Yesterday, our semi-load  of Idaho hay arrived  at 8 AM. We had arranged for 4 men to be here from Manpower to unload and  stack it, but only 2 showed up. The truck driver offered to help, so we paid him to do so and one young man’s father came back and helped, too. Altogether, it took 13 man-hours to unload and stack all the hay. The shed is pretty much full and there is a small stack on pallets outside, under a tarp. About 10 bales broke open, so there is a pile of loose hay which we are using up first and should be gone within a week. We are still feeding both the Az. bermuda grass hay and the new hay, to acclimate the animals to the new diet. They like the new hay better.

JERAS is extremely grateful to all our supporters for providing us with the means to make this purchase, saving us considerable money over the next 7 or so months. We cannot thank you enough!

hay arrives at JERAS

Hay shed is full!

We have had a busy and eventful month since the last JERAS newsletter. In early April, we agreed to take in a 9 year old beagle from the local shelter so she would not be put to sleep. She has a microchip which was never registered, but we were able to trace her back to the company which had implanted it. They are the world’s largest supplier of puppy mill puppies and ship puppies world-wide. “Rhonda” will be 10 in September. She arrived here with kennel cough and had to be isolated for a few weeks. She was also extremely hyper excitable and somewhat dog aggressive, so we sent serum to Hemopet for thyroid testing. She came back in the lower half of normal. Despite this, I decided to give her a trial of very low dose thyroxine and within a few doses, she was calmer & less aggressive. I asked Dr. Dodds (of Hemopet) what she thought and she said Rhonda was probably  ”subclinical hypothyroid” and it was OK to keep her on the low dose if it improved her behavior. We are seeing more improvement even after 10 days, as it can take a few weeks to fully take effect, metabolically speaking. She is still kept away from the other dogs, but the house & yards are set up so I can “juggle” dogs to keep everyone safe. For now, she has part of the kitchen all day and an outside yard and can see everyone else, but can’t get herself into trouble. She also had a lot of tartar which she has managed to scrape off her teeth with chewing on bones. She is learning to accept tooth brushing, also. She also has some nighttime incontinence, but it is no bother to wash her bedding…I really hate seeing senior dogs ending up at shelters, it is not the fate they deserve after years of serving as someone’s pet.

Rhonda

Rhonda

We also accepted a 19 year old Arabian gelding whose owner could no longer keep him due to health problems. His name is Rusty, so now we have a “Big Rusty” and a “Little Rusty”. Big Rusty  arrived with rain rot (skin fungus) and thrush (infected hooves). Both are responding well to treatment. He also has some insecurity and a few behavioral issues, but we are working on them. He has 2 acres to himself as the mustangs were being too aggressive towards him. Once we have the additional acreage fenced and another shelter (thanks to the Pepsi grant, second half coming soon), we will try putting Rusty and Raven there, away from the mustangs. Right now, even Raven has rejected him. Raven would probably be fine with Rusty once they can be moved across the driveway to the new area.

Big Rusty

We just filed our midterm report with Global Giving/Pepsi Refresh and were approved for the second half of the grant. The next $5000 will fence more land and put up another shelter. We are so very grateful to our friends who voted for us, to Pepsi and Global Giving.

Three days ago, Shyla and Bear tangled with a rattlesnake. I treated them at home with conventional veterinary medicines, homeopathy and herbal remedies. Shyla was fully recovered after 2 days and Bear still has some swelling, but feels pretty well.

Shyla after rattlesnake bite

Bear after rattlesnake bite

The desert is a beautiful place to live. We have no mosquitoes, no fleas, no ticks, no gnats, very few flies… but we do have rattlesnakes.

Shyla 2 days post bite- back to normal

We have been having our spring hay funds drive. The funds from the October hay drive were used up by the beginning of March due to rising hay prices. I searched the internet and found grass hay from Idaho that sounded nice. The rancher’s wife sells some horse hay as a side line. She sent us some and it was clean & green. They also had their hay analyzed by a lab. We found a shipping company who can bring us 20 tons… total for the hay, shipping and unloading/stacking on this end will be about $4750.00. 20 tons of Az. hay from the feed store would have cost about $8000. We hope to have it by the middle of next week. It should last us through 2012.

So far, donations to the hay drive are at about $3800. This includes $800 of matching funds generously offered by one of our loyal supporters who has offered to match up to $1000. We hope to bring in another $1000 by the end of May to cover the 20 tons of hay we are getting, as we cannot deplete our general funds- we still have other animals to care for and feed, supplements, supplies and an occasional vet bill.

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far! We will be randomly choosing (names pulled from a hat) donors at the end of May to receive art and other thank you gifts, plus an Equi-Spirit ball (horse toy) generously donated by Lisa & Kenny Williams.

JERAS is now home to 10 dogs, a pig, a sheep, 9 horses and 5 burros. Esperanza is very big, but no baby yet! Nothing would be possible without your support and we greatly appreciate our friends & donors.

Esperanza

Scout

A half hour later, I went back out to find Bear & Shyla with swollen heads. Bear had labored breathing. I immediately injected them with dexamethasone, gave them penicillin injections, a homeopathic remedy for bites & stings and a large dose of Jernigan Neuro Antitox. By today, Shyla is looking much better and acting normal. Bear still has a lot of swelling, especially under his throat. His head is still swollen, but he is eating and wagging his tail.  I am continuing giving the Jernigan remedy.

This afternoon, I heard his alert bark again. This time, I found the snake, hiding under a dog house. Luckily, it was a Diamondback and not the considerably more toxic Mohave rattler.

Bear after rattlesnake bite

Shyla after rattlesnake bite

Rhonda, the old beagle we rescued from being PTS last month, has turned out to be a  real challenge. She does not like other dogs if they go near her bed, her dish or even “her” little yard. When she is in the house, she must stay in the separate area in the kitchen, as I cannot trust her with the other dogs… she also barks for hours- at me, at the other dogs, at rabbits she sees, when she is happy, when she is unhappy… you get the picture. I love her to death, but she will not be easy to manage. No knowing her past history, she cannot be blamed. Her enthusiasm and affectionate (towards me) nature make up for her shortcomings.

Rhonda

We have a new Hay Funds Drive matching funds challenge!

We have a delay in getting the 20 tons of hay due to a week of rain expected in Idaho… We are still $2400 short to cover the cost of $4500 for hay & transport. In the long run, we will save $3500 by doing this. A very generous donor has offered to MATCH FUNDS UP TO $1000! So, all donations from here on.. up to a total of $1000 will be matched 100%. Please help us meet our goal. As in the past, some donors will be chosen at random to receive gifts of appreciation. http://www.jersanctuary.org/donate-2/

Please help us get this hay, which will last us through 2012.

Thank you!

JERAS horses having some fun

Let's fill the hay shed!

It’s been busy around here. We took in an old beagle from the local shelter 2 weeks ago. She arrived with kennel cough and had to be kept isolated for about 12 days.”Rhonda” seems hyperactive for almost 10 years old and also is hard to get weight on…we will be getting her thyroid tested Tuesday, as these can be signs of low thyroid. She is spunky and vocal and quite a little character.

Rhonda

We also have a new horse. His name is Rusty, so now we have Little Rusty and Big Rusty. Big Rusty is a 19 year old Arabian whose owner could no longer keep him. He is very sweet. He arrived with some fungal skin infection (‘rain rot”) and some infection in his feet, but a  medicated bath, hoof soaking and trimming and our dry climate is fixing those problems fast. He is somewhat thin, but also does not have a great appetite. I moved corral panels today to give him a private eating area. I filled his feeder with some alfalfa cubes, hay pellets and CoolStance. After 3 hours, he had eaten the CoolStance and only about half of the other food..this has me somewhat concerned and I have asked his previous owner about his lack of appetite. She just had his teeth done and vaccinations given not long before he came here. Right now, he is out with Mariah and Pepito. Mariah is quite smitten by him.

Big Rusty getting hoof soaking

Big Rusty

Big News!

Our Spring Hay Funds Drive is underway and we are really trying to reach $4500 so that we can cover a semi load of out of state hay. This will save us $3500 over the next 7-8 months! We found some nice grass hay and had a sample sent to us. It is clean & green. The grower also had it analyzed and it came out very acceptable for feeding horses. Donations are really needed at this time & are always greatly appreciated! Being able to get this hay will save us lots of money and the quality is better that the hay we have been paying so much for here locally.

That is the latest JERAS Sanctuary News. Please consider donating towards the hay drive, it is greatly needed at this time. Thank you!

http://www.jersanctuary.org/donate-2/

The shelter called her Wanda, but we tweaked it to Rhonda. She has kennel cough and is staying in our isolation pen and is not too happy about it. She does, however, enjoy 3 long walks every day. She arrived very thin, but is gaining weight and getting very spunky on good food (Diamond Naturals Senior Eight) and supplements. I put 2 coats on her at night so she stays warm. She also has some bad dental tartar, but gnawing on bones has helped  scrape a lot of it away already. She is very happy and a pleasure to have here. I can’t wait until her cough subsides so she can come up and join the other dogs.

Rhonda

Rhonda enjoying a bone

Our friend, Billie, has a daughter in college in Memphis whose professor started the American Values Project

We submitted this picture to them of Carson and me

American Values Project submission

Carson was very suspicious of the self portrait I was attempting to take and was beginning to curl his lip at me…

March was a very busy month here. We took in a shar pei from a California rescue group. Unfortunately, she did not get along with some of our dogs, but we did find a tumor on her leg that no one else had seen and we helped sort out her digestive problems with a low allergen diet.  The group in California helped us raise funds for her needed surgery and she was adopted by Pam and Glen Boren who run a 501(c)3 rescue in the Phoenix area. She had surgery a week ago and s thriving in her new home. Thank you to everyone who helped  Dali (Spice) on her journey to wellness & and new life!

Dali the shar pei

Then, our local animal control asked us to take in an Australian cattle dog/beagle mix or she was going to be put to sleep that very day due to lack of kennel space. We named her Pippy Longstocking. She is a great dog, but I was reacting very badly to chemicals in or on her and we sent out a plea to find her a home. Our friend & supporter, Billie, found a local doctor who was looking for another dog and who is an animal advocate. Pippy now has a new home with her and she will be living with 3 other dogs, including 2 young Labradors, which she should enjoy playing with. Her new Mom has already gotten her spayed, too.

Pippy Longstocking

Our networking was directly responsible for saving 3 other dogs from our local animal control and several other dogs and several horses in the past few weeks. Cultivating the right animal rescue connections and taking the time to contact them pays off in lives saved.

The horses just love their new shelter and I love the hay storage shed. Many thanks to the  Pepsi Refresh Project grant and to all who supported JERAS in the month of voting in Jan.

hay shed

For safety’s sake, I added sheets of OSB to the inside of the horse shelter, to prevent a possible  injury  from a horse kicking through the steel siding.

Esperanza is really huge now and we can’t wait for her to foal, but she seems to be biding her time. Nina has gotten very bold and friendly. Both of them were rescued from the notorious Dennis Chavez who sells 500 American horses a month to cruel Mexican slaughterhouses. Our friends, Edgewood Longears Safehouse in New Mexico has gotten 40 burros out of his “feedlot” so far. Animal’s Angels just did an investigation of the horrible conditions there. http://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/animals-angels-investigation-the-dennis-chavez-slaughter-horse-feedlot-innew-mexico/

Esperanza

Nina and Esperanza

What a wonderful surprise to get the mail and see the gorgeous portrait Susan Monty did for us in honor of Tara. It is greatly appreciated and makes me feel as if Tara is still here with us. http://www.susanmonty.com/

Tara, by Susan Monty

Our friend, Mary Anne, got some great photos of the wild Cerbat mustangs who live near here. They carry a lot of early Spanish blood and the BLM does not round them up, due to mountain lion predation which keeps their numbers down. We are blessed to have these healthy & happy wild horses as our neighbors.

Roan Cerbat stallion

Cerbat mare and foal

Grey Cerbat stallion and mare

JERAS just had  our kennel permit renewed by Mohave County. http://www.jersanctuary.org/2012/04/jeras-2012-kennel-license/

Knickers is doing great. He has put on all the weight he needs and is muscling up from all the walking and playing he does. He often leaps into the air and kicks out his back feet as he is airborne, just like a capriole done by the Lipizzaners.  He is wearing his hooves himself and will require very little hoof trimming from now on. He is an inspiration to many of us with his ability to survive, recover and be so enthusiastic about his new life.

Knickers

We have loads of videos on Youtube. Please visit us there. Our Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/wetarez?feature=mhee

Finally, we need to raise enough funds to buy hay for the next 3 months, plus enough to get a semi-load this summer, which will save us at least $300 a month by buying in bulk. This combined amount, which will get us through to summer of 2013, is a whopping $10,000. Hay exports are on the rise and we are competing with Asia and the Middle East. Our prices here in Az. have almost doubled in the past year.

Any donations are greatly appreciated and badly needed. Once again, we will randomly pick donors to receive gifts of artwork, collectibles and also another Equi- Spirit ball ( horse toy) from Lisa & Kenny Williams.

You can donate by sending directly to our email address via Paypal, or by going to our donate page or by donating through our new Global Giving fundraising page. If we get $4,000 through Global Giving, our project will receive permanent status.

http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/journeys-end-ranch-sanctuary-hay-funds-drive/share/

Our hay funds from last fall were depleted by March. We have received an extremely generous donation of $1,000 towards hay and the Pepsi grant will include $1,000 for hay… so we need to come up with another $8,000. Thank you all so much for your  past support and please help make this a successful hay drive. JERAS only exists because of our wonderful supporters!

2012 Kennel License

Thank you, Susan Monty!

Tara by Susan Monty

Dali the shar pei

Then, JERAS got a call on Wednesday  3/21 from our local Animal Control asking us to take a heeler/beagle mix or she would be PTS that day. So now, “Pippy Longstocking” is here, with kennel cough  & in isolation. She’s a great dog! She still needs to be spayed as soon as she gets over the cough. Her red hair & freckles reminded me of Pippy, thus the name. A girl who works at the local AC had found her with her grown pup as strays & fostered her a few days before taking her to the shelter. She likes other dogs and is very cheerful. Pippy was here 6 days and I was having severe chemical reactions to her even outdoors. I realized I needed to place her in a hurry, and started networking locally. Out friend and supporter, Billie, found a local surgeon who wanted a second dog. This doctor’s life revolves around her animals and her current dog even goes to “doggie daycare” at her friend’s home.  Pippy will have a great life with her. We are thrilled for Pippy! In the near future, I will see about taking in a “hard to place dog” from the local no-kill group we belong to. They house their dogs outdoors and do not use toxic (to me) chemicals on their animals or premises.

Pippy Longstocking

Pippy

We also helped save several other dogs from our county shelter by aggressively networking them this week. So, in the end, the doggie news was good news.

On Saturday, my Fb friend  Jere urged me to consider a Shar Pei named  ”Spice” who had been rescued from the notorious Devore shelter in Los Angeles in December and had been in boarding since then. She had been to numerous adoption events with no luck. She was getting depressed and losing weight. We said OK.

I emailed my transporter friend in Las Vegas. David had one day free- Monday, then would be tied up for weeks. He offered to run to Los Angeles, get her, bring her to Kingman and then have to get home to Vegas all in one day. He also gave a very reasonable bid to do it. I met him in Kingman Monday evening.

Spice sounded too similar to Shyla and Liza (hard “I”‘s) so we renamed herDali (Dah-lee) which is the region in China where Shar Peis originated very long ago.  Dali is a bone-mouth Shar Pei, meaning the old, original type with less wrinkle than the more modern type.   http://www.hkshar-pei.com/ 

Dali also is Chinese for “vigorous”. She is having to live in the isolation pen for awhile while she out-gasses chemicals which I react to. I gave her a bath today as it was warm enough outdoors, but she still has chemicals on her and in her. I am taking her for 2 long walks every day and feeing her 3 meals of low-allergen food. She is very smart and very sweet.

Reprinted with permission of Animal Wellness Magazine, © 2009

Hello, Dali!

 

Dali

 

Dali

 

UPDATE- Dali has a tumor.. Shortly after arriving this week, I saw a tumor on the inside of Dali’s right elbow. Shar peis are prone to mast cell tumors (often cancerous) and also benign histiocytomas. JERAS will cover exam, needle aspiration and complete blood work on March 19 (my birthday). JERAS and the people who originally rescued her and had her the past 3 months want to save her. A lot depends on what happens during the vet appt., but most of us want to try to give her a chance. Regardless of the type of tumor, it needs to come off and a sample sent out for biopsy. We have created a Chipin for her. http://jounrneysendranchanimalsanctuary.chipin.com/mypages/view/id/688544b5cab23d3e

Should matters look hopeless on Monday, donations will be returned, but let’s all start praying for good news, a favorable prognosis and a go ahead with surgery. Thank you.

 

Last Friday, Interstate Carports sent their crew to install our hay storage shed and horse shelter. We won a Pepsi Refresh grant in January, thanks to our many friends who worked so hard voting for us. The second half of the grant comes this summer, and is designated for another shelter and fencing of more acreage. JERAS thanks Pepsi and all our loyal fans & friends. This has been a huge blessing!

horse shelter

hay storage

Raven doing a run-by!

February was a rough month at JERAS. On the 18th, I was trimming Knickers’ feet and he started to resist my handling his hind feet, which is understandable, because he seems to have some pain in his hind end- not surprising after 10 years of neglect and standing in a 10 foot pen. I finally got the “mustang roll” on them and picked up my homemade anti-infective hoof spray bottle. Well, I went to pick up a foot to spray it and the next thing I knew, I had a severe blow to the chest & abdomen- he got me with both barrels and was lightening fast. I went down and honestly thought I might be about to die. It was hard to breathe and the pain was severe, but I realized I needed to get his halter off and get out of the corral. I managed that and then slowly made my way to the house where I called Bonnie, our Vice President and my close friend. She stayed on the phone for about 1/2 hour until I was sure I was able to get some decent breaths. Going to the hospital is not an option because of my severe MCS (multiple chemical sensitivities), so I am on my own with any injuries. It is now 2 weeks later and I am just beginning to feel halfway functional. I have done no hoof trimming in 2 weeks and now I am behind, but using a rasp is too painful now and the horses are going to have to wait another week or so. Their feet are not long by most standards, but in the Natural Hoof care world, we like to keep them trimmed so there is no excess hoof wall at all to cause pain and distortion due to “peripheral loading”.

My favorite Natural Hoof Care practitioner  is Pete Ramey and he has a great website.

http://www.hoofrehab.com/

Video of Knickers this week, feeling very frisky. He seems to be doing great on the donated CoolStance, too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpWtLcvW4ww&feature=related

We sadly lost, Tara, out beautiful Siberian Husky, to a fast growing cancer. We had tried for 2 years to get her away from a neighbor who had severely neglected her for 10 years. He finally let her come here in Jan. 2010 when she was nearly dead. To read her story, please see the blog about her. http://www.jersanctuary.org/2012/02/goodbye-sweet-tara/

Tara and Rainy

She has left a huge void here and we all miss her gentle and quiet presence.

We had the backhoe come to prepare two places for the horse shelter and hay shed that the much-appreciated Pepsi Refresh grant is covering for phase one of the grant. We have our building permits and now are just waiting for the company to come  and install them in the next few weeks.

With an 18 by 30 foot hay shed, we can try to buy in bulk to save money. I am currently searching the internet for cheaper hay in other states and finally found a company which may be able to haul it at an affordable cost. We are now paying $400 a ton for hay here that was $200 a ton a year ago. We are spending over $1000 a month on just hay and it has depleted our hay funds from the fall hay drive. We want to thank our regular donors and our the new supporters who have recently joined the JERAS family. You are the only reason I can do the work of caring for these animals, as I cannot borrow any more to support the sanctuary.

We are proud to be one of a handful of Equine Rescues Licensed in Arizona. We take in homeless horses and burros and give them a good life. Our support comes from generous people like you. Could you sponsor a horse, burro or other precious animal? Every little bit helps! I work 16 hour days and don’t get paid a cent. My property houses our 24 rescues at no cost to the sanctuary… we are struggling with hay prices doubled… Please support the small, honest, hard working organizations. We need to come up with a lot of $$ for hay, > $10,000 by summer if we are to get thru to then and get a semi load to save $ in the long run. Every bit helps!http://www.jersanctuary.org/donate-2/

Knickers

By networking, we were able to help save 5 dogs in the past 3 weeks. One was a coonhound in Texas that I posted on Facebook. A Fb friend in New Mexico wanted her. The Texas shelter let us “pull” the dog at no charge and the shelter and another person helped get her flown to Denise in New Mexico. Katie was a handful at first, but settled in over a fews days and has a fantastic, loving home now.

Katie the coonhound

Two of the other dogs were seniors on death row in shelters who were saved due to emails I blasted out. The fourth dog was a diabetic Doxie I heard about yesterday at our vet’s. His owner was dealing with family illness and could no longer keep the dog. He was scheduled for euthanasia today, but I called a Dachshund rescuer I know from Facebook and he was saved! The fifth was a Weimaraner I saw on an Az. kill shelter website and I sent the info to Las Vegas Weimaraner rescue and they went and got him and say he is a great dog….Networking works. It takes a little effort, but it saves precious lives.

We have a chance to receive $900 from the sale of a great painting, should it sell via our efforts.

http://www.jersanctuary.org/2012/02/new-kathy-steventon-art-to-benefit-jeras/

Thank you, Kathy Steventon!

All the other 24 animals here are fine. Esperanza is huge, but burros take their time to decide when the baby should be born.

Esperanza

Please share our newsletters and please consider helping us by becoming a donor.

Thank you!

Cathy & the Gang at JERAS

Thank you!

Three of our rescued mustangs

Two of our once-wild burros

He has gained 100# in 5 weeks and is feeling very spunky. He seems to love the taste of the CoolStance, too.

Please visit their site for more info:  CoolStance

Knickers

Here he is coming for lunch!

Tara and Rainy

I first met Tara in Dec. 2007 when my neighbor, whom I barely knew, asked me to watch his house while he was gone for a week. I asked who would be caring for the 2 dogs I knew he had and he said he was leaving them food and water. WHAT? In December? I insisted on going over while he was gone.

What I discovered broke my heart. There was Ricky, a lab mix who was fearful of me, but fairly robust, despite being on a 30 foot heavy chain & having a doghouse with no bedding. Then, there was Tara, an already 8 year old Siberian husky who already looked ill to me. She was lethargic, but very sweet. That week turned out to be severely cold. Tara had no house, just a ramshackle wooden structure on the cold ground- no floor and no bedding. She was chained with a heavy tow chain that measured a mere 8 feet long. I had to cart warm water from my house 1/2 mile away to them twice a day and I brought over an old plastic dog house with bedding for Tara. She immediately made a nest in it.

When I saw the dog food they were fed & read the ingredients, I thought I would pass out. The first 3 ingredients were grains & the 4th was “meat by-products”,  which, legally, may even be the meat meal made from the bodies of euthanized pets from some municipal shelters! I took them some of our dog food and some rawhide and other treats daily for that week. I would lie in bed each night thinking of them.

Long story short, I tried for 2 years to get those dogs, especially Tara who was going downhill. I offered  money, I offered to help with putting up a fence to get them unchained, I gave him literature re: the cruelty of chaining dogs. I told him Tara looked to be low thyroid and asked if I could take her to the vet. All I got was resistance and someone acting insulted.

Az. laws do not protect animals well. I could not steal Tara, as I would be easily caught. So, I tried at every chance to take the dogs food, treats and check on them. One July day in 2009, I found Tara with no water! It hit 100 degrees  that day and she would have died. I took off her collar that was growing into her neck and brought her a light harness and soft rope to replace her chain. I filled her water bucket and hosed down the dirt so she could cool off. I left a long letter to my neighbor- reading him the riot act. Still, he refused to let her go. Every time I left, I promised her I would get her out of there, to please hang on a little longer.

I finally tried to let it go……

Then, in late Dec. 2009, when she was 10 years old, he asked if I would take her. She was emaciated, low thyroid and had a skin & uterine infections. With the help of my knowledge and our vet, we pulled her from the brink of death. She was too weak & sick to spay right away, so when she was somewhat better, I asked for donations on Facebook to cover the $800 spay and mammary tumor removal.  We had the $ in 2 days. A band of angels saved her life.

Tara slowly improved  over 2 years and was the sweetest girl ever. She was well behaved and a joy to have in the house. She loved her pack mates, her good food, chewies and a warm bed. Most of all, she loved being part of a real family.

Exactly 2 years after arriving, she developed a very malignant anal tumor. This kind of tumor is hormone related and she would probably never have gotten the cancer had she been spayed as a young dog and cared for properly.

I regret not being able to give this deserving dog more years of freedom and happiness. I wonder if I should have just stolen her 4 years ago and tried to hide her here. I am furious with my neighbor, who still has Ricky, & now another dog, living on chains & neglected.

Arizona needs anti-chaining laws, they need better anti-cruelty laws and I will try my damnedest to find some time to advocate for them.

We miss you, Tara, you deserved so much more than life gave you. Goodbye, sweet Tara.

Tara before coming to Journey's End Ranch

Tara age 11

Tara smiling

It has been a rough week here at JERAS, but with a few bright spots, too. I was trimming Knickers’ feet Thursday & he decided he did not want me to finish his back feet. I very stupidly pushed my luck and he spun and kicked me, both barrels, in the chest. I really thought that was going to be the end of me, but I managed to get up, get his halter & rope off and crawl to the house. Thank goodness nothing seems broken, but I am really sore.
Tara’s tumor seems has grown rapidly in 3 weeks and has now ulcerated, indicating it is cancerous. Our vet thought it was benign 3 weeks ago, but apparently it is a perianal adenoma. “Perianal adenoma tumors may require a multi-dimensional treatment plan, because they are highly aggressive and tend to spread rapidly. This treatment plan usually includes surgery to remove the tumor if possible, followed by chemotherapy and radiation”. She has inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis and the tumor…and at 12 & 1/2 years old, major surgery is out of the question, even if we had unlimited funds, which we do not. At least she has had 2 + good years here after 10 years of being chained & neglected by a neighbor. It took me 2 years of begging to finally get her here in Jan. of 2010. I wish we had been able to take her sooner, but chaining a dog in the weather with little shelter is legal in Az. I was able to give her a doghouse 4 years ago, which made her a bit more comfortable while she still lived there. Our vet is coming here tomorrow afternoon to put her to sleep. She is in mild distress on & off now, but I have given her meds to make her more comfortable. I cannot travel to town with my chest injury from the kick, and dragging her 20 miles in the back of my truck would be too traumatic for her, so we will wait until he comes here tomorrow. I am worried about Rainy, because she adores Tara and I know she will mourn her passing. This video is from last fall.

By networking, we were able to save 2 dogs this past week, a coonhound in Texas which we coordinated rescue for and an old Aussie at our local high-kill shelter that we contacted Az. Aussie rescue about and they saved her 2 days ago.

We have a backhoe coming Thursday or Friday to level the spots for the hay shed and horse shelter that the Pepsi grant will pay for. That is exciting!

Now, Knickers has a history of not being easy to deal with and he was a bit of a challenge when I held him for the farrier. On top of that, I went to halter him 1/2 hour before his lunchtime, and he was not thrilled to see me with a rope & halter when he expected to eat. Even worse, I carry my trimming tools in the same sort of bucket I soak his pellets in… I decided to use a rope halter, which I prefer over the usual web halter with hardware & buckles. I have no idea if using the rope halter was involved in what happened next…I looped the rope through the corral pipe, not tying it. I then proceeded to  pick up a front foot, clean it and  remove some excess hoof wall. I then began to apply a mustang roll with my rasp. After that, I stretched his leg out in front of him to put his hoof on the Hoofjack to finish the roll. Finally,  I sprayed the bottom of his hoof with my homemade anti-bacterial/anti-fungal spray…

Well, if you are wondering what happened- the answer is…NOTHING. Knickers stood there like a statue, no fussing, no biting, no playing with the rope. I did his other front hoof and then cleaned and sprayed his back hooves. GOOD BOY!

Knickers

I then trimmed all of Kola’s feet and cleaned and sprayed the other horses’ hooves. Everyone behaved well, what a blessing!

Our building permits were approved and we put the downpayment on the shelter & hay shed. We really appreciate the Pepsi grant that will be allowing us to make the improvements to the animal sanctuary.

Don’t forget, our hay funds are depleted and we must somehow come up with $11,000. in the next 5 months to buy hay to get us to July and then purchase a semi-load, which will probably save us about 30-40% on our feed bill in the future by buying in bulk. Donations are needed and greatly appreciated!

Kola