Off the highway running between towns, shadowed by the Caballo mountains, the wondrous Turtleback seemingly just across the street, there is a humble community. This humble community is comprised of some of the most kind, selfless, giving, and down to Earth individuals I have ever met.
I understand time is precious, and this will be intentionally long. If you are interested in donating, please go to https://www.deserthavenanimalrescue.org and hit donate, or get us some much needed items off our Amazon wish list. Desert Haven Animal Rescue is a non-profit, and donating within the website sends 100% of your donation directly to Desert Haven.
Today, this is not just a blog post. I implore you to continue reading and hopefully you can experience some of the magic we feel from this place. Today, we are asking you to help our wonderful animals and give to an incredible cause, ran by incredible people.
Desert Haven Animal Rescue is much, much more than just an animal rescue.
Hannah and I arrived a couple of weeks before Christmas. The sun was still vibrant over the small town, with people still making their way to the local lake for water sports. We arrived and met our first friendly face: Dave the maintenance man, though much like the rescue, he is much more than that. Dave welcomed us, led us in, and showed us to our campsite.
What a sigh of relief it was to have full hookups!
We were given an extra day of much needed rest after our long journey and a wonderful tour of the property the same day by our new boss. When her energy matched ours we knew for sure that we would easily belong.
Come meet the team!
Victor is a local and can’t help but come back. With four dogs and a cat at home, he finds solace in the animals. We find him in on his days off, between shifts, and sometimes entire days at Desert Haven. Victor is highly respected by his peers and is looked to for training animals and humans alike.
Kendra has steadfast loyalty and dedication to the animals. She is regularly found providing superb care for the animals, frequently taking fosters upon herself and always going the extra mile. Kendra is inspiring in her abilities and her care for the animals.
Stizzie is a hilarious online influencer with built in magnifying eyes. She catches behaviors in cats with a level of diligence that is unmatched. Stiz loves advocating for the animals comfort and suggests new ways to entertain them regularly. Find Stizzie online Youtube.com/@BigStizzie
Mark is a hiker, an athlete, and a programmer. He is regularly found taking dogs up to the mesa behind the property for great adventures. Mark makes lengthy contributions to the community beyond his amazing care, helping with animal adoptions, events, and way too much to mention.
Maggie was a hairstylist from Wisconsin. Joined by her co-pilot, Boo, she joins us at Desert Haven because of her undying love for the animals. This is very evident when you catch her interacting with them, her energy so good they practically gravitate to her. When Maggie isn’t spending time providing superb care to the Desert Haven animals, it’s because she is doing it for Boo.
Dave is the incredible maintenance man every good property desperately needs. Seriously, the gears would come to a very rusty halt if it weren’t for Dave. When water is gushing from the ground, Dave is there with his shovel. When installations are needed, Dave is consulted and almost always included. Dave is the handiest man of them all.
Luba is unmatched in her diligence and dedication. Learning the ropes quickly, Luba does everything she can to provide excellent care for the animals. Luba helps in every way a rescue needs, providing for the community, the campers, and the animals.
Sharon is snow birding with us right now from Minnesota (brrrr). Always a smiling face and a great asset to the team. The newest arrival to DHAR, Sharon works hard to make sure the animals have everything they need. She’s a delight to chat with around the campfire and we love seeing her carry around Nola, her little Pomeranian, in her hiking pack.
Josh is another town local who works at DHAR. His love for the animals shine and you can tell how much he cares for each and everyone of them. Josh is the first one to ask on adoption updates every meeting. He’s the best cat wrangler we have, always assisting when one of our cutie pies needs to be crated. You can find Josh helping Dave with projects around Desert Haven or caring for our animals.
You don’t already know Greta? When Hannah and I did our rounds in town “Desert Haven” and “Greta” were essentially synonymous. Everybody in town knew Greta, and their faces absolutely lit up when she was mentioned. And for good reason. Greta is not the reason we are all here; we are all here because we love the animals. But Greta is the reason we all stay.
I’ve done a quick Thesaurus check for “superb care” and can’t find anything that quite fits the bill for what I want to describe. The animals residing at Desert Haven truly are treated with the utmost care. These animals are played with, walked, interacted with, and very, very loved. It’s thanks to an amazing community of employees, work campers, and volunteers that these animals see a level of love that I have never seen anywhere else. It’s immaculate. Incredible. Stupendous!
A day in the life of an animal
In the winter months the animals have heaters and fans to keep them nice and warm. A variety of kennels and enclosures available, the team frequently discusses the most efficient way to organize them for success. Volunteers handling administrative work provide reference material based on discussions with the team and keeps everyone updated on current events. A weekly in-person meeting gives everyone opportunity to discuss obstacles, solutions, and successes. This ensures medications are properly administered, dogs are fed the correct food and quantity, are getting the right amount of engagement, and are feeling comfortable in their homes. The communication is the best I have ever seen, and Hannah and I come from a manufacturing background.
Every morning the dogs and puppies are greeted before being relocated to their space for the day. They are given a mix of wet and dry food, potentially medicine, and are observed for eating habits, signs of stress, or any potential health issues. Volunteer dog walkers then come and bring them to different parts of the property to enjoy time outside. The kennels are combed through, waters topped off, and any toy or linen debris cleaned and replaced. Sanitation is taken very seriously, from the dishes the dogs eat from, to the ground they eat on, sleep on, and play on.
Every. day.
The cats have glorious 24 hour access to dry food. Twice a day, the care team comes in to provide wet food, medicine, love, and cleaning services. We do not allow any animals to be in a dirty environment, and, again, sanitation is taken very seriously. The cats who enjoy it are taken on trips in strollers and backpacks. The one’s who don’t are played with. Toys, laser pointers, treats, and much, much more.
The animals are seldom alone for the day.
With an incredibly vibrant community, both campers and locals alike tend to make their way to the rescue to spend time with the animals. We are blessed with so many amazing individuals that come together to make the best animal care team around. Members on the board of directors make appearances all the time to see the animals and provide for them.
A staggering community
I mean “community” in so many contexts here, I am not exactly sure how to describe it. We walked the town and the rescue had a reputation for itself. It is very obvious when you see the social media engagement, the donations left in the box at the entrance of the rescue, the turn around from adoption. I still feel my throat get knotted when I talk about it.
I am grateful to be in the Desert Haven Animal Rescue community. I am proud to be a part of the town’s community, who in turn is integrated into the community of Desert Haven. I am ecstatic to engage with the volunteers that come to the rescue, and am thrilled to say that I have made more friends in my time here than in my life. It is ridiculously easy when you find so many like minded people who share in your goals, ideologies, and lifestyle.
Hannah and I came here with plans of staying through February. We both grew up with, currently have, and still absolutely love animals. Hannah has a strong background in the vet field and, though was pushed to generate an income to chase “the American dream”, always longed to return in some capacity. Greta found us. Hannah is truly the social one and found many platforms for finding places to exchange work for space to stay. We interviewed with Greta for almost an hour, but it was more like chatting with a friend. Hannah and I held each others hands and our breath as she showed us what could be our space. We squealed with excitement when we viewed the babies that were in the care – animals we couldn’t wait to meet.
It didn’t take more than a week for us to want to stay. Not just impressed with the systematic approach, but the level of attention and detail given to individual animals. They are not pack fed. They are not randomly thrown together. Every precaution and care is taken to ensure the animal is comfortable. Desert Haven loves to integrate animals into the world of humans and get them house hold ready. While we still have plans and obligations to the east, we extended our stay. We very well may return later.
Meet the Animals!
I considered doing individual bios for these sweet babies. Each of them comes with their own personality. Favorite treats, preferred smells, meal plans, engagement style. The variety keeps us on top of things, and they make sure to keep us on our toes. Rather than write my own, please check out these amazing sites to learn about our animals, keep up with how they are doing, donate, and volunteer! We are unbelievably grateful for anything that you could give to our wonderful animals.
Even if you are unable to donate, please still check out the social media! Go like, love, and react to the animals you think are cutest. Follow us and engage with our content! Engagement is a really useful tool, and helps us gain the reach to more potential adopters. We are always happy to see our animals go to their forever homes.
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