On the Twenty-second Day of Christmas, look what came to Rikki’s,
twenty two sheep in need of sheering,
Oh I could tell you stories about our first three sheep, and learning to shear, with big clippers that looked kind of like scissors, and how the sheep got away, and how we’d chase them, and how they could out run us, and how it took three days to finish clipping ONE sheep, and how ragged that poor sheep looked. Bad hair day for sure !!!
Now with 43 sheep, we have a professional do the job, and they can shear one sheep, no fuss, no trauma, in THREE minutes flat !!!
So why do we have sheep at Rikki’s Refuge? College projects to raise a sheep, learn to neuter, learn basic care, and at the end of the school year to sell to raise money for the next class to buy some baby sheep. Sell? That most likely means for butchering. Often these college kids have come to love their sheep, and they want them to live, not die. The lucky ones come to Rikki’s Refuge.
And then there are pet-a-zoos who like baby sheep, cute little lambs, the one with all four legs, before they’re old enough to give up a leg so someone can eat leg of lamb. Yeah, think about it, pretty gross what people eat, and what they do to animals to eat it. Anyway bottle babies bring in big bucks at pet-a-zoos. They’re only good for a season, then they’re not cute enough, they’re sold off, yeah you know where to, and new ones are born for the next season. But a few lucky ones come to Rikki’s Refuge.
We’ve had two herds come from people who had them their whole lives for wool. In the production market, most are only considered good for a few years when the wool is softer. And like when your hair turns gray it gets courser, sheep wool gets courser over the years and less desirable. Those sheep are killed and sold as mutton. But the very few crafters who keep a small herd that they sheer and spin the wool and sell crafted goods, they tend to fall in love with their sheep, and keep them forever. But human lives come to ends too, and some end up having to move into situations where they can’t take their sheep. Most assisted living places won’t allow even one pet, let alone a herd of sheep. And so those come to Rikki’s Refuge for the rest of their years.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to incorporate assisted living housing into Rikki’s Refuge? I know that would be my dream if I needed a place to live when I get old. Well older. Some people already think I’m old. But I don’t !! I hope to always live among the animals and the trees.
Your tax deductible contributions make the dreams of Rikki’s Refuge carry on and grow bigger every year !!
You can help by going to our website
https://RikkisRefuge.org/donate
or by mailing a check
Rikki’s Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960
or the site of your choice
Paypal https://paypal.me/RikkisRefuge
Paypal mail@RikkisRefuge.org
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THANK YOU FOR HELPING US!!!
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