RIKKI’S REFUGE
HAIRBALLS AND HAPPY TAILS
The newsletter of thanks from grateful animals
to their beloved rescuers brought to you by
Duke Thomas Peabody and Vincent D. Cat
Building a Better Planet
One Rescued Animal at a Time
portraits compliments of artist Wayne H. Morris
You can make Duke’s and Vincent’s job easier
We are the Happy Animals of Rikki’s Refuge
who so thank you for giving us the gift of our lives and the tools to build our Refuge. We represent all the animals, the world over, whose lives have been saved by kind and loving people just like you. Thank you for being an animal rescuer.
Here’s what’s in Store for you!!
Only 14 hours to VOTE - Help
Rikki’s win a NEW Toyota
WON - 4,749 pounds of the
World’s Best Cat Litter
Office Trailers Approved
Vincent D. Cat
Rabbit Rotunda I Renovations
Tiara Retires to Rikki’s
4th of July Tour
Beauty Complains about Discrimination
Bob is Back !!!
Baby had no home
Old and Blind
It takes Tons and Tons
Carolyn Friedrich Memorial
Many ways YOU can help Rikki’s
Refuge for FREE
Making it to the finals in the Toyota 100 Cars for Good
contest is our most exciting news. TOMORROW, JUNE 6th from 10 am thru 11:59 pm eastern USA
time Rikki’s Refuge and 4 other organizations will be competing to win a new
Toyota.
The winner will be the one with the most votes. Voting is thru facebook only. Only 14 hours
to make this dream come true!!
WEDNESDAY JUNE 6th 10 am - 11:59 pm
eastern USA time
Here’s a link you can click on today to make sure you get
that reminder on the 6th !!!!
During voting hours - just click here to vote
It’s quick, simple and FREE to vote. Please help the animals of Rikki’s Refuge
win a new vehicle!
If you don’t have a facebook account - please consider
signing up now - it’ simple. Lots of
folks worry about such on line accounts providing too much information about
themselves or putting them in touch with people from their past they don’t want
to hear from --- it’s very easy to make your facebook account very very private
so no one sees anything about you.
Others have account in their pets name!!! But you do have to be 13 or older !!!
Thank you
for your vote !!!
While
we’re on the subject of voting
This round of the Shelter Challenge continues thru June 17th,
if everyone votes every day we may make it into the nationals with a larger
prize !!!!
Shelter Challenge - Vote
Daily
Click the
Dog or the Cat and Vote for Rikki’s Refuge, VA, USA
Winnings
are Wonderful !!!!
With the tough economy winnings from contests have become an
essential component to our success.
With out the funds and the supplies we cannot operate Rikki’s Refuge and
we could not care for the 1300 critters of 22 species who call this home. We very much appreciate your help in voting
in contests.
Thanks to you 4,749 pounds of the World’s Best Cat Litter
was won in a recent contest and will be delivered tomorrow!!! Click one of the kitties below to learn all
about it !!!
News
around the Refuge
It’s been a busy year.
It seems hard to believe it’s almost over. Seems like it just began.
Then when I look back at all the news WOW we’ve done a lot !
We are thankful to be stable in this economy and only
occasionally wish there was far more funding for many more buildings so we
could care for many more animals.
As usual, we make do on a shoestring, and always seem to
manage one way or another. Thank
goodness we have such ingenious volunteers!!!
Office Trailers Approved
Remember last summer when two office trailers were donated
by a kind and generous church? We
thought it would be a simple matter to get a building permit and set them
up. We were quick to learn
otherwise! It would require a Special
Use Permit and that required studies and meetings and public hearings.
By March we had received the go ahead from seven county
departments who had to approve the use of the trailers. In April the Planning Commission voted
unanimously to approve the trailers.
Though it wasn’t without opposition.
Neighbors who poach and who we’re now having an issue with a portion of
OUR land they’ve cleared and fenced for their use, came out and spoke against
us. And then spent a lot of time trying
to rile up anti-animal hatred around town.
The only other opponent was the lady who’d wanted to bulldoze the mile
and a half meandering path thru our woods and wet lands to get to her property
to log it. WOW, was she ever
rude!!! Screaming and yelling at the
Planning Commission.
Several wonderful people came out to speak in our
favor. Business owners we work with,
volunteers, even Animal Control ! Such
kind words were spoken about how hard we work for the animals, what difficult
work it actually is, physically and emotionally, and how everything we’ve ever
spent money on has been for the animals, and the animals alone. And these office trailers would give us the
opportunity to have more space for the humans as well. The staff and the volunteers. Indoor space for meetings. Data entry
without dozens of animals on your keyboard. A place to store the file cabinets
with the growing mounds of animal health records, that isn’t in the way in the
halls of the 9th Life Center.
Even a place to sit down and have lunch with out too many
critters trying to knock you flat and steal it. If you try to eat inside, you have cats and dogs jumping on your
shoulders and reaching down for a bite, pawing at you and begging with soulful
eyes. Try to eat outside and who only
knows what will take your food!!
I learned the hard way that goats like peanut butter. I’ve learned a lot the hard way! I gave up trying to eat inside once and paws
kept swatting off hunks of my sandwich.
NO, the cats did not want to eat my peanut butter sandwich. They just wanted to see what I had and take
it away! So I went outside, despite the
light freezing rain. With my hood up I
didn’t see Sammy coming. WHAM ! I sure felt those hooves hit me on the
shoulders and BAM! I hit the ground
face down. Before I knew what the
pressing weight on my back was, Sammy the goat nuzzled me for a second before
the sandwich was ripped out my hand and all I got was a few crumbs that fell on
me as he stood on my back eating my sandwich!
In May the Board of Supervisors listened to 30 something
volunteers talk about Rikki’s Refuge and the work they do to help the animals,
the county, the people, and how wide spread we have become. And they voted unanimously to approve the
trailers. They talked about the letters
and emails they’d received in support of Rikki’s. From all over the world!
You can read about the trials, see the aerial pictures of
the refuge, and lots of other information in older entries in this blog. Just scroll back to see all that you’ve
missed. Cuz, I’m sorry, it’s been a
long time since I wrote to you.
Vincent D. Cat
Click Vincent on the photo above to see the photos of his
fun fun fun 14th Birthday Party.
Can you count how many species attended his party?
Sadly, our beloved Spokes Cat Vincent, passed away just
after his 14th Birthday Party.
We are still mourning his loss as his adopted sons, Opie and Timmy
learn to take over the job of running the refuge.
Opie (left) is almost ten months old and a very outgoing
well adjusted little guy. He was born
without hind feet. His legs just stop
at the ankle. It doesn’t slow him down
much !!!
Timmy (right) will be one year old on Sunday!!! This sweet and shy baby “fell” out the
window of a moving vehicle when he was only 4 weeks old. He survived, but suffered permanent damage
to his hind legs. Though he can stand
up and take a few steps, his hind legs are so wobbly and clumsy, that he
usually prefers to scoot. Around the
ranch he’s happy and always playing with Opie and his other friends. Traveling out for educational programs is
still a little scary for him. Maybe he
remembers that fateful car ride.
Our Differently-abled Team, Vincent, Duke, Opie and Timmy,
went out to promote a contest giving away handicap vehicles.
The human is GW Plumb, who your votes got him to the finals
to win a handicap ready van. We’re
waiting to hear if he’ll be one of the three winners. It’s up to the company running the contest to pick the three
neediest. Paws crossed!!
That’s Opie on his shoulder and Timmy on his lap to the
right. This was Opie’s and Timmy’s
first off site photo shoot and they did wonderful. Timmy was a little shy and reserved. Opie was as outgoing as his adoptive daddy, Vincent.
Of course that’s Vincent on GW’s lap and Duke to the right. Our proud team, traveling to teach that
being Differently-Abled doesn’t mean you’re Disabled !!!!
Vincent D. Cat - Memorial
From Alley
Cat to World Renown Spokes Cat
April 30,
1998 - April 30, 2012
Vincent
was the inspiration and the evolution of Rikki's Refuge
Click
Vincent to read the story of how his life brought so many together in good
Rabbit Rotunda I Renovations
Wonderful, wonderful brand new and fabulous Rabbit Rotunda
II opened to residents last summer.
It’s so beautiful that it really made Rabbit Rotunda I look shabby!
Rabbit Rotunda I has now been vacated of residents and has
just started undergoing major renovations.
The residents are living in Rabbit Rotunda II for now and are very
happy.
If you’ve got even light carpentry and fencing skills, sign
up to help us renovate Rabbit Rotunda I, Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org
Tiara Retires to Rikki’s
Tiara, 34 years old, has retired to Rikki’s Refuge. A star ... well at least a roll ... in Gods
and Generals and many other movies and once an award winning Trotter, Tiara has
now earned the right live a gentle life.
She’s very gentle. Meet her at
the 4th of July Tour !!!
4th of July Tour
Tours have been on hold while we upgraded “the
facilities”. Thanks to Larry, we now
have a handicap accessible porta potty on site, and it has a hand wash station
too !!!!
So come out for the Noon 4th of July Tour and
potty in comfort!!! Gates will open at
11:30 am and close at 12:15 pm so please be prompt! We’ve had so much publicity lately and so many people wanting to
come out and play with the animals that we must keep the gate locked when no
one is watching it. We have to watch
out for the animal’s safety and the visitor’s safety - too many folks will pat
or corner an animal with out asking first, and they all have fangs, claws,
hooves or horns!
Tours run about two hours and it’s all outdoors. We do not have any buildings open to the
public. Dress for the weather, bring
sunscreen and water. A hat’s not a bad
idea.
There is ONLY ONE TOUR - so please be prompt - Tour starts
at Noon and gates will be relocked right away!!!
Remember NO NO NO
dangly or shiny jewelry - the emus will take it,
and may get a part of your ear too !
no sandals or open toe shoes - hooves
really hurt if you don’t have on good sturdy shoes !
no bare legs, shorts, or short dresses - pig
bristles will scratch when they rub against you and claws will hurt when
kitties or doggies paw at you
This is better than a wild safari !!!!!
Beauty Complains about Discrimination
I was injured protecting the refuge two weeks ago and I had
very serious surgery on May 25th .... I’m yet to see Opie try and help me raise the funds to pay my
hospital bills. All I hear is cats cats
cats --- click my photo to read more
Bob is Back !!!
Bob meet
his new great-grandson, Opie
After many years of sailing the seas, Bob Hilliard is back
at Rikki’s Refuge!! It’s going to take
days, weeks to catch up on all the changes and meet all the new residents !!!
Baby had no home
This poor little baby, his mom and siblings were left to die
in a shelter. Yet another unwanted
litter. One by one the other kittens
died. One of our volunteers wanted to
adopt mom, and asked if mom and baby could live at Rikki’s until they’re ready
for adoption.
And so this baby and him beautiful longhair black and white
mom are now here with us. Baby has some
vision and some neurological problems that we are evaluating. We’re hoping he’ll grow out of some of his
issues.
When we fully understand his needs and he’s older, he’ll be
available for adoption. If no one wants
the poor little guy cuz of his problems, he’ll live with us at Rikki’s Refuge.
The unwanted, the unloved, the differently-abled - we’re
here to love them and give them a chance at life.
Old and Blind
with
nobody to love them ...... until they
came to Rikki’s Refuge.
Now living in the 9th Life Center and two of the
several doggies that go home every night with Lena, our dog whisperer.
It’s so sad.
Everyone ages. It’s a normal
part of life. Should we lose the love
of our families and no longer be wanted and cherished? At Rikki’s Refuge we sure don’t think
so!! We think retirement years are a
special time and no matter your species, you deserve special care and love.
It’s thanks to your kind and generous donations that we’re
able to give love and happiness to almost 1,300 animals of 22 species. No matter what it is that makes them
“different”, we love them all.
It takes Tons and Tons
If you can help us out even a little bit, we’d very much
appreciate it!! Just click to feed a
cat or dog or pig or goat today !!
Carolyn Friedrich Memorial
Our beloved friend Carolyn has passed away and will be very
much missed by all the animals and humans of Rikki’s Refuge. The family has asked for donations to
Rikki’s Refuge in memory of Carolyn, a real animal, especially cat, lover. Click on Carolyn to read her memorial.
Lots of
things you can do
to help
Rikki’s Refuge !!!
Many for
FREE !!!
Click photos for more information!
Autograph Quilt Raffle
If anyone locally has a business, and would like to host a
1/2 day fundraiser with the quilt and a bake sale, contact me Melissa at dogslife24@comcast.net. ALSO if you’d like to sell tickets !!!! Great to sell at work, school, clubs and
more !!!!
Did you know that Rikki's
collects MyCokeRewards? Collect
the codes from any Coke product (Coke, Sprite, Fanta, Nestea, Minute Maid,
PowerAde, Mello Yello, Fresca, Seagram's, Mr. Pibb, Barq's, and Dasani Water),
and e-mail them to Melissa at dogslife24@comcast.net. She will turn them in to great items that Rikki's will use for
fundraising!
Auction Items Needed - We’re
gearing up for another auction - got items to send?? Rikki’s Refuge, 10910 Barr Ln, Raidan VA 22733 or email good
quality photos if you’ll mail items to the winner. HURRY!
Summit Recycling
Take your metal - any metal - to Summit Recycling and tell
them it’s for Rikki’s. They’ll say
think you. You’re helping the
environment and earning money for the animals.
Virtual Volunteers - got a
little bit of spare time? I need
Virtual Volunteers. Easy, no exercise
involved, no poop-er scoop-er in, work from the comfort of your home or
office. Opie needs help keeping up with
his one line work, posting and sharing information on social medias. Let me know if you can help, Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org
EBay Giving Works
Buying or Selling - see how you can benefit Rikki’s Refuge.
Amazon.com
Use this link and Amazon will donate to Rikki’s Refuge.
Kroger Kare Kards
Let your groceries earn donations, no cost to you. It’s Kroger’s way of saying Thank You and
costs you nothing. Good at all Kroger
affiliates.
Good Search
You search the web, Rikki’s Refuge benefits, a penny for
every search.
Buy It Now - Check
out items in our store: Rikki’s
Marketplace on Facebook. This is where you can get things like Rikki's
t-shirts, animal equipment like pill poppers and all kinds of good things.
2012 Cats vs Dogs : -- extended thru the end of JUNE !!!!
Rikki’s Refuge Shirt and
Stuff Shop
Horace the poetry writing
dog
Next royalty check for Rikki's!
Helping Udders
Select Rikki’s Refuge when you check out and they receive a
donation!
iGive
Your shopping at many different stores earns donations, no
cost to you!
IsearchIgive
A penny for your .... searches !!!! No cost to you !
Save A Pet Mall
Your shopping at many different stores earns donations, no
cost to you!
Capital One Giving site
No admin fees, donate your bonus points, sign up for
recurring donations, use with any credit or debit card or bank account.
Bark Magazine
Subscribe thru this link and 40% goes to Rikki’s Refuge.
DONATE, once, or set up
recurring monthly donations!
Credit card, debit card, bank account, make a one time
donation or set up recurring monthly donations so you know you’ll never forget
to help out!
What other Freebies are
out there?
If you know of any other sites that help charities, please
tell me!! Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org Most of these listed above send a check
every month!!
Thank you for your love and support.
Together we ARE making a marvelous difference!!!
LOVE,
Opie and Timmy
June 5, 2012
PS: Please help us, we'll do anything to keep the Refuge Running. We need your continued support.
The Fine Print
Rikki's Refuge in Orange County, Virginia, is a 367-acre, no-kill, all species, peaceful sanctuary supported solely by donations from kind and loving individuals just like you! We help farm animals, domestic animals, and wildlife. Over 1250 individuals of 22 different species now reside at Rikki's Refuge. Please continue to help us help the animals. To learn more about Rikki's Refuge go to http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/, http://www.rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/, and http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge .
We survive on donations from kind and loving people, just like you. We live on a shoestring and make it on less than one dollar per day, per animal. So if you can spare a couple of bucks to buy a few meals, please go to http://www.paypal.com/ and use our email address of mail@rikkisrefuge.org . We do accept checks, money orders, cash and stuff, too! Thanks for your support. Rikki's Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960
Your donations directly support the Critters of Rikki’s Refuge. Rikki's Refuge is owned and operated by Life Unlimited of Virginia, Inc., an IRS 501(c)(3) not-for-profit Virginia Corporation. Federal Tax-ID 54-1911042. We hold membership in all Combined Federal Campaigns in Virginia #77674, Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign #3163, PetsMart Charities #1377, iGive, Benevolink, paypal.com (mail@rikkisrefuge.org), your donations provide direct support. A financial statement is available upon written request from the State Office of Consumer Affairs.
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
