Meanwhile, back at the Ranch

A "Donation" button has been added.  If you would like to make a donation to our Sanctuary, it will be greatly appreciated.  Updates of where the donations are used will be posted on this page.

Here's an early morning shot, looking across the driveway into the front pasture.  I am truly blessed to live in such a beautiful place, with my wonderful husband, and all of our much loved animal "children". 

Our Wonderful Residents

Not only do I love creating home decor, craft and gift items with new and recycled materials, I also love to rescue unwanted animals and give them a new life.  Most of the animals here on our little Tin Shed Ranch, are rescues.  We have everything from a tiny Chihuahua to several Draft Horses, we don't discriminate, lol!

While this is a passion of mine, it is a VERY expensive passion!!!  Those of us who craft, know how expensive that can get, but feeding, sheltering and providing medical care for all these critters can be quite overwhelming.  So in other words, I have very expensive passions, haha!!!   

Anyway, I wanted to add a page to the blog to share the many loves of my life.  One of the reasons I am trying to turn my love for crafting into a business, is to help support my love of animals. 
_________________________________

 11/06/2014

Today I am doing a little something different.  I spent the day yesterday at my sister's farm, making applesauce.  It was a very good day.  I also took a few minutes to take some pictures of a few of her critters.  Let's start with Bella.  She is a beautiful and very happy cow these days.

Sadly, Bella was is pretty rough shape when my sister found her about 5 years ago.  Bella originally came from a dairy, and was sold because she had sustained an injury to her udder, which led to a massive infection.  This caused 2 of the 4 quadrants of her udder to completely shut down.  The woman that purchased Bella from the dairy wasn't prepared to care for her properly, and by the time my sister and I answered her ad on Craigslist, Bella was emaciated, had large welts all over her body, and was nearly hairless.  There was also puss oozing from her udder.  Most people would probably run as fast as they could to get away from an animal that clearly was going to need a LOT of care just to get somewhere close to normal.  My sister decided right then and there that she couldn't leave Bella in that situation, and quickly pulled out the $700 the woman was asking.  We loaded her up in my trailer and headed back to my sister's farm.  After many, many days, hours, weeks of diligent care, Bella started healing.  My sister made a special sav for the welts that gave quick relief.  She also treated the infection in the udder with antibiotics and compresses.  Bella ate freely, and was able to put on some much needed weight.  At this point, we weren't sure if Bella was pregnant.  We were told she had been bred, but since she was in such poor condition, we were a bit doubtful.  About 6 weeks after Bella came to my sister's farm, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.  They called her Baby Bell.  Bella proved to be a wonderful mother, and Baby Bell grew quickly.  When it came time to ween the baby, it proved to be a bit of a challenge!  She was quite strong minded, and would break out of her "weening pen", and into her mother's pen.  I hooked up my horse trailer and picked up little Miss Bell and took her to the ranch I was keeping  my horses at the time and put her in a stall. This was supposed to be a temporary situation, but I fell in love with her and she became a member or our family. At that time, we changed her name to Princess Bertha Bell.  Here's a picture of my little princess that was taken last Spring.

Isn't she adorable?!?!?!  I will admit, her horns can often be a pain the behind (literally!!!), but she is not an aggressive cow, so the only threat of being "poked" is when she swings her head around and accidentally gets you.  I honestly don't know if she realizes she's a cow.  She behaves more like a puppy, lol!  My husband often refers to her as our dog named cow!  She LOVES attention, and will happily come running whenever there is a chance of getting a good rub down.  

Anyway, back to Bella for a moment.  She has not had another baby since Bertha was born 5 years ago.  If you are not familiar with how cows work, here's a quick lesson on Dairy cows.  They must produce a calf in order to produce milk.  No calf, no milk.  Once they do have a calf, they can generally produce milk for about a year, give or take.  After Bella "dried up", my sister made arrangements to have her bred.  We loaded her up and took both Bella, and Bertha to the vet for a check up and to see if they were ready to be Artificially Inseminated.  They were ready, and the deed was done.  Unfortunately, for some reason, neither cow became pregnant.  Remember, no calf, no milk.  So, my sister decided to wait to try again to have Bella bred until the timing would be right to have an early Spring calf.  Here's the weird thing:  Bella came into milk anyway!!!  This is called "freshening".  I was convinced Bella must have dropped a calf in the pasture somewhere and  must have either been born dead, or something must have gotten it.  NOPE!  No calf.  My sister did some research and found out that in some rare instances, a cow that has continually produced a calf, year after year, can sometimes freshen without producing a calf.  Of course, the key is proper nutrition.  Bella is given free range on a pasture planted with a special combination of grasses, grains and legumes that offer optimum nutrition.  In the evenings, she comes in and is fed quality grass hay and a small amount of grain.  My sister also feeds Bella some special plants that are beneficial to lactating animals.  

Anyway, you might think this was a once in a life time situation.  NOPE, Bella has freshened this way for the last 2 years.  This is actually a blessing for my sister, simply because with the birth of a calf comes the choices of what will eventually happen to the calf in the future.  A female could be sold as a dairy animal, and have a long and happy life.  But lets remember the situation Bella came from.  Not all dairy cows are properly cared for.  If the calf is male, chances are very high that he will end up in a freezer.  This is fine, if you don't let yourself get attached to the baby.  I, personally, CAN NOT avoid getting attached.  My sister also struggles with this, so having Bella freshen without having to produce a calf is a blessing.  While at my sister's yesterday, I picked up a gallon of milk (She very generously shares her bounty with me!!!).  Since Bella is a Jersey cow, the butter fat content is high.  In otherwords, there's a LOT of cream in a gallon of milk.  This is great for making butter, cheese, ice cream...  Here's a picture of the cream I pulled off the top of the milk this morning.

This is a quart jar.  I will be able to pull a bit more off this gallon once it has a chance to settle again.  Let me just say, I'm one happy camper!!!!  I love nothing more then fresh, raw milk!  This is what makes living on a farm or ranch so wonderful.  Fresh food that you know was humanly grown, or produced.  Don't get me wrong, it takes a lot of hard work to "live simply".  But honestly, nothing worth having comes easily.  

That being said, it's time for me to get out and do my chores, lol!  I will be sure to post pictures of our Applesauce making efforts soon.

  

Meet Rex

Rex isn't really one of our rescue's.  Actually, in many ways, he rescued ME!  Like many people, I have occasionally suffer from bouts of depression.  Not so much lately, but there was a time I really struggled with it.  Rex came into my life 7 years ago, this month.  I met him at the Sandpoint International Draft Horse Show, in one of the sale pens.  I knew the moment I saw him, we were meant to be together.  Happily, my wonderful husband agreed we were a good match, and we made the arrangements to make him mine.  Having this wonderful horse in my life, has brought me so much joy.  He was my inspiration to start a Rescue/Sanctuary.  You see, in some ways, you might be able to call it a rescue for him as well.  He would have been heading to a huge auction in Iowa if he hadn't been sold locally.  While these auctions are a great place to find horses of all types, they are often a death sentence for many horses.  Rex was 18 years old at the time, which many people consider to be "over the hill".  He very likely would have ended up in an over crowded semi trailer, headed for Canada to be slaughtered.  I bring this all up because I want people to be aware of what can happen when a horse is sent to auction, as well as prove that 18 years old is NOT "over the hill".  Rex is still my favorite trail riding horse, and let me tell you, he is just as energetic and "hot" as any 3 year old out on the trail!  He also is a wonderful driving horse.  He LOVES to pull a cart!   OK, I know he looks annoyed in this picture, but actually, he was just listening to me.  We were getting ready to head into the show ring at our local County Fair.  Don't laugh too hard at the driver, remember, the focus is supposed to be on the beautiful horse, lol!

I added this picture because it is a VERY rare sight.  Rex is the self appointed guardian of the herd.  He almost NEVER lays down.  He is always on high alert.  The other morning, I looked out to see him laying down in the compost area.  If you look closely, you can see frost on the ground, but what you can't see is the small amount of steam coming from the compost pile.  Not only is it a warm spot to rest, but it is also very "cushy".  As I expected, Rex was standing, watching the pastures for intruders, moments after taking this pic.  Honestly, he NEVER lays down!!!  He looks pretty relaxed, don't you think?

Meet "The Girls"

Pebbles and Cricket

These pictures were taken in the very early Spring, which around here, means a lot of mud, and frost and still some snow.  I will be taking some new pictures in the up coming weeks, while everyone is dry and a little less grumpy, lol!  Pebbles, the larger of the two, has been having issues with lameness for the past week or so.  The vet came out and checked her over and diagnosed an abscess, also known as a "gravel".  As I understand it, basically, an irritant enters through the bottom of the hoof and travels up the hoof wall.  The abscess can rupture either through the bottom of the hoof (the sole of the foot), or at the top.  My only other experience with this was a few years back when one of our Draft horses had one.  The abscess ruptured at the top of the hoof, in the heal area.  It looks like this will be the same case with Pebbles.  As far as lame equines go, a gravel or an abscess, is the best case scenario.  Once the abscess ruptures, the pressure is released, and the pain subsides.  Of course, keeping the open wound clean is of absolute importance.  Our vet said she expected the rupture will likely happen tomorrow or the next day.  Pebbles will be standing in a bucket of hot epsom salt water, twice a day for the next week or so.  First, to try to draw the infection out, and then to help dry it out.  She also gets pain killers every day until the pressure releases, so she gets a little grain everyday (to hide the painkillers), and she's very happy about that!

Pebbles and Cricket were rescued by the previous owners of the ranch.  They were moving closer into town for health reasons, and weren't able to take the girls with them.  We offered to keep them in the home they were familiar with.  Gloria, their previous "mom", comes to visit them as often as she can.  Both girls were anemic as babies, and Pebbles had injured her knees at birth, so the breeder had plans to have them put down.  Gloria stepped in and saved them.  Both are healthy and happy, thanks to Gloria's love and attention.  When she found out that Pebbles was in pain, she rushed right over to see her.  These girls a very much loved by both their previous mom, and their current mom.

Bonnie and Clyde came to us a couple of years ago as pups.  They were rescued from a hoarder situation.  They were literally living in piles of garbage, eating whatever they could find in those piles, and having no access to clean water.  I help out a group in our area called Pawsitive Outreach, Spay/Neuter Association, or POSNA for short.  We were at the house picking up several cats and kittens as well as the puppies to be "fixed", in hopes of slowing down the population explosion at this house.  Now, don't get me wrong, we don't just go to people's houses and confiscate animals.  The owner had called POSNA and asked for help.  Anyway, Bonnie and Clyde were the last of the dogs needing spay/neuter services.  Bonnie developed an infection, and I agreed to keep the puppies in my care until it was safe to return them.  The owner agreed to build a proper shelter for them as well as some type of fenced in area.  All of the other dogs were chained to whatever he could find.  It was a very heartbreaking sight.  Well, the owner never created a safe place for the puppies to live, and relinquished them to me.  They are now about 3 years old, and sweet as the summer day is long.  Bonnie has trust issues, and is very timid, but she is starting to come around.  Clyde LOVES everybody.  He is truly a big ol' ball of lovin'! They both suffer from allergies, and need medication to keep their eyes from becoming goopy messes.  I also found a vitamin supplement that I add to their food that seems to help.  These are not the greatest pictures, and I am hoping to get some better ones, but it's really hard to take pictures of these goof balls.  As soon as they see you, they are ready to jump into your arms!  But I couldn't resist sharing these adorable faces with you!

This is Clyde.  Behind him are his "pools"  He loves to sit in the water on hot days.  He's a REALLY big boy and looks like a bear, especially in the winter time!  What a face!

This is Bonnie.  She is so sweet, and loving.  Her timid nature makes it all the more sweet when she finally accepts you, and allows you to love on her.  She definitely looks more "wolfish" in the winter.

This is Harley.  Last November, I was with my son, picking up his cat (also a rescue!) from the Vet.  An elderly man came into the office with a small carrier that he very unceremoniously plopped onto the receptionists counter top.  He was planning on having the dog in the carrier "put down" because he was unable to house break "it" within one week's time.  I asked to see the him, and proceeded to pull out a terrified little critter that was covered in urine and had a large amount of "poo" in the carrier.  The man had not taken Harley (not his name at the time) out of the carrier for several days because he didn't want the "little bastard" crapping in his house anymore.  Harley quickly wiggled his way into my jacket.

Can you see the worry in his little face?  How could I allow any more harm come to this little guy?  As soon as I said I would take him, the man grabbed the carrier and bolted out the door.  All I know about Harley's life before that day is this:

He was traded to a drug dealer in payment for drugs

The drug dealer sold Harley to the old guy for $100.00

The old guy planned to have him "put down" 

I also know that Harley endured some serious abuse in his life.  He started out terrified of EVERYONE.  Particularly elderly people, men and children.  He has been with us for for 9 months and has made HUGE progress.  In fact, he is becoming much more social, and even allows strangers to pet him.  He's still apprehensive, but in the beginning, he would do just about anything possible to get away.  I will say, whenever he sees this jacket, he gets very excited, and jumps and dances all around my feet until I pick him up and let him climb inside!

Here's a more recent picture:

And this one was shown on the blog a few days ago.  He follows me from room to room, so of course he needed a comfy bed for the office/studio. 

What a difference some love and patience can make!  We go EVERYWHERE together.  

This is Nike, the Shire mare:

Memorial weekend 2012 I saw a post on Craigslist that was a plea to save this mare from the Slaughter house.  She was literally scheduled to be shipped out on the next truck to go to a Horse Slaughter facility in Canada.  My dear friend Michelle and I hooked up the horse trailer and drove 5 hours to pick her up.  Her story is not unique.  She was a breeding mare for a company that provides bucking horses for the rodeo.  Nike did not produce a foal that year, so off to the slaughter house she was headed.  Of all the rescues here at the ranch, she has the most "baggage".  Maybe it just seems that way because she is SOOO big, and can very easily kill anyone that threatens her, even if the threat is only in her mind.  I can't really blame her.  The only real exposure to humans she had was when they would take her babies away from her each year.  It's taken a lot of time and patience, but we are well on the way to a trusting relationship.  Michelle's husband Jason spent many weekends earning her trust.  He was gentle and loving, and showed Nike that people can offer comfort, kindness, and reassurance.  Here's a picture of Michelle and Nike:

and here's a picture of Nike helping me with "garden cleanup" lol!  

That's Bertha in the background.  We'll get to her story on another day.  Anyway, Nike is very much loved, and has made great progress.  She may never be used for riding or pulling a cart, but that's ok.  She is a wonderful companion, and adds a large dose of gorgeous to the ranch!

That's it for today.  Check back often for updates on the many, many residents of our little sanctuary.