Rikki's Refuge

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! January 5, 2011

I’m Vincent D. Cat and here to make you happy! You are HEROES! You work hard every day and you deserve to smile every day! Those of you working to save us animals hear so very many very sad things. And there’s lots of very glad things too and that’s what we talk about here! All pawsitive all the time! I want my friends to be happy and smile and know there’s a lot of good - including YOU - in this world!! Be kind and pass it on! Please send me your Good New and Fun Stuff to share, personal or global. Let’s keep it fun and interactive!! After all, if we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane! Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org

Are you keeping a close eye on the progression of my picture every day? Keep watching, it changes day by day. Sometimes it’s very subtle, sometimes it changes the whole message. Wayne Morris is my artist and his insights are beautiful. Leave a comment or email and let him know what you think of his work!

My Favorite Quotes, Today

The world is like a mirror you see?

smile and your friends smile back

Japanese Zen saying

Delicious Quotables

Research tells us 14 out of any ten individuals likes chocolate

Sandra Boynton

Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not!

Author Unknown

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie.

Jim Davis

Only in America

Only in America do drug-stores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

Only in America do banks leave vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in America do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

Ever wonder why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?

Why don’t you ever see the headline ‘Psychic Wins Lottery’?

Why is ‘abbreviated’ such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do ‘practice’?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why isn’t there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn’t Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why don’t sheep shrink when it rains?

Refuge News

Lloyd stopped in to visit and to bring newspapers. We use newspapers to line cages. Since the economy tanked we had to quite using puppy pads. We’ve taken every short cut we can with out jeopardizing the health and safety of the animals. We used to stretch the dollar into about three and now we’re stretching it into about six !!!!

Got extra newspapers? Pull out the slick inserts and then recycle the rest with Rikki’s Refuge ! It’s one more way you can help the animals for FREE !

Dennis hauled his trailer out filled with buckets of nums for the pigs !!!! Thank you Dennis for the food recycling program!!! For the piggies, it’s the highlight of their day!

Thank you Earl’s Glass for the donation of Plexiglas for windows and all kind of exciting projects that Rene will be making for our animal neighborhoods. Rene stopped by this morning to show me the goods!!! WOW WEEEEE. And she brought banana nut bread and cupcakes, num num.

Mary is here opening letters and packages!!! Thank you Mary for trekking to the post offices and helping mom do all that hard work!!!

Pamela, got your present today !!! WOW I love you. You’re wonderful!!!

Billy and Wayne have just gone out to pick up a donated washer and dryer.

It’s busy out there - a passionate friend writes in: My tally of cats I helped in Dec was 29...all but 7 have been spayed & neutered... many were returned after time for healing...what a brutally cold month we had in Dec...13 are going to winter with me in my office...11 kittens and 2 adults...will send pics of kittens soon for petfinder...on Jan 15th we have another Voices feral clinic, so will be setting traps again in about 9 days...

Speuter Commuter

Big Hip Hip Hurrah to Dr Meredith Vargas and the team that went to Guatemala for the Speuter Clinic last month. This is the third year the week long marathon Speuter Clinic has run in Pana and surrounding areas. Huge congratulations on 217 animals “fixed”!!! We met a lovely young lady who was a vet student on our first trip there. Now Astrid is a practicing vet and Dr Vargas got to work with her and other new vets and student vets to help hem perfect their surgery skills!! And Dr. Vargas is a GOOD teacher, her techniques are great, she has a lot of experience to share and she explains and gives tips. She was really happy about all the teaching she got to do too!!! 22 of the animals they caught to speuter came from the dump. And while there catching them, they discovered three families living at the dump and surviving by selling plastic for recycling and barely making enough to be able to buy a little food. Mayan Families took these three families under their wing and now they have clothes, enough to eat and the kids are in school. Overall it was the best trip yet!!!

Katarina needs you early Saturday - can you help?

I was able to get in touch with the people at Miller farm to ask if we could have their pumpkins that have been sitting in their field. They has tons! A couple hundred at least. They said that we can take them but we have to go when the ground is frozen! That means early in the morning. I set up a time for a few of us to pick them up this Saturday at 7:30 am. So far Melissa Felts has volunteered her time and her truck to pick pumpkins. I will also have my truck and my sister has said she would help us load up. If we could get 2 more trucks and a few more people our pigs can have a couple more weeks of pumpkins and that will save us some money. The more people we have the faster the work will go and the more we can feed the animals.

Miller Farm is just past Fawn Lake about 20 mins from the Refuge. The address is 12101 Orange Plank Road, Locust Grove, VA 22508. Contact Katarina to help out: katarinagalvin@yahoo.com

Pumpkin tub!

JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images

A boy and his grandfather sit in a hot spring bath made from a 229 kg pumpkin at a spa facility in Nyuzen town, in Japan's Toyama prefecture.

If you don’t like pumpkins but want turnips instead

The other place that is helping us is Sneads Farm in Spotsylvania past Belvedere. They have a field of turnips, some of which are bigger than my fist, and some left over pumpkins. Melissa and I are going to take our trucks out there in the afternoon on Saturday to pick up what we can. We would really like a few more people to come help pick the turnips with us. Again the more people the faster the work and the more we can feed that animals!!! We will be meeting around 2 pm. If you would like to help earlier please let me know.

Sneads Farm address is 18294 Tidewater Trl Fredericksburg, VA 22408. Contact Katarina to help out: katarinagalvin@yahoo.com

My Friend from Indy Media Live

http://indymedialive.blogspot.com/

Hi, Vincent!

How are ya? As usual, you and all the precious critters at Rikki's are on my mind! Don't know if you were listening to IML on Dec. 28 but, when I asked Tim, the engineer, on the air which show of 2010 had been his favorite, he said, "RIKKI'S!"

It was an awesome moment for me - his gift to me this year is to add another meatless day to his gift to me last year of meatless Mondays - now it's gonna be Mondays and Thursdays! My gift to him is a donation in his name to Rikki's -

I was just about to call Orange County Co-op and put something on the bill, but thought I'd check in first and see if there is another place you'd rather use $100 right now.

Let me know, OK?

Luv ya lots - Any ideas when you'd like to do another radio show? Any events coming up that you'd like to put on the air together?

Your friend - Rebecca

Hey isn’t that cool -- what a gift from Tim huh? I wish all my hooman friends would pick a day to go meatless!!!

Oh look what I just came across on line!

This is about mama's mama. And look at that, way back then she was dressing cats up! Mom must have inherited this fetish!

http://www.pdf-finder.com/MEMORIAL-CELEBRATION-OCTOBER-11,-2004-LOUISE-ARNOLD-HILLIARD.html

Live from Vincent Video

Meet Samantha the Feral Kitty

Commitment

Did You Know?

What is the world's oldest animal ?

The oldest animal on Earth was born in 1830 Her name is Harriet, she's a Galapagos land tortoise.

Penguin goes shopping

Good Times in the News

Christmas trees being reused in coastal restoration effort

The Times-Picayune By Jeff Adelson

Parishes throughout the New Orleans area are scheduling Christmas tree collections, most in an effort to reuse the trees to help with environmental restoration. The trees collected are used for restoration projects in Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in Lacombe. Trees collected in St. John will go to wetland restoration projects in the parish and elsewhere under a program administered by Southeastern Louisiana University’s Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station. The trees are used to create fences that dissipate wave energy and result in sediment being deposited in shoreline areas affected by erosion, according to a news release from the university.

In previous years, the trees have been deposited near Bayou Gauche to shore up eroding land. In addition to helping to protect the wetlands, diverting the trees away from landfills will save residents money in disposal costs in the long run. “Every year, thousands of Christmas trees are discarded in the landfill — where they take up valuable space and serve no purpose,” Stouder said. “If these trees are brought to one of the collection sites, they will be used to protect our coast and our wetland areas.”

Greenaid: Guerilla Gardening Vending Machines

by Matt Embrey

Greenaid seedbomb dispensers encourage regular people to casually become guerrilla gardeners, helping to add a little green to the concrete jungle as they are passing through.

Designers Danny and Kim started Greenaid as a way to engage local urban communities to incrementally beautify their environment. It's a "bottom up" initiative that involves taking old gumball machines, converting them to dispense seedballs that they sell or rent out to business, organizations or individuals that want to green the gray in their community.

Danny and Kim will develop a custom seed bombs from a mixture of clay, compost and seed and a strategic neighborhood intervention plan in response to the unique needs of the vendor's local ecology.

"You then simply place the machine at your local bar, business, school, park, or anywhere that you think it can have the most impact. We will then supply you with all the seedbombs you need to support the continued success of the initiative."

They admit that it's not a final solution to problems of urban environments but they saw it as a fun and interesting way to place emphasis on the actions of individuals and empower them to make small contributions to the beautification of their city.

"We recently built and placed several machines in the L.A. area containing native California wildflower seeds (such as White Yarrow, California Poppy, Lupine, and Blue Flax) and they've been received with enormous enthusiasm from local residents and businesses. We're enlisting your help to deploy a fleet of 12 more machines in underserved communities across L.A! We are in the process of determining the best locations for them, and as a backer you too can have a chance to help us determine where they'll go!"

Tractor Supply has a two pack of humane traps on sale for $25. One is a standard cat size and the other smaller and fits inside, works on small cats, kittens, rabbits, squirrels, etc. That’s a great price!! Stock up on what you need for feral TNR. Rikki’s needs a few too, so if you’re going past a Tractor Supply, please stop in and buy a set for us!! Thanks so much.

I Love YOU whole lots,

Vincent

PS You tell me what you want! Email me at Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org with instructions to change your subscription: additions, deletions or modifications! Subscriptions: Vincent’s VIPs - up to the second alerts about issues at Rikki’s Refuge for those who care and want to be intimately involved. Scheduled as needed. Good Morning Good News - a little something to get you going in the mornings, for those of you who want to keep smiling with us! Scheduled daily. Hairballs - so you know what’s coming up at Rikki’s! Scheduled weekly.

Rikki's Refuge, supported solely by private donations, houses over 1200 animals of 22 species. On line at http://bit.ly/Give-a-gift-to-Rikkis Checks, money orders, cash, items at Rikki's Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960

Rikki's Refuge is owned and operated by Life Unlimited of Virginia, Inc., an IRS 501(c)(3) not-for-profit Virginia Corporation, tax-id 54-1911042. Combined Federal Campaigns #77674, Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign #3163, PetsMart Charities #1377. A financial statement is available upon written request from the State Office of Consumer Affairs.

Learn more www.RikkisRefuge.org and help spread the good word, tell everyone you know about Rikki’s Refuge

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! January 4, 2011

My Favorite Quote, Today

For the new year, a short course in human relations ...

The Six Most Important Words: I admit I made a mistake.

The Five Most Important Words: You did a good job.

The Four Most Important Words: What is your opinion?

The Three Most Important Words: If you please.

The Two Most Important Words: Thank you.

The One Most Important Word: We.

The Least Important Word: I.

Hmmmm and I thought the most important two words were Fancy Feast!

Refuge News

Memorial to Sam

We only print good news here. And Sam was a good cat and his story was a good example of exactly why Rikki’s Refuge is here and who we are here to serve. An old man with glaucoma so bad his left eye seemed about to pop out his head, his owners abandoned him at a pound several years ago. Somebody at Winging Cat Rescue has a heart for old folks and they pulled him out the pound. He traveled 800 miles to come to Rikki’s Refuge.

The second his carrier opened, after that long long ride, he took one look at mom, snuggled up to her, climbed up to her shoulders, rubbed her face, and then got down and said, “So could I use a litter box now Please?” After that, “Where’s dinner served around here?”

That Friday mom took him to meet our Doctor Meredith Vargas. She said YIKES look at that eye, we’ve got to try and save it quick. She ordered several different type of drops and gave mom the run down, this one every three hours, that one every two, this one every four, and so on. Every hour he was supposed to have one of the drops in that eye. If you can do it round the clock till we get the swelling down it’d be best, the doc said, can you do that? Of course we can, said mom, thinking, well who needs to sleep anyway! How long do you think it will take? Come back Monday! Monday, just a few days and we’re expecting a miracle?

And sure enough by Monday the swelling was very much down and the frequency of the drops started to get dropped. After a couple weeks it was only one type of drops, twice a day. Sam hated his drops. He’d try to hide, but soon as it was done, he’d be fine. He didn’t hold grudges!

Sam was like mom’s shadow. He was stuck to mom for the rest of his life. He followed her around, sat on her lap when she was on the computer, rode on her shoulders around the farm. Always there with her. If she was off the property, it’d be hard to find Sam. But the minute she drove up, there he was, Merow Merow Mom. He slept curled around her head and when he was feeling extra loving across her face. She’d wake up with her nose and eyes and mouth full of fur, and he wouldn’t think it was fair to have to move over a bit. As soon as mom fell asleep, he’d be right back on her face. If mom was away for a night, he’d sleep on her pillow and sulk. Often she’d take him with her if she had to be away.

Sam was the best mouser ever. He’d sit still in bed, we’d hear one rustle, and Sam would bolt and you’d just hear about three crunches. He’d even lick the floor clean. Then jump back in bed, wash his face and paws and go back to sleep. He loved them mousies.

Some times one would walk thru the blower on the furnace, yikes. It’d be killed instantly and it’d put the blower off balance and then it’d quite and the gas would shut off and we’d all get cold. Mom would have to take the furnace apart to get the mouse out. Sam would stand by thinking mom was a great hunter, and she’d toss the dead mouse to him!

Sam got along with everybody. Even Snickers let him share her loft. Just last week he was still climbing up and down the ladder to the loft. Though it was about Thanksgiving time we saw him slowing down and getting skinny. His kidneys had been bad since his arrival and he got sub-q fluids daily. Twice a day since September.

We think Sam was about 21 years old. And his last years were very happy ones. He seemed to have no scars from his early years. The last few days he just slowed down, until yesterday, he passed over to the Rainbow Bridge, quietly and gently and on his own. I know he didn’t want to leave mom, but there’s a time we all must go. These bodies just aren’t meant to last forever. Mom will be listening out for Sam and knows she’ll hear him from time to time.

And that’s just what Rikki’s Refuge is here for - to offer love and life long haven to those who’ve been thrown away by the ones they loved. We love you Sam!

Here’s the Rainbow Bridge Poem http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2011/01/rainbow-bridge.html

THANK YOU

Mary came out to work in the office yesterday and brought in the mail and I got more pressies at the post office!!! Oh mom took pictures of me opening my pressies, she needs to get them ready to go on line. I’ll go poke her!

Kevin and Janice washed dishes and scooped litter boxes and filled water bowls and feed yesterday.

Kathy came and walked doggies. They are so happy on the days Kathy comes. They used to enjoy Kathy’s little daughter too, but now she’s in school and can’t come very often.

Jones’ John, we got a big compliment over the weekend that we have the cleanest porta potty our visitors have ever seen. Thank you for taking care of Larry’s Loo. And thank you Larry for paying for it every month so the hoomans don’t have to use my litter box!

UFO Sightings

Well this wasn’t really taken here at the refuge ..... It’s a sculpture made of ice, seen during an ice sculpture festival in Moscow, on Dec. 27. But I think we should make something like this at Rikki’s!!!!

oopppssss Vista!

Vista spent night before last in the truck! Mom got in late and he must of jumped in when she was getting out. She didn't see him. He usually comes inside in the early evening and then goes back out for the night, so mom just figured he'd gone to his sleeping place already. She get in the truck this morning and he jumps up and says HI where's breakfast!!!

Don’t forget Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/?&tag=wwwrikkisrefu-20&camp=212361&creative=392013&linkCode=wsw&

Enter thru that link no matter what or why you’re buying from Amazon!! Just like magic, they’ll send a check to us!!! Costs you nothing but a click!!

Kathy had a great idea! I just bought an external hard drive for work and I went through the link to get it. Please remind people that if they are ordering things with their company charge cards that they should also go through the Rikki’s Amazon link. Every penny counts and it doesn’t cost you a thing!

Live from Vincent Video

Meet Valerie and Mystique

Mystique’s family had a disorder that keeps the organs from being able to keep up with the demands of a growing body. So as the kittens grew their body outgrew the ability of their organs to function adequately to sustain life. There’s no way to keep them small. Thankfully Mystique and her brother Osiris, though terribly ill when they reached the critical size where we lost their other siblings, survived and haven’t grown much larger. Now getting close to a year old and holding their size since they were just a few months old, we’ve got our paws crossed. For now, they are happy and enjoying life! And that’s what counts!

Get the “can’t” out of your vocabulary! When faced with a challenge say, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” What would Vincent say? “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” You think I thought we could win the state of Virginia!!! But K kept saying “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can” and you kept saying “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” And we did it!!!

Hurrah to Mystique and Osiris for saying “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can”!!!

Did You Know?

January 4^th is International Trivia Day!

There are more plastic flamingos in America than real ones.

I think we should get some at Rikki’s to add some color and fun!

Bird droppings are the chief export of Nauru, an island nation in the Western Pacific.

Mom wishes she could find a place to export cat droppings!

The penguin is the only bird who can swim, but not fly.

I can’t swim or fly!

Interview with God

Good Times in the News

New Moon today - totally dark!!!

Year's first partial solar eclipse occurs Tuesday

LOS ANGELES (AP)

Early risers in Madrid, London and Paris take note.

The moon will appear to nip a bite out of the sun Tuesday, a spectacle that will be visible at sunrise across much of Europe.

The partial solar eclipse can also be seen from northern Africa, the Middle East and central Asia, where it will occur at sunset.

Tuesday's solar show is the first of four partial eclipses of the sun to occur this year. The last time there were this many partial solar eclipses was in 1982. The next time will be in 2029. There is no total solar eclipse this year.

A solar eclipse happens when the moon lines up between the sun and the Earth. This casts a lunar shadow on the Earth's surface and obscures the solar disk. During a partial solar eclipse, only part of the sun is blotted out.

Tuesday's eclipse will begin in northern Algeria. As the moon's shadow travels east, western Europe will wake up to a sunrise eclipse. In Madrid, a little more than half of the sun's diameter will be covered. In London and Paris, about three-quarters of the sun will be hidden.

The greatest eclipse will occur over Sweden where about 85 percent of the sun will be blocked. A sunset eclipse will be visible from Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northwest China.

Williams College astronomer Jay Pasachoff planned to be in Israel and meet up with a local astronomy club to test out his cameras and other photography equipment during the eclipse.

Since partial solar eclipses yield little information of scientific interest, Pasachoff instead will educate fellow sun chasers to resist staring directly at the sun. Instead, people should peer through commercially available solar filters to avoid eye damage.

"It will be a run-the-mill partial solar eclipse, but it's more fun than a lunar eclipse," Pasachoff said.

THINGS CATS MUST REMEMBER

Posting from Pussycat Playroom

=^.,.^= ♥ =^.,.^= ♥ =^.,.^= ♥ =^.,.^=♥ =^.,.^= ♥ =^.,.^= ♥ =^.,.^=

*Screaming at the can of food will not make it open itself.

*I should not assume the patio door is open when I race outside to chase leaves.

*If I put a live mouse in my food bowl, I should not expect it to stay there until I get hungry.

*The guinea pig likes to sleep once in a while. I will not watch him constantly.

*If I bite the cactus, it will bite back.

*I will not stand on the bathroom counter, stare down the hall, and growl at nothing right after my human has finished watching "The X-Files".

*Television and computer screens do not exist to backlight my lovely tail.

*No matter how dangly and attractive they are, my human's earrings are not cat toys.

*If I play 'dead cat on the stairs' while people are trying to bring in groceries or laundry, one of these days it will really come true.

*My human is capable of cooking bacon and eggs without my help.

*The canned cat food is already dead. I do not need to kill it by swatting bits of it all over the floor.

*I am a carnivore. Potted plants are not meat.

*I will never be able to walk on the ceiling, and staring up the wall and screaming at it will not bring it any closer.

*It is not a good idea to try to lap up the powdered creamer before it all dissolves in the boiling coffee.

*The goldfish likes living in water and must be allowed to remain in its bowl.

*If my human wants to share her sandwich with me, she will give me a piece. She will notice if I start eating it from the other end.

*I cannot leap through closed windows to catch birds outside.

*The large dog in the back yard has lived there for six years.

I will not freak out every time I see it.

*I am a neutered cat, not a peacock, and prancing around with my tail fluffed up will not make my balls grow back.

*If I must give a present to my humans's overnight guests, my toy mouse is much more socially acceptable than a live mouse, even if it isn't as tasty.

*Just because I hear voices in my head, I do not have to answer them!

Sea Lion Writes Chinese

Photo by YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images

An eight-year-old sea lion 'Leo' writes the word 'Rabbit' in Chinese characters as part of a New Year's attraction at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama in Kanagawa prefecture, suburban Tokyo on January 3, 2011.

February 2011 will mark the start of the Year of the Rabbit according to the lunar calendar a 12-year cycle followed by China and other parts of Asia.

All first-class postage to be ‘forever’ stamps

By Associated Press

Beginning in January, all new postage stamps good for 1 ounce of first-class mail will be marked as “forever.”

The U.S. Postal Service is doing away with issuing first-class stamps with denominations.

A Postal Service official tells The Associated Press that the move is designed to help customers who have struggled to match 1- and 2-cent stamps with first-class stamps after postal rates have changed. The official requested anonymity to discuss a policy that hasn’t been announced formally.

The official said that Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe plans to announce the new policy Jan. 14.

The Forever Stamp, first issued in April 2007, is designed for use regardless of changes in postage.

A first-class stamp is now 44 cents, but the Postal Service hopes to raise the price soon.

Smile, I Love YOU

Love,

Vincent

Learn more www.RikkisRefuge.org and help spread the good word, tell everyone you know about Rikki’s Refuge

The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies, they go to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your friend, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Monday, January 03, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! January 3, 2011

My Favorite Quote, Today

and maybe forever

Refuge News

It’s CFC time. That’s the Combined Federal Campaign. I need your help. I need you to write a paragraph or more about the value of Rikki’s Refuge. This is the time of year we have to write that really tough essay justifying Rikki’s existnace as a Human Health and Welfare Organization. If you can gear your paragraph towards the benefits YOU as a human have gotten from your association with Rikki’s or the value you see Rikki’s giving other humans that’s the best!!! Or simply tell us WHAT RIKKI’S REFUGE MEANS TO ME!

We need that CFC and CVC funding so we have to prove to them we are worth keeping!!!

Please send your testimonies to Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org

Thank you, your efforts will help us very much!

Hey WALKER, can you learn to do this?

Dogs, wearing hats and sunglasses, are used by their owner to beg for coins in Manila. (Photo by NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Live from Vincent Video

Katarina and Grace were on hand yesterday to give a tour at noon yesterday.

Every Sunday someone will be on hand to give a tour at noon. Join us at noon on Sundays for a mini tour where you can walk around from animal neighborhood to neighborhood, from Piggy Paradise to Horsey Haven and see the animals.

Would you like to learn to give tours of Rikki’s Refuge? Doesn’t that sound like fun volunteer work? Drop Katarina a note and let her know you want to be a tour guide, katarinagalvin@yahoo.com then devote two hours a month, a week, or just a time or two a year and let people experience the joy of meeting the animals!!

Teamwork

That’s really what it takes to run Rikki’s Refuge. Everybody working together. Everybody doing what ever their skill is. If everybody did the same thing, we’d never get it done!! But when each one of you contributes what you can in your way then we make a great Team of HEROES and we save more and more animals!!!!

Thanks for being a HERO on Vincent’s Team!

Did You Know?

A mole can dig a tunnel 300 feet long in just one night.

When you go to a Mexican restaurant and see MOLE SAUCE on the menu - don’t worry, it’s NOT cat food!! It’s a Spanish sauce made out of peppers and tomatoes.

ON THIS DAY

in 1959 Alaska was admitted as state!

Good Times in the News

A New Job for Pearl

From: The Animal Rescue Site

Pearl is a three year old Labrador retriever who found her calling after the recent earthquake in Haiti left people scrambling to find their loved ones, reports the Contra Costa Times.

She was discovered in an animal shelter by the California Task Force 2 search and rescue team after having runaway from her home several times. They adopted her and began to put her through training to become a search and rescue dog.

When the earthquake struck Haiti, Pearl and the other dogs on the search and rescue team were put into action. Pearl helped volunteers locate and save survivors who were trapped under the rubble after the earthquake devastated the country.

Pearl is now the subject of new a book, A New Job for Pearl, that was written by students in California. The book is the brainchild of Allyn Lee, whose daughter is one of the students who collaborated on the book, and Connie Forslind, the teacher of those students.

"I really wanted to find a dog that had been adopted and likely (would have) been euthanized," said Lee when explaining why she chose Pearl to be the subject of the book, reports the news source.

Pearl is a shining example of what animal shelters can provide and the service they offer. Animal shelters are always looking for people to adopt animals to help better their lives.

Upcoming Events

January 8, is the 2nd Saturday of Month and that means ... SINGLES DAY!

10 am - 4 pm - Something for everybody. Come and do a day of service at the refuge and meet like minded souls. What a great way to learn more about somebody in a safe and friendly environment. If you're an animal lover you'll want to make friends with other animal lovers. What a good chance to observe someone doing what they love and interacting with the creatures you love. You'll learn more about their true nature working side by side than over a candlelit dinner or in a dark movie theater. This is one of those "Feed two cats out of one bowl" opportunities. You know what they say about two birds and one stone? Such talk is improper at a no-kill animal sanctuary. So here we "Feed two cats out of one bowl". And that's just what you can do. Benefit yourself, meet new friends. Benefit the animals, make their lives better, make your life better. Put together a group of people to come for a work party on Singles Day. They can meet the animals and meet each other. Invite that guy or gal you've been to shy to ask out for dinner. The leader who puts together the biggest work party wins.

Singles Day - a great place to pick somebody up !

January 8 SATURDAY Donation Drop off noon - 2 pm

January 8 SATURDAY HOUND DOG DAY - In honor of the birth of Elvis Presley on January 8, 1935 we celebrate all Rikki's Dog's Birthdays today. Come and honor Rikki's Hound Dogs, bring them treats, take them on walks, adopt one.

January 9, SUNDAY TOUR THE REFUGE - NOON Sunday mini tour, take a walk around and see the animal facilities.

January 9, SUNDAY ADOPT A REFUGE DAY - help clean up the refuge like others clean up the highways. Sign in and get your garbage bags. Who ever can fill the most from debris that's been blown about and has migrated from the woods, wins.

I Love YOU,

Vincent

Learn more www.RikkisRefuge.org and help spread the good word, tell everyone you know about Rikki’s Refuge

Sunday, January 02, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! January 2, 2011

My Favorite Quote, Today

In your growth, do not be afraid of evoking anger in other people.

Anger is only a manifestation of their insecurity.

But fearing this anger can hold you back.

Anger would be merely stupid if it didn't create so much grief.

Dissolve your own anger in love and forgiveness.

Do not let depression or anxiety hold you back in your growth.

Depression is losing perspective, forgetting, and taking things for granted.

Sharpen your focus.

Reset your values.

Remember what should not be taken for granted.

Shift your perspective.

Get out of the rut.

Remember to hope.

---Messages from the Masters to Dr Brian Weiss.

Refuge News

Rene just finished making two really nice outdoor fearl kitty houses. She brought them by to show me before delivering to their new owner. VERY NICE!! Well Taco and Harvey thought so too. They immediately jumped up on her truck and went in the houses. Came out, walked around, went in, rubbed cheeks as a sign of approval. Rene could hardly escape from Rikki’s without taking them with her!!! I guess that means her houses have the Rikki’s Cats Seal of Approval.

What’s a Docent?

Yesterday was our first day of the new 2011 program. Every Saturday from noon - 2 the Refuge will be open for Donation Drop off. A docent will be on hand to meet you and to help you unload all the nummy food you bring for us and to answer questions!!! No need to call ahead. Depending on the work load of the day and any needs of the animals, the Docent may or may not be able to give you a mini tour. Remember: care of the animals always comes first!

Cindy Wright is the Docent Director and she’d love to give you a quick training to learn to be a Docent. Shifts would be two hours on a Saturday. You could help out one Saturday a year or one a month or one a week. Can you spare two hours to help Cindy?

So what IS a Docent? A knowledgeable person who can interact with visitors, with staff, with volunteers; answer questions, provide assistance, give tours and provide commentary.

Interested in learning a little about Rikki’s Refuge and our residents? No litter box cleaning required!!! Contact Cindy cindyw2525@aol.com

Cindy was our Docent yesterday and got to meet visitors who brought supplies for the animals. And even got to give a tour to a family visiting for the holidays!

Poacher Patrol

Yesterday, being the first Saturday in January, was the last day of deer hunting season. This draws out the hunting neighbors. And for some reason, our property is a real draw to them. Don’t know if it’s cus they’re not allowed to hunt there so that makes it more fun or if it’s cuz the deer come to our property for safety.

But we do not allow hunting on our property. First off we’re a protected no-kill zone. Secondly it’s not very safe to be wildly running around and shooting at things when animals and people are about. Very dangerous. Last year we had another conviction for trespassing and hunting on the property stick. This has made the neighbors just madder.

So they had a new tactic to storm us on New Years Day. They wore face masks, like ski masks, so they could not be identified. That’s how one got off last year, he said, “You didn’t see my face, I had my back to you.” Even though it was his truck, license plates, the jacket he was wearing a few moments later when the sheriff got there and everything. The judge said, “If you didn’t see the face and get a positive ID ....”. So now they are wearing ski masks.

Gee poaching on Rikki’s property is escalating to the same level of bank robbing. AND you know how warm it was yesterday?? It was in the 50’s so come on, nobody needed face masks to be warm. Bad hoomans.

They came all over our property. Close enough that people who worked there could hear them cocking their guns, now that’s just way too close. Joe was out confronting one batch of them who was refusing to get off the property. Lena got scared when she heard them cocking guns where she was working, so she came up to the 9^th Life Center and called the Sheriff. They said, they’re at your gate now, we got a call that YOU are shooting at the hunters!!!

So here come the Sheriff and the Game Warden. While the poaching trespassing hunters are on our property trying to scare the poo out of us they are calling and saying we are shooting at them! What do they want? Us all arrested for the day so we can’t protect our own land? Crazy huh???

I think the Sheriff and the Game Warden figured out this tactic pretty quick. It wasn’t long before every hunter was cleared off our property. And we could get on with the

BEAUTY

Beauty came to Rikki’s many years ago. She’d already had a long history before she arrived. She’d been a breeder and lived the first part of her life in a cage cranking out babies as fast as she could. That was her only value to her owners. No love, no affection, just a baby machine.

When the cattery closed down she was sold cheap to somebody cuz she was old and worn out. She wasn’t very trusting of people. She was frightened. She didn’t know how to behave as a pet. When she’d get upset or frightened she’d reach out and scratch.

So they had her toes cut off. Along with her claws. The euphemism for this is de-clawing. They should call it de-toeing, as they take the last joint off. This causes a great deal of pain. Not only after the surgery but often forever. Walking on feet you have trouble balancing on puts weight in all the wrong places and it hurts. Scratching your litter can hurt. It’s a serious injury that never heals well.

And it leaves psychological scars. Now unable to scratch when frightened, kitties often turn to biting. That’s what Beauty did. She bit. And so she was hit for biting. Has life been better in a tiny cage, giving birth over and over again and being patted only occasionally or now in a home that “loved” her yet cut her toes off and then hit her when she was frightened?

It didn’t matter, because soon she was in the pound, slated to be killed. Another rescue group stepped in here thinking they could adopt out this beautiful gal. With more trauma behind her now, Beauty was even less trusting and this time she was going to lash out and bite before these hoomans could do anything bad to her. She didn’t yet understand that there are good hoomans.

Trying for months to rehab her, the rescue group finally gave up and Beauty was lucky to come to Rikki’s Refuge. She was a resident of Cat House Number 3, The Friendly Biters. These are kitties just like her, who for one reason or another, are frightened of hoomans and bite to protect themselves. Many of these kitties are de-toe-ed kitties. Somebody cut their toes and claws off to make them soft and cuddly - and not they bite. Some of them will love you for a few minutes but as soon as they sense something off they bite without waiting to ask questions.

Beauty lived happily with the Biters for years and years. Sometimes she’d be loving. Sometimes she’d bite. Sometimes she’d walk up behind us and bite our ankles. Just because she could. At Rikki’s she was never hit and never told she was a bad kitty. We knew she had psychological problems that made her be like this.

Last winter she got sick and had to come into our hospital. She was very sick. And she’s quite elderly. We did not think she would survive. She needed a lot of nursing care and at first she’d bite. Then she was too weak to bite.

But a miracle happened and Beauty started to get better. And she biting got less and less and her loving got more and more. By the time she was totally recovered she was a love bug. Now don’t get me wrong, that fear still lurks in the back of her mind, so a sudden movement or something fearful can still get her hissing and biting. But overall she’s a wonderful loving lady.

She hated being in the 9^th Life Center. She’d spend years out side in Cat House #3. But due to her age and problems, including a very bad heart murmur she needed the care of the 9^th Life Center. And so she convinced the hoomans to let her be a mascot and go out. And she was happy. And she came back for her medicine twice a day. And the hoomans were happy.

Now she loves to follow people around. And she went on the

NEW YEARS DAY HIKE

It was many miles and over the river and thru the woods and when she got tired

What a wonderful day at Rikki’s Refuge!

From a Hiker:

Hi Kerry and Katarina! I want to tell you how much I enjoyed the hike today. It was quite fun and relaxing. I'll be sure to watch for the next one to be scheduled! I'm attaching a couple of photos of our mascot , Beauty. What a sweetheart and a trooper. :-)

The third attachment is the gift tree that Katarina gave us for my workplace. It was so rewarding to share the story of Rikki's with everyone who asked and to get back their compassion and generosity. We don't have a lot of traffic there so it wasn't a huge return but it was so gratifying anyway. I definitely want to do it again next year!

Thanks so much for everything that you do. ~ Toni

Look at Ivory now

Still getting physical therapy several times a day for a stiff hip and leg, but up and eating and feeling great! Thank you for your support!

My friend Louie reminds us, “Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you don’t have a leg to stand on.”

Pamela says, As I see it, if human beings have inalienable rights endowed by the Creator, so do non-human animals. The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (i.e. a life free from exploitation, torture, and the ability to behave in the manner that nature intended). That's how view the definition of 'animal rights'.

Did You Know?

A jumbo jet uses 4,000 gallons of fuel to take off. WOW WEEEE can you imagine!!! Glad I don’t have that tank to fill up huh???

Think we can make more room in the 9^th Life Center this way

Good Times in the News

Dog in the United Kingdom rescues kittens

From: The Animal Rescue Site

Most people believe that dogs and cats are at odds with one another. However, a pup from the U.K. recently proved the opposite.

According to New Zealand's Southland Times, a canine named Shyla has been helping nurse a number of needy kittens for the past three years. The dog, who has experienced a number of false pregnancies, can do so because she still produces milk.

Shyla's owner, Angela McFall, spoke with the news source about how her beloved four-legged friend saved seven cats from being euthanized.

"We drove to Ashburton as I had heard there were some kittens that were going to be put down," she told the news outlet. "We stuck our feelers out because we knew she was producing milk."

The news provider went onto explain that Shyla probably doesn't realize the creatures she's helping are of a different species.

Shyla isn't the first pup to become a foster mom for kittens in need. CBS News reports that in 2008, a loving canine named Lilly helped feed a litter of felines who didn't have a mom.

Don’t Miss - Recently Posted

Check out Autumn-Skye’s new blog where she talks about being Ms USA and a Director at Rikki’s Refuge! We’re proud of you Autumn-Skye!

http://southernskyes.blogspot.com/2011/01/hello-welcome-to-my-blog-i-am-reigning.html

Polar Bears Destroy BBC's Cameras

http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2011/01/polar-bears-destroy-bbc-documentary.html

Dear Vincent

How many Assistant Shepherds Signed up?

Lots of you have questions about Rikki’s Refuge. I’ll pick one or two a day to answer here. Ask your questions in the blog comments or sent to me at Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org

QUESTION: Vincent, I love your Animal Shepherd portrait!! How befitting of you, out to save the animals! I’m so happy to join your team! Who else joined up?

ANSWER: Yesterday I talked about being the Good Shepherd of all animals, working hard every day to save everyone! And I wanted to enlist everyone of YOU as my Assistant Shepherd. Did most of you just forget to send me an email or comment?

Here’s my Animal Shepherd Team so far!!

Sheri Callahan

Gilbert Callahan

Bentley Callahan

Virginia Brock

Janet Duran

We’re teaming up to save the animals of the world !!!!

I Love YOU, one and all

Vincent

Learn more www.RikkisRefuge.org and help spread the good word, tell everyone you know about Rikki’s Refuge