January 7, 2009
The beautiful Angora goat, Shirley, was in too much pain to save. The terrible part is that she was most likely roped, injured and then discarded. Why do people do these things? You can see more photos and more of her story on the Places in our Hearts page.
January 5, 2009
It is never quiet at the Luv Shack! Today we took in a beautiful goat that had been found in the desert in Maricopa where it was facing certain death. He or she (we haven't confirmed yet) is unable to use it's back legs. We aren't sure if it is some neurological problem or that the legs are actually damaged. We are waiting for the vet to arrive. In the meantime, it is being kept comfortable and safe in a stall that we have paneled for warmth and security. We hope that we will be able to help but know that there is a possibility that it will have to be euthanized. Until then, we will give it all of the love and attention that it deserves. We have named it Curly Joe or Shirley Temple depending on the gender ID!
January 3, 2009
Happy New Year! Thank you to all who supported us in 2008!
The year has started well. We have found the perfect place for three of our cherished animals at the home of one angel named Linda. She wanted a gentle horse to ride on the trails and fell in love with Magnum. Who wouldn't! She decided to adopt him on the spot. She must having been feeling the "Luv" because she also decided to foster two others. The first is a mare named Nanook who was rescued from the same property as Big. She had been fostered at another location since her rescue but a new home was needed. Linda also took Winnie, the most recent donkey in our family. She hasn't been handled much and needs some attention and Linda was thrilled at the opportunity. We thank God for people with huge hearts.
We were also happy to find a home for Illusion, one of the minis, as a result of our presence at the Carefree Christmas Festival. Ellie saw Summer on the final day of the event and fell in LUV. Since Summer is not available, we suggested her bigger version, Illusion. Ellie agreed to foster her. We brought her over a few days later and she met her new pasture mates. Word is that Cisco is smitten. Judge for yourself!
December 18, 2008
December has been another busy month. We were happy to be invited to participate in the three day Carefree Christmas Festival. We brought along Illusion and Summer for the first day and Magnum and Summer for the next two. The kids got a real kick out of the minis and Magnum seemed to have a great time with everyone, including one lady with a fabulous feather hat! Once again, thanks to our amazing volunteers for their help. You can see some of the Luv Shack kids in the photo below.
The Thoroughbred saga continues. A couple of weeks ago, we visited the property where the owner has been boarding the last 13 horses. These are the ones that he wouldn't turn over to us. We found that the three yearlings were all sick. They all had terrible diarrhea and the sorrel had been trying to colic. It wasn't a big surprise as the owner was feeding them whatever he could get cheapest. Sometimes it was alfalfa, then cow hay, then pellets. Their stomachs couldn't handle the constant changes. Joey called the owner and told him that she was taking them because they were sick and he agreed to sign them over to her. So... now we have three beautiful thoroughbred yearlings, two fillys and a colt. We had to sedate them to have their feet done as they hadn't been handled. We also vaccinated them. All are doing well now but we do need to find permanent or foster homes immediately.
November 20, 2008
Wow! October and November were wild! We have so much to share with you but it will take a bit of time to get it all on the site. Here is a brief recap.
Fall Festival
National Rescue Ride
The Fall Festival and National Rescue Ride were both huge successes. We raised nearly nine thousand dollars to support our animals and for the kid's program. We could not have done that without the tremendous support that we received from our volunteers and from all of the businesses and individuals who sponsored the events or donated items to the silent auction. A special thanks to Lee and Rhonda at Spur Cross Stables who graciously offered the use of their stables AND donated all of the proceeds from horse rentals to help make the Rescue Ride a success!!!!
Thank You!!!!
Dancer, the pregnant mustang is doing great and finally has figured out that we mean her no harm. This poor girl was severely abused by her former owner and it has taken some time to teach her to trust. She is still a bit nervous but has improved daily. We think that she will give us a baby any day now!
Her colt, Vibrato, has been one of our greatest successes. He was the wildest stallion when we first met him. Of course, Joey had him gelded immediately and worked with him tirelessly but he was a tough case! With constant love and attention, he has become the sweetest Pony. Many thanks to our volunteer Bobbie who has fallen in love with him and has spent tons of time changing his world. Boy is he handsome!!!
The three year old filly from the Thoroughbred rescue was finally successfully transported and is doing really well. She is temporarily at Mike Stacy's training facility and is learning to trust. She loves attention and accepts the halter and lead rope, though getting her in the trailer was a bit of a challenge. Fifth time was the charm! We call her M&M or Angie. This girl will make a great horse for someone who has the time to train her.
Merrill's Hope, one of the Thoroughbred Stallions, was also moved to Mike Stacy's where he was gelded and had his eye removed. The owner had said that he had a "recessed eye" and that he could see out of it. According to our vets, there is no such thing! He had a ruptured globe and could not possibly have had any vision in that eye. It also posed a great risk of infection to the brain if left untreated. He has a new name. We call him Pepe for reasons that we can't explain right now! He has since been moved to Dr. Wilson's Circle L Ranch to live out his life in a safer place!
Just last month we picked up two minis in Seligman, Arizona. One is a beautiful little girl named Summer. She looks like the bearded lady right now as her winter coat has already come in. Though she looks all white, we are told that underneath all of the hair she is a gray and white paint! The other mini was a stallion. Not any more! We had him gelded immediately as he was a little nuts! He is doing well and as soon as the hormones run through him he will be amazing. He loves to be touched and he is a real beauty. We call him Taz though his registered name is MGM Knights Royal. Taz is being trained to pull a cart since he clearly needs a job and Summer will be our "spokesmini" for some of our kid's programs. She spent the weekend at the Carefree Christmas Festival bringing good cheer!
