Desert Haven Animal Refuge

Today was my 2nd official day of working at Desert Haven Animal Refuge in Williamsburg, New Mexico. http://www.deserthavenanimalrefuge.com/ In addition to the website they also a blog which shares current needs and information. http://deserthavenanimalrefuge.blogspot.com/

Below are some photos taken 9/28 to give you an idea of how it looks and some of the critters. The animals who come here are lucky indeed; they have a home for life whether by adoption or by staying here. The shelters are cleaned daily and picked up again in the evening. Dogs are walked to a large off leash area where they then can run and sniff up a storm. Local volunteers come in the mornings to help with the dog walking while the on-site staff cleans and prepares meals for everyone. After the weather cools down a bit the dogs will be able to go on their walks twice a day. These pictures were taken during meal time so you will see that some of the dogs are chained. This is only during meal time. After everyone is finished and the bowls picked up they are then all released to roam free in their particular enclosures. All water bowls whether dog or peacock are brush scrubbed every morning and filled, then check in the evening. Only cats and dogs are adoptable from the refuge even though we also have chickens, doves, peacocks, and guinea pigs (males and females kept separate). Experience has shown that the others don't adopt well and so they are permanent residents.

Dogs here seem to have a better chance of being adopted than cats even though we have a very friendly cat population. Among our canine friends we have Mosey who was rescued from dog fighting and Copper who is a Shiba Inu. http://www.akc.org/breeds/shiba_inu/ Shibas are an unusual breed needing a special kind of home. Copper is fortunate, he is soon going to a home with Shiba Inu experience and will understand his personality. Then we have the puppies and the Chihuahua Girls. In one picture you will see Missy and Duchess, 8 year old chow mix siblings who have never been separated. They will need to be adopted together. A recent edition of Desert Haven's blog shows Pandora, a 4 week old puppy who was abandoned in an ally. http://deserthavenanimalrefuge.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-of-91810-humane-happenings.html Pandora was rescued but six of her siblings remain in the city pound. Their longevity is in doubt.

While you won't see any pictures of our morning alarm clock in this group, we do have one. No worries about oversleeping with this guy around. He is so full of himself he even has his own pen. With a charging rooster and shoestring pulling puppies we need to be aware of ourselves even while meeting their needs.

Miss T has taken it upon herself to examine my pant legs thoroughly to investigate who I spent time with while I was gone. She stays home inside while I'm working but she can use the off leash area when the other dogs are not using it, there is Elephant Butte Lake recreation area, and the Rio Grand river area for her to run and play. The refuge is also bordered by BLM property where she can run and sniff as well.

Desert Haven has 7 RV sites that are used by workampers who come for a season to voluteer at the shelter. As available the sites can be rented and the income goes to help support the Refuge as do the proceeds from an in town thrift store. Here, the Animal Shelter (pound) is not the same as the Humane Society (Desert Haven). If after reading more about the work here and our critters you are inclined to give them a little support be sure it comes to Desert Haven. There is contact information on their website. It is a small refuge doing a big job. One their commitments is to not allow the shelter to become overpopulated even if it means not taking in an animal in need. As the shelter grows there will be room for more.

The images may look initially look pixallated. Let them fully load and they will clear. You will see a big picture then a smaller one on the right. Click on the one on the right and move on through the set. If you want to see larger images, double click on one of the images and it will take you to the fokti website where the pictures are hosted.

There is more to tell about Williamsburg and Truth or Consequences but that will have to be in another edition of Baqash Tracks.