Happy New Year everyone!

Here's hoping everyone has a very safe and happy New Year!

Here's to the 87 animals that found refuge here this year....with equally high numbers from the rest of the ladies! It was a bumpy ride, but looking back on it now....it was oh sooooo worth it!! (I've got a few coonies here that I think will agree too! :) )

I am an animal rescuer.
I will never bring about world peace. I will not save the rain forest.
I'm not a brain surgeon and I'll never transplant an organ to save a life.
I don't have the ear of a powerful politician or world power.
I can't end world hunger.
I'm not a celebrity, and God knows I'm not glamorous!
I'm not looked up to by millions around the world. Very few people even recognize my name.
I'll never win the Nobel Prize.
I'll never save the rain forest or end global warming.
There are a lot of things that I'll never do or become.
But today I saved an animal!
It was a small, scared, bundle of flesh and bones.
I gave it a home.
It now has contentment and an abundance of love. A warm place to sleep and plenty to eat.
No, I'm not a rocket scientist but today I saved one of God's precious creatures. Today, I made a difference!
I Am An Animal Rescuer.
My job is to assist God's creatures. I was born with the need to fulfill their needs. I take in new family members without plan, thought or selection. I have bought dog food with my last dime. I have patted a mangy head with a bare hand. I have hugged someone vicious and afraid. I have fallen in love a thousand times and I have cried into the fur of a lifeless body.
I have Animal Friends and friends who have Animal Friends. I don't often use the word "pet." I notice those lost at the road side and my heart aches. I will hand raise a field mouse and make friends with a vulture. I know of no creature unworthy of my time.
I want to live forever if there aren't animals in Heaven but I believe there are!
Why would God make something so perfect and leave it behind?
We may be master of the animals, but the animals have mastered themselves. Something people still haven't learned.
War and abuse make me hurt for the world but a rescue that makes the news gives me hope for humankind.
We are a quiet but determined army and making a difference every day.
There is nothing more necessary than warming an orphan. Nothing more rewarding than saving a life. No higher recognition than watching them thrive. There is no greater joy than seeing a baby play who only days ago, was too weak to eat.
I am an Animal Rescuer.
My work is never done. My home is never quiet. My wallet is always empty, but my heart is always full.
In the game of life, I have already won!
~ Annette Kincker ~

(edited slightly by me!)

Happy Birthday JoAnn!

Last night we had a little girls night at my place and celebrated JoAnn's birthday! She's 29 years young again! You wouldn't have know it was her birthday though....she did all the cooking! We had to agree to that to get her to come though! LOL

One of the injured squirrels spending the winter came for the visit as well. Here Laurie gets a touching gesture from her after examining her leg....awwwwww.

The tee-shirt says it all...Lisa is ready to go!

The birthday girl! We retire to the great room for presents and cake. One of my boys Marley tries his cutest expression to mooch some cake off of Mary! LOL...it wasn't good enough though!

JoAnn and Mary enjoying some nice hot tea.

Me and the boys! Yes....they all think they are lap dogs, and no consideration for the rest of the company on the couch....they will sit in every one's lap! I believe Boo's tail was in the process of wagging in JoAnn's face at this point!

Awwww...Boo Boo and Bernard cuddle up...and yes, they are on my lap!

Lisa and Marley....not so bright eyed and bushy tailed anymore! Haha! The party has definitely wound down. We are such party animals!!!

Another great night with great friends...can't beat it!

My new friend.

So one day a couple weeks ago I'm taking care of the gang and as I'm in and out of the shed where one of the little red's has been shacking up, I keep hearing a rustling noise. I don't think anything of it as I'm used to the little guy making a racket when I go in there.

As I'm closing up the shed for the evening the little guy pops his head up so I stop to say Hi! I couldn't see that well as it was dusk, and the color scheme was right.....but something just didn't seem quite right. So I go and grab a little flashlight to get a better look. You can imagine my surprise when I saw this.......

Pop goes the weasel! LOL!!!

We both stood there staring at each other like idiots with a "what the.....!!!" expression on our faces. It was priceless!

And to be honest I didn't actually get pics that first time. I had no camera or cell phone on me to take any.....but the little bugger came back and this time I had the camera because I was going to get some pics of LB and the boys! And another bonus....had some chicken necks with me too! Mr. (or Mrs.) weasel scored big time and got a tasty treat while I had the pleasure of being allowed to stand there and watch and get some good pics! Keep in mind it was dark in the shed and I had to keep a flashlight on him to get any pics at all so they are far from perfect......but awesome just the same!

I have a feeling he'll be sticking around for a while, much to the chagrin of the mice that have been living in there. In fact the mice are probably the reason he likes it so much....one of their favorite foods after all. He doesn't seem to bother the squirrels much, other than taking over one of the red's nest areas in the shed!

He's a beauty though...in great shape and so small! You don't realize how little they are until you see one in person. It's about the size of a red, only longer..... like the length of 2 reds put together. I think it's a short tailed, his tail seemed a little stubby to me but haven't seen any good pics of the tails to compare and know for sure.
I love my cool new friend......too bad I can't move him into my house to take care of all the mice in my walls!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

From me and all the fur butts!!

Thanks so much for all your support and for enjoying the gang as much as I do!

Update on LB

Everyone must have crossed their fingers because so far so good with LB. He managed to leave the catheter in a little over 24 hours.....a miracle in itself! He stayed at Laurie's Monday and Tuesday so she could keep a close eye on him. By Tuesday night he was still peeing on his own, eating and drinking normally and tearing the crate apart trying to get out! Time to come home.

So Wednesday morning he came back here and we decided to kill 2 birds with one stone.....we put him in the small pen and moved Andy, Gibby and Ringo in with him .....so no more fights between Vin and Andy and LB has some company again!

He's still feeling great.....he thoroughly enjoyed biting me last night when I gave him his antibiotics! It was worth it though because he was mad enough at me to pee when I grabbed him so the plumbing is still working! LOL

He's not out of the woods yet, but the glass is half full again....

Sunday we are all going to try to get together and move a large 20 x20 kennel Laurie has stored at her house over here in the hopes of getting it set up eventually so we can move the boys out of the small pen. It's OK for now, but they are going to need more room than that for the winter.

LB's emergency!

This past weekend didn't go so well! Early Saturday evening I went out to take care of the gang and noticed something was very wrong with LB (Little Boy). He was vomiting and straining very hard and not comfortable at all! There are very few vets willing to even see coonies, and on a Saturday evening to boot......our usual vets just weren't available!

I separated him from the rest and kept a panicked vigil over him until Laurie returned from NH to evaluate him with me. Our thoughts were he was either blocked or obstructed.....neither of which he would survive through the night. There was no question, something had to be done now!! At 10pm Laurie made a desperate call to Dr. Schless who owns the practice Laurie works at.....Woburn Animal Hospital. She went above and beyond and dropped everything to meet Laurie and help our little guy. (while I had to head into work for a late shift a total wreck!)

Turns out he was blocked.....she saved his life, he never would have survived the night!! They managed to get a catheter in and empty and flush a very infected and puss filled bladder and Laurie set him up at her house to treat and watch over him.....keeping our fingers crossed because he was not out of the woods yet and Dr. Schless was going away first thing Sunday morning and wouldn't be around to help again.

Sunday Laurie and I took a break from our annual Christmas brunch at Mary's to go check on him and give him fluids. He was OK, but still no interest in eating and he still seemed a little uncomfortable. I did not have a good feeling about him....but he was stable and much better than the night before!

So back to Mary's we head for desert and gifts! As usual it was a wonderful day with wonderful friends (and AWESOME food! Mary you rock!!)
Mary and Laurie

Sue

Lisa admires her new rack! LOL

Sue made this AMAZING coat rack for Lisa with inlayed wood and squirrel hooks!

JoAnn is contemplating how she can steal the absolutely adorable coonie kit figurines Mary got me! Can't say I blame her....look how freaking cute they are!!

Unfortunately things just kind of went down hill from there. I proceeded to get a migraine and had to head home and became incapacitated. But I have the best friends in the world!! Laurie came over and took care of the crew outside for me and even lugged my garbage down my football field length driveway....while I lay on my couch drooling incoherently and unable to function.

When I finally came out of my stupor this morning I called to see how LB was doing. Turns out he took a turn for the worse again Sunday night. I don't know how she did it but Laurie managed to find a very nice vet willing to see him about 45 minutes away! They once again managed to unblock him, and though we're not hopeful he will leave the catheter in for the necessary amount of time....he stitched in there. This morning Laurie said he was feeling MUCH better and even began eating again....and so far, (fingers crossed!!) he has left the catheter in!!

So a major tragedy averted for now......he's by no means out of the woods yet. In cats this usually becomes a chronic problem. Should this end up being the case with LB, we may have to euthanize him. He can't be released into the wild like that....he would die a horrifically painful death. Luckily he's wintering over anyway so for now we have the luxury of keeping a very close eye on him and giving him a chance to see if this was just the result of a bad UTI and can be cleared up for good....or not.

To Dr. Schless and the other vet.....WE CAN NEVER THANK YOU ENOUGH! You are most kind and compassionate and spared a very sweet living creature from a very painful death with no regard for the inconvenience to yourselves. I am eternally grateful......................

Updates on animal welfare victories!

Things are moving in a positive direction for the humane treatment of animals.

I think that if those that sill wear fur were to see some of the graphic videos out there showing where the coat on their back came from, they would be so nauseated as to rethink purchasing such a product again. I can not begin to put into words how disturbing it is, nor do I want to think about it long enough to try! Seeing the images in my head as I write this post bother me greatly............you can continue to read here:


The Truth in Fur Labeling Act (H.R.2480) was unanimously passed last week -- December 7 -- by the U.S. senate and is on its way to President Obama for signature. This law requires all fur products to be labeled with the species of animal, country of origin, manufacturer and other information.

The problem with the existing law is the exception it allows for fur valued at less than $150. A label informing the consumer about the type of fur is not required. Many fur-trimmed items like coat collars, hats and gloves are below that price.

Those items are often mislabeled as faux fur, raccoon or coyote when they are actually domestic dog, cat, wolf or raccoon dog. According to the Federal Trade Commission, one in every eight garments falls into this category.

Read the full story here.......
Senate Passes Truth in Fur Labeling Act!

Congress Passes Fur Labeling Law



Another victory over another stomach turning practice by the many twisted and sick people out there! President Obama signs into law H.R. 5566, the Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act of 2010.

Animal crush videos typically involve scantily-clad women or girls often using stiletto heels to inflict the torment to satisfy a sexual deviancy for viewers. The torture is intentionally drawn out for many minutes or even hours, during which time the animals’ cries and squeals are featured, along with their excretions of blood, urine and organs as they are crushed to death.

As you can imagine.....even more disturbing images bouncing around in my head! Time to go back to my "happy place" (if I can)! Read the full story and background from the HSUS press release here.

And last but not least! A long awaited update to the anti freeze bill I told you about back in March.....House Bill 4285, which requires manufacturers to add a bittering agent to antifreeze and coolant sold in the state to discourage animals - and children - from ingesting the sweet-tasting liquids was signed into law on July 19, 2010 by Deval Patrick.

We're moving in the right direction people!!

For all you Dandy fans out there!

Checking in on the gang out back all looks great! Lots of big, fat, healthy coonies hanging out.....and my little pug-nosed friend Dandy lookin' better than ever! Every time I see her now and think about the ordeal of her surgery I remember why I do this and I get all warm and fuzzy inside! :)

Though it is hard to tell who is who out there with this camera, there are a few (like Dandy) that have distinguishing features or faces that make them easy to pick out. Quinny and Popeye would be a couple of them and they were also out and about and looking as HUGE as ever!

Goodies from our friends!

A GREAT BIG thank you out to all our friends at the Bedford Council on Aging!!! They are kind enough to supply all kinds of goodies and treats for the gang that another of our favorite friends, Kristin, lugs over here....special delivery!....for the gang!

The excitement is overwhelming and there is a mad rush for the coveted goodies!

They proceed to start grabbing what they can and shoving it in their mouths!

Just look at those happy faces! (and full mouths....they're not good about chewing with their mouths closed!)

The 3 littlest members had no problem shoving right into the crowd and taking what they wanted.....in fact they were little Tasmanian devils...standing right in the middle, gobbling up pieces and snarling at the big kids that tried to take some! In the end, one of the big kids remedied that by just grabbing the whole thing right out from under every ones nose and taking off with it! LOL

So thanks again everyone....it was delicious and we greatly appreciated it!

The great blue heron caper.

Good morning Lisa! Hope you had a great Birthday weekend! Didn't want to leave you with nothing new to read! LOL After Laurie and Mary drove up and down Rt. 3 to find a great blue heron reported to be hanging out in the median of the highway, Sue and I joined them and we all sat out on Rt. 3 waiting for the State Police to show up and stand by so we could safely attempt to rescue the bird. During the course of waiting for a no show State PD, Sue watched the bugger fly off further down the median strip. We had to abandon the attempt as it was a very dangerous area....the thin median being between 3 lanes of highway on each side. If it can fly (in trouble or not) there was no way we were going to be able to corral it and catch it. More than likely our attempts would cause it to fly right into the traffic on the highway and smooooooosh! The only thing that's going to help catch something in this situation is one of those net guns. We have a call into the Animal Rescue League to see if that is a possibility.

It's absolutely freezing around here! Nothing new in Coonie Kingdom...everyone is hunkering down in nice warm den boxes....not even the sound of the back door is causing them to stir! It's not until I actually appear by the pen that the gang comes to life.....and I can't say as I blame them!

Drama in the coon pen.

I smile every time I step out onto my back porch and let the dogs out.

To the coons, the sound of the back door opening is like the sound of a can of tuna opening for a cat! Without fail I look over toward the main raccoon pen and chuckle because this is what I see. What the heck am I talking about you ask?

Look a little closer.............

.....and closer still! LOL! At the sound of the door what started as an empty pen begins to get crowded as one by one they start to gather in anticipation of the almighty FEEDING TIME!!! You would think I was starving them for cryin' out loud!

Little Andy here is nursing a bite wound on his leg. I think he harassed Vin one to many times....and Vin is standing up for himself now. Of all the encounters I have noticed, Vin does not initiate anything, he goes about his own business, then Andy challenges him. Now, Andy here is as tiny as Pip!.....Vin is a giant next to him and I think when I am not around he is putting tiny little Andy in his place. Andy is very relaxed around the rest of the gang....

...but if Vin enters the area, well this look says it all! He backs himself against a wall and covers his ass! Poor little fella. We're looking into maybe moving a few of the boys with Andy, to either Mary's pen or another rehabbers for the winter to give them all some room. My cage is big, but not really big enough to give so many overwinters enough room to spread out and prevent stressful situations like this from getting worse.

In the meantime, the rest of the gang is just as goofy as ever!

Stony who is really the bitchiest of them all (towards people, not the other coons) actually has a silly moment as she makes an effort to actually come to me for a treat.

Scrapi takes a treat ever so gently!

Pip.....well Pip is just a silly fool!

Vin.....Whaaaat!! Me??.....I'm not buggin Andy, I swear!

Tash and Dolci share some pumpkin.

Tash's foot seems really swollen again and he's not putting it down anymore. It's not slowing him down at all though, that's for sure! It may just take a while for the foot to heal....there's just not much else we can do but give it time . He's got all winter now!

There has been another one limping on the coon cam video at the release site but as of yet we have not come across it holed up in the pen. We keep checking, and one night Laurie and I went out there around the time they all come out and actually sat around for almost 2 hours waiting! There were 7 of them out and about in the trees but they wouldn't budge or come down to us! A little bitter sweet......we were bummed they wouldn't come visit us, but on the other hand very grateful to see they were so fearful! If they are like that with us then they are definitely avoiding strange humans which is the best thing for them!! It means we did our job right......but still, oh I would have loved to say Hi to my little fur butts one more time.....