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 made this self portrait just for Wayne H. Morris for all the nice pictures he’s done for me!!! Thank you Melissa for helping me a bit!!
Our Art Show at Dog Krazy in Fredericksburg Friday was a wonderful success!!!! I sure hope you can come to the next one in Orange!!
Good Morning ... Good Morning ... Good Morning ...
Good Morning ... to my best friends !!
It’s another beautiful day in paradise!
Have you Voted this morning?
CLICKS COUNT
PRIZE MONEY MATTERS
PLEASE VOTE TODAY
vote every day thru Sunday September 18th
and enter USA , VA, Rikkis Refuge
The Animal Rescue Site - Shelter Challenge
quick, simple, free
Your daily vote can win $1, 000 - $5, 000 for Rikki’s Refuge’s Animals!
It’s vitally important that you VOTE and help Rikki’s get ahead. Those cockers are trouncing us and it’s only the 4th day of the contest. They have 1.6% of the international vote, we have 1.29%. They also have 35.29% of the state vote and we only have 28.4 -- come on you all RIKKI’S REFUGE is BIGGER, we have a lot MORE ANIMALS to care for, and our budget needs the BOOST - so PLEASE VOTE and please ask all your friends to vote every day!!! Thank you!!!
YOU MAKE RIKKI’S REFUGE A WINNER !
I Snuck on mom’s Puter
Mom had to write an essay about why she got into rescue and how come Rikki’s Refuge came about. I stole the story off her ‘puter to share with you.
Rikki’s Refuge was the kind of place I dreamed about from the first day I volunteered at a Humane Society over 30 years ago. A place where the animals no one else wanted would be loved and cherished for who they were, no matter what their problems were.
My very first day of volunteering, I found out that animals that weren’t real friendly, ones that had health problems, ones that were older, were murdered. Just because nobody would love them and care for them.
My first day I took home a little foster kitty, Justin, who was the shy one in his family. His siblings were adopted and he was left behind just because he was scared. A little less then six months old, his life was going to be ended because his foster mom didn’t want “that unfriendly guy” back.
I was shocked and I took him home to foster. Justine made great friends with a kitty of mine, Monster. The next week when I went to adoptions I took Justine. He cried and whimpered and put his face in the corner of his cage and would not tolerate looking at the public. Of course no one wanted him. This was back in the days where there were very few private shelters and we all worked out of foster homes.
Needless to say Justine went home with me again. And spent another week in heaven playing with his best buddy Monster. Monster was a super friendly outgoing human loving cat. Justine would follow Monster, but shy back when petted by humans.
The next Saturday I put Justine in his carrier to go to adoption day. He whimpered and cried and Monster jumped on top of the carrier and howled and cried. Justine was terribly unhappy and upset all day at adoptions. And of course, nobody wanted him.
The next Saturday when I put him in his carrier, he reached his arms out and Monster came up and put his arms in and around Justine’s neck. They sat there, whimpering and crying.
And that was when I really realized how strong their emotions are. That they are no different than we are. They have family, they form bonds, they love, they hurt, they grieve. Soon I was crying too, and I’m crying as I write this remembering Justine and how he changed my life.
I opened the carrier door, went to adoptions empty handed, and signed Justine’s adoption papers that day.
He was the beginning of many many cats who’d come thru my door over the next 20 years. I took home the ones who couldn’t find homes. Some were shy. Some had other bad habits, biting, peeing somewhere naughty. Others were old and just needed a place to live with love and dignity for 6 months or a year or two. Some had health issues, diabetes, asthma, heart problems. I kept as many as I could reasonably manage in a regular home. Back then I worked for a living too so I had a full time house keeper who’s job was cleaning for the kitties.
I knew a few, very, few places existed, for animals like these. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah was one of them. I dreamed that someday there would be more and more places like that. I never really thought about running one, just planned to volunteer as much time as I could.
13 years ago Rikki’s Refuge was formed. In a way it just happened. I’d never dreamed of running such a place. I’d had dreams of buying a tropical island and retiring to a life of sunbathing and diving. But it happened. One day I saw the property for sale, had a vision of it being a sanctuary for every kind of animal, began talking about it, hoped someone else would see my dreams and buy it for the animals and ...... well someone did buy it, my mom. She then donated the land to become Rikki’s Refuge and there I was .... And here I am today.
Since Rikki’s inception well over 5, 000 farm and domestic animals have come thru these doors. These doors that have opened to a wonderful new life filled with love and respect. Everyone of them came from an environment where they were close to being put to death for no fault of their own. Elderly, handicapped, social issues. Some of these have been adopted out. But Rikki’s Refuge provides life care for the natural life of all the ones who need it. Everyday almost 1300 animals of 22 different species are treated with love and respect and cared for, no matter what their specific needs are.
Nobody dies because they aren’t loved or cared about. The oldest cat or dog or goat or chicken, is given the best and longest, happy and comfortable life that love and medicine can buy. They each have their own special needs and they get that from volunteers (I’ve always remained a volunteer, even though it’s now more than a full time job), staff and visitors.
Rikki’s Refuge is truly heaven on earth. Many people expect to see sad, crowded, frightened animals at a shelter. Yet at Rikki’s Refuge they are greeted by ancient dog hobbling over for a pat and tail wag on old arthritic legs, old kitties sleeping in the sun who are happy to wake up for a chin scratch and a purr, chickens who run to see what treats have been brought and goats curious and mischievous wanting to climb in their cars.
I think the most common comment heard by first time visitors is how happy it makes them to see such happy animals. Rikki’s Refuge is really a home for the animals and not just a shelter.
I want to see more animals given the chance to have such a happy home and really enjoy the rest of their lives and that’s why I want to win this grant for Rikki’s Refuge!!
Can YOU Solve My Puzzle ?
Online jigsaw puzzles from
JigsawSite.com
But the real puzzle,
is how to get my muzzle
on the label of Fancy Feast!!!
I’ve been getting good on E-Bay
Watch for my upcoming auction of Cool Critter Crafts and more .....
Watch for us this Saturday at the yard sale at Locust Grove Town Center at the intersection of 20 and Zion Rd - where the new traffic light is!!!! Oh my gosh, Orange is growing. So many fans coming to visit me they’ve had to put in two new traffic lights on Rt 20!!!
Got any good stuff for the yard sale???? We’re working really hard to pay our bills and we need your help. Donate stuff, run your own yard sale and donate the $s, do a bake sale for the animals.
Need Help in Mechanicsville
I have a deal I don't want to miss out on.
In Mechanicsville, east of Richmond, Virginia, USA
A church has donated two 12' x 53' trailers and the decking between them to us.
The church currently uses them for meeting and office space. It will be ideal for office space here as well as more 9th Life Space for the especially needy cats and dogs. This is space we desperately need.
The catch --- we have to get it here.
There's two steps to this.
Step one takes ordinary folks, like you and me. We need to remove the skirting and put it inside the trailers. We need to remove the decking and haul it up here separately.
Then somebody needs to haul each trailer from there to here. That requires a big truck. Somebody who does this professionally and knows all the rules and regs about WIDE LOAD. We fully expect this to be a paid job.
The wonderful guy who hauled all our trailers in the past, passed away last summer so he can't do it for us.
Can YOU help disassemble the decking ? Our wonderful volunteer Bob will be working on this Saturday - will you help him?
Do you KNOW anyone who can haul trailers?
And don’t forget to Recycle at Summit
Can we raise enough money recycling to to get the trailers here and get all the necessary permits and get them all set up and running? Come on you all !! Let’s do it !!!
Patsy Shares a Deal
Hey Vincent, CVS has fancy feast 2 for $1.00 that's .50 a can, Food Lion is .55 a can. Share this with your friends!
I went by CVS this morning, got you 17 Fancy Feast, they didn't have much, will check when we go to Charlottesville this weekend. It is on sale 2 for $1.00 and if people use their extra bucks and scan their red CVS reward card there at the coupon center, they might get more extra bucks, I got $5.00 extra bucks this morning at the coupon center. It would have cost me $8.50 but with my extra bucks it only cost me $3.50, that is what I call a deal, now I can buy you more.
People can also get rain checks at CVS to use another time if they don't have enough cat food for you.
Patricia Luisa Howard's Birthday Wish
I chose Rikki's Refuge because I already have everything I need except an Emmy Award and a World Series ring, and Rikki's takes care of over 1,000 homeless and HUNGRY animals of almost every species..
Please consider giving to my Birthday Wish, and together we can kick ass.. If you can't give now, I'd really appreciate if you'd share this page with your friends.
Happy Birthday Patti !!!!!
Denise Halderman's Birthday Wish
I chose Wildlife Legal Defense and Survey Fund because Rikki's Refuge is one of the most inspiring no-kill animal shelters I have ever visited. They are located in Orange, Va. And take care of any and all types of animals. They are amazing!!!!.
Happy Birthday Denise !!!!
Barbara Lowe's Birthday Wish
I chose Rikki's Refuge because Rikki's helps so many special needs kitties along with 20+ species of animals find a safe harbor & loving care.
Please consider giving to my Birthday Wish, and together we can make the world a better place for these super special animals. If you can't give now, I'd really appreciate if you'd share this page with your friends.
Happy Birthday Barbara!!!!!
Join the Cause to Save Animals
Join Rikki’s Refuge - FREE
Share why YOU love the animals!!!
Judy Augustine shares: I have always loved animals, and have had many dogs in my life. Now I have one Yellow Lab named Izzy (Izabel) that we adopted, one female black cat names Midnight, also adopted, and one male Orange Tabby I adopted from a friend, and his name is Tigger. He also answers to Frank. To me, animals give us unconditional love, and are always glad to see us. Sometimes I think they are smarter than people.
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.
