A few days ago we had two cats come to us from a cruelty case in the Flathead Valley.  A woman had been found with more than 100 cats and 14 dogs in a house.  Cat feces covered the floors, countertops and every other conceivable surface.  In many places the feces were 6 inches deep. …

This is blind Scout, a big strapping Appaloosa who arrived this evening.  He belonged to a Missoula-based outfitter, Rick A., who could not keep a blind horse.  Outfitting is a tough business to make money in, and generally outfitters can’t keep horses they can’t use.  To keep Scout safe, Rick had left him in a…

Today we had a call from a wonderful couple in Seattle, Jan R. and Wayne S.  They had been reading our blog and following Kodiak’s story.  Jan and Wayne have been fabulous long-time friends and supporters of the sanctuary.  They had read that Kodiak’s myelogram and potential surgery would cost about $2,000.  So they called…

This morning when I went over to Widget’s House to let the dogs out, I found Kodiak laying in a pile of poop.  It was smeared all over him and the floor.  The poor guy just can’t hold it overnight, so every morning I have to clean him and the floor.  He tries to get…

With 160 acres of grassland, pasture management is an important part of what we do here. What you see in the photo is our new chain harrow, which is used to drag the fields.  This breaks up manure clumps, scattering them in small pieces across the ground so it can fertilize the grass.  Dragging also…

Kodiak spent his first day surveying his new domain from the Widget’s House porch.  (See previous post.)  His day started with some clean-up.  When I went over first thing this morning to let the dogs out, I found he had pooped overnight and fallen into it.  He was still laying on it … he hadn’t…

When I thought earlier today about how I was going to write this post, it was going to be very different.  I was going to write about a dog who was scheduled to be euthanized at 4 p.m. this afternoon.  Instead, I brought the dog home to the ranch. Missoula Animal Control had been called…

One of the many rewards we get from running an animal sanctuary is getting to meet the nicest people. We received an e-mail in mid-July from a girl in Seattle named Hannah B.  She wanted to come with her parents to visit the animals.  Well, one thing led to another and we scheduled a weekend…

When Winchester came to us, he had been shot four times with a .22.  He had managed to survive outdoors on his own for weeks (or longer) with no medical care.  You can see his original story here. In this photo you’ll see his lip is puffed up in one corner … that’s where one…

The Idaho Humane Society in Boise brought out to us today a blind mare named Radar.  She had been impounded several months ago in a cruelty case invoving dozens of horses.  When animal control officers found her, she was mired in manure up to her belly.  They basically had to dig her out of the…