Scary Times- October Sanctuary Update

Hi Everyone!

October is the best! The best weather! The best food! The best scenery! And of course, the best holiday: Halloween!! I love the way people’s creativity blooms and everyone gets a little bolder with the costumes and other fun. And the scary stuff is a blast. It’s the best time of year! So in honor of the season of scares, I’m going to talk about something everyone finds a little scary, the future!

Our Companions is always looking forward. When you’re trying to help people and the pets, you’ve got to be ready to address the problems as they are now, not how they used to be. As has been mentioned elsewhere, Our Companions is growing and adjusting through various programs to deal with the most urgent needs for pets now, like low cost veterinary care, behavior assistance, and support for seniors. But I want to speak specifically about the the future holds for the sanctuary.

And what the future holds is more cottages! Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring on three new cottages at the sanctuary, each to address a growing need in pet welfare in the area. First, in the cats, we’ll be adding Minnie’s Mews. This cottage will be much like Jane’s Place, but will have a few adjustments to help us better work with under socialized cats. Many of you followed our work with Magic, a cat who arrived here scared of everyone, but left with purring her way into the hearts of a new family. We’ve also taken on the challenges of Penguin and Parsnip, Keiko, and Paisley, and had some great successes. We feel this is definitely something we can make a difference doing in the right environment.

Then, in the dogs, there’s Twilight House. We’ve had quite a few dogs over the years here that have needed special physical care, whether they were recovering from surgeries, getting back in shape from some neglect, or just suffering the effects of age. And while the area of physical rehabilitation for pets has grown and become more common over the years, it can still be a logistical challenge to get dogs the care they need. Twilight House will be the answer to that challenge. Half of the building will be a regular dog cottage, primarily housing seniors and other dogs needing extra physical care. The other half will have an exercise area with various specialized equipment, including an underwater treadmill. We’re really looking forward to the work we can accomplish in this new space.

And lastly, there’s our most ambitious leap into the future, our small critter building. There’s a surprising need to help homeless ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, and other small furry friends. This new cottage will be set up with all the best care we can provide as we explore the ins and outs of this new realm of animal welfare.

Yes, we are definitely bounding into the future here at the sanctuary. And as is appropriate for this spooky time of year, these moves are both a little thrilling, and a little terrifying. But having the support of such wonderful volunteers, donors, and other supporters, makes this process all a whole lot less scary.

Ripley’s Corner Office

Hi Everyone!

The future certainly can be scary, especially for us furry types who have lost our homes. There’s so many ways that we could end up in emotionally and physically difficult situations that could have a real negative impact on us. Luckily, there’s Our Companions! Having a safe place to take the time to heal and progress makes all the difference in being successful in a new home, especially for the more challenging cases (not me, of course!). And one of the best things for us at Our Companions is that we know exactly what the future holds: more time with you, our great volunteers! So make sure to sign up to help out, and spread the word! We’re still rebuilding our volunteer programs from the pandemic and could use lots more of you.

Thanks!
Ripley

And of Course…Adoptions!!

October had some fun adoption movement. For the cats, we had very Halloween-appropriate action with some orange cats. The super sweet Ren made his way to his forever home this month. And in a short, whirlwind visit, Pumpkin arrived, had some dental work done, and headed right to his new home. On the dog side, we welcomed Daisy Mae to the crew.

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Thank you all so much for whatever way you support us and our mission. We couldn’t do it without you.

Jon Phillips

Sanctuary Director

[email protected]

860-726-8533