Before we get into our TN shelter blog, I want to update you and encourage you to support our current Urgent Need to rescue horses from a slaughter auction in Oklahoma this weekend. We started raising funds yesterday, and so far we almost have enough funds to rescue 3 horses. The Oklahoma shelter has the room for far more than 3 horses, but we have to raise the funds for their rescue and care before we can save them. Please donate right now, so when Shari is at the auction and sees a horse pleading for help, she can tell them “Yes, I can save you!”
Our TN shelter is very excited as we were awarded a grant from the WaterShed Animal Fund to hire a trainer / adoption specialist for the year! We are very excited about this and know that it will greatly increase adoptions. If you are interested in applying for this position, click here for more information.
I will warn you, we have received almost 20 applications for the job. We have narrowed it down to the top 3. We have received applications from all over the United States!
We have been busy investigating reports of abuse. At one location we found a skinny horse, but the owner is trying to do everything possible for him. They have had him for a long time, and he is in his 30’s now. They know the time is coming soon, but they are doing everything they can to maintain a good quality of life with special feeds and supplements.
The 3 draft horses, which were seen in our last TN blog, did get a round bale of hay. It’s almost gone, and we’re keeping a close eye to make sure the owner gets another round bale out there so the horses can eat all the time. They sure ate this bale quick!
We had a cat surrendered, her name is Sophie. There is absolutely no animal services in the area that take cats. Except for us, and we are not set up for small animals currently. In phase 2 of our shelter development, we will be, but we are not yet. We are using foster homes right now. Sophie is a very sweet cat and looking for a home! She has been spayed and vaccinated and ready to be adopted.
We have been busy on the year end tax receipts too. There were a lot of receipts because our donor base is made up of hundreds of individual donors just like you, donating what they can knowing that every little bit adds up.
By the end of all the folding, and stuffing into envelopes, it was quite a pile! This box of envelopes represents a lot of support, and I want to thank each one of you for your generosity and support in 2016. We will be going to electronic receipts unless otherwise requested this year. It will save a lot of money with printing and shipping costs.
Two more cats were surrendered. Buddy and Bullett are two neutered boys who came from a situation where a local was trying to help a hoarder. She spent over $500 of her money getting them spayed, neutered and finding them homes. The hoarder started out with 4 cats and ended up with over 50 in a short time. It’s so sad there are no resources for cats in this rural area, but we are hoping to change that, and with your support, we can.
Chandler is still busy working on fencing. It’s a lot of digging and setting posts just right. It’s coming right along and we’re very happy with the progress. Great job Chandler!
As I have mentioned before there are some very exciting things in the works, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it February 1st!
Please remember the auction rescue, there are always a lot of horses at Oklahoma auctions being sold for slaughter, with your support, we can change the lives of many of those horses.
Thanks You!
Tawnee Preisner | Founder