Storms Storms Go Away!

Thank God that we didn't have more damage than we did, but the recent storms did a number on the dog kennels and houses.  We had 2 trees destroyed, 2 baby possums died, and one of my rescue chickens.  :-(  Those last 2 blows are not as easy to move past.  Trees can be cut up, kennels can be replaced, but the 3 precious lives that were lost that night cannot.


Pens and dog house destroyed.  Luckily none of the dogs were injured.

My chicken pen was thrown across the yard.  Diaz was in this pen and was killed.  Chick Chick and Lizzy Borden were fine.

Part of the tree was destroyed in my front yard.  Thank goodness my car wasn't in the driveway.

The dogs in kennels on my front porch because the pens are destroyed.

Icing on the cake.  A volunteer fire fighter that was sent out to report fallen trees on roadways backed into Heath's truck!  I had been running around in water past my ankles trying to round up dogs, save the other animals, and salvage anything I could.  Then I realized that I was doing all of this in lightening and bad wind so I took refuge in the truck to let it calm down a little.  The whole time he was backing up I was honking the horn.  Obviously he didn't hear it!

$1500 worth of damage right there.

The babies that died in this storm has more than broken my heart.  They had made it past some pretty rough experiences and then to be lost when they were so close to release (this isn't a recent pic by the way) is really hard on me.  Some people deal with the death of rehabs easier, but this has been one of the hardest losses I've had.

The most heartbreaking loss was the one eyed little guy.  He was one of the babies killed in the storm.  This guy had been attacked by a dog and came to me with his eye hanging out of the socket.  The eye was removed and he was doing so well.  He was smaller than the others, but ate like a pig and had stolen my heart.  I was so looking forward to seeing him grow and watching him walk into the woods on the day of release knowing that he was a fighter.  Rest in peace sweet boy!  I will never forget you nor your will to survive.  My heart is broken.

I haven't been able to find pictures of my chicken that was lost though I'm sure I have some.  I found her at the "chicken swap" in Russellville.  She didn't have any feathers when I got her and I'm sure someone was eyeballing her for dinner.  I always said she looked like a little old lady with a beehive, because she had some cute little feathers on her head.  Not like a silkie or polish though.  Rest in peace sweet girl.  I miss you and my heart is broken without you here.

If you would like to donate to help wildlife or rescue dogs, please click on the ChipIn link.  It will take you to another page where you can donate using your PayPal account.  Thank you.

Cottontail!

I've come to realize that I have some pretty compassionate and caring students.  Most of my animals have come from kids that I teach.  Today I received a call from the vet clinic that they had an orphaned cottontail.  This great family had saved it from a dog that had already killed another rabbit.  Once I saw the little fellow I knew it was ready to be on it's own.  Though they look really fragile at this age, they are capable of fending for themselves.  Good job for keeping it safe from the dog though!  I have no doubt this one would have been next on the menu!

   

My First Pre-Release Cage Experience

Well it's time for the first bunch of baby opossums to move to their pre-release cage.  As we were moving them, I realized that this would be the last time that I put my hands on them before release.  It's exciting, but I can't help but feel a little sadness because I've cared for them through some pretty tough times in their lives.  The first girl's mom was hit by a car and she was the only survivor.  The 2nd group had been found walking down the road and the 3rd groups mom was killed by a dog and they were all injured in the process.  One lost his eye.  They were all of similar size so they have been housed together, but soon they will all be on their own to live their lives as solitary animals.

Here they are climbing on a large branch and a piece of scrap wood Heath put in their cage.

They sure do love the extra room and freedom to climb.

Still staying close to each other.

This was my first little girl.  She's so big now!

Side view of the pen.

Front view.  It will eventually have 4 cages and be twice as long, but I think this is a good start.

The Generosity of a Child

The last group of babies I got (not the ones from yesterday, but the ones before that) came from a student of mine.  Today while I was making my rounds during morning duty, he stopped me in the hallway and told me he wanted to give me something to help feed the baby possums.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few quarters.  I told him "Thank you so much, but I would rather you keep the money and get yourself something since you are the one that saved them!"  He tried over and over to give me the money.  Finally, I convinced him to hold on to it.  I'm so proud to know that there are decent, selfless children coming up in this world.  Every time you watch the news or read the paper, you see all of the terrible things that kids and adults are doing, but I wanted to share this small gesture from a young child that absolutely touched my heart. 

Newest additions

Today the pet store called, because they received a mother opossum with a badly injured leg and she also had a pouch full of babies.  My dear husband took her to the vet and they found that her elbow was destroyed, she had a gash on her elbow, it had turned gangrenous, and the infection had spread to her chest cavity.  Can it even get worse?  Heath and the Dr. Green decided that it would be best to humanely euthanize her.  Not the best day.  I always feel sad when there is loss of life.  I just can't help it.  Even though I know euthanasia was the only real option for this girl, it is tough to decide when another creature will die.  Some people say that you get used to it, but I don't want to ever take a loss of a life lightly.  I can't let it stop me or become so overwhelming that I can't move on, but I just don't want to "get used to" death.  The only thing I could do was focus my attention and energy on the babies.
The good news is that the babies all seem to be healthy and with a little TLC, they should all do fine.

I just think they are so cute at this size, because they look like baby dumbo rats!

Here they are all snuggled up in the transport carrier.  

Look at that sweet face!

Sorry little fellow.  I didn't mean to blind you, but I just have to show the world how cute and sweet you are!

The spots look like blood, but don't be alarmed it's just wet spots from the formula that dripped out.  

I would also like to thank Amber Hopwood for her recent donation.  Thanks to you, I was able to get 2 dogs their rabies shots this week.  I really appreciate your generosity!

Possums Possums Everywhere!

It's been a minute and these little guys sure are growing. Thought it was time to share some pictures.

Got some new little guys in. These were found by one of my students. The mother had been hit by a car.

Look at those big ears!  

The next set of pictures are the first 2 groups I got in.  I can't help but love those cute little faces and sweet little hands.  I swear if everyone got to hold a baby opossum then there wouldn't be so many heartless people in the world.  These little guys and girls just melt my heart!

      

Please Consider Donating

Time for more fundraising. If you would like to donate please click on the button below that says "Chip In". This will take you to my ChipIn page where you can donate using your PayPal account. No amount is ever too small. I assure you that every penny will be used toward helping animals. I appreciate everyone's support so far and THANK YOU to anyone that will be donating. Together maybe we can make a real difference in some animal's lives.

First day out!

Today the babies took a big step!  They moved into a larger, outdoor intermediate cage.  They are still eating some formula and still have some heat in case they get cold, but this is the first step in preparing them for the wild.  I decided to snap some pictures for you to enjoy.


The camera was very scary to this little girl.  Opening her mouth like that is her way of showing that she is big and scary.  Are you afraid?  It makes me proud to see this behavior, because it means that they are behaving like they would in the wild.

You can see the one eyed little boy in the middle.  His left eye (your right) had to be removed due to an injury.  It was actually hanging from the socket when he came to me.  It just looks like that eye is closed in this picture.

Look at that cute face.  It's hard to believe that in a few months these little ones will be out on their own and be wild possums!

        

I HATE Thieves!

As the title suggests, I hate thieves.  Why is it that I have to go to work everyday and make an honest living while you get to come take my stuff that I worked so hard to EARN???  This past week someone stole a roll of fencing that was to be used for my rescue dogs and a roll of wire for my possums.  I somehow hope that the person that took this from me reads this blog!  If I find out who you are you may as well crawl in a bomb shelter and stay there for a very long time, because I'm going to explode!
If you want something then go get a job, earn some money, then go buy it.  Or...now stay with me on this one...ask for it!  Believe it or not, I would have considered giving it to you if you really REALLY needed it.  I have been known to commit random acts of kindness.  *GASP*  I know that's hard to believe.
Sorry no pictures today.  I'm so disgusted and kind of broken-hearted over this.  :'-(