Author Archives: Kerry Hilliard

January 2, 2021 Saturday at Rikki’s Refuge

January 2, 2021 Saturday at Rikki’s Refuge
all in a day’s work …. photos by those caring for the animals

(you can help support those animals at www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate )

Misty morning …. everything flooded from yesterday’s rain …. temps went up steadily …. beautifully sunny wonderful afternoon ……

Breakfast at the Life Center

I love the multi-species friendships at Rikki’s Refuge !!! The emus and pigs have always been friends. We built Emu Estates next door to Piggy Paradise. Separated with a six foot fence. And the emus jumped over into Piggy Paradise. We caught them and walked them back around to Emu Estates. The next morning they were in Piggy Paradise. We caught them and walked them back around to Emu Estates. The next morning they were in Piggy Paradise. We caught them and walked them back around to Emu Estates. The next morning they were in Piggy Paradise. THEN the light bulb went on !!! They WANTED to live together, they got along, they liked each other !!! OK …. and so the areas merged into one !!

Sharing a snack of trail mix with Turkeys …. you NEVER eat along at Rikki’s !!!

Piggies love nothing better than mud …. except food … food …. yes … food is NUMBER ONE !!! But mud is a close follow up !!!!

Cats and goats and peacocks !!! Everybody hangs out together at Rikki’s !!

Nobody but trained working folk are allowed to drive any kind of vehicle on the refuge. Animals of all sorts are always drawn to them. Someone not checking every possible snoozing spot before starting or moving a vehicle could … well ….. that’s why only our working vehicles are allowed on the property and everyone is trained on critter detection.

JoJo,

Sunshine,

Smoky Joe,

and Grumpy are just a few of the nearly 600 cats who live with us.

Grumpy is so tired he’s falling asleep on his feet !!!! But he’ll perk up quick when dinner comes !!!

 

Free Range Buffet !!!

Piggy Bed Time …. they love to snuggle and pile up together. The colder it is the tighter the bunch is, even sleeping two or three layers deep!!! In warm weather they spread out.

… and the sun goes down. But that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the day for the hoomans. It’s just time to don the headlamps and keep on working …. with almost 1,300 animals, it’s not a full day’s work …. it’s a full life’s commitment.

With YOUR help we can save and provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each and every day !!!!

Thank YOU for making it all possible.

www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

January 1, 2021 Friday  New Year’s Day at Rikki’s Refuge
all in a day’s work …. photos by those caring for the animals

(you can help support those animals at www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate )

Started out nice ….  but turned to just above freezing drizzle towards evening …..
Everyone took advantage of as much sun as they could.

Yes, horses will sleep lying down !!!!

Goliath the Siamese kitty loves to hop a ride and snooze while the hoomans are working around the farm.

White turkeys are bread to make the skin look cleaner when the feathers are pulled out.  Ugghh.  We never pull our turkey’s feathers out.  They get to live long and natural lives with us.

Sunbathing on the dash is a favorite when supervising humans delivering food to all the stations.

Cows tussle and play fight for fun, or over minor cow issues.

Betty the calico hijacks a basket of laundry to make a soft spot in the sun.

Shady areas started a little icy this morning, lovely mid day, then cold rainy evening.

Somebody always has to play King of the Mountain on top of a hay bale.

Thank you for donations !!!!  There’s a lot of mouths to feed around here.  And just as many other ends to clean up after !!!

Rikki’s Refuge No-Kill Life-Care Multi-Species Animal Sanctuary relies on donations from kind and loving individuals, just like YOU !!!!     www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

2009 Honda Rebel CMX250C Raffle!

Rikki’s Refuge is raffling a motorcycle!  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA  It’s a BEAUTIFUL blue, 2009 Honda Rebel 250. It would make a great starter bike!  It has 3,450 miles on it.  It was test ridden in the parking lot of our thrift store, Re-Tail, by a motorcycle enthusiast who also happens to be a mechanic. He found nothing wrong with the bike. It runs great!  He did note that the exhaust pipes are after market, and are Jardines.

The bike comes with saddle bags and 2 helmets.

Tickets are only $5 each, or 6 for $25.  The bike can be seen, and tickets purchased, at Re-Tail Resale Shop, 3503 Lafayette Blvd., Fredericksburg, Va., 22408, during store hours (Monday through Saturday 10:00-6:00, and Sundays Noon – 5:00).

The drawing will be held at 12:00 noon on July 4, 2014. The winner does not need to be present to win.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

To see the bike in action, check out the links below!

Honda Rebel

Honda Rebel start up      

This one shows that all of the lights work:

Honda Rebel lights

The winner of the raffle will be responsible for taxes, tags, registration, and inspection of the motorcycle.

 

Re-Tail is NOW OPEN!!!!

Come and see what is going on in the new Re-Tail Resale and Thrift store!  It’s now open!  Filled with donated items from people like YOU, the store has something for everyone!  Our “library” is like shopping in a book store — everything is sorted by fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, and then sorted alphabetically. So, it’s easy to find the author or title that you’ve been looking for!  We have antiques, glassware, sporting equipment, office equipment, kitchen cabinets, puzzles, children’s toys, framed art, and lots and lots of clothing! Re-Tail libraryRe-Tail1Re-Tail2

 

We are open from 10:00 until 6:00 Monday through Saturday, and Noon until 5:00 on Sunday.

We accept donations (at the back door, please!) daily until 2:00.  All donations are tax deductible!

So come and see us, and come often!  The selection changes daily!  (Hourly, really, but I don’t expect people to come in and shop every hour….although it would be nice for the animals who benefit from your sales….)

And be sure to like us on Facebook!

Coming Soon to Fredericksburg, Virginia: Re-Tail, a Pawsome Resale store!

Re-Tail sign    Re-Tail awning sign

Re-Tail, a thrift and resale store, opened in early January! It is located at 3503 Lafayette Blvd., Fredericksburg, Va., 22408.   Monies raised will help support the animals of Rikki’s Refuge, as well as other animal groups in our area!

Volunteers are always needed!  We need plenty of people to help keep the store running, so this is a perfect opportunity to help the animals in our community!  If you know a little something about clothes, crafts, books, glassware, china, antiques, etc., then we would love to have you on board! Just fill out this contact form, and we’ll get in touch with you soon! [contact-form subject='[Rikki%26#039;s Refuge Animal Sanctuary’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]

If you prefer to call, our number is 540-891-5300.  Just leave a message on the recorder, and we will get back to you just as soon as we can!

We would love to have your gently used items to sell! Sorry, but we cannot accept mattresses, boxsprings, car seats, infant furniture, or any fabric items that are stained.

All donations are tax deductible, and we will gladly give you a receipt!