The Claire Foundation Animal Sanctuary
All Heart in the Heartland
2011 Update for Our Friends and Supporters
2010 was a challenging year, but a beautiful one. We not only helped rescue and place a lot of animals, we gave Sanctuary to many more, too. Like the feral kittens we nursed and raised, and who now reside in the barn with all the other ferals.
Like Duck and Miss, whose owner passed away and left two deaf and blind 11 year old dogs that no one wanted.
We took in more abandoned housecats, and helped people who lost their homes due to foreclosure to find a place for their animals, even when we couldn’t take them because we were overcrowded. Part of our mission is free coaching for people with any kind of animal issues, and we take many calls per week and spend many hours supporting people and their animals in this way… more this year than ever before.
The animals here at the Sanctuary are never in cages… we live in an atmosphere of home, where everybody learns to get along.
Thornton, a huge Golden/Hound mix was rescued at about 2 months of age. He lived here at the Sanctuary for over three years, until he found his forever home with one of our Board members. He and Pushkin, a rescued cat who loves to snuggle with Thornton, went to their new home together. After 4 months, reports are that they are amazingly happy and well-adjusted in their new home.
We would also love to find a home for the super-loveable Honey-Bunny, a Sheltie/Corgi mix. She came to us from an abusive situation, and was quite shy at first… but over the past two years she has been here, she has really come out of her shell. She loves the cats, loves children, and is very social with other dogs. She is approximately three years old now, and has a lot of good loving to offer the right home.
Bella is the newest rescue member of the Sanctuary… a year-old boxer/shepherd mix. What a delight she is, fun-loving, great with children and cats and other dogs. We’re working on the chewing thing… and her love of using those paws like a boxer. But she is so smart that she learns everything amazingly quickly. She wants to please!
These are only a few of the stories… there are so many (over 40 animals reside here now), and so many more needing our help. Your support is what enables us to fulfill our mission of offering Sanctuary to as many animals as possible, and helping others to do the same.
This year, we hope to buy a used tractor to keep the horse pastures mowed and harrowed, to put in more dog fencing and dog doors, and to put in a new shed home with apartments for the ‘anti-social’ cats to have somewhere to call their own. And most of all, we hope like crazy for a large bequest to pay off the farm and put it in trust for the Sanctuary! We will be getting more attention this year, since our Sanctuary is being featured in a new book about animal sanctuaries. We’ll keep you posted about the publication date.
Whatever level of support you give, it is appreciated. We send you and your animal friends a big hello and heart-felt thank you!
The Claire Foundation Animal Sanctuary
http://www.clairefoundation.org/donate.htm
Thank you! You can also mail your contributions to:
The Claire Foundation Animal Sanctuary
4955 London Road
Farmington, MO 63640
Contact us: 573-760-0984
E-mail us
Blessings...
Mary Alberici
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Riding the Waves
Making ends meet in a non-profit these days is like riding the ocean waves... on a quiet day, the steady waves are easily and pleasurably navigated even by children. But there are times when the waves are so big that they threaten to engulf you... unless you learn to surf, and ride the waves home.
Well, economically the waves this past year have been huge. Somehow we've learned to surf! Even in the months when it looked like there was no way, somehow we've come through. Riding the waves is not as fun as it sounds... it's downright scary when you don't know exactly where the next dollar is coming from. But we are making it! And a lot of thanks goes to organizations like The Katy Favre Foundation, and the Rainbow Ranch, whose support and donations have helped immeasurably in 2010.
So now, in 2011, we are optimistic that the waves will die down, and we can float on our backs a bit more... perhaps even have the funds to buy the new tractor and the new dog fencing and dog doors that we need, or even a big bequest that would pay off the mortgage and put the land in trust for the animals, in perpetuity. Now THAT would be something!
Maybe the waves we'll be riding this year will be waves of big dreams that really do come true! In the meantime, with your help, we'll continue to ride the waves that come.
Well, economically the waves this past year have been huge. Somehow we've learned to surf! Even in the months when it looked like there was no way, somehow we've come through. Riding the waves is not as fun as it sounds... it's downright scary when you don't know exactly where the next dollar is coming from. But we are making it! And a lot of thanks goes to organizations like The Katy Favre Foundation, and the Rainbow Ranch, whose support and donations have helped immeasurably in 2010.
So now, in 2011, we are optimistic that the waves will die down, and we can float on our backs a bit more... perhaps even have the funds to buy the new tractor and the new dog fencing and dog doors that we need, or even a big bequest that would pay off the mortgage and put the land in trust for the animals, in perpetuity. Now THAT would be something!
Maybe the waves we'll be riding this year will be waves of big dreams that really do come true! In the meantime, with your help, we'll continue to ride the waves that come.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Educating the Human Mind
"The ultimate goal of Sanctuary should be to change the ways that humans think of, and treat, non-human animals. The Claire Foundation Animal Sanctuary is committed to the deep ecology of our human/animal connection, and how it can change the world." -- The Claire Foundation Mission Statement
As I read over the mission statement for our Sanctuary, I am filled with awe and love for the gift of this work. Each and every life form on this land is a part of Sanctuary, not just the animals that have been 'rescued.' There is a web of life that has nothing to do with the forms themselves, and everything to do with the larger Self that we all share.
In this little miniature of the world, we strive to awaken to the Love that lives us. We strive to respect all life, without expecting it to be human, or ascribe human thoughts and limitations to it.
You may think it strange that I call it Love that lives us. After all, the feral cats sometimes kill the birds and bunnies, and the coyotes sometimes eat the cats, and the hawks and owls and black snakes all eat what is smaller. So the appearance is one of competition and conflict. But there is a larger context in which none of those human judgements are true at all. There is a beauty and safety and harmony that simply IS.
Without our human judgements, we fall again into the rhythm of Life, which is infinite. Claire, my beloved canine companion of 15 years, passed on in December of last year. But her wisdom, spirit, and even the remnants of her body, are forever a part of this land and its inhabitants. Each and every frog and mushroom and bird and cat and dog and horse are forever contributing to this collective Being that we are.
All fear and competition falls away as we realize that Life is One. And my hope is that you will also provide sanctuary, even on a small scale, for the Life that we are. Because we are all blessed by it beyond measure.
As I read over the mission statement for our Sanctuary, I am filled with awe and love for the gift of this work. Each and every life form on this land is a part of Sanctuary, not just the animals that have been 'rescued.' There is a web of life that has nothing to do with the forms themselves, and everything to do with the larger Self that we all share.
In this little miniature of the world, we strive to awaken to the Love that lives us. We strive to respect all life, without expecting it to be human, or ascribe human thoughts and limitations to it.
You may think it strange that I call it Love that lives us. After all, the feral cats sometimes kill the birds and bunnies, and the coyotes sometimes eat the cats, and the hawks and owls and black snakes all eat what is smaller. So the appearance is one of competition and conflict. But there is a larger context in which none of those human judgements are true at all. There is a beauty and safety and harmony that simply IS.
Without our human judgements, we fall again into the rhythm of Life, which is infinite. Claire, my beloved canine companion of 15 years, passed on in December of last year. But her wisdom, spirit, and even the remnants of her body, are forever a part of this land and its inhabitants. Each and every frog and mushroom and bird and cat and dog and horse are forever contributing to this collective Being that we are.
All fear and competition falls away as we realize that Life is One. And my hope is that you will also provide sanctuary, even on a small scale, for the Life that we are. Because we are all blessed by it beyond measure.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Berries and More
The mulberries on the mulberry trees are dwindling now... fewer and fewer berries each day. But what a feast it has been for the past month and a half! I've never seen so many mulberries... and the birds love them so... as do some of the dogs! They actually 'graze' around the base of the trees and happily munch fallen berries. Such economy in nature. And I notice that the birds always leave a few within easy reach every day, so I can enjoy them too.
Blackberries have been in full swing for a couple of weeks now. I've made endless pies and crisps for family and friends. And my ever-bearing strawberries are now yielding again. Such abundance! There are always a few blackberries with holes in them from bird beaks... I leave those for the birds to finish. And I always leave the low-hanging ones for smaller creatures. In the strawberry patch, turtles and mice feast along with a giant preying mantis who patrols the plants like a guardian angel, looking for smaller bugs to feast on. The birds pretty much leave the strawberries alone, preferring the wild blackberries and mulberries that are everywhere.
Why all this berry talk? Besides the fact that I have been picking berries everyday and have them on the brain? Well, the berry patches and mulberry trees here in Sanctuary provide a huge lesson in how the world really works. Wall Street may think world markets thrive on competition and self-centeredness... but I can see that this is a distortion of how the world works, based on the belief that there is a limited supply, and that we have to take all we can before it's gone. Like we view fossil fuels, or a real estate boom, or any other economic opportunity in our world... it's take, take, take... eat or be eaten.
Actually, there is a natural rhythm and sharing, if we step back and observe. There is plenty for everybody, including the rodents and insect pests (the ones that make it past the preying mantis!). I never spray, I never cover anything with nets, and there is always abundance and balance. All my neighbors (the ones who protect their gardens and spray everything in sight for insects) have been complaining about grackles and Japanese beetles. But though there may be a few here and there, they don't really diminish the abundance of berries (or any other vegetable). Even my roses look good, in spite of the fact that Japanese beetles love to munch their blooms.
Could it really be so simple? Could it be that if we respect and embrace all of life, and go with the flow of life instead of battling it, that we are actually included in the abundance and sharing that goes on effortlessly? Could it be that if we look with larger eyes, the eyes of the large Self that Deep Ecologist Arne Naess wrote about, then we come to know our Self as part of the whole?
According to Naess, every living being, whether human, animal, or vegetable (including fruits!) has a vital and equal need and right to live and grow and blossom. And it is only when we yield to the flow of the large Self that we (and all of life) experience ourselves as a natural part of the whole, in a natural rhythm and harmony.
Life in Sanctuary is not just altruism. It's by living in the flow and harmony of life that we return to sanity and oneness. Loving the plants and animals and people, loving the changing and ever-flowing abundance and variety of life is as necessary and vital to our planetary well-being as economics. Berries and more berries... that's the way of life well-lived.
Blackberries have been in full swing for a couple of weeks now. I've made endless pies and crisps for family and friends. And my ever-bearing strawberries are now yielding again. Such abundance! There are always a few blackberries with holes in them from bird beaks... I leave those for the birds to finish. And I always leave the low-hanging ones for smaller creatures. In the strawberry patch, turtles and mice feast along with a giant preying mantis who patrols the plants like a guardian angel, looking for smaller bugs to feast on. The birds pretty much leave the strawberries alone, preferring the wild blackberries and mulberries that are everywhere.
Why all this berry talk? Besides the fact that I have been picking berries everyday and have them on the brain? Well, the berry patches and mulberry trees here in Sanctuary provide a huge lesson in how the world really works. Wall Street may think world markets thrive on competition and self-centeredness... but I can see that this is a distortion of how the world works, based on the belief that there is a limited supply, and that we have to take all we can before it's gone. Like we view fossil fuels, or a real estate boom, or any other economic opportunity in our world... it's take, take, take... eat or be eaten.
Actually, there is a natural rhythm and sharing, if we step back and observe. There is plenty for everybody, including the rodents and insect pests (the ones that make it past the preying mantis!). I never spray, I never cover anything with nets, and there is always abundance and balance. All my neighbors (the ones who protect their gardens and spray everything in sight for insects) have been complaining about grackles and Japanese beetles. But though there may be a few here and there, they don't really diminish the abundance of berries (or any other vegetable). Even my roses look good, in spite of the fact that Japanese beetles love to munch their blooms.
Could it really be so simple? Could it be that if we respect and embrace all of life, and go with the flow of life instead of battling it, that we are actually included in the abundance and sharing that goes on effortlessly? Could it be that if we look with larger eyes, the eyes of the large Self that Deep Ecologist Arne Naess wrote about, then we come to know our Self as part of the whole?
According to Naess, every living being, whether human, animal, or vegetable (including fruits!) has a vital and equal need and right to live and grow and blossom. And it is only when we yield to the flow of the large Self that we (and all of life) experience ourselves as a natural part of the whole, in a natural rhythm and harmony.
Life in Sanctuary is not just altruism. It's by living in the flow and harmony of life that we return to sanity and oneness. Loving the plants and animals and people, loving the changing and ever-flowing abundance and variety of life is as necessary and vital to our planetary well-being as economics. Berries and more berries... that's the way of life well-lived.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Slugs
I'm making my peace with slugs. It has been a rainy few months, so they are pretty much everywhere, yard and garden. They ooze their way around amazingly fast. Isn't it funny how creatures that ooze aren't nearly as appealing as creatures with furry feet? Or even birds, with their reptilian feet... at least they have cute feathery bodies. But slugs? Not much to appeal to human aesthetics. Unless you're two years old.
My two year old grandson helped restore my sense of appreciation for slugs tonight. We were outside watching all the toads come out for the evening, chasing some lightening bugs, and marveling at the clearness of the evening star. Then he discovered a really, really big slug. I'm a country girl, and I even like worms... but slugs make me want to go 'eeeeewww.' Like the good grandma that I am, I got down and admired this giant bit of ooze, and before long I really was seeing it, for the first time. Yes, it still oozes. Yes, it still sucks holes in my hostas. But it is alive. Its antennae move and communicate as we get closer and talk to it. There is awareness.
As an animal lover and caretaker of the Sanctuary here, I have enormous respect and love for animals great and small, wild or tame. But I realized that the exclusion of love and respect for even one life form can lead us to be careless of Life, and set us on a downward spiral. We can't say some parts of creation are perfect, and exclude the parts we think inconvenience us, or aren't pretty or comfortable enough. If we except parts of Life, we can't see Life's wholeness, and we are no longer whole.
As I get older, I discover I'm returning to that childlike wonder and appreciation of ALL of it. And I feel the wholeness of that, and revel in it. I hope that each person who reads this will take some time to notice what aspects of life they have been rejecting, and start to notice whatever it is again with love and appreciation. The joy this brings is indescribable. Another precious day of Life in Sanctuary.
My two year old grandson helped restore my sense of appreciation for slugs tonight. We were outside watching all the toads come out for the evening, chasing some lightening bugs, and marveling at the clearness of the evening star. Then he discovered a really, really big slug. I'm a country girl, and I even like worms... but slugs make me want to go 'eeeeewww.' Like the good grandma that I am, I got down and admired this giant bit of ooze, and before long I really was seeing it, for the first time. Yes, it still oozes. Yes, it still sucks holes in my hostas. But it is alive. Its antennae move and communicate as we get closer and talk to it. There is awareness.
As an animal lover and caretaker of the Sanctuary here, I have enormous respect and love for animals great and small, wild or tame. But I realized that the exclusion of love and respect for even one life form can lead us to be careless of Life, and set us on a downward spiral. We can't say some parts of creation are perfect, and exclude the parts we think inconvenience us, or aren't pretty or comfortable enough. If we except parts of Life, we can't see Life's wholeness, and we are no longer whole.
As I get older, I discover I'm returning to that childlike wonder and appreciation of ALL of it. And I feel the wholeness of that, and revel in it. I hope that each person who reads this will take some time to notice what aspects of life they have been rejecting, and start to notice whatever it is again with love and appreciation. The joy this brings is indescribable. Another precious day of Life in Sanctuary.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tadpoles
There are tadpoles in the horse water tank. A few weeks ago, I noticed a big ol' frog sitting on the edge, and wondered what he/she was doing so far from the creek. Now I know! She found a source of abundant food and fresh water for her eggs to hatch in! It's amazing watching what must be hundreds of the little guys feeding on invisible algae on the tank sides... and how they dive to the depths to avoid being suctioned into the horse's mouths when they drink. Savvy little guys... changing every day... I find them a source of wonder and also of inspiration.
Tadpoles begin their lives as amoeba-like creatures, and gradually grow legs and lungs and the ability to live outside of water. We are often inspired by the transformation of caterpillar to butterfly, but rarely do we think about how amazing a frog's journey is. And when their physical transformation is complete, they effortlessly know to leave the water, to eat different food, to look for different environments. If only change were that effortless for we humans! Or is it?
As I watch the seasons and the rhythms here in Sanctuary I am soothed and comforted. Even in the midst of seeming suffering and death, there is renewal. Transformation and change are effortless and orderly, and no amount of human control issues has ever or will ever stop that. The gift is becoming a part of the wonder of natural rhythms, discovering that they are our rhythms, too. We are always growing new skin, replenishing cells, transforming. We are always discovering new ways to experience love and joy in life. Animals, reptiles, and all the natural world are always here to teach us and remind us.
If you have lost your sense of wonder at such things, spend some time with animals. Donate your time and resources to animal rescue groups near you. Take long walks and allow your natural rhythms to re-attune to Life. Allow the effortless joy of Being. That is what Life in Sanctuary celebrates.
Tadpoles begin their lives as amoeba-like creatures, and gradually grow legs and lungs and the ability to live outside of water. We are often inspired by the transformation of caterpillar to butterfly, but rarely do we think about how amazing a frog's journey is. And when their physical transformation is complete, they effortlessly know to leave the water, to eat different food, to look for different environments. If only change were that effortless for we humans! Or is it?
As I watch the seasons and the rhythms here in Sanctuary I am soothed and comforted. Even in the midst of seeming suffering and death, there is renewal. Transformation and change are effortless and orderly, and no amount of human control issues has ever or will ever stop that. The gift is becoming a part of the wonder of natural rhythms, discovering that they are our rhythms, too. We are always growing new skin, replenishing cells, transforming. We are always discovering new ways to experience love and joy in life. Animals, reptiles, and all the natural world are always here to teach us and remind us.
If you have lost your sense of wonder at such things, spend some time with animals. Donate your time and resources to animal rescue groups near you. Take long walks and allow your natural rhythms to re-attune to Life. Allow the effortless joy of Being. That is what Life in Sanctuary celebrates.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A Day at The Claire Foundation Animal Sanctuary
It's 5 a.m. The birds and parrots are already stirring and making their pre-dawn noises. The horses will be at the barn soon, hoping for hay even when the grass is lush and green as it is now. The dogs, the pushiest and most demanding of the creatures here, want outside, NOW. The house cats simply stretch and gaze at me, knowing I will provide their every desire. They are so very wise.
Out in the early morning air, I see the orphaned kittens waiting for me in the hay, eyes wide with trust and love. The older feral cats are more cautious, more fearful from a lifetime of struggle and abuse. The horses snuffle, whinny softly, and wait their turn. Finally they get their taste of good alfalfa hay for the day... for horses, it's more addictive than candy! After replenishing food and water for all, I head to the garden to water.
Back inside by 6 a.m., I feed the dogs and indoor cats and parrots. I clean the litter boxes and scoop the dog yard. Finally, I make tea or coffee, depending on how I feel. It's time for MY Sanctuary. I go in my office, light a candle, and dedicate this new day, and all my days, to the amazing Life that lives and breathes us all, and eventually shows us other realities. I call this Life God, but it doesn't really matter. What matters is that this Divine Life is the real Sanctuary, the real safety and security. And our sacred space here at The Claire Foundation rests on this Life as its Principle, its Rock, and reflects it.
Someone asked me the other day if I wouldn't like to be taken care of as completely as these animals are. That gave me pause. The caring for all these animals has become natural to me, grounding and yet liberating. They teach me daily how to drop my stories and self-created stresses, and to be fully present with Life, to allow the flow of it to embrace me. They are a gift.
This made me realize again that we receive by giving. By pouring myself out to these animals and to Life, day in and day out, I am able to really experience what I am and what I have. I am able to be in the flow of Life. There are, of course, many ways of giving. This is one that gives me more than I could ever have imagined. And so this blog is born, as a way of communicating this incredible gift, and giving you the opportunity to be a part of it.
Where is your Sanctuary? Do you have a place of safety and security and sacredness that you make for others, animal or human? Or perhaps for your family? Don't diminish your own sacred places or your own giving. We are each precious and vital to the Life I call God. And so we are to each other.
We demonstrate this by donating time and money to Sanctuary. And if you are led to contribute to ours, you can do so at http://www.clairefoundation.ws/donate.htm. Each day or so I'll be posting news and stories and reflections from Life in Sanctuary, to share this joy with you.
Blessings from Sanctuary...
Mary
Out in the early morning air, I see the orphaned kittens waiting for me in the hay, eyes wide with trust and love. The older feral cats are more cautious, more fearful from a lifetime of struggle and abuse. The horses snuffle, whinny softly, and wait their turn. Finally they get their taste of good alfalfa hay for the day... for horses, it's more addictive than candy! After replenishing food and water for all, I head to the garden to water.
Back inside by 6 a.m., I feed the dogs and indoor cats and parrots. I clean the litter boxes and scoop the dog yard. Finally, I make tea or coffee, depending on how I feel. It's time for MY Sanctuary. I go in my office, light a candle, and dedicate this new day, and all my days, to the amazing Life that lives and breathes us all, and eventually shows us other realities. I call this Life God, but it doesn't really matter. What matters is that this Divine Life is the real Sanctuary, the real safety and security. And our sacred space here at The Claire Foundation rests on this Life as its Principle, its Rock, and reflects it.
Someone asked me the other day if I wouldn't like to be taken care of as completely as these animals are. That gave me pause. The caring for all these animals has become natural to me, grounding and yet liberating. They teach me daily how to drop my stories and self-created stresses, and to be fully present with Life, to allow the flow of it to embrace me. They are a gift.
This made me realize again that we receive by giving. By pouring myself out to these animals and to Life, day in and day out, I am able to really experience what I am and what I have. I am able to be in the flow of Life. There are, of course, many ways of giving. This is one that gives me more than I could ever have imagined. And so this blog is born, as a way of communicating this incredible gift, and giving you the opportunity to be a part of it.
Where is your Sanctuary? Do you have a place of safety and security and sacredness that you make for others, animal or human? Or perhaps for your family? Don't diminish your own sacred places or your own giving. We are each precious and vital to the Life I call God. And so we are to each other.
We demonstrate this by donating time and money to Sanctuary. And if you are led to contribute to ours, you can do so at http://www.clairefoundation.ws/donate.htm. Each day or so I'll be posting news and stories and reflections from Life in Sanctuary, to share this joy with you.
Blessings from Sanctuary...
Mary
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)