HELPING ANIMALS AT OUR SANCTUARY AND AROUND THE WORLD!
RIKKI’S REFUGE IS A MULTI-SPECIES LIFE-CARE NO-KILL SANCTUARY
FOR THE MEDICALLY AND SOCIALLY CHALLENGED
SUPPORTED BY DONATIONS FROM KIND AND GENEROUS PEOPLE LIKE YOU !
January 18, 2018 - Opie's Diary of Daily Doings at Rikki's
Refuge
photo
compliments of Lauren Todd
Good morning !!
My name is Lil Girl .... I
came to Rikki's about 3 weeks ago .... they stuck me in a cage for the first
two weeks ... some welcome, huh?
Then I was able to get out
and play with some new friends .... then two days ago they stick me in a cage
again, don't feed me breakfast ... in the morning here I am in a carrier in a
car again ..... they say the big city is far and that's where they were taking
me .... we get there and they say oh no doc at speuter clinic sick ... go home
.... so it's all the way back .... and I get to play with my friends and sleep
with them ONE more night .... and here I am... back in a cage, no breakfast,
driving around again ..... what is this barf ??
Now I'm sitting in a cage in
a big city and they say I have to come up with $75 to get out and go back to
Rikki's !!! How am I supposed to come up with that, will you tell me, pleases?
It's not like I have pockets to hide anything in !!!
Will you bail me out so I can go home to my friends .... Rikki's promises that
this time, they won't make be sleep in no more cages .... I hope I can trust
them.
But FIRST ... I need YOU to
get me out a here !!! Lil Girl
They came and woke me up
early and made me get in a box .... and it wasn't even a nice box that was good
and scratchy, it was like plastic with a bankey and holes to look out
.....I don't think I'm having a very good
day.They tell me I have to pay them
for this too .... and I can't come home till I come up with $60 ......Opie says you be nice hooman and maybe you
help me ?
Me n my baby just got to
Rikki's four days ago ....this mornin
hey pulled me out of our cage and put me in this carrier and they're taking me
somewhere.I'm so worried about my baby
being all alone.I've never been away
from him before.They say I have to
stay away all day, but then can come back if I pay them $75 hooman green
papers.Where do I get that from?You think Oni's dad pays kitten
support?What am I going to do?I'm so worried ....Oni is my only family ...don't let him grow up an orphan ... please
help me get home to Rikki's.Thank you,
Misty
Huh?Is it morning ....going where you say ?But my sister Merry is going too, right?You can't separate us, you promised you never would.I heard when Rikki's makes a promise it's
for real.Yawwwnnn.... I'll just go back to sleep now ....
WHAT ?That's an eye opener ....you say Luna and I each have to come up with
$60 trading papers to get home?And can
you just tell me HOW?I guess we're
lucky it's only $60 cus we already had out shots ...poor Misty and Lil Girl need $75 ....I hope YOU can help us all out so we don't have to live in cages
at the speuter clinic for the rest of our lives.
You just gotta click here to
help us get home to Rikki's !!
January 17, 2018 - Opie's Diary of Daily Doings at Rikki's
Refuge
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
Well ... I bet you figured it
out!!It DID snow !!!!Not a whole lot ... just a little bit.And it was cold so it stayed a light fine
thing and didn't do any damage.
Sara Starbucks could sure use a cup herself right now
photo
compliments of Doug Deal
Good Morning Hooman !
photo
compliments of Doug Deal
Anybody awake in there ?
photo
compliments of Doug Deal
Got Nums?
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
Crazy pigs taking a bath in
this weather !
photo
compliments of Doug Deal
I keep nagging you come out
and paint ....the girl scouts did a
lot of murals for us last summer !!!Aren't they pretty ?You could
do some in the comfort of your own home and then bring them out to liven things
up around here !!!
Can we PLEAZ just get in the
truck and head south now ??
photo
compliments of Doug Deal
Smoky Joe votes to stay - he
loves the snow !
photo
compliments of Doug Deal
Just look at that thick long
fluffy coat !!!No wonder he never
gets cold.He even begs to stay out all
night.But daddy Doug won't let him !
The peacocks say the snow is
a pain in the tail
photo
compliments of Doug Deal
The snow can accumulate on
their tails and really weigh them down.You'll see them beating their tails against a tree to knock it off
!!!This snow was too light and dry to
be a problem for them.
Good Moooorning ... Got Hay !
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
I don't think so
photo
compliments of Doug Deal
Mouky is heavier than 4.5
pounds for sure !I bet Opie would like
to try that trick !!
January 16, 2018 - Opie's Diary of Daily Doings at Rikki's
Refuge
photo compliments
of Doug Deal
Good morning Animals !!!!!
photo
compliments of Lauren Todd
On the way to the speuter
clinic !!!Four not so happy
cats!!Luna, Merry, Lil Girl and Misty.
Almost at the speuter clinic .... more than an hour of driving to get there ...
just turning on to their road ..... 4 scared and hungry kitties ..... and they
call .... uh oh the doc called in sick we have to reschedule for Thursday .....
Ohhhhhhh nooooooo ...... how do I explain that to my patients .... first let me
stop at 7/11 and get them something to eat ..... then they can ride all the way
back home ..... and we'll do it again on Thursday !!!
Ohhhh I'm so sorry little ones .... this is not your "Welcome to
Rikki's" week I'd planned.
Sunny today, and not to
awfully cold, but not very warm either.Expecting snow tonight ...ugghhh....So today most of our time will be spent
getting ready for that.
We like to stock up extra supplies at each neighborhood and every station.Why?Cus it can take a lot longer to walk back and froth to storage areas in
snow .... if it's deep you gotta lift your legs so much higher to walk .... and
if it's just a little, it can get mighty slippery !!!You don't want to be carrying cases of canned food or 50 pound of
feed and slip and fall !!!You could
spill it all !!!
Cindy came out to help out and visit the animals.Cindy is our Dog Diva ... aka Director of Dogs.She loves dogs.And everybody else !!
Boomer is a special friend
photo
compliments of Cindy Wright
And so is Buddy
photo
compliments of Cindy Wright
Feeling
surrounded................
photo
compliments of da Hooman
catchin up on paper work... That's Neeka on the floor, Sandy in
the chair, Spartan on desk, Outdoor on puter!
A little cuddle time in the
sunshine before the possible snow
photo
compliments of Doug Deal
Thank you momma Cindy
photo
compliments of Doug Deal
for the new straw before the
snow
Tucker
I see a house that needs painting? Where are YOU ? The strips on the window are that kind of heavy plastic you see on warehouse doors to keep the cold out. They come off in nice weather.
Does this sky look like snow
?
photo compliments
of Doug Deal
Let's keep our paws crossed
for NO SNOOOOOO tonight !!!
January 15, 2018 - Opie's Diary of Daily Doings at Rikki's
Refuge
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
Another cold one ....even the emus want to snuggle this morning
!!!
Honors says ANY day is a
great day for treats from visitors !!
photo
compliments of Cindy Wright
Bella says ME TOO !!!!
photo
compliments of Cindy Wright
Bella was a premarin colt,
used in the pharmaceutical biz and discarded as trash ....
Do hoomans still take pills
made out of PREgnant MARe urINe?
Don't believe me that where
the name premarin came from and that is just what it is and it's made as
medicine for hoomans?Just ask
Wikipedia !
I wonder how many hoomans look up the drugs that are recommended to them?Do they research what they are made out of,
how they are made and .... geesh ...the likely side effects?Do
they look into natural plant based alternatives?I know, I know ... not everything can be fixed with an old fashioned
tried and true, tested and used safely for hundreds of years, natural remedy
.....but so so so much can !!!
Be careful with your body ...you only
got one this time round ... feed it well and care for it ....and learn about the stuff you gonna put in
it !!
That's why I only eat Fancy Feast ....It's good and safe for me !!!
Yikes ....this picture got stuck and
didn't show up the other day !!!!
Remember that nice load of nums we got from Purina?
Here's the wonderful hoomans
who did all that long long long drivin for us !!!!
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
Lori & Patrick, Thank you
This morning Lyn messaged she
was coming out
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
and her nephew Austin came
too.On the way they stopped at our
thrift store, Re-tail, to pick up the things that had been donated for the
Refuge.
Did YOU know that if you
don't want to come all the way out to Rikki's, you can drop off donations for
us at Re-Tail in Fredericksburg?Yup
... food and everything !!!!And a nice
volunteer like Lyn will bring it to Rikki's.
And be sure to drop off donations for us to sell in the store too !!!!Be like most our fans, drop off a few
things, go home with lots more treasures you find to buy !!!!
It was a beautiful sunny day
and it we got to share hugs and smiles with Lyn and Austin.
photo
compliments of Lyn Hamlett
This load had something for
everyone!
Livestock feed, dog and cat food, rabbit food, a space heater, cleaning
supplies, hand warmers...
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
thank you to Lyn, Austin, and
all who donated. The need never ends.
January 14, 2018 - Opie's Diary of Daily Doings at Rikki's
Refuge
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
Betty joins Tony for morning
rounds ....but she's not putting HER
feet on that cold ground !!
The day dawned COLD ....8 degrees.....was it really 67 degrees
just the other day!!!!
Still as soon as there's
morning light
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
the geese come seeking out
ponds and pools !!
The ducks quack and dance
around complaining about frozen pools
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
while the hoomans clean them
all out and fill them with fresh water !THANK YOU Wilson Well for the fast flowing water that makes this job
take much less time.
What?You don't see any people standing
there filling the pools?Nope ...they get things cleaned and the water
flowing .... and rush off to get something else clean while the pools are
filling.That's one way we know if
somebody can work fast enough to get a job at Rikki's.On their test day, if they stand there for
20 minutes waiting for a pool or trough to fill .....well it's just not gonna work !!!!You got to be fast moving, multi tasking to get it all done in a
day !!!!It takes lots of brains too
!!!!
Miss Pigeon with her man ....
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
... wait?That's a peacock !Yup !!We have the
strangest couples at Rikki's.You never
know who'll take up with who !!!Just
wait and see !!!Goose and donkey,
pigeon and peacock, pig and cat, cat and sheep .....anything goes around here !!!
The other pigeons pair up for their morning sunning.
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
In warmer weather they fly
rounds about the aviary in the morning, cooing with their soft lovely
voices.When it's cold, they prefer to
come out of their nests and sit on warming stones !!!!As they warm up, the cooing begins !
It's gonna be a busy day cuz we got a truck load of surprises arriving in the
afternoon.Everything has to get done
so they'll be time to unload that truck and get everything situated before
dark.
Winter means a lot of work has to be hurry hurry .....Why?Cus hoomans don't see so good in the dark .... and we don't have outdoor
lighting, so everyone rushes to get things done before dark.In the summer you can keep working outside
and seeing what you're doing till 9 pm.Now by 5:30 it's to dark to see a black cow !!!
Sometimes the hoomans have to work wearing headlamps or by the light of vehicle
headlights.But that makes lots of
things so much harder.And scares some
of the animals too .... when a creature starts across the field towards them
with one great huge shining big eye !!!
BACK OFF HOOMAN .....
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
we don't want to have to hurt you... this really doesn't concern you ..... we found the truck ....
we're headed to Florida ...don't even
TRY to stop us!!!
--- cats
who've had enough of the cold
It was hurry hurry in the medical room .....
photo
compliments of Lauren Todd
Cus there was an early
afternoon intake ....and everybody
needed to be ready and a room set up in the quarantine building ....
Finally Tic Tac voted no more
paperwork....
photo
compliments of Lauren Todd
Didn't I hear someone say
that cats were the smartest and knew everything...
It was time for our new
arrivals !!!
photo
compliments of Lauren Todd
Misty is the Mom.About 4 years old.Keeps having babies under somebody's porch.We offered to get her "fixed" and
they could keep her.But nope ....won't be allowed to go home.
During her two week quarantine time we'll get to know her and see where she'd
most like to live.She seems pretty
friendly ....though on day one you get
examined, shots, wormed, icky smelly flea drops, ears cleaned .....so it's not really the best welcome to
Rikki's !!!
photo
compliments of Lauren Todd
Oni is Misty's little boy and
her only baby ....nobody knows what
was happening to all the babies Misty was populating the folks porch with
....but they'd apparently disappear
one by one .... and Misty would have more.
Note holes in
sweatshirt!Oni was more apprehensive
than his mom.He clung on for dear life
... even trying to get away by digging in the shoulder and pulling.Nobody likes bleeding, getting bitten,
clawed, stomped and butted ....but
it's the way of life at Rikki's !!!If
you want to work with animals, you have to understand and accept animal
behavior ... and when they are scared they hurt you, usually without meaning
to.First you deal with the situation
and make sure the animals is safe ... then you can take a 2 minute break to
clean up the blood before going back for more !!
Now that Oni will be safe and can live with his mom forever ....Misty doesn't need to worry about having
more babies.....come on speuter clinic ... return mom's call
quick ... so we can make sure of that !
Tis the season many girl kitties are getting pregnant ....I know, seems crazy when it's this cold
doesn't it?But yup ... that's when it
happens.Birth rates sky rocket around
Valentine's Day ....so If you've got
anybody hanging around your house ....or running around showing off or yowling for guys ....grab 'em and get 'em to the speuter clinic
NOW !!!!
How many cats can you fit in a 26' truck .....or will emus come bursting out .....or has a homeless bigfoot been captured and needs relocation ......WHAT might we find !!!
Nine .... count 'em NINE ...
pallets of dog food, cat food and treats for both !!!!!We never know what will come .....a couple times a year Purina calls and says
send a truck ....
It's late afternoon, and it's COLD, and the truck still has hours to travel to
be turned in tonight.
How do you get it unloaded FAST ?No
loading dock here .... no fork lifts ....nothin but hooman power !!!
video
compliments of Katie Terrill
That was fast .... truck is unloaded so our volunteer drivers
can be on there way .....
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
Thank you to Lori Walters and
her husband ....who did an all day
journey to travel to Purina to pick up and deliver donations to Rikki's
!!!!!WOW ....what a great big prize !!!!
With the truck safely on the
way ....now the hoomans have more
work.Getting it all stacked neatly and
stored away ....cus this is gonna last
a few weeks !!!!You've seen me begging
for dry cat food, haven't you?Often
the whole load is dry dog food and treats.But YIPPIE !!!this time two
whole pallets were cat food !!!!
photo compliments of Katie Terrill
It's a lot of packaging material.Often
outdated displays.Like special
Christmas promotions.But we don't care
!!!!Really ....we'll eat it no matter what pictures are on
the boxes and bags !!!!Stay tuned ....there will be a big bon fire on packaging
disposal day !!!!We have to pay to
take trash to the dump .... so when we have an opportunity like this .... be
burn it for free !!!
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
When all was stacked up
...... the hoomans selected tomorrow's nums.Yup ....see that truck ...that is what us cat and the dogs will eat
TOMORROW !!!
Wait .... do I see two more dull gray barns in the background ? I think I do!WHERE are YOU volunteers with that bright beautiful paint
!!!Maybe if we got this place painted
up like a tropical paradise it wouldn't be so cold !!!!
You really can't fathom the
vastness of Rikki's Refuge till you've worked here a while and you've filled
bowl after bowl after bowl ....and
then washed them all and scooped up all he poop !!!!It really takes a village to feed all of us in the Nation of Rikki's
!!!!
Nine pallets sounds like a LOT ....We're hoping it will feed the cats for a month ... maybe ... if it's not
too cold, cus everybody eats more when it's cold.The doggies should have enough till spring !!!But that's ONLY their dry food.Everybody gets canned food every day too
.....twice a day for many and for everyone
in the cold ....and this donation was
only dry.So I'll still be begging YOU
to help me buy canned cat and dog food !!
