Sunday, April 08, 2018

April 7, 2018


April 7, 2018 -  Opie's Diary of Daily Doings at Rikki's Refuge
It's a cloudy Caturday .... but evil weather hooman listened and decided no snow this morning  .... that be good ...   cuz Boomer has an outing to go on  !!!   
                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal

                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal

                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal

Mom made me stay home and work today .... but Boomer and Cindy and Robyn went to Wags and Tags at Chrysler of Culpeper ......   it was so cold out .... they let all the aminals ... and the hoomans they took with them .... be inside  

                                                                                            photo compliments of Cindy Wright

                                                                                            photo compliments of Cindy Wright

You've come to expect Breakfast at the Feed Store every morning, haven't you !!
                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal

                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal

                                                                                            photo compliments of Opie
Sylvestra is so cute !!!! She was born with itty bitty tiny back legs making it really really hard to get into a litterbox. So she prefers to use a puppy pad. But she can only pee once on a pad. She's a little bitty thing, and one puppy pad could certainly accommodate several pees. But she doesn't think so. She's got two pad stations, and if she's used both over night, she's waiting by one turning circles in anticipation for me to change it out so she can pee again.

She's got an elaborate ritual ... I'm trying to video this for you .... assuming one's bathroom rituals aren't inappropriate to video .... She's turns circles on the pad, around and around, almost pivoting around on her back end. 10 .... 20 .... 30 circles ..... and it winds the puppy pad up sort of into a bowl shape. Then she pees.

Onec done and once the sniffing is done to make sure it was her pee, she walks around and around the pad, scratching in all directions and balling it up !!!!
She really is the most adorable little thing!

Kibble ... water.. or me .... Hal.   Hal and food bowl
                                                                                            photo compliments of Opie

The search continues on who will be the official Spokes Dog for Rikki’s Refuge.
                                                                                            photo compliments of Cindy Wright
Mr. Nibbles, an active Treeing Walker Coonhound, was next to be interviewed and transcribed by a hooman cus he can't even write in hoomanese .....   Geesh .... and he wants to be the Spokes Dawggie .....   Does he know he'll have to do all the writing and stuff like I do?  How can he do that when so many of you only read hoomanese .....

"Oh yeah, I am the right dog for the job.  I am the right dog for any job!” the Coonhound boasted.  He told the interviewer that he has led the dogs at Doggy Downs since 2012, and he alone had made it such a nice sanctuary. 

So what have you done lately to help the Refuge, he was asked.  What have you done to help the many species here?

The Coonhound stopped in his tracks.  He knows he has done many things for himself, but what has he done to help the others?  The tricky hound dog continued to brag about himself, such as moving from dog run 5 to dog run 4 to give him more room. 

Had he helped with visitors?  No, he didn’t have time for it. 

Did you ever go to schools or other events to talk about the differently abled?  “Ummm, not lately that I remember”.

So, the final question that Mr Nibbles was asked, do you think you deserve the Spokes Dog job?  “Let me just say that if I am selected for the position, than I would do the best that I could fit the Spokes Dog duties into my tight schedule”. 

What a boastful hound dog!  We will continue to find the right dog for the duty.  In the meantime, can you please donate on line www.RikkisRefuge.org\Donate and help the dogs win this years Cat vs Dog competition!

Opie: Seriously, Mr. Nibbles ......  your attitude is exactly why CATS SHOULD RULE ....  I'm retiring if you get elected.  We'd have to travel together, teach Humane Education together, work together ....   and I've heard rumors you eat cats for breakfast .... shivers.

You'll see the REST of me .... when I see the FOOD BOWL
                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal

I'm paying bills one line .... my credit card says Happy Birthday Month !!! We appreciate you as a customer. We hope you have a wonderful year. You have $17.93 cents available credit, would you like to shop now? ............. Well happy birthday to you too ...... Why doesn't it say .... Happy Birthday ... we see you have a quite a bill here ..... we're gonna make this a wonderful year for you and just change that balance to zero. See you next month, have a wonderful Birthday.

                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal

                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
All of our Cat Houses need new vinyl flooring.   All that paw traffic and the daily cleaning takes its toll on the floors and after a few years, it wears thin and tears start.  I don't think all the sharp little claws help much either !!!    Vinyl (or some other water, and other fluid, proof easy to scrub flooring) is necessary for the floors to keep them sanitary and safe. 

When they start to fall apart we find a place that will give us remnants to patch up with.  But that's not as good as it's easier for water .... and other much more vile things .... to seep underneath.  Eventually .....   they just have to be replaced !!!   

It costs about $350 per Cat House to buy the vinyl and glue.  We have 10 Cat Houses in need.  Our staff is really good at putting down vinyl after all the practice they get around here !!!   Though if you'd like to volunteer to do the job, we sure won't turn your help down !!!!  

Please don't buy and deliver the vinyl unless you talk to us first.  Not all products work for this ....  some tear up or wear out way too fast .....

But if you'd like to buy new flooring for a Cat House ....  or even a Square Foot or two .....   please help us out .....  One full Cat House is $350 ....  1 square foot is $1.79 .....  and we only need 2,000 square feet all together .....   but hey ....  if each of you only buy $5 or $10 .....  it will all add up and we'll get new floors !!!! 

Thank you .....   www.RikkisRefuge.org/donate?purpose=Opie  ....  hey ... may as well make your tax deductible donation count twice ....  buy the flooring AND vote for ME to rule the refuge  !!!!!     

Uncle Ron has started the renovations to the Wishing Well with some repair work and a coat or primer .....  what do YOU think he'll do with it next ?
                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal

Nawww .... he didn't get carried away with the white primer ....   Honors was just watching him work !!!
                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal

                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal

Here's your Opie's Puzzle of the Day ... Buzz Sniffing the Breeze .... must be lunch time !!!!
                                                                                           photo compliments of Catina Tomapat
Buzz wants to run in the election for new Spokes Dawg ....  but he's so skittish he hasn't come thru the office door to type out his campaign promises .....   Boomer is encouraging him to gain confidence and calm, two traits Boomer has had all the years he's been with us.  

You can help Buzz get it together !!

CAST YOUR VOTE ----  ONLY - 23 more days to make OPIE RULER OF THE REFUGE

or if you have to ....  vote for dogs

but PLEASE .....  do your part and VOTE during April !!!

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 !!!!