Journey’s End Ranch Animal Sanctuary Newsletter July 4, 2012

Journey’s End Ranch Animal Sanctuary Newsletter July 4, 2012

Lots of news!

Thanks to the second half of our Pepsi Refresh grant, we now have a third shed and another 3 acres fenced in. Big Rusty, the older Arab gelding, and Penny, who arrived in late May, have moved to the new paddock and love it. Penny has gained quite a bit of weight, both horses hoof infections are now gone, after rigorous treatment, soaking, trimming and daily cleaning and  spraying. Our vet did a dental on Penny and determined her to be about 22 years old, not the 16 years that her former owner had thought. He also thinks Rusty has some hip or back issues and is not totally sound. They are really bonded and behave like an old, married couple…. very attached, but with some bickering going on. When I bathe, groom or work on one of them, the other will hang their head over the back of the horse I am working on and watch me like an eagle.

Phase 2 of Pepsi Refresh project

Susan Monty has a new painting almost completed, using our Scout mustang as a model. It is beautiful & will be hung in an art gallery. Prints will be available from http://www.susanmonty.com/

Another beautiful painting by Susan Monty

Raven is doing great at the Last Straw Horse Rescue. They have begun his training and he enjoys playing with Cheryl’s granddaughter. He even stole her can of Pepsi and tipped it up and drank it! They have found him to be calm and a fast learner. We would love to see them keep Raven for their grandkids, but if not, they have very stringent adoption policies and he will find a good home.

Raven and his new friend

Our BIG NEWS is that Esperanza had her baby on June 25! She was so huge and had everyone worried. The baby is a jenny and is coal black and just adorable! We had a naming contest several days ago, but we have yet to hear back from the winner on what name she has chosen.

Esperanza's baby

Rhonda, the 9 year old beagle we rescued in May, had to have extensive dental work- 7 extractions and a cleaning. It cost $375, but could not be avoided due to the fact that whomever had owned her neglected her teeth. She has now learned to enjoy daily toothbrushing and eagerly awaits her piece of rawhide each day. When she arrived here, her mouth was so sore she did not want to eat dry food.

Rhonda

Here is a cute video of Rhonda and Carson

In late June, we were asked to take in a 15 year old mustang mare because her owners of 9 months were going back East for some time. Cheyenne is a beautiful horse, but has not allowed people to handle her despite being captured 11 years ago. She will eat from your hand, but that is all. She has been wearing this halter for years and we are determined to gentle her enough to remove it. It is not safe to leave halters on horses. She arrived July first and I have been doing some clicker training and “poling” work with her, to try and desensitize her to being touched. I use a long pole with a brush on the end to touch her. It usually works well with wild horses and is a relatively safe way to approach them. Once they get comfortable with the pole, then we can progress to getting her to allow my hand to touch her. We were only able to accept Cheyenne because of a small group of people who are sponsoring her. It now costs about $100 a month to feed one horse. She was with BLM for 4 years, then to an adoptive home, then to a rescue, then another home and now here. We hope to be able to give her the peace and happiness she deserves as a member of our small mustang herd.

Here is a video of the mustangs enjoying a hosing off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MribHo0Cjds&feature=youtu.be

Cheyenne

Knickers, who was rescued from a hoarder just a year ago and was half starved and almost too weak to walk, has blossomed into a fabulous Arabian stallion. He turned 30 years old on June 10. We are so grateful to his sponsors for allowing JERAS to give him the home he so  needed.

Knickers

Once again, the cost of feed and veterinary care seem to keep rising. JERAS is now a safe haven for 28 animals. I do all the work and put in 16 hour days, seven days a week, between animal care, office work and the computer. Unlike many larger sanctuaries with salaried employees, I do not get paid. All donations go straight to caring for the animals. We thank our donors and we ask you to consider becoming a donor if you are not one already. I can only do this with your help.
Love,
Cathy & the Gang at JERAS