxes !!!!   Thank you Loretta !!!!    Look what we got !!!!!   Just what we needed !!!!!    15 brand new boxes !!!!

                                                                                            photo compliments of Lauren Todd
Chevy helps Lil Girl inspect this wonderful new gift.

                                                                                            photo compliments of Lauren Todd
Oh looks Pongo likes new boxes !!!!   Yup, I sure do, let me just test one out here !!!!   Nice and clean and not falling apart ....  but you could of added litter !    

Oh Pongo !!!   You DIDN'T !!!!!   Well you know the rule .... if it looks like a litter box ....   litter or not ....  it counts !!!!

                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
These three little pigs are popping in to say THANK YOU for seeing that they didn't go to market .....   and that when you go to market, you pick up nums for them !!!!    They love all kinds of fruits and veggies.  Coming out to visit?  Ask your grocery store if they have day old produce they'll give you for the pigs !!!   It makes them so happy !!!!

                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
I love you !!!

                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
I love you too !!!!

And then Auntie Lolly called to say .....  oh no ....  plane is delayed ....  I'm not gonna be back when I planned ...  I'll let you know when I've got the kitties and I'm on the road. 

                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal
Mr Peacock visiting with Clinton the Duck

                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal
The geese loved having a lazy rainy day playing in the mud.  It had almost dried up and now they're happy again !!!!!

                                                                                            photo compliments of Lolly Busey
It was gettin pretty late when Auntie Lolly called to say .....  kitties are here safe, we're all in the Candy Van and headed to Rikki's !!!    I know it'll be really late when I get there and already dark ....  you don't have to wait up for me Little Orange Dude.

And I am getting tired ....  I guess I gotta go to bed ....   I'll meet my new friends from Qatar tomorrow.

Love, Opie 
Thank YOU for making it all possible !

You know the highlights, but do you ever wonder what happens every day, even ordinary days, at Rikki's Refuge?  Have you thought of starting a sanctuary and wonder what it's REALLY like?  Ever wonder what those with the animals all day every day see and think?  Follow my diary as I tell you about daily happenings and show you a dozen or so photos taken during the day!  You'll see a whole new perspective of the Refuge ....   See it ... Live it .... BE a part of the Rikki's Family .... get to know ALL the animals on a first name basis !!!!   Keep up with happenings every day of the year at RikkisRefuge.BlogSpot.com ...  every day since January 1, 2018 is archived just for YOU !!!!  

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