A Typical Day at VOTK

I thought it might be interesting to document a complete day at VOTK. I'm sure I will miss some pieces but you, the reader, will get the general idea of what I do. I apologize for the run ons and lack of breaks but that pretty much is how my day runs.

Sunday, June 13 was a 7 hour day. I started at 10am.
As soon as I get out of my car I say hello to Chewie the camel, Chunkie the llama, RC the blind horse, Monchie & Rainbow the seeing eye donkeys. I get my usual response from RC & donkeys, lots of whinnying and braying. They know that breakfast is on the way and that really nice lady is here to bring it to them. All the outside tinies ( the domestic cats) check me out and I have to tell them that Carolyn will be along soon to take care of them. Carolyn loves to feed the tinie's. We all have our favorite things to do for the animals and we respect. each others space. I hurry to the back of my car to change into my work shoes. I clock in, check for any special notes or chores I need to take care of, there's nothing posted.
I make a quick check on the barn chickens & ducks, they all need water and the baby ducks & momma need a dry floor. I move further back to say hello to Seava & Zipper the tigers and give some quick lovin' and baby talk. I check to see if Chaucer the lion is in or out, he is out and then on to the cougars to say good morning. I quickly take care of the water needs & bedding, then grab the feed for the animals in the pole barn.
I bring the buckets of grain for RC, Chewie & Dusty to my car to add extra goodies of romaine, sliced carrots & apples. Chunky gets carrot ends because they are easier for him to eat and slices of bread.
Dusty the colt is in the pole barn temporarily while the new fence is being built in the pasture. He is being kept away from the mature horses for his own safety.
Next is checking the upper compound, I pass by the wolves and of course have to stop and say hello to them. I always give attention to Nadia, she loves her back scratched and the conversation of course.
I am always talking when I am with any of the animals. They know my voice and it makes me feel good to be recognized. I also hello to Tessa, she is a beautiful wolf but not as controlled as Nadia. I check the duck feeders and now on to the horses in the pasture. There are 5 horses and a burro in close quarters while the new fence is being built. I love the horses and I feel very comfortable with them while I am out in the field. I go in for my quick "horse" fix and to check their hay. I notice that the hay in the feeder by the entrance is moldy and will have to be removed later in the day. The hay most likely got moldy from being wet and not rotated when new hay was added.
Hello to the bunnies, ducks, geese, change water and check food. Peacocks get new water, food is good, remove eggs because we don't want baby peacocks.
Goats and sheep need hay, say hello to Emu's. Beth is here today so she will take care of the emu's. I will miss my one on one time with Gus but I have a big project to tackle today.
My project is to clean out Homer, the warthog/razorback's house. I wrote a story about cleaning his house in March. It was a big and smelly job. But I still have other chores to do before Homer's house.
I get the hay for the goats and bring some extra bales for Homer's house. I say hello to all the big cats as I walk through the front side back to the pole barn. Time to clean the living quarters for Chewie, RC & Dusty. I always start with Chewie, then RC and since Dusty is around I have to tidy up his area too.
I bring down the water hoses to start filling up the tanks for the cows & bulls, then I will get RC, Dusty & Chewie's filled. In between I grab some bread, veggies and feed them snacks as I clean. I brush RC because she loves it and it is our bonding time. She loves when I talk to her and cradle her neck. She will rest her head on my shoulder while I brush her neck. Pole barn area is done. On to Homer's house. I fill up a bucket of food goodies to entice Homer out of his house, it works like a charm. Thankfully his house is not as bad as it was in March. The warm weather has kept it fairly dry. I discovered that Homer has a new roommate, a beautiful female duck. She wasn't quite sure what to do when i was cleaning but she made it clear she was not leaving. Three trips to the bone pile to discard the old bedding. All done & just got the message that the horses in the upper compound need 6 bales of hay. That is 3 trips back & forth with 2 bales per barrow load. On the last trip to the hay feeder it starts to rain and the wind picks up. As I toss the hay into the feeder part of it comes back and sticks to me, I don't realize how bad I got plastered until I make it back to the prep room and everyone asks what happened to me. Apparently I am wearing hay everywhere, in addition to being soaking wet, I'm sure I looked quite attractive- LOL. The rain let up enough to venture back out, there is still a lot to do
I grab 2 more bales of hay and go out to feed the bulls. That means I have to get through the cows. They are hungry because their feeder has not been filled up yet, that is done by the owner and a big loader. To get through the cows I have to give them sacrifice hay, which means I have to distract them with hay so I can get through. I have to be careful because they can get pretty aggressive when they want food. I have had cows head butt me while I am carrying a bale or run into my wheelbarrow or try to pull the hay out of the barrow. It is not fun but I have figured out several diversions. Earl & Monty, the bulls are happy, fresh hay, yahoo. On my way out of the cow pasture, Nicole comes up to me and asks if I have seen the loose cow. what? crap, no way I let a cow out, I locked the gate. I see the cow, tell Nicole thank you and try to figure out how to get her back into the field. Karen is 99% done with breaking up the bread for the cows, perfect timing. I grab a big loaf and start laying down bread chunks for the cow to follow, it works. Karen wheels the bread wagon through the gate and the cow follows her right in. Whew. Now I need to check the perimeter to figure out how she got out. This is not fun because there is now a lot of mud from the earlier rain. Chris & I find the spot, I am amazed she squeezed her big cow behind through it. Chris works on blocking it to prevent future breeches.
I am almost done, sort of. I promised Carolyn I would haul some sand buckets over to the raccoons, I get that done, play with the house dogs for a bit. Ivy the panther is out so I have to talk to her too.
I have some chicken legs & quarters for treats. Chaucer is first because he has been eyeballing me every time I walked by because I told him I had treats earlier in the day. I give a quarter to Nash but he is being anti-social. The wolves always get legs, except for Nadia, she is not allowed treats because she has a kidney disorder. Festus the lion perks up and tells me he would like a treat too. He hops right down to get it, he usually is not that enthusiastic. Lena, the tiger, is in the back by her feeding area so I give her a quarter and she takes it into her house. I tell her i will see her on the front side.
On to Homer, I promised him apples, he loves apples. As soon as he hears my voice he pops up to get some. Lily, the pig also wants apples. Good thing I brought extra. Lily is so much fun to feed apples too because she smacks her lips when she eats. Jasmine & Chelsea (tigers) are checking my bag of treats. They are not on my usual list because they always get treats when we have visitors. Czar was not interested, Chelsea took his share. Finally I make it over to Lena & Thena. I like to spend one on one time with Lena & Thena, more so Lena. They are the newest big cats, coming from a federal seizure this past March. They have both adjusted well and totally enjoy their new spacious homes. Lena & I have a neat bond. I enjoy getting down on her level and talking to her face to face. She has been playing more with her toys and she gets so excited when she sees me. Today there is a barn tiny squalling away by Thena. I can't figure out what she wants, she is skittish but looks okay. I go to the prep room and get some dry catfood to bring out for it. Hopefully that is the ticket. Jill the owner is out and of course I have to stop and talk about the animals etc. I am thankful that Beth came today and brought a friend to help. They tackled the moldy hay, cleaning up the peacock area, scrubbing & filling up Lily's water tank, the emu's and various other odds & ends. Any extra help on a Sunday makes a tremendous difference. Usually it is just Carolyn & I doing the farm chores year round. I take care of the bigger animals and Carolyn handles the smaller babies. That is my day in a nutshell. Time for me to go, I still have  2 hours of softball to play after I get all this hay off my body...

Potty Pow-Wow

This is another one of those stories that has had a title long before I wrote these words.

Potty Pow-Wow= gathering of pets in the bathroom while you are confined to or seated on the commode.

If you are a pet owner then I would think that 99.9999% of you know exactly what a potty pow-wow means.
You are seated on the john and in walks one or more of your pets. The intention is not to just see what you are doing, it is "interaction" time. I know that I can't possibly be the only one who carefully leans forward to scratch someones belly, or have another sit on my lap, or have a big dog head or two in my lap. If I am the only one, then the rest of you are lying or too embarrassed to admit this happens.

I have one cat who will run into the bathroom before I even step in the room because he is my biggest potty fan. He knows he gets special treatment and special scritches. How long has this been going on.... for Stewie, at least 8 years. For me..as long as I have owned animals. Yep, it has become a habit.

Ok, so why don't I just close the bathroom door? Yeah right. Because then I hear the scratches on the door, paws under the door, the dogs whining...what are you doing in there? hey, why is the door closed? Huh, what the heck? If you are a parent of human children then you know this is also small child phenomenon.

So the big question is "why"?. Why are our pets so intent in grabbing our attention while we are incapacitated? My best guess is because we are a "captive" audience. We aren't distracted by the tv, a book or newspaper( well, most of us).
What better time for some one on one.

So, my suggestion, just laugh and enjoy your potty pow-wow time.
It is much more entertaining than your other options.

Special Time with the Horses

Last week I noticed that the horses had a pecking order. I was not happy that some of the horses were getting pushed away from the treats by those higher up on the hierarchical horse order. If I watch closely it is still hard for me to figure out which horse is the top honcho. It is a close match between Casey, Chi and Star. The newbies, Hope and Brandi know that they are low in order. Howard the donkey just holds his own and has learned the ropes, it is almost as if he has an invisible cape.

What I find interesting is that Casey will pick on Hope, they are both chestnut colored, Chi will push Brandi away, they are
both white. Is there something to that, or just a coincidence?

I decided to try something different this week. I made up a wheelbarrow full of broken bread and quartered apples and spread it out in a broken line. I left part of it in the barrow because I know that Casey loves to snack from it. I grabbed a few handfuls and brought that to the outside of the feed area and that took care of Brandi.
So, with Casey eating from the barrow, he left Hope alone. Chi left Brandi alone and everyone was happy. My strategy worked, woohoo!
What happened was harmony between five beautiful horses.

Horses are so majestic, their energy is incredible and I love being around them.
They are smart, affectionate and gentle with that underlying power of force that could break through at any time. So easy to appreciate and admire.

Do U Emu?

Emu ( Dromaius novaehollandiae )
The emu is the largest bird in Australia, and the second largest in the
world after the ostrich.
The emu can grow to between 5 to 6 feet in height and weigh up to 130 lbs.
The males are slightly smaller than the females. That is something I didn't know until just now while researching some emu facts.

The males make a grunting noise that sounds like a pig and the females make a loud booming noise.

There are 3 emu's at VOTK. Two females( Dora & Darcy) and one male (Gus).
So now that I know the males are smaller, my buddy is actually Gus, and that is who I plan on writing about.
I always thought that Gus was one of the females simply by the usual bird rule of thumb. The males are bigger and flashier. I guess that does not apply to emu's.
The emu's at VOTK are housed in between Homer the razorback and the tigers. So hearing them imitate the pig & tiger is a unique experience because at times it is hard to tell who is making which noise.

I have been taking care of the Emu's on Sundays for over a year now. About 2-3 months ago one of the emu's became my buddy. I noticed that while I was inside their area that one emu followed me around and when I stood still would be right at my side. This is Gus, the only male. I guess that Gus is sweet on me.

I decided I would try some one on one bonding and started petting Gus on the neck, he loved it.
I gently stroke his very long neck, because his neck seems so fragile I am always careful.
I then started scritching him on his head, ahhhh emu bliss.
Today he snuggled up as close as he could get, rested his neck against my chest and arm and was totally content.
Now I am thinking of the song by Captain & Tenille, "Muskrat Love" but replacing Muskrat with Emu.
Honestly, my one on one time with Gus is something I look forward to every Sunday.

Today I thought back to the Angel reading I had approximately 2 years ago.
My angels told me that I would be working with fur & feathers. The fur was easy as I had animals in my life with my dogs and cats. I couldn't figure out how in the world that birds would become a part of my life.
Well here I am, every Sunday, I volunteer my time to take care chickens, peacocks, ducks, geese and the emu's!
Wow and how cool.. Not only that, my fur repertoire has expanded to include all the other wonderful animals at VOTK.

After today's bonding experience I knew it was finally time to sit down and write this blog. Again, I knew the title. But as always, it had to be the right time to put the story to the title.

Lily, her story

This may jump around a bit because there are several different avenues involved in Lily's story.
Lily is my female white german shepherd, she is about 4-5 yrs old.

I believe in signs, in gut instinct, I believe in God, Angels, Spirits and Guides etc.
A friend told me it was time to bring more feminine and white into my life & that AA Gabrielle was with me and guiding me. ( remember, I did say this was going to jump around)

Maxine my beautiful sable german shepherd of 14 1/2 years crossed the Rainbow Bridge in February 2007. Kenyon, my giant male white german shepherd ( from Rescue) was alone and I felt he needed a new sibling. I have fallen in love with the white german shepherds so I thought about possibly getting a white puppy if they became available through White Paws German Shepherd Rescue (whitepawsgsr.com).

As luck would have it I didn't have to wait long, there was a puppy named Gaby. Oh, I thought, a sign. Gabrielle=Gaby.
I emailed Nancy at White Paws expressing my interest in adopting her but it was not meant to be, she had just been adopted that day at a showing. Okay, then maybe I should try fostering a dog until another becomes available.
It just so happened that WPGSR ( white paws) was notified about a female white GS in the Racine animal shelter, would I be interested, her name was Ariel? Funny how things work out, I had a trip planned to the Racine area that week on Wednesday, perfect, I could stop by the shelter and meet her. I had her picture, I connected with her via Reiki over the weekend and could feel her very clearly. I knew that she was a good girl and that she was open to me.
On Monday morning I did something I never do, I decided to turn on the tv and watch the morning show. Within a minute there was Ariel the mermaid, yes, there was my sign.

I sat down for work, turning on the computers I noticed I had an email from Nancy. She told me that Ariel was going to be euthanized that day because she was aggressive over the weekend. I immediately contacted Nancy and asked her to tell the shelter to wait, that I would go that day to meet her. Luckily I had a manager who loves animals as much as I do and she understood the urgency. I flew through the back roads of Wisconsin, it was approximately an hour and 15 minute drive, I sent Reiki to Lily the whole time. I made a phone call to my Reiki instructor/Animal Communicator but had to leave a message. I was doubting myself, did I get the right message about Lily, I would have to figure it out on my own. As I was driving I thought about the date, it was June 9, 2008. Oh hey, it was my 4 year anniversary of finding my breast cancer. This would be Ariel/Lily's lucky day too.

I finally made it to the Countryside shelter. I could feel the fear and sadness of all those animals. I was brought to Ariel/Lily right away, she was in quarantine. She was so scared. I looked at her and told her "you know me", she came right out and let me put the leash on her. There was no aggression, just uncertainty. Animals "know" , and she knew I was her only chance. We went out to a small yard, I released the leash and I let her know that I trusted her. She was too scared to even eat liver treats. We talked, I told her that she would be coming home with me, what to expect etc. I went back in the door, walked her to the front desk and told them that she was coming with me.
I then found out some details on her, she had run away from her home, the owners could not afford to bail her out. She had given birth to a litter within the past month. She had puppies at home but she ran away. She had never been walked, she did not have any toys, she lived in a kennel and was let out to potty, had never been to the vet...are you getting the picture.

As soon as I got her into my Escape, she settled right in. She was happy, excited but still a bit unsure.
I stopped at a burger king on the way home and bought her a burger, she loved it. We had lots to talk about on the drive home.
When I got home my kids were mad at me, what was I thinking? we did not need another dog , blah, blah, blah.
That quickly passed as she warmed up to them and they learned her story. I shouldn't even have to tell them that if she didn't come home with me she would have been put down. How could I walk away knowing that.
They decided to rename her Lily. Lily because she was white and her new home was her rebirth. On a side note, Susan, my name, means Lily.

It was easy to see that she had been abused, badly. Lily was a very nervous, anxiety ridden dog.
She had lots of accidents even though she knew to go outside. She warmed up to Kenyon right away and followed him around like a puppy. I had her for 2 weeks and then it was time to bring her in to get spayed. Because she was still considered a foster she was going to be spayed at an animal shelter about 35 miles from me. I dreaded leaving her there because of the vibes. I didn't want her to think I was abandoning her, putting her in the holding cage and hearing her cry was very emotional. I promised her I would be back the next day and I was. I was there as soon as she was ready for release. But she really wasn't ready. She was soaked in blood. Her wound was not completely healed and she was leaking blood. The vet tech tried to seal it with more glue. They told me I should leave her until she healed but I couldn't. I didn't want to leave her because I promised her, because I was afraid that she would not be properly watched over. Gut instinct told me to bring her home.

It was a rough month following her surgery. Her incision healed nicely except for one spot, it kept leaking. I brought her to my vet, who thought she had an infection. She finally healed and I could take the body wraps off.
I do want to digress. When I brought Lily back home, and mind you she just had surgery, she jumped up on my bed and gave me that look. It is that same look I get to this day when she is on my bed. That look tells me "my bed, my home". She was telling me that she wanted to stay, that this was her home.

I have had Lily since June 9, 2008. For approximately one year she had accidents, pooped and peed on the carpet or somewhere in the house, every day. She knew it was wrong but for some reason she could not help herself. It was frustrating but I had lots of patience, she was meant to be with me and it eventually worked itself out.

Lily is a follower. She worshiped Kenyon and she mourned his passing as much as I did. But then she blossomed into the dog she is now. She found herself and her confidence.
When I brought Lena into the home it was a brief set back because she didn't know her place. At first she bowed down to Lena. But then slowly but surely she retained her confidence and let Lena know that she was the alpha, this was her home first. After a few battles and blood shed, Lily emerged the alpha and it has been a wonderful compromise.

As I sit on my bed writing this story, I have Lena on my left and Lily on my right. Sharing space, sharing momma and most importantly they are at peace because they are loved and secure.

Give rescue and shelter animals a chance. Have room in your heart for an older animal, patience and understanding goes a long way. In time they will blossom and fit right in, just give them the chance to show you they can.


P.S- about that earlier note to bring the feminine and more white into my life- it was meant for Lily.
Love those messages and signs!

Poop

I know, weird title, but since that is the basic subject matter it is appropriate.
I wasn't going to write about last week's adventure because part of it was semi traumatic, but since all turned out well, why not.

How much poop does a Razorback hog poop? and pee? in his house when a perfectly good yard is available???? Lots! that is how much. Homer has a new house, it was built this past Fall so he would have a nice place to chill before Winter started. It was filled with at least 6-8 bales of hay, all fluffed up. It was wonderful.
Yep, it was great until I realized that Homer was not making the trek outside for anything but eating, the rest of his business was done inside his house.
Last week I made sure I had enough time to clean his house, not an easy task.
The main issue was getting him out into his yard. Since it was a fairly decent day, the sun was shining and I had a pocket full of apples, it was easier than usual.
Once I had him out and the gate locked I went to work. I think it was 10 wheelbarrows of nasty, soggy, stinky hay later and it was finally cleared out. I put down a bag of shaving and then 6 bales of fluffed up hay. Homer was so excited as he watched me through the gate. I knew he was ready to check it out. I think I had turned my back to move something, no more than one minute. I was ready to let Homer in when I noticed his face was pushing through the gate, I laughed and teased him about being impatient. Then I realized his muzzle was stuck in the gate. I mean stuck, there is a small fence spoke and it was jammed into his muzzle. OMG! I tried to pull the fence away but it is that heavy duty stuff for a reason. I started yelling, hoping someone would hear me, but no one was in the upper compound. I told him to relax, that I would be right back and I took off on a mad dash through the mud to the tool shed hoping that I would find bolt cutters. The whole time thinking to myself "don't fall, don't fall" . The bolt cutters were hanging in easy sight, I grabbed them and raced back, same mantra. I quickly snapped the fence piece near his mouth and he was able to pull back. He was traumatized, but he was ok. He moved as far away from the fence as he could while dealing with his wound. I went to get more apples, the true test in checking his mouth wound. He ate them without a problem, whew. I decided to let him be for about 10 minutes. I felt he was embarrassed/put out and needed time. When I came back he was all settled into his clean house and he started chattering away, he was happy. He had clean hay, it was dry, warm and just plain "good". Oh and hey, a couple more apples is the icing on the cake.
What could have turned into a nightmare ended well for Homer.

So, onto to more poop stories....
It seems that I spend most of my Sundays picking up poop and hauling it out to what we call the bone pile. Honestly, I don't mind it at all which is surprising.
I guess because when I am done I get a big reward.
I always make sure I clean Chewie ( the camel) and Chunkie's ( the Llamas) home as well as RC & the donkeys (Monchie & Rainbow) every Sunday. This past Sunday also included Dusty the colt, who is in temporary residence in the pole barn.
I know I have written about Chewie before. It is near impossible to get him outside when it is cold, not too mention the stall door being frozen shut so even if he did go out I couldn't get the door open to clean from the barn side anyway. So I always made do, and Chewie would help by moving to the side or kicking his used hay towards me for clean up. This Sunday the weather was warm and Chewie went outside on his own and the door was finally free of ice- yahoo!
That meant a thorough stripping of the stall and scrubbing out his water trough.
Chewie loves to watch me clean his abode. Camels are actually very clean animals. Since I was able to strip, that meant extra shavings. It also meant a nice clean trough of clear, clean water. Chewie and Chunky were in camel & llama heaven. When I let them in Chewie almost did a nose dive into the shavings and proceeded to roll back & forth. Then he positioned himself next to the water tank and sipped happily at his clean water.

Next it was Dusty's turn. Dusty (a colt) has been in the fields so his being inside the barn is an adjustment. I tied him to the side and got to work. I then put down 12 bags of shavings and spread it out. Dusty couldn't wait and he tried to roll while he was tied, yikes. So I hurried up, closed the gate, raced around and unhooked him. OMG, he was a blast to watch, he rolled and rolled and ran around, just loving his clean quarters. I tried to get pictures on my cellphone but it is not fast enough to catch that kind of action. I finished up with RC & the donkeys. Everyone was happy.

I guess my point is that even though I have to haul a lot of poop and it is very hard, dirty work, that the end result makes it all worthwhile.
To see the sheer joy and excitement exhibited by the animals when they have a clean area makes it all worthwhile.

I love my job, I love the animals and life is good.

Horseshoes

A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of a horse's hoof and the placing of shoes to the horse's foot..

I was asked by Jill, the owner of VOTK ( Valley of the Kings) if I could come out on a Saturday to help with RC, the farrier was going to be there for the horses.
Of course I said yes. The concern was keeping RC calm while the farrier worked on her shoes, and we thought Reiki would be the ticket.

Jill came out and told me that 5 horses and the 3 donkeys needed to be done and could I please give Monchie & Rainbow ( donkeys) their worm medication.

Whoa boy, do what?

I had no problem helping with all the "equines", I love them all and it would be a fun venture. BUT, the last time I saw someone try to give the donkeys their worm medication it was not pretty and now I had to do it alone.

If you don't think donkeys are smart, think again. They are very intuitive and they had my number. Monchie was actually easy, I think I caught him by surprise, not sure how that happened. But he let me know his displeasure but galloping around and kicking backwards(no real danger). It looked like a donkey temper tantrum, it was actually kind of cute. So now Rainbow was onto me and it was a game of chase the black donkey. He made a wrong move and went into the barn, I cornered him and held his rein tight, bam, squirt , all done. It was easy to tell it tasted awful, I had a hard time getting them to eat apples they were so busy making that "yuck" face.

Ok, the hard part was done. Onto the horses and Howard ( big donkey) out in the back fields.

I was able to walk right up to Star and put the lead on, the farrier went right to work. What I did not expect was the awesome exchange of love between Star and myself. He was so comfortable, nuzzling, leaning his head on my shoulder.
Just think of a cat or dog when they are in your lap for attention, then imagine that in horse size. And even better than that it happened with every single horse and donkey until we got to RC.

We saved RC for last. We wanted her to be aware of the donkeys getting done, thinking that she would sense their ease and be more accepting. We couldn't have been more wrong. Apparently she does not like being on a lead and I can't tell you how many times we circled and I hung on tight. I was never afraid, I knew I wouldn't get hurt, I was more worried about RC getting injured.
We eventually had to give up, she was too upset.

So adding to my Sunday agenda:
I am going to make a weekly effort to put the lead on her and get her used to it. Maybe it will be easier when it is just the 2 of us, no distractions.

RC has adjusted so well to her blindness that I took for granted that my presence would be a comfort. She was confronted with a stranger, although a very gentle man that loves animals, a stranger none the less. She also had to deal with other unknowns. It was too much and now I understand how frightening it had to be for her.
So we will work together and help her overcome her hurdles.
I will have a good supply of apples, lots of love and patience.

Something cool I learned that day about hoofs. They are just like our finger and toenails. They grow out and have to be trimmed. It is not just horseshoes.
Learn something new everyday!

What do you want Lily???????

I've had the title " What do you want Lily"? on my desk for a couple weeks, knowing it was a good subject/title but not sure where I wanted to go with it.
Today while in the kitchen getting a mug of tea I "got it" : ).

Many times throughout the day my dog Lily will come to my side and just be beside herself trying to get my attention. Many times this happens right after I have let her out so I know it is not a potty notice. Many times, hmmmm, have I said many too many times so far? haha, well with Lily, "many" is appropriate.
Each time she is at my side, starts wiggling, breathing hard and wants to jumps up to get in my face I ask " What do you want Lily????".
Sometimes it is in frustration because I work from home and she is very distracting. Lily will not stop until I turn my chair and allow her to put her front paws in my lap and look into my eyes. I tell her I love her and then she is good for the next 30 minutes.

Well, when I went into the kitchen to get that tea it hit me. Lily just wants me to reassure her that I love her. Her prior home was abusive to her and she was a scrambled mess when I got her at 3 to 4 yrs of age. Even after 1 1/2 years of being with me she still needs me to tell her I love her "when she needs it".

So now I will ask her " What do you want Lily?" in a more patient and understanding tone. Because I "got it".

Now I just have to make sure I don't mix up the signals for potty notice. LOL

We all need to know we are loved. The greatest gift we can give ourselves is to love ourselves first, then the rest comes naturally.

To love a Horse

I remember way back when... I was a little girl in the Bronx. I lived on the bottom floor of a 3 story brownstone. At the entrance there was a storage shed and it was in that storage shed that I fantasized that I could keep a pony.
I have always loved horses. They are beautiful, magnificent, stately, proud and move with grace and power.
What is not to love.

When I was a teenager living in New Jersey, I remember riding my bike up to the horse farm in Wycoff. I think it cost me $10 for a half hour of riding. I went as often as I could. A girl scout weekend trip to a hotel/ranch, I remember picking the biggest horse, not only because of his size but also his "presence".
Every opportunity I got to ride a horse, I did. I also have stopped on the road many times to watch horses playing in the field. And those county fairs, the only reason I went was to see the draft horses : ).

Valley of the Kings is a Big Cat Sanctuary that I volunteer at every Sunday.
My job is farm chores and one of my duties is taking care of the horses!
Last year, when I first started, I was in the upper compound, this beautiful brown horse came up to the fence and we stared at each other for what was approximately 2 minutes. I was mesmerized and the exchange of energy was incredible. That horse is Casey. I always make sure I get to talk to Casey every Sunday and I do my best to make sure he gets treats and whole grain bread : ), of course the other horse get treats too but I make sure Casey gets his special bread.

I also get to take care of RC, who is blind, and her two companion donkeys. RC has become very special to me.
She has the most wonderful soul and we have a loving bond. RC came from a local farm and was kept in filth, not taken care of at all and that abuse eventually led to an infection in her eyes and the loss of sight. RC has empty sockets. It took getting used to at first but now I don't even notice. I love giving RC kisses on the face and I know that she enjoys it too.
It is my mission to give RC special attention, special treats and all the loving I can. I bought her a special brush and every week we have bonding time while I brush her. There are times when she is not in the mood and I let it go. I'm disappointed, but I respect her space.
When she is accepting, like today, we all enjoy the moment. As I brush RC, Monchie and Ranbow the donkey's are always right at my side letting me know that they wants to be next. While I was brushing RC's neck, being gentle, and always talking to her, she moved her nose to my face and gave me a series of kisses.
She had never done that before. I get hugs and horse purrs but the love she showed me at that moment with her kisses was incredible.

To love a horse- the dream of that little girl, so long ago, has finally come to fruition. It was so worth the wait.

Lena the Bed Hog

I woke up this morning to find myself sideways in my queen size bed. I glanced over to spy Lena all stretched out and comfortable. How does this happen every morning? LOL
Some background on Lena. I adopted Lena the end of June 2009, she is about 8 yrs old and a "red" german shepherd.
A friend of a mutual friend ( you know the drill) knew that I loved GS and was trying to help her friend place Lena- long story short, she now lives with me. I wasn't ready to have another dog as I had just lost Kenyon one month prior, but how could I say NO to an older animal with no where else to go. Yes, I am a softie but is that really bad?
Some more on Lena- she does not know how to act around cats and treats them as sport. That does not bode well in my house of 6 cats. It has been an ongoing battle.
Why did I keep her? Because I knew, in my heart, I was her last chance. She is a great dog, very loving and friendly to everyone, her only negative quality is her issue with the cats.
It was also a trial between Lily & Lena. Lena wanted to be the Alpha but Lily fought her every minute of the day. Lily eventually won out but not without bloodshed,*sigh.
Anyways, Lena has finally become comfortable with her status in the house. She knows she belongs and makes herself very comfortable on the couch during the day and on the bed at bedtime. ( The bed is Lily's territory during the day).
The bed space issues??? It all started with a cold nose in my back- "ah hem, hello, new momma, I would like to join you up on the bed, is that ok?". well geez, who can resist those eyes, "sure, come on up". Next thing I know I am squeezed between 2 dogs and can't move. I am literally a dog sandwich.
Once Lena gets settled in she is like a boulder, I couldn't move her if I wanted to, well, if I really wanted to I would meow and ask where's the kitty?- LOL
So I share my bed with a dog posing as a log aka Lena and the other dog,Lily, as part-time partner in bed space encroachment.
Life is short, I can share my bed, it's not too much to expect with two dogs who know they belong and have found their forever home. But I still wish Lena would explore the space at the foot of the bed every once in a while.

Valley of the Kings( Big Cat Sanctuary)- My first day

1/2/2009

I sent this to a friend via email, lucky for me she kept it and sent it to me on my 2 year anniversary.

The sanctuary is about 25 miles from Whitewater.
I put in 4 volunteer hrs today. Had to cut it short because Alicia was heading back to Eau Claire & I wanted to see her off.

Unfortunately due to the ice it was an ice bath at the farm so it was slow moving.
I am so glad I have a strong stomach and a neutral mind to not be phased by all the carcasses all over the place.
Most of the area farmers drop off dead cows, calves & deer. Because of the cold weather they are able to store them outside.
\When they are ready to use them they bring them inside the buildings to thaw- yuck, but necessary and not the greatest smell in the world either.
I honestly don't know how anyone would want to have a snack or eat lunch with all that right there, but they do- no thanks for me.

There are about 20 regular domestic cats on the site, all well taken care of. Some have been scarred, my guess they were dropped off and left.
It seems the majority of big cats are bengals. I only saw one male lion w/ full mane, lots of females, some cougars. Didn't get to see them all today. there are supposed to be 50 total.
The wolves are beautiful and they have one that is all white.
I got to clean & feed the cats, rabbits, horses ( one blind/missing eyes & the other missing 1 eye), chewy the camel, and lumpy the obnoxious Llama, donkeys, wallabee(very cute), chickens, goats,sheep, peacocks, Homer the razorback ( OMG he is huge) and his buddy Lily the pig ( she is a beautiful creamy orange color).

I will be spending my Sundays out there and I am looking forward to next week when I can spend more time. I will at least be partially used to the routine. I sure hope the ice is gone. So glad I didn't slip and fall in poop.

Oh My Aching Body....

Today is Sunday, my volunteer day at Valley of the Kings. The day started at minus 7 degrees. ugh. I had so many layers on I felt like the sta-puff marshmallow man.
When I got to the work room there was a "to do"list with my name on it. I don't mind the lists, I am more than happy to do the extra work and I am happy that I am trusted to do it.
Today's list was to make sure various animals got extra hay to eat and extra hay for bedding. 20 something bales of hay and approximately 15 sled loads of poop later, I am one hurtin' momma.

The highlights of today were Homer the razorback hog & Lily the hog. Homer is a big boy, probably weighs about 500lbs. He actually is a very gentle soul and I am not afraid of him, but he does require caution. Homer is not into being physical, meaning if he has to move it requires a trip to get food or water. I took the first bale of hay and rolled it over the fence, my plan being to take it apart and fluff it for him while he was inside his house. As soon as the bale hit the ground he popped out of his house and started pulling it into his house. I cut the bale and Homer dragged in the first flake, that gave me time to get in and start pulling apart & fluffing the hay. Homer was on a mission, apparently he was more then ready for the extra bedding. Hogs/pigs will actually build a nest. It is fun to watch them become so focused on getting the hay just right. Hog heaven takes on a whole new light.
It was a repeat performance in watching Lily get her nesting done. She was so happy, that darn ground can get cold. Not sure where the old hay goes, maybe she eats it little by little, no clue. Lily shares a house with the goats, there is a barrier that divides their living areas.
The emu's live next to Homer and on the other side are the tiger's on Tiger Row.
Even though I take care of the emu's, today was actually the first time I heard them imitate the tiger's growl.
Emu's can actually imitate other animals. So of course, being right next to the tiger's it was natural for them to pick up that sound.
I had to clean out the emu hut,nasty, so I could fill it with fluffed hay. Sad to say that I found 3 cracked emu eggs.
They had cracked & the yoke had frozen. Emu eggs are beautiful, they have a mottled teal appearance. Apparently they are highly sought after by artists for etchings. Unfortunately these eggs were lost unless they could be used in pieces.
My day finally neared the end, it was dark, and I had one more animal left to give hay for bedding. Chester, the wallabee.
I love Chester.
A wallabee is a miniature version of a kangaroo. Chester has a side area that is heated, I needed to crawl inside to fill it. Chester was so excited that I was down on his level. He loves to grab my arm while I scrub his back. After I finished and as I said goodbye, he farted. That put a smile on my face and it was a good way to end a hard day.

and my body is still aching.....but it is a good ache

Animal Communication Class

1/16/2010
I took the beginner's Animal Communication class for the 3rd time today. What I was really trying to accomplish was an affirmation to the information I receive from the animals.

The teacher is a wonderful person, Rebecca Moravec. I have known Rebecca for about 9-10 years. I had read a news article on her those many years ago and contacted her to help me with my animals. She has helped me with quite a few of my pets and is always right on the money. My first animal communication class with her was 9 years ago, my second was 2 years ago and my third today. Rebecca is also my Usui Reiki teacher,has given me angel guidance as well as other readings.

Ok, back to the class. Rebecca has wonderful energy as did my classmates that attended today.
I am excited, I received the validation I was hoping for. It is such a personal high to use your intuition and get the validation that what you received was correct.

Why did it take me so long?
I had a lot of personal clean up to accomplish between 9 years ago and now.
Positive energy flow is a must.
I had to learn to trust the information that I received.
There are a few more pieces of the puzzle that are waiting to fit & Patience is a virtue.

To my classmates, it was a pleasure to meet you and I hope that we keep in touch.
I look forward to our "field trip" to VOTK so I can show you the sanctuary and you can see for yourself
why & how it has enriched my life.
To Chloe, as always, it was fun to connect.
Rebecca, love and hugs to you and many thanks for being a part of my life's path.

Valley of the Kings - www.votk.org

Rebecca Moravec - www.kindredspiritsanimalcommunication.com

When you least expect it, a lion says hello

I volunteer my Sundays at Valley of the Kings, a big cat sanctuary.
This past Sunday was a particularly grueling day. The weather and conditions were a toss up between ice, slushy snow and bare ground. We use sleds in the winter to make it easier to transport food and garbage ( aka poop & other yuck).
The sleds work great over the snow and ice but not bare ground. I felt like an ox dragging a wagon, heave/ ho, back and forth across the compound . It kicked my butt.

When it is cold and near dusk the lions tend to go inside their enclosures, so it is usually pretty quiet. It was around 5pm, I was walking through the compound to finish a chore when I noticed one of the the Mississippi lions out near his house and staring at me. They have always been an aloof bunch and I have stopped many times to talk to them but I usually got a yawn in response to my chatter.
So of course I was intrigued, I immediately stopped and asked him if he wanted company or to talk. He then promptly walked through the feeding area and came over to where I was standing and stared me right in the eyes, face to face. I was no more than 10 inches away from him. I had no idea how massive he was until he was right in front of me and he was so beautiful it was breathtaking.
He was right next to his dinner but he was not possessive or aggressive in anyway. He continued to look at me, a very content look on his face. He let me know ( telepathically) that he just wanted to exchange energy. He knew that I was dragging, as I mentioned above, and he wanted to help. Wow, how cool is that. I

Life is Good everyone, Life is Good.
Recognize the signs/messages, because when you least expect it, a lion could be saying hello : )

VOTK , 2/2/2009

Kashie, a beautiful bengal tiger left her earthly body to return home today. Cancer had ravaged her body and it was time for her to go. On other votk highlights-I spent as much time as I could with the wolves, they are just so cool and love the attention. it was certainly poop patrol day for me. I cleaned out the peacocks & the Emu's shelters. As for the chickens, I tell them every weekend not to poop on their feeder- they don't listen real well. So, overall observation: Birds sure do poop alot & it turns into a cement based substance- ewwww. Found an Emu egg- very cool colors of mottled black & teal. Bonus day for fruit & bread for all the animals. The horses, donkeys, goats & pigsl love getting apples. The goats had a field day with all their extra treats. Foxes & Emu's love grapes. thanks to Whole Foods for donating outdated foods!

VOTK , February 2009

I spent the first part of my day at VOTK. It is a big cat sanctuary that is a rescue "farm" in southern WI.
They have approx 50 big cats ( Lions, tigers, cougars, Lynx, bobcats), 2 bears, about 15 wolves, 2 blind horses, a camel, 2 Llama's, a razorback hog, goats, sheep, Lily the pig, lots of ducks, geese, bunnies, emu's, peacocks, field horses, bulls, cows, donkeys, tinies ( domestic cats)chickens, a wallabee - I think that about covers them all. I spend my Sunday morning/early afternoons doing farm chores to help out.
Today was exceptional because it was like Spring and most of the big cats were out. The lions are breathtaking, to be so close to them, within inches, and look into their golden eyes- wow! There is actually a white german shepherd in with the wolves and he is a barker. He was caught running free, had his chain collar embedded in his neck, was caught and votk took him him. My oldest GS was also surrendered with his chain embedded in his neck. It is so distressing how some animals are treated. So I have made Kostner my personal mission, to gain his trust. So every week I have been bringing him & his cage buddy a large dog biscuit. So far so good, now when I am near he stops to watch me instead of the incessant barking that he was prone to. I brought Homer the razorback & lily his buddy some apples today. Homer is HUGE and could barely manipulate his body to find the dropped apples but he was happy when he found them. The best part of my day today was spending some bonding time with Skyhawk one of the blind horses. As I rubbed his neck and talked to him he rested his head on my shoulder- it was so neat. Working out there, even though I am walking through & cleaning crap,having to view deer/calf carcasses ( cat food), the joy comes from the innocence and unconditional love from the animals. It makes me so happy to be helping out. www.votk.org

VOTK 3/8/2009

I got a call before I left that no volunteers showed up on Saturday and that all that was done was feeding the 'farm" animals. My job is to take care of all the "farm animals" which is all but the big cats, bears & wolves. ( Even though I do spend a fair amount of time with the wolves they are not on my chore sheet). With 2 days of constant rain the sanctuary grounds were a mud mess. There were more than a few times I almost stepped out of my boots from being sucked into the mud. We even had thunder & lightning, even worried about a possible tornado ( crazy day to say the least). Got everyone fed. Had a small scare with Lily the orange pig/hog wondering why she was sleeping outside but after some bread treats she was moving around and I chalked it up to Homer the Razorback being a dink and not allowing her into the shelter. We decided to give the duck eggs to the artic foxes ( the eggs are unfertilized & usually thrown away), the foxes loved them- score!. Went out into the field to give the horses bread. They are just so cool and the heirachy is interesting, they do get pushy when there are treats involved. The pen with the 3 wolves are warming up to me and were waiting for me to come over with biscuit treats. I also got to spend some good, though wet time with the other wolves. By the end of 5 hours I was soaked through and ready to go home. I headed home in the rain, when I pulled in the driveway it was hailing and 10 minutes later it was snowing. I am home safe, sound,showered, dry and relaxing. Another good day at the sanctuary.

As a follow-up. The foxes were not allowed to have the eggs. Even though they love them, there is a chance that the eggs have been sitting out in the sun too long, too dangerous. The foxes will just have to make due with all the other wonderful, safe treats they receive.

Meet Sarah and Abby ( 10/10/10)

When I arrived at VOTK this Sunday I went to the prep room to check in and grab the grain buckets

for RC & Chewie. There were 2 additional buckets labeled for Sarah, the bigger mare and Abby the little mare.

I was excited, new horses! When I slid back the barn door and looked in I saw 2 sweet faces who were excited to see me and the buckets of grain. When I looked closer I saw that they were extremely skinny, and that is an understatement, they were skeletal. Their ribs and hips are protruding, their faces are sunken. But even though the outside appearance clearly showed abuse by whoever owned them before they got to VOTK, the look of hope and trust was very clear in both their eyes. I had my usual stock of extra treats, carrots, sliced apples and soft bread. They seemed to have trouble taking the food, my guess is that they were never hand fed. And I have to laugh at that statement because by the end of the day they caught on quick. When I went in to clean their area they were very calm and I never worried about them getting jumpy. They enjoyed every bit of attention they were getting.

I got a message from Jill via Carolyn ( I never carry my phone when I'm there) that she wanted me to take pictures of the girls, to bring them out to the parking lot in the daylight. They were so scared when being led out that they had nervous poops. Any animal person understands a nervous poop. I wasn't prepared for the shock of how malnourished they were, my heart was hurting.

After the pictures I checked my phone for the message from Jill and that is how I found out how they arrived at VOTK. I started crying and I couldn't stop. They were given to VOTK to be slaughtered and fed to the big cats. This happens, it's a fact of life and I understand that.

But knowing that didn't change the fact that these beautiful animals suffered and starved at the hands of some asshole.

I don't understand how a human being can be so callous and indifferent to ignore an animal in their care and watch it starve.

I thank God that they were spared by Jim & Jill, the owners of VOTK. I look forward to watching them fill out and return to full health.

To watch them bask in all the attention they got this past Sunday from our visitors was a wonderful experience.

They know they are now safe, they know they are loved.

Welcome to your new life Ms. Sarah and Ms, Abby!

(please be prepared, the before photos are disturbing. I hope to show new pictures as they progress in health)

A Day with the Horses ( 2/5/2011)

I really, really enjoy the day I get to go out to Valley of the Kings to help the Farrier with the horses.

I get to spend approximately 4 hours of just "equine" time, no other chores to worry about, because on Sunday's it is really hard to find "extra" time, so the Saturday that falls every 6-8 weeks is my time with the horses.

Today there was still a lot of left over snow from the blizzard earlier in the week. The horses were out in the field so I had to trudge through a foot of snow or more to get some of them. I was happy to see that Casey & Hope have become a couple. It was so obvious that Casey was smitten. While Hope was getting her hooves trimmed, Casey was right by her side giving her kisses and licks. And Hope's son, Dusty, was making sure that he was part of the new family unit.

What I enjoy is the one on one time I have with each horse and of course the mules/donkeys. I get about 20-25 minutes face time with each of them while they get their hooves trimmed. I get to talk, look them in the eyes, rub their faces, ears and necks and best of all, share kisses. I love when they rest their heads on my shoulder or chest and show true contentment with being loved.

And they return that love with kisses. There is something so special and just plain cool about being kissed by a horse. Their muzzles are so soft and gentle and they twitch while laying on a smooch.

XOXOXO- I love you all, Casey, Chi, Star, Brandy, Hope, Dusty and Howard the mule. And the barn animals: Sarah, Abby, Dolly the mule,Rainbow & Monchie the donkeys and my best girl, RC.

Thank you for a beautiful day and so glad you enjoyed the corn treats :).