March-April 2010 Newsletter from Jean

I truly LIKE writing to friends and family, but what happens to TIME? We all know it does not exist, so why do we continue to try and find it? The (minor) injury to my index finger of the right hand still presents a problem, so I continue to type all my letters - if ONLY I could type with more than one finger on each hand! . Mystery is now knows as ‘Fingers’‘ she and I are Blood Sisters. She is not vicious , but enjoys finger food treats- and does not distinguish between a finger and a treat; with jaws that operate at 1,700 lbs to the inch, it is a real Snip!

The pups have Grown. Rom likes to greet his friends by taking their forearm in his mouth as he walks with you. He is very gentle and, like the other two Pups, is tall enough to put his paws on shoulders. They love visitors. However, When it rains, their pen is muddy and so are the pups hence our ‘designer shirts’! We have lots of (very welcome) visitors; just a gentle reminder, we do not have any paid staff, and are all volunteers. From a practical point of view, we cannot be open 24/7! Appointments are not needed between 9-11 am on Saturdays and there are sometimes a lot of visitors and less time for us to spend with them in a more personal way. A few weeks ago we had a group of Bikers, several Scouts and some ‘drop in’ visitors. It was fun (they were all VERY nice people), but it was “busy” to say the least.

We have a nice acknowledgment of our work in a book called “Down From the Mountain” by James MacCall. He also includes us in the general context of the book , and closes with the Game Ranger saying they have been able to relocate hundreds of coyotes, foxes and wolves at our Sanctuary in Montgomery, Texas. We appreciate this, and wish it could be true! We must hope people separate facts from fiction!

I also received a delightful book - “Little Fur Visits the Wolves” by Isabell Carmody. A delight to all ages! I now have the four Little Fur books, and wish “Little Fur” would come to Texas!! Of course, there may be some immigration problems - Little Fur is the daughter of an Elf and a Troll. She is about three feet tall, and has long hair and pointed ears, and devotes her life to helping animals, and helping Mother Earth. I wish I could make time to write a book about OUR animals, and the wonderful volunteers and supporters who enable us to help so many PEOPLE, as well as our beloved wolves ... and other animals. A few days ago, there was a call for assistance from one of the volunteers - Joni - when we reached the enclosure in which she was working, she was climbing the ten foot chain link fence - not easy, and somewhat disconcerting to the four wolves who watched her from opposite sides of the high fence. A squirrel nest had blown down on top of the fencing and she was checking for any babies. She landed safely, with a TINY baby squirrel tucked in her shirt. The little eyes were still closed, and she (the squirrel, not Joni) was barely three inches long, eyes still closed and not a hair in sight. Of course, we all gathered round to admire our new baby, and in no time at all, a ‘nesting’ box had been put together, complete with heating pad, and nailed to a ‘safe’ area in case the mother came for her baby. Mom did not come and Baby was brought inside. Meanwhile Joni contacted a veterinarian for advice.

At 8 p.m. my phone rang. It was a local Rehabilitator, who cares for squirrels and other small mammals. She had the right formula, and would come to collect our baby! Linked by a deep love for God’s creatures, we were instant friends as we handed over ‘our’ baby. Little squirrel, now called Roly-Poly due to a VERY good appetite, is now with three other baby squirrels, and receiving the best possible care. She owes her life to the courage of Joni, who climbed a ten foot chain link fence with wolves on both sides, rescued the baby squirrel and brought it safely down. I think the wolves knew what she was doing - they made no move to harm her, and this story has a happy ending ... because people care. People like you! Love, Blessings and Gratitude,