Rikki's Refuge

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! October 11, 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

KiKi’s Alien Pumpkin Halloween Costume

We’re ready for Halloween!! Are YOU? KiKi said she’s tired of going to costume parties as a dog. She couldn’t decide between an Alien and a Pumpkin this year .... so ....

Chubs is going as a cat on a pumpkin.

Ok, so the pumpkins aren’t in yet. Well .... it’s almost the right color, isn’t it?

Voted Yet Today?

Remember to vote every day!!! The mostest votes will win us $1,000 and I NEED YOUR VOTE !!

Please click http://tinyurl.com/VoteRikkis and enter Rikkis Refuge in VA in the USA

Thank you, your simple clicks every day really truly brings money into Rikki’s, and the money that comes to Rikki’s is spent caring for the animals!!!

Ever wanted to be Mayor of your Neighborhood?

Dreams come true at Rikki’s Refuge!!! And you could be the Mayor of a Neighborhood.

Volunteers are a big deal at Rikki’s Refuge.

Yes, we staff. Our staff is wonderful, too. Our budget is so limited that we are only able to afford to have staff for the absolute daily essentials. The feeding, cleaning, medicating. It’s a lot of work and it has to be done on a schedule every day, day in and day out. No matter what. 365 days a week. Rain, snow, sleet or heat. Holidays and mundane days. We love volunteers who like to come in to help with this work too. Some come in just to wash the dishes one day a week. Others to help with the regular cleaning.

And lots of volunteers come to build new Animal Neighborhoods, make repairs to existing Neighborhoods, mow acres and acres of grass, do special seasonal scrub ups of Neighborhood Houses, and to keep houses warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Every one of our 22 species needs volunteers!!!

Ron, is our Director of Serving Cats. His project this weekend was fixing up the temp quarantine pens. This is an area where a group of ferals can do their quarantine time together and not have to be separated into scary cages. They’d had a lot of water damage from recent flooding. Now they’re all nice and clean and have new decks!!

Ron would love to vote you in as Mayor of a Cat House. Your duties would be to keep that one house looking nice and special, arranging the furniture, the climbing toys, seasonal scrub up, keep the nesting boxes nice and warm with new fresh bedding, maybe even some painting. It’d be up to you on how to make YOUR cat house the prettiest!! And imagine the looks you’ll get when you go to work Monday morning and says, “I spent my weekend working in a cat house!”

Stacey is the Mayor of Rabbit Rotunda. Every weekend she rakes out to keep the ground nice, scrubs house, works on drainage control, brings extra treats for her special friends. Thank you Stacey for keeping Rabbit Rotunda looking so nice!!

Katarina is our Volunteer Director katarinagalvin@yahoo.com she can train you to be a useful necessary part of Rikki’s Refuge. She worked all day Saturday and Sunday with lots of projects going on. Keeping her eyes open and lending a hand where needed. She had projects going on at Feline Fields, Rabbit Rotunda, Cavy Castle, Pigeon Palace, Doggy Downs and was working on lairs for werewolves and dens for ghouls for THE HAUNTED FOREST. You are coming on October 22 aren’t you? http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2011/09/dare-you.html

Next weekend, on Saturday the 15^th, she’s putting on The Fall Furr Festival - and it’s THE place to be !!! http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2011/09/rikkis-refuge-presents.html Games, tours, raffles, craft tables, the bestest bake sale, she’s got the best group of volunteer bakers you’ve ever seen, come and try them out !!!!!

If you’d like to help us get ready for the event, we could use extra clean up and set up crews Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning. Contact Katarina to help out. katarinagalvin@yahoo.com

My special friend Victor,

who kept me warm at last years Christmas Parade, helped do all kinds of thins all weekend too.

Doggy Downs Clubhouse One is getting it’s much needed new roof, thanks to Dan. This is his first big project at Rikki’s!!!!

Robyn is a jack of all trades and works in all the Animal Neighborhoods, this weekend she was fall cleaning for the rabbits and guinea pigs. Even the tops of their houses need cleaning cuz where there’s a will there’s a way and there will be poop in high spots and low spots!!!

Jan, our Tour Director, lead the Sunday tour. She’s our PR Director too and she brought lots of cool news paper stories she had submitted and printed for the Fall Furr Festival and the Haunted Forest. You are coming, right???

http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2011/09/rikkis-refuge-presents.html

http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2011/09/dare-you.html

Karen came and brought nums for us critters. She and mom have been friends since they met working at the same humane society far far away about 30 years ago!!!!!

Laurie had extra veggies in her garden and brought them down for the critters!! Num num num. We’re not picky, it doesn’t matter if it’s too much or if it’s damaged. Our piggies and rabbits and guinea pigs and everybody but us cats and dogs is very happy to get something fresh and healthier than pellets!!!!

Ann scrubbed up all the dishes and helped with the washing. Do you have any idea how many dishes, food bowls, water bowls and plates and platters 1300 animals can use in one day? Helen and Adam call it Mount Dishmore when they come out to help scrub up. And the laundry, which was running behind schedule cus the machine broke. Everybody had to break and go get a spare one out the barn and install it. THANK YOU people who donate your working appliances that you’re replacing!! With a bed in every cage, quilts on the floor for sleeping, lots of linings for cubbies and cuddle areas - it’s mounds of laundry.

And I know there were more of you out there this weekend. I went to check the log to make sure I got all the weekend activities and oh no !!!! Nobody filled out the volunteer log since Sept 22!!! But I know lots of you have been there !!!! Please remember to sign in and out and enter a brief description of what you did!!!! You deserve a big thank you and I don’t want to miss anybody!!!!

Thank you Dennis for bringing nums for the critters!!!!

And Jon our new Produce Procurement Manager for running the Recycle Unwanted Pumpkin Project 2011 !!!! Yeahhhh. With Catnip Candy in the hospital, she can’t be the one out there on the streets, so Jon graciously offered to take over the project!!! Big clap for Jon please !!!!!!

Jon is a feline person (YES read Cat Man!) raised on a small dairy farm in WI and retired Army Corps of Engineer Officer. You may have seen him hanging out with the cooks at Refuge events or hauling cat food & the like.

He’s currently in the mobilization and information phase of this project and needs YOUR help!

Have you helped in the pasty with the pumpkin runs? Will you help this year?

We need all the assistance we can get to spread the word to donors that we can dispose of their unsold/unwanted produce for free.

Please get back to Jon with your contact information ASAP by e-mail, we have only 20 days before the season is upon us and over for those unwanted Pumpkins & Fall Décor.

Jon O'Connor, (540) 898-6063, jocors@comcast.net

London takes over Mike’s Crate

While Mike the goat is out for fresh air, London takes over. Silly London loves to sleep in cages!!! Mike is doing great. his cast is scheduled to come off on October 18^th.

I'm in a real pickle and I'm scared of drowning in this sour juice !!!! Please help spread this around. I've only got a week left to pay off Mike's current bill - so I can run up a new one having the cast off and x-rays and ...... I've got my bladder bills, and KiKi huge surgery bill, not to mention food and we're almost out of propane and no money to fill the tank. Please help if you can and certainly share. There's lots of folks who'd be willing to help with a buck or two if they knew how hard we work to take care of the animals. Thank you, Love, Vincent

Click to chip in for Mike: http://rikkisrefuge.chipin.com/healing-mike-the-goats-broken-leg

We’re 71% there ....... That is ALMOST, isn’t it?????

When the going gets tough - the tough remember - Vincent Loves YOU !!!!!

Love,

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

Monday, October 10, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! October 10, 2011

Voted Yet Today?

Remember to vote every day!!! The mostest votes will win us $1,000 and I NEED YOUR VOTE !!

Please click http://tinyurl.com/VoteRikkis and enter Rikkis Refuge in VA in the USA

Thank you, your simple clicks every day really truly brings money into Rikki’s, and the money that comes to Rikki’s is spent caring for the animals!!!

Prayers and good healing thoughts, please

Auntie Catnip Candy, I love you so much. We're all praying so hard. You're the kindest, gentlest, most loving soul. Always a big smile, kind word and loving thought - no matter what. Always always thinking the best of everyone. Hearing your voice on the phone always makes me smile. Your voice is so full of sunshine. Rikki's without Candy is like Rikki's without sunshine. We all love you so much Candy. God please let all our prayers work and let a miracle bring Catnip Candy back to Rikki's happy, healthy and smiling.

That’s my brofur Napoleon in the picture with Aunt Candy. Napoleon always loved Catnip Candy and visited with her when she came to Rikki’s. Even when she didn’t have any catnip! Napoleon passed away yesterday. He'd been with us at Rikki’s Refuge for five years and four months. His man died and he was left by the family to be killed at a shelter. Fifteen years old, no one in family wanted that old cat. But we thought he had a lot of life left, and we though he deserved to live it in dignity and full of love and happiness. And so he came to live out his retirement years at Rikki's Refuge. I think he was very happy with us here these last five years.

Napoleon was one of the first run round kitties here at Rikki's. He’d been indoor outdoor all his life. Living in the 9^th Life Center was not cutting it for him! He wanted out. He’s the only kitty ever who chewed holes thru the roof netting in the Day Room to get outside!!! He’d walk on the top roof beam and then pick a spot and start chewing. After catching him in the barn eating mice, bringing him back to the 9^th Life Center, patching the hole and repeating, about a thousand times, mom caught on and decided he could go and come as he wanted to.

Pretty much a loner till he was given that freedom, he then made friends with mom. On warm nights he’d sleep out, saying the mousing was better! When it was cold he’d come in to bed with us. Since it started getting chilly at night this last week or so, he’d moved back in the RV with us at night. He liked to sleep on the table next to the bed. Every now and then he’d come on the bed to give mom a big kiss and whiskers up the nose at night, just checking that she was still breathing. Soon as she woke up and gave him a few pats, he’d go back to the table and back to sleep.

We’re so sorry to see Napoleon leave, but we’re so glad he had such a lovely long and happy life. 20 years is a very happy old age for a kitty! Thank YOU for making it possible for us to give a second home to kitties and dawggies like Napoleon.

Deb Barrett puts out a plea

Deb and Napoleon, photo taken two years ago

Dear Friends of Vincent,

Vincent is missing his Brofur Napoleon and he is also missing his Auntie Candy who is still in the hooman hospital here in Va. It is going to get cooler and colder here soon. To honor Napoleon and his Auntie Candy.. would everyone PLEASE donate at least $1. This will help buy canned and dry cat food for all of Vincent’s brofurs and sisfurs at Rikki’s. Vincent has so many fan and friends... if every single person just gave $1.. think how much food that will buy. This is to honor Napoleon and also his Auntie Candy whom he loves so very much. You can donate on-line http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php or at Rikki’s Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960. OR if you live close enough you can bring your canned and dry food to Rikki’s and see Vincent! PLEASE help Vincent and his friends.

Deb...

Vincent's friend and volunteer.

Congratulations to Judith Peele !!!

Judith opened our division Wild and Feral two years ago. It’s been a stunning success from day one. Today is not an un-typical day. Judith called in to report that Wild and Feral speutered 21 female cats TODAY! None were pregnant, though some in heat, so it wouldn’t have been long. That means 84 kittens NOT going to the pound after the first “cycle”. Did you know each female cat can have up to 4 litters a year, with 3-6 kittens each time, and their kittens can get pregnant before they’re six months old? You’re getting way higher than I can count with 14 fingers and toes, but you’re hooman, do the math !!!!! Thank you Judith for loving kitties so much that you’ve devoted your life to saving us!

Everybody REMEMBER to SPEUTER - it's the kind way - it's so much better than letting our kids be killed in the pounds!!

You ARE coming, aren’t you?

Fall Furr Festival Saturday, October 15^th

http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2011/09/rikkis-refuge-presents.html

What’s with the saddle?

Beauty said to KiKi

KiKi is doing wonderful. She's still mad about having to be on a leash when outside. Only another week.

Poor KiKi has been going totally crazy locked up inside!!! After such major surgery she needs to rest and be quiet and not hurt her stitches or make herself bleed. Don’t even think about a cage or crate, the turns and jumps and bangs and flips it over and over and over.

So she tried a small room of the 9^th Life Center by herself so nobody could jump on or sit on her belly and hurt her and so she can’t go outside and run or jump. So she busted thru a wall and got into room A of the 9th Life Center to be with the kitties there!!!! She doesn't like being locked up in a small space alone.

KiKi says our doc is crazy to make her stay quiet, she's perfectly healthy and ready to run the fields .... LET ME OUT ..... If you're not busy, and get a chance, come out and walk her. She's allowed to walk on leash but not supposed to run or jump and can't be out on her own.

After her wall eating episode, she’s staying in the 9^th Life Center where the old doggies sleep. And she’s very happy with them. We just have to be so careful going in and out of the door so she doesn’t get outside - where she wants to be.

The 9th Life Kitties that go in and out and in and out all night long keep getting a BIG surprise. The dawgies who sleep in there hardly move all night. They just go nighty and don't move till the sun comes up. The kitties are in and out all night when mom goes over to check on patients. 6 or 10 or 20 go in and another 6 or 10 or 20 come out. Usually mom opens the door and it's all quiet and they just have to jump over the dogs laying around everywhere. But now, mom opens the door and there's a great big snuffling snorting bouncing wagging conehead trying to push out the door!!

You should see some of them kitties back peddle down the ramp! KiKi is doing great!!! She just can't wait for the day she's allowed to stay out at night again. She hates being forced to sleep with the old doggies - she wants to run the fields all night long!!! But she’s a lot happier with them than by herself.

I've been avoiding the issue of the pathology report. I know you want to know. I'm sorry. It did not come back what we wanted. We are praying that every possible unwelcome cell was removed by the expert hands of our Dr Meredith Vargas and KiKi's body is free and clean of anything bad and damaging. Doc said, "Well, do what ever it is you do with those animals!! Rikki's has some kind of magic that keeps them alive way past expiration date!"

And that’s what we’re counting on!

Thank you Laurie and Melissa

for taking Rikki’s to Saturday’s Warrenton event!!!! Getting the word out about Rikki’s is real important. It’s a proven fact, those who don’t know about Rikki’s have never helped out!!! Spread the word so new volunteers can come and help with all kinds of things, including going to fun events. Lots of folks would be willing to donate a can or two of food for the animals if they knew about them!!!

Thank you Kim and Kathy

for doing the yard sale this weekend to help raise some money to pay the medical bills.

Do YOU have any nice items that can be sold to raise money for Rikki’s Refuge? Yard Sales, Auctions, E-Bay, and our new store in Culpeper!!

Thank you Dennis and Crystal

Who have set up and are caring for our booth at Minuteman Mall, in Culpeper at the intersection of 29, 3 and 522. Look on the chart for DTP (Duke Thomas Peabody). Antiques, crafts, collectibles - with an animal twist. Got any good stuff?

In memory of

Shopping Alert !!!!

Giant Grocery Store has their own brand of cat food Companion on sale for 59 cents for 13.2 oz - this is a really really really good price --- hook up your goat cart and go shopping PLEASE ..... Winter is coming, we're adding fat and fur, eating 22 cases of canned cat food a day!!! Please help us fatten up!!!!

We’re in need of canned dog food too!

In Search of ........

Gerbils anyone? Cats need not apply!!! Males and females. That's all the message said. I don't have a safe area for them at this time. Anybody can help? Call Isis 540-455-3879 Fredericksburg/Spotsylvainia area of Virginia USA I believe.

Un-nueutred goat with horns looking for home, Fredericksburg Va USA - that's all I know - if you'd like to adopt call Doneene 540-656-2399

Hand raised farm pigs, about 6 months old, very friendly, two neutered boys and a girl - need a home before end of October. A wonderful 16 year old girl I know, Sarah, worked at Montpelier’s "working farm" over the summer and they were raised there. They go to auction for bad things at the end of this month. She wants desperately to save them. She's arranged everything else, she just needs a place for them live, her city yard is too small. I so much want to help her. I would need money for construction materials, volunteers to build an area and funding to keep feeding them. I can't just put them in with other pigs, it can take time to acclimate and they can fight real bad and seriously hurt each other. Do you have room for three pet pigs??? Orange, Virginia, USA contact tworogersgirls5117@gmail.com

Orange County Animal Shelter

located next to the Sheriff's Office on Rte 625/Porter Rd, has lots of cats and dogs in all sizes, shapes and ages. There’s a perfect one there waiting just for you. I saw her holding up a sign with YOUR name on it.

Doing an event where you could spotlight a few adoptable cats or dogs? Can you foster one or more till they find their forever home? Can you help clean cages and kennels one day a week ... or month?

They’ve worked hard to reach their goal of no kill, with literally dozens of cats and dogs being turned in daily, they desperately need YOUR help to keep this status. Please help. They don’t put out those heart wrenching please with photos of animals they are threatening to kill by tomorrow if you don’t take them - but they are asking for your help, begging for your help, everyday.

Help Rikki’s Refuge and help Orange County Animal Shelter keep Orange County Virginia a better place for all.

Address: 11362 Porter Road, Orange, VA. Phone: 540-672-1124

Here’s a partial list of your new friends: http://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?shelter_id=VA123

I Love YOU,

Vincent

PS - Please Please click on this star and help me!!! So many bills, we must keep the animals healthy, and I NEED your help TODAY! Thank you for sparing ONE DOLLAR for us today.

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.

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

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! October 5, 2011

Voted Yet Today?

Remember to vote every day!!! The mostest votes will win us $1,000 and we can put that towards KiKi’s surgery bills!!

Please click http://tinyurl.com/VoteRikkis and enter Rikkis Refuge in VA in the USA

Thank you, your simple clicks every day really truly brings money into Rikki’s, and the money that comes to Rikki’s is spent caring for the animals!!!

KiKi

is doing well this morning. She thinks she had a total recovery at 4:30 am and want to go OUT and run thru the fields. Of course after all this surgery, mom and Lena won’t let her out. She can only go out on leash and she’s not allowed to run or jump. Just walk slow. And she’s going stir crazy. She’s turning circles, clawing at the door, even chewed off the door knob! The cone of shame didn’t stop that!!!

She’s not eating dog food now. All she wants to eat is chicken slices, chicken luncheon slices, frozen (after Lena cooks them) chicken strips and chicken nuggets, and those chicken dog treats that is like dried up chicken.

So it you’re coming to visit her - please bring lots!!!! And she can go on nice slow walks if you can control her and keep her on leash and not running and jumping.

Gosh she’s in there barking and howling something awful to get out!!! And Beauty is barking and howling trying to break in to help her escape. this is gonna be a long 10 days to recovery!!!

Please pray hard that her pathology report comes back, benign, all good, no bad cells, all bad stuff gone - and that she has many many more years to run the fields and play!!!!

Antiiiiiciiiiiiiipaaaaaation

Mike got up real early this morning and rented a great big truck and is headed over the mountains and thru the woods and over the rivers to go far far away to Purina’s packaging plant and he’s gonna pick up 6,776 pounds of nums for us !!!!

And I think we should pray it's all Fancy Feast... and it could be !!!

Well ok, at least canned food, lots and lots of caned food. If it's all dry food, it will last us 47 days!!!

Thank you Purina and Thank you MIKE !!!!!

And please pray with me that Mike has a safe and easy trip over the river and mountains as he drives that great big truck.

Come on out mid afternoon and help us unload !!!!

Thank you for the sun shiny day that will make it all easier!!!

I love your letters !

Vinny,

Your story (yesterday) reminded me of the time my CAT locked me out of my car on the PA Turnpike in a snowstorm. The guy who stopped to help was scared of my Dobie, also in the car, so I sat on the hood and waited for a state trooper who unlocked the door! --- Judi

I’m so glad I got my KiKi to kiss!!!

Love,

Vincent

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

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! October 4, 2011

Yesterday

was a scary, anticipating, exhilarating, crazy kind of day.

First off - did you know it was the opening day to start voting in the New Shelter Challenge Contest?

YES you can vote every day now and help us win $1,000 to help pay for our doc bills!

Be sure to click on http://tinyurl.com/VoteRikkis and enter Rikkis Refuge in VA in the USA.

Vote from every computer you have and tell all your friends to vote!!! It’s really important. If we can win the mostest votes in a week, then we can all start voting for someone else and help them too. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every week we helped a rescue win $1,000? We can do that too!!!! Each of us is only allowed one $1,000 each voting period. But we can all work together to win for lots of animals !!!

So stop right now and click and VOTE http://tinyurl.com/VoteRikkis and enter Rikkis Refuge in VA in the USA.

KiKi

Friday my bestest sister dawgie-pal KiKi was diagnosed with a terrible, terrible tumor. Huge, and bad, and all over. Her condition made her ineligible for surgery, she just could not have made it thru. We worried all weekend that her time was very limited with us. Oh we were scared. And all our good friends were praying and sending good thoughts.

Monday we went to see Doc again and things were looking better. At least lab wise. And it looked like KiKi could have the surgery. It was still scary. Very scary. KiKi was going to need blood, lots of blood.

I volunteered to give her blood, and so did all the hoomans at Rikki’s - but our Doc said, “I gotta have dawgie blood, please.”

And so we rushed back to the refuge in the Trooper. I’d driven the Trooper over instead of mom’s truck so KiKi had a big place to lie down in the back. In the pick up truck, big dawgies have to be in crates in the back cuz only small carriers will fit in the cab and mom says it’d be way dangerous for a doggy to jump on my lap while I was trying to drive. Then we could all get killed in an accident and that would be really bad.

But uh oh .... part way back to the refuge, right in the middle of a busy intersection in Culpeper, I couldn’t get the trooper to shift into gear. It’s really had to keep track of all those peddles and shift things and the steering wheel and all that stuff all at the same time. And to see out the window to know where you’re going and make sure nobody is in the way. Wow that’s hard! Especially the peddle part, I mean with just one leg and all you know.

And it just wouldn’t shift down as I made this turn ... oh my gosh I was scared .... I’m in neutral and I’m rounding the corner and then it won’t go in no gear and the cars behind me is getting closer and closer and I’m meroooowing my head off ..... help ... don’t hit me .... what do I do?? MOMMEY, help, what do I do? Mom said be calm, and she grabbed the wheel and got us to the shoulder of the road. Pweeeee I was so scared I had to get out and pee right there in the dirt. Mom said good thing I made it out, she’d a been really annoyed at having to drive the trooper that I broke (it’s all MY fault now) while sitting on a wet seat. Oh poo on you, hooman!

So mom played around and played around and boy did she have trouble getting it into gear too. Like the clutch peddle goes down but like it isn’t doing anything. She never could get it into first, but she managed with two paws to force it into 2^nd and get us going. She and me was praying real hard that it’d shift into 3^rd, and it did. Yeahh!!!!! She could go up the gears to 5^th ok, but coming down was way hard. And getting into 2^nd (she finally forgot about ever trying 1^st again) and into reverse was real real hard, real two hand jamming hard.

We made it back to the refuge.

We talked to the dawgies about who was gonna be a blood donor for KiKi. Duke stepped up and said I’m the Spokes Dawggie, I’ll do it. But mom said oh no Duke, you’re thin and you have medical issues that I’m worried would get worse if you went thru the stress of giving blood, you’re a good kind considerate doggie, but I don’t think this is the job for you.

Beauty volunteered but said she wasn’t sure she could do it without biting the nice doctor.

We sure didn’t want the nice doctors hands bit all off cuz she needed them to do the operation.

Mom and Lena decided Summer is the biggest, strongest, youngest and had no medical problems, so she should be the one who should go to the hospital and save KiKi.

Summer can’t ride in the back of the Trooper suv on a blanket like KiKi can. Cuz Summer would jump over the seat and right into mom’s lap and make her wreck and that might kill us all. I didn’t want to get killed so we figured we better get the dreaded crate out.

It was raining and cold and mom didn’t feel right asking Summer to ride in the back of the pick up, so the crate went in the Trooper. Even though the clutch was such a problem, mom just had no other way to do it. This was an emergency and it had to be done right now. No time to call people for HELP.

Summer howled that beautiful blue tick howl all the way, directing mom on how to go, and especially barking loud enough to drown out the sounds of the bad things mom was uttering while she tried to shift the trooper. She just kept praying to not hit lights and corners and things that made her need 2^nd. She said her arm was about to fall off when she got there.

We was too scared to drive all the way to the refuge and then all the way back to the doc in Culpeper to pick up dawgies after surgery, so we went to the library in Culpeper and worked there on the puter till time to go back to doc.

Doc Vargas got to work and it as such a big job Doc Kellum helped too. After a while the doc called mom and said, this is bad, this is so bad, it’s all over, it’s worse than I thought, and it’s going to take longer than I thought, and it’s really hard surgery for KiKi. I’m doing all I can, and I’ll work as long as I have to. I’m just afraid ..... Please get everybody praying. And thank you for praying and praying and sending good thoughts and good energy and reiki and all the good things you wonderful friend do.

Mom and me sat on pins and needles waiting for that call. Oh no, dreading the call. Two hours later when the phone rang and it said Culpeper Animal Hospital, mom was already in tears when she answered, she was so scared of the news. And the nice lady said, Doc just wanted me to call and tell you KiKi is out of surgery and you can come see her!!! Oh joy, joy, joy !!!!

You have no idea how relieved we were!!!!! And off to the hospital we went, forcing the trooper into gear.

The plan had been to visit with KiKi but keep her hospitalized over night, and to bring Summer home. As KiKi was coming out of anesthesia she was really fighting it and she always freaks out about being in a cage. So Doc decided it was better for KiKi to go home, where she could sleep in a small blocked off part of a room she was used to and where she was used to so she wouldn’t thrash and be upset.

There wasn’t room to put Summer’s crate in the trooper and to get KiKi in. And there was no way Summer - that crazy girl - would be calm enough to ride with KiKi. No only would Summer jump on mom while she was driving and get us all killed, she’d jump up and down on KiKi too and that would be really bad for her dozens of staples and her very sore belly. So poor Summer got left behind. She’d have to come home in the morning, cuz it was too late to make a second trip to the refuge and back to the hospital.

Lena and Wayne stayed to help get KiKi out of the trooper -- and it was a long wait as mom kept working real hard to jam the gearshift into second and it got worse and worse ....... We kept praying, get us home with KiKi and then we’ll tow it off to get fixed if we have to. Just please, please get us home. And finally we were there !!!!!

Lena and Wayne fixed up a real nice soft bed for KiKi and got her all settled in. Lena stayed even longer to help getting her ready for the night and making sure all would be well.

About 9 pm Lena loaded up her homework - the eight doggies that go home with her every night - and headed out. Mom crawled, dog tired, over to the office to get to work. And found that Shadow had puked all over the place, not once, not twice, but over and over and over. And Taco, leaky butt, had spent the day in the office on mom’s chair. Mom was standing there looking about in despair and the phone rang. It was Lena saying, “Uh Oh Snoop locked the doors on me when I got out to open the gate - I’ve called AAA - they’ll be along shortly to get me back in the car.” The toasty warm car, cuz Lena warms it up before loading up the dogs. Poor Lena was standing out in the cold, 48 degrees Fahrenheit. COLD and without her jacket cuz she just jumped out to open the gate. When Snoop just jumped up and hit the button and SNAP all the doors were locked ! See, it’s always the dawg who does it!

So Mom figured she’d grab her truck keys and go the half mile up to the gate and let Lena wait in her truck with the heat on ...... but where were mom’s keys ??????

She looked and looked and looked and looked. She even looked in the window of the truck to see if she’d accidentally left them there when she moved stuff out of the trooper back to the truck. No keys. Not inside. Not in the office. Not in the RV. Not in her coat pocket. No where. She looked again. And again. Poor Lena was standing out there in the cold, and she was tired after a long, long day at work, long like 16 hours already. Poor Lena.

Mom thought about taking the trooper but figured it’d get stick right in the driveway and she’d never be able to move it and then nobody could every come to work or volunteer again. So she kept searching for her keys. Feeling like a crazy old lady. Not even a crazy cat lady this time!

Then she remembered the spare key and got it out. Well she was pretty sure that was it. And she smiled and went to the truck. No luck, it wouldn’t open the door. Oh poo, poo and double poo. She searched around some more. None of the other keys she could find worked either. She was sure that first set of keys worked, and then remembering the truck keys haven’t been working good, but the beeper thing on the real key chain was, she decided to try those spare keys again. No luck. But the little one did work on the back of the truck. So Hmmmm these were the right keys. And now mom could sit in the cold bed of the truck, but that wasn’t going to help thaw Lena any.

So mom got the wd40 and zapped the keyhole and then with a bunch of fenaggeling got the doors open!!! She drove up to the gate and while moving stuff off the seat for Lena to jump in and warm up, found her set of keys!!! Ding a ling - she had locked her own keys in her own truck. This is why hoomans just shouldn’t be given much responsibility.

About 10 o’clock the AAA man rolled up, with a headlight out (guess he needs to call AAA for help) and he approached the car. He was scared of Snoop a growling and a snarling thru the glass. Lena convinced him there was nothing Snoop could do thru the glass so he went to work. He used a blood pressure cuff to jam in the crack on the door and pump it up to open it a little. I looked at him and said, “Silly hooman, you’ll never fit in thru that crack! Even I couldn’t fit in there!”

And then he took out a mini rabies pole and reached in the little crack and POP the door opened just like that !!!

And then finally - Lena got to go home. For a few hours anyway. She came back at 4:30 this morning so mom could get some sleep.

And Summer got to come home first thing this morning. She was singing all the way !!!! I heard that some people like to put woofers in their car so they sound real loud when they stop at traffic lights !!!! Well that’s just the way we sounded all the way home with Summer in the truck !!!

KiKi is eating a little now and sitting up some. She’s on a lot of pain meds so she’s sleeping a lot too.

Beauty is real worried about her friend and wants KiKi to get well real quick so she can come back out to play at night.

Mike Speaking

Oh, Hi there!! Thank you, Vincent, for letting me have a word. Seeing as how YOU always try to HOG everything!

Hi folks!! Thanks so much for the help you’ve given me so far to pay off my docs for my broken leg. 17 of you have contributed almost half of what I owe. Any chance there’s another 17 of you out there who’d like to get me out of this crate?

See the crate I’m in? It’s a DOG crate! Not a GOAT crate, a DOG crate. I think this is terribly unjust. I’m only allowed a few minutes out on my feet till this cast is off. My next appointment is October 18^th, and if I’m lucky then, I’ll get this cast off.

But I can’t even go to my appointment till I’ve paid off what I own now. Please help me.

I promise, as soon as I’ve paid my bill I’ll start to help my sisfur KiKi pay hers ..... even if she does bark at me.

Thank you, Mike

Fred’s Getting Ready

for the Haunted Forest!

Would you like to help us scare everybody???? We’re looking for volunteers!!!

http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2011/09/dare-you.html

A BIG hug to everyone of YOU !!!

Love,

Vincent

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

Friday, September 30, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! September 30, 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

I’m dedicating today to my goat friend Mike. He needs help.

Please help me till I can get back to work!

Mike was injured during the week of the earthquakes. Perhaps, as the ground shook underneath him, terrified of the motion and the roaring sound, he leapt without looking. His right hind leg was broken. Very severely broken at the hock. After examination and x-rays, he was sent to a specialist with the hopes of saving his leg. Could they? Or would they have to amputate? It took three tries to set the broken leg and have it hold.

Poor Mike is on restricted movement, spending short bouts in a small fenced area, much of his time in a dog crate. After three weeks the cast came off, more x-rays were done. The leg was healing!!! It looked like Mike would not loose his leg.

Mike wanted to jump for joy, but the specialist said, “Not yet!” Another cast went on, three more long weeks of restricted movement. On October 18^th Mike will go back in to have the cast taken off, x-rays done and then he’ll find out if he has to stay in a cast longer, or if he’ll get to run and play!

Mike has really racked up the bills. Don’t you agree that saving his leg was worth it?

Mike’s gotta pay off the current vet bills before he can go back for his check up on October 18^th. He cannot get a job before he’s well.

Can you please help Mike Heal?

If you prefer to help by check
Rikki's Refuge
for Mike's Leg
PO Box 1357
Orange VA 22960

Thank you for making it possible for us to help the animals!

Haunted Forest

You DO plan to be there the eve of Oct 22^nd, don’t you? http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2011/09/dare-you.html

Come this Saturday October 1st - help prepare the trail in the woods!!!! 9 am till 3 pm

Thank you Barbara

We ran out of cat food after breakfast this morning. OUT. Like in no more. No more canned cat food. Oh No.

My friend Barbara is loading up her car, and she really knows how to load up, in Waynesboro and driving over the river and thru the woods - but the good cat food store don’t open till 9 am and she has to be at work by noon - so mom’s gotta take MY truck and meet her half way. Thank you so much Barbara!!

Our pantry is really bare.

If you’re coming out this weekend, please grab something of the list to bring: http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2011/08/lenas-shopping-list_10.html

FIGURE IT OUT !!!!

Online jigsaw puzzles from JigsawSite.com

Pumpkin Season Officially Opens Tomorrow !!

Our beloved Candy usually puts on her pumpkin hat and takes over! Unfortunately she’s wearing a hospital gown this year and won’t be able to be the Pumpkin Coordinator. Please keep up your prayers for her continued healing.

I need a Pumpkin Head Person

We got our first inquiry about picking up yesterday

I need some one to be in charge of the coordination -

coordinating site pick ups with the volunteers who can pick up.

Would you like to be the coordinator? Kerry@RikkisRefuge.org

I also need drivers, lots of drivers, all over, Richmond, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Fauquier, Fairfax.

Can you be a driver? Kerry@RikkisRefuge.org

The Pumpkin Coordinator will talk with all the locations, coordinate pick up times, broadcast this information to the drivers. The drivers will pick up and deliver to Rikki’s.

The pumpkins save us thousands of dollars in feed every fall.

WE DESPERATELY NEED YOUR HELP.

Hunting Season Opens Tomorrow Too

and we need your help to keep the poachers away. We need help improving the perimeter trail. ATVs and small off road vehicles welcome. You can do it on foot too!! Please come out and help Joe patrol and work on the path. Saturday and Sunday.

Yard Sale

At the intersection of 20 and Zion, by the Exxon known as BJs 8 am - 3 pm Please stop in to help Kim if you can. Bring items to sell on behalf of Rikki’s. Thanks for your support. Kim is working hard to make money to buy food for the animals.

I hope you can come out to visit this weekend.

Saturday noon - 2 pm Donation Drop off at Rikki’s

yard sale at BJs Exxon rt 20 and Zion Rd 9 am - 3 pm

prepare the Haunted Forest Trail 9 am - 3 pm at Rikki’s

improving the perimeter trail 9 am - 3 pm

Sunday noon - tour

improving the perimeter trail 9 am - 3 pm

Love,

Vincent

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

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Healing Mike the Goat's Broken Leg

Please help me till I can get back to work!

Mike has really racked up the bills. Don’t you agree that saving his leg was worth it?

Mike’s gotta pay off the current vet bills before he can go back for his check up on October 18^th. He cannot get a job before he’s well.

Can you please help Mike Heal?

If you prefer to help by check
Rikki's Refuge
for Mike's Leg
PO Box 1357
Orange VA 22960

Thank you for making it possible for us to help the animals!