Sunday, March 24, 2013

Revenge of the Duck


After the festivities of Easter Fun ... E. M. Duck waddled off to seek revenge .....
On the lovely ½ mile stroll from Rikki’s North - where Easter Fun was held ... to Rikki’s South where 22 animal neighborhoods await ... Goosey Gardens ... Feline Fields ... Doggy Downs ... Bovine Bulevard ...


E. M. Duck stopped to take in the beauty of the budding trees on the surrounding hills ....

Rikki’s Refuge sits in the center of 450 acres ... 350 of it forever preserved natural woods and wetlands where umpteen little critters make their homes, safe and sound from the surrounding growing hooman population.

First stop .... Bovine Boulevard

Where Calvin was the first to say WHAT THE HECK ????

He just couldn’t get enough of these great big orange feet !!!!

A big smack on the ... bill ....













From Bovine Boulevard ... it’s only a hop skip and waddle over to Horsey Haven

On to Chicken City where ....
once Miss Charlotte heard the secret ....

they all flocked to Mother Hen (?) to learn


Lucky for E. M. Duck guard dog KiKi was in a good mood and not very hungry
 









Though Wiley had pate on the mind ......

Feline Fields might be a bit more difficult to traverse .....
Little Phat ... num num num

Timmy ... Oh really duck?

But luckily ... the cats at Rikki’s Refuge are well fed ....



When we tell you that visiting the animals at Rikki’s Refuge is an up close and purrsonal experience we’re really NOT kidding


And always a great opportunity to get some really wild pictures


By now - with spring in the air - you’ve all heard tails of Mr. Turkey and his insaitiable appetite ... despite three wives ...



Mr. Turkey is always on the look out for ..... 

                     OH WOW .... A New Chick in Town !!!!

Let the courtship begin .....




time for some snuggles now


And at last ... E.M. Duck has reached her destination ... Goosey Gardens .... the place for revenge ....

Revenge of the duck ...... 

Rikki’s Refuge has this Baaadddd goose named Poppy .... 

Poppy was probably an Easter Goose once upon a time .... He was certainly raised by people and had no clue he was a goose .... 

Then somebody got tired of him and he got dumped in run off pond by some office ... 

But he wasn’t wanted there either ... cuz he was ... or horrors of horrors ... pooping ... and running up to people ..... 

And so he ended up getting turned into a wildlife rehabber .... But he wasn't wildlife .... He's a domestic goose ... Who thinks he's an apartment dwelling mutant ... 

and soon he made his way to Rikki’s Refuge where we welcome the strange ... the odd balls ... the out of place .. the misfits .... and where we LOVE them forever ! 

Poppy’s first days at Rikki's were hard .... 

He was terrified of the other geese. Usually a new goose takes right to the flock ... Sometimes hangs on the fringes for a few days or a week and then is accepted in .... 

But not Poppy .... The geese came to check him out and he ran to the house wanting to come inside and be protected ..... Night fall came and he sat down on the porch .... Had to come and live inside for a while ... Then just at nights .... And eventually after many months he finally started to make friends with the geese. 

He now runs with the flock ... Though he's a bit out of place ... He's never had a girlfriend ... The she geese look at him like he's kind of weird .... He's a different type of goose than any of our others ... And they let him in the crowd for goosey activities .... But no girl will bond with him .... 

So he's a bit frustrated ... And so - especially this time of year -- He takes it out on da hoomans .... 

You go near the geese and Poppy pops up and chases you and bites you on the butt !!!! 

It's really funny to see him do that ... But it makes the hoomans run and squeal and some of them don't like it so much .... 

Well E.M. Duck .... 
     in her hooman state .... 
          has had her butt bit one too many times ..... 

So she closes in for revenge ..... 

Watch her bite Poppy's butt !!!! 
     See how quick Poppy is up and backing down !!! 
          He's the first goose to get up and complain about this giant duck ....
 

No geese were harmed in the making of this video !!!!

Easter Fun, The Photos, March 23, 2013


Long before the gates opened ..... the bunny’s helpers were hard at work stashing eggs ....












They hid them high ......









They hid them low ....














 They hid them not too hard for da wee hoomans ...
















HEY !!!! Who let the boys in the dressing room !!!
 

Easter Dog .... Easter Bunny ... Easter Duck

It’s time for the hunt !!!! On your mark ..... get set ..... GO .....

Earon took Kelsy, younger and a bit shy at first, under her wing to help her find eggs.

That was the kindest thing !!! The utterly spontaneous selfless act makes me know our planet is evolving !!! Instead of rushing off to get more eggs for herself, she stopped to take the hand of a younger child who was feeling lost and help make the day wonderful for them !!!!! Way to go !!!

At Rikki’s Refge some bunny is always ready to help you !!!

Pictures with the Easter Bunny !!!



Easter Bonnet Winners


Winner of the Girls Division: Kelsy Winner of the Dogs Division: Snoop Winner of the Boys Division: Nathan
Kelsy shows off the giant egg she won, and her wonderful daddy who helped her make her winning Garden Bonnet !!!

Kelsy was on a winning streak !!!

She also won the Guess How Many Jelly Beans contest !!!! LOOK at those SMILES !!!!

I think everyone - young and old - had a good time. The kids are looking forward to more fun and games at Rikki’s Refuge ... The parents are looking forward to tours and volunteering ...

Even Boogz enjoyed the extra treats and handouts he mooched !!!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Good Morning Good News !!!! March 22, 2013






Are YOU doing your daily VOTES  ???
Will YOU help me win the contest at the Animal Rescue Site ???
You can do it in your home ....
You can do in on your phone ...
You can do it in your office ....
Anyway that Floats your Goat ... 
Just be sure to VOTE !!!
Every Day !!

It's real easy .... go here http://animalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3 and enter Rikkis Refuge, Orange, VA, USA and follow the directions ...


Easter Fun TOMORROW SATURDAY MARCH 23
noon - 3 pm
I’ve got some space left, let me know if you’d like to come !!!!


Guess What !!!!
Remember the other day when I told you we were getting close to making ends meet this week?  Thanks to the auction and all YOU awesome hoomans ....  we were closing the gap !!!!  

Now we only have $320.90 to go and we finish this week in the BLACK !!!!!  

How cool is that ....???   

If you'd like to help or to share ... this is where you can do it :

Here's the details about what it costs to keep Rikki's Refuge running in case you missed the story earlier this week http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2013/03/good-morning-good-news-march-19-2013.html
Thank You  !!!!



DO NOT BUY
Live animals for Easter .....  if you’re thinking of a bunny, chick or duck as an adorable present for your kids ..... please STOP and think this through seriously .....  

Real live rabbits, chicks and ducks ... poop.  A lot.  And they pee.  And it stinks.  Their cages need to be cleaned EVERYDAY or your home will STINK !!!  Really.  And they bite, scratch and aren’t used to being cuddly friendly critters.  Those that are, have had a lot of training.  Most kids get tired of being bitten and scratched long before they’ve spent the time to tame up these semi wild animals ..... But they often get sick of the stink of cleaning up the cage even before that.

So what does that mean?  It means that cute bunny, chick or duck will languish in a cage as somebody nobody wants anymore.  Shelters and pounds everywhere are flooded with bunnies, chicks and ducks about a month after Easter  .... that’s the typical time they stay in that new home.

Get chocolate .... you can eat it and it leaves no mess behind .....

Don’t like chocolate?  Want something more fuzzy?  Go for a stuffed toy animal.  They’re cute, they never bite, scratch or poop on your couch.  And when the kids outgrow them, just toss in the old toy box .... you, the parent, won’t be left to clean out that cage every day for the next 5-7 years.

But you really really want a live one?  And you’ve done the research?  Then please, please, call and adoption agency, a pound, a shelter .... many many of these little guys are sitting on death row right now, waiting for a good home.  And chances are you can find a real nice one that is already hooman socialized. 

Thank you for helping to save lives !!!!



STOP ... THINGS NOT TO EAT
That’s a cute picture, but it’s not a joke.

PLEASE don’t eat the flowers .... or any part of these plants.

This time of year I get lots of questions abut poisonous plants.  Things you often don’t think about at all, can be deadly to your pets.  Here are some to watch out for this time of year.

Easter Lily (and all lilies) are highly toxic to cats, causing quick kidney failure.  Dogs are affected too, though not quite as quickly as cats.  Hyacinth which is in the lily family and dangerous for both cats and dogs.  Daffodil, with the bulb being the most dangerous part, but any part of the plant can cause severe poisoning.  Tulips are also in the lily family and the bulb are the most toxic.  Easter Rose also called Hellebore, Christmas Rose, or Lenten Rose, which isn’t really a rose.  Azaleas, Rhododendrons and English Ivy (Hedera Helix L) are all poisonous when eaten.   Even Lantana, a popular flowering plant found in gardens almost everywhere, is toxic and can be deadly if a lot of leaves and berries are eaten.  Daisies and Chrysanthemums contain the natural insecticides pyrethins and sesquiterpene, so eating much of them ..... 

Bringing plants inside is the most common way our pets get poisoned.  Seeing something new, they naturally chew on them.  They are less likely to eat them outside, but it’s still a good idea to know what you have and keep an eye on your pets.

Symptoms of Poisoning - Don’t wait, get your pet to the vet if you see any of these symptoms.  Quick treatment can be inexpensive and life saving.  Delaying a trip to the vet can make for a very costly hospital stay and could even result in death.

weakness, sluggishness, lethargy,  depression
tremors, shakes, seizures, convulsions
unusual drooling, hypersalivation
abdominal pain, colic, stomach irritation, difficulty breathing
vomiting, especially intense
diarrhea, especially bloody or with mucous
excessive drinking and peeing

Check your Mulch.  While sprucing up this spring, be sure that any mulch you use is animal safe to.  It’s one of those things you might not even think about but that could so easily poison your pet, especially your dog as they’re more likely to eat strange stuff.   Cocoa Mulch which smells great and is advertised to keep small animals away from your plants is VERY TOXIC to dogs and that nice smell is very attractive to them too, though it doesn’t take much to poison them.  Rubber Mulch which is advertised to have a long life may not be exactly poisonous, but the surgery to remove it from your dog’s stomach is very expensive.  I’ve also heard of some new concoctions that are pest proof and various other claims - check ‘em out closely before putting them where your pets may eat them.  Pets are like small kids and they’ll put anything in their mouth - better safe than sorry!!

Have a Happy and Safe Spring!!



Laptop Experiment
HELP .. I desperately need 10 laptop puters NOW
.... I have to run an experiment. Does YOUR kitty like YOUR laptop? Like to lay on it .... like to lay on the keyboard when you're typing?  WHY?  Is it cuz it's warm .... or cuz it's "yours"?

Help me find out.

Mail working laptops to me right away at:
Opie's Laptop Experiment
Rikki's Refuge
10910 Barr Ln
Rapidan VA 22733

.... as soon as I get ten of them, I'll plug them in and leave them sitting around .... then I'll monitor their use and see if the one mom is typing on is used more often than the "unused" laptops.

AND after the experiment I'll donate them to Rikki's Refuge to use --- Lena would sure love a laptop that part of the screen wasn't burned out on, Mary would love one that didn't have keys that have fallen off, Valerie sure could use one .....

Hey this is one of those Feed Two Cats Our of One Bowl things ..... cuz at a no-kill sanctuary you're not allowed to use that saying about birds you know !!!

Learn more abut this program right here: http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2013/03/laptop-experiment.html


Love you bunches,
           Opie and Timmy

2013 is the Year of the Purr ....

Join the movement ... we’re adding purr to planet earth !
 Look! It's a great car magnet with the world's most loved cat -- Vincent Cat!!!!
"What Would Vincent Do?"
He'd "Purr More, Hiss Less".

Magnet is $5 each, plus shipping (65-cents for 1 magnet, $1.05 for 2 for U.S. addresses). For other shipping costs (international, or for more than 2 magnets) contact Melissa Felts dogslife24@comcast.net  with your zip code and how many you want.     Purchase your magnet TODAY right here http://rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php


Don't be the LAST person on your block
to have a PURR MORE HISS LESS magnet on your car!
Order YOURS today !!