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Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue

SYALER eNewsletter

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The following is from Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue:

Ears the news…

It seems as though summer is in a hurry to leave. This morning was downright chilly. Fall is definitely in the air. The donkeys and mules feel it too. There has been a lot of running and bucking and farting happening in the pasture today. I have been getting calls from folks who are going to be needing to surrender their animals before winter comes. We have had a good summer for adopting out animals, with three donkeys and the adorable mini horse we have going to their new home shortly.

We have five animals in the rescue currently, four standard donkeys and a hinny, who all need a lot more training/handling/behavioral work done with them before they will be ready to be put up for adoption. We work with them almost daily, but it’s been slow going with this group. I am confident that they will come around in time, but in the mean time they need to eat and have their feet trimmed and receive veterinary care and it’s putting a strain on our bank account.

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Those of you whom have been getting this newsletter for any amount of time, know how much I hate having to ask for help. I try not to do so unless we are in a pinch. We are not there yet, but heading that way, so if anyone can make a financial donation of any amount it will be very gratefully appreciated. Once the animals can no longer be on pasture our feed bills go up and I don’t feel right if we don’t have a “cushion” in case of an emergency veterinary issue arising. Our cushion does not have much stuffing in it right now. I thank you in advance for any help you might be able to offer. All donations are tax deductible.

Our annual Donkey and Mule Benefit Fall Festival will be held in Alstead at Millot Green again this year. The date is October 7th. I hope to see a lot of you there. It’s such a fun day. We will be having a big booth at Equine Affaire again this year as well. The dates for that are November 9th-12th. I hope to see many of you there as well. Both gigs are like an old home day reunion. I love seeing folks that I only get to see during these events. Equine Affaire comes on the heels of the Donkey Welfare Symposium again this year so hopefully I’ll be able to answer everyone’s donkey questions with new found knowledge!

chEARS,

Ann

President & Shelter Manager

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Ears in the News

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The following is from Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue:

I think spring is finally here! The mules are shedding like crazy and I saw a little sparrow with a long piece of mule tail hair in its beak heading into the willow tree. The mud has dried up for the most part and we are in full swing getting things spruced up for our upcoming TENTH! Anniversary Open House on May 13th . I hope you can make it! Details are on the website and SYA’s Face Book page.

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It has been a very busy few months here. I have had to take back animals that had been adopted into wonderful, loving homes, due to a variety of reasons. I am very good at sticking to my boundaries regarding how many animals to admit to the rescue. If I burn out there is no more SYALER so I need to adhere to my own rules. But….I guess some rules are made to be broken. I got a very sad email concerning a gentleman with stage 4 cancer having to give up his animals as he was heading into the hospital with no plans being made for him to leave. I am so glad I agreed to take in seven of his animals so he could have the peace of mind of knowing his beloved animals would be safe and well cared for when he was no longer able. He passed away less than a week after we picked up his animals.

While I am grateful that I did take in his seven animals in addition to the other three that had to come back, one of those being a huge, Belgian mule with a big appetite, it has put a huge dent in the ol’ bank account. All of the seven needed to be vaccinated, have blood drawn for Coggins testing, will need to see the farrier soon and all will be seeing the vet for much needed dental work this week.  That, in addition to major overhauls being done to the existing fencing of the rescue, which has been in place for over twenty years, we have had a few other big projects on tap trying to spiff things up in time for our open house.

All of these factors lead me to once again do what I hate to do most; ask if you folks can help out a bit with a donation.   I’ve never been good at asking for help, although necessity really is the mother of invention or at least the mother of forcing one’s hand! I thank you gratefully in advance for any help you may be able to offer.

I hope you will be able to make it to our open house. In addition, we will be hosting a day long clicker training workshop with clinician Lyndsey Lewis on June 17th. There will be room for 12 attendees. More info will be available on the website soon.

chEARS,

Ann

President & Shelter Manager

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Cabin Fever Auction for SYALER – Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue!

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The following is from the Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue.

Please visit our fundraising auction page to see the directions for bidding and pictures of all the great items and services that are up for auction!

 

Thanks in advance for your participation. The auction generates a lot of interest (and competitive bidding!), and the proceeds allow us to carry out our mission of helping donkeys and mules in need. In 2016 we placed 40 long ears – a new record!
If there are any questions you may reach me atsyaauction2017@gmail.com or (413) 559-8414 (evenings).
Sincerely,

Joan Gemme
Vice-President

SYALER Cabin Fever Auction

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The following is from the Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue.

The February doldrums are upon us, and at Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue, we have a full house of donkeys and mules snuggled down in beds of fluffy shavings with piles of hay keeping them warm and cozy as they wait for new homes. In the meantime, the humans of Save Your Ass are keeping busy with their care, as well as planning our 2017 fundraisers to support the rescue in the upcoming year.

Our next event, which is guaranteed to bring some fun into the dark days of winter, is the annual Cabin Fever Online Auction which will be held from March 5th to March 12th on our special Facebook Auction page. We are reaching out to you to ask if you would consider donating an item to this 2017 event. Over the years we’ve auctioned off a little bit of everything – travel, art, handcrafted items, services, gift certificates, produce, baked goods, clothing, equine items, animal training, collectibles, household items – you name it! We welcome and appreciate all donations, large, medium or small.

The auction generates a lot of interest (and competitive bidding!), and the proceeds allow us to carry out our mission of helping donkey and mules in need. In 2016 we placed 40 long ears – a new record!

If you are interested in making a donation of any kind, please email Joan Gemme with the following information.

Deadline for donation submission is February 28.

  1. Item Name
  2. Short description
  3. Donor Name
  4. Website (if applicable)
  5. Donor email
  6. Item Value (including a rough shipping cost)
  7. Opening Bid

Please attach a photo, logo, or any other image that will appear with your item. As in the past, we request that the donors be willing to arrange shipping, delivery or pickup of their item to the winning bidder.

Please email Joan Gemme with any questions, or phone at 413-559-8414 evenings.

Thank you for your support!

Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue Update: Slick, etc.

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The following is from the Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue.

We have had a busy start to the new year here at the rescue. Lots of new animals have joined the herd. They will all be brought up to date on their vaccinations, get a clean bill of health from our veterinarian, then you will see them available for adoption on our website.

All of the animals have been wonderfully healthy and have been getting through the winter just fine… until last Sunday morning. When I looked out the window, cup of coffee in hand, just observing the mules hanging out across the driveway in the paddock closest to the house I noticed that my favorite rescue mule Slick was holding a hind leg up. He put it down and lifted his other hind leg, put that down and did the same with both front legs, then back to lifting the hind legs again. This was not normal. I bundled up and went out to check on him to find him shaking and unwilling to move.

It took me quite a while to get him into a stall where I was able to check his vitals. Other than a slightly elevated temperature, all vitals were fine, no digital pulses, but something was very wrong.

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We are very fortunate to have VT/NH Veterinary hospital’s doctors to work with our animals. Dr. Lea Warner came out to examine Slick and draw blood. Slick was very foot sore. I was advised to make Styrofoam pads for his feet and keep him in a deeply bedded stall. He was started on medication for the pain and Dr. Warner started a course of five days of IV antibiotics.

By Tuesday, day three of his IV injections, Slick was feeling much better. He was being given his injection by Dr. Ted Johnson who said “Slick is a wonderful little mule that appears to be dealing with a tick borne arthropathy that is responding to anti-inflammatory and tetracycline therapy. He has blood work pending and will continue his therapy as long as he continues to improve without adverse drug reactions eg. diarrhea.”

So sweet Slick has completed his IV injections, and started on a five week regimen of oral antibiotics; 14 pills twice a day!!! This whole ordeal is going to be quite spendy; we are looking at about $100 a day for the five days of farm calls and IV injections and exam. The minocycline is not cheap and we are going to need 980 pills! Slick is one of the sweetest mules I have ever met. He is the one that meets me with a “whicker” the word I use to describe the sound he makes when saying hello, every morning. He is the one that comes up and drops his head so anyone near will give him some scratches and love. He is more like a dog than a mule in terms of wanting to be with his “peeps”. He is so deserving of all the help we can give to him.

We have taken in a mini mule that is an 11 on a cuteness scale of 1 to 10. We’re calling him Mighty Mouse and he is as cute as a bug’s ear. He came in with his bestie Garnet, a full sized, pretty and sweet, red mule.

This past Monday night our dear friend Lorraine Smith of Sun Dew Saves, and 24 Carrot Equine Transport delivered four donkeys that a group of thoughtful, kind people “bailed” from Camelot Sale Barn and paid to get them here. They were very frightened, but all appear to be generally healthy. They have settled in nicely and we have started working to get to know them.

Between getting the two new mules and the four donkeys brought up to date on their vaccinations, having them get a thorough vet exam, teeth floated if needed and hooves trimmed, in addition to the costs incurred by Slick, we sure would appreciate any financial support you can offer.

I hope by the time the next newsletter comes out I will have good news to report on Slick and all the new additions.

ChEARS,

Ann

President & Shelter Manager

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Cabin Fever Auction for SYALER – Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue!

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The following is from the Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue.

Dear friend of SYALER,

The February doldrums are upon us, and at the Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue, we have a full house of donkeys and mules snuggled down in beds of fluffy shavings with piles of hay keeping them warm and cozy, as they wait for new homes. In the meantime, the humans of SYALER are keeping busy with their care, as well as planning our 2017 fundraisers to support the rescue in the upcoming year.

Our next event, which is guaranteed to bring some fun into the dark days of winter, is the annual Cabin Fever Online Auction which will be held from March 5-12 on our special Facebook Auction page. We are reaching out to you to ask if you would consider donating an item to our 2017 event. Over the years we’ve auctioned off a little bit of everything—travel, art, handcrafted items, services, gift certificates, produce, baked goods, clothing, equine items, animal training, collectibles, household items—you name it! We welcome and appreciate all donations—large, medium or small.

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The auction generates a lot of interest (and competitive bidding!), and the proceeds allow us to carry out our mission of helping donkey and mules in need. In 2016 we placed 40 long ears—a new record!

If you are interested in making a donation of any kind, please respond to this email with the following information. As in the past, we request that the donors be willing to arrange shipping, delivery or pickup of their item to the winning bidder.

Deadline for donation submission is  February 28.

  1. Item Name
  2. Short description
  3. Donor Name
  4. Website (if applicable)
  5. Donor email
  6. Item Value (including a rough shipping cost)
  7. Opening Bid

Please attach a photo, logo, or any other image that will appear with your item.

Feel free to contact me with any questions, either through email or at 413-559-8414, evenings.

Thank you for your support,

Joan Gemme

Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue

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Thank You From The Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue!

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The following is a thank you from the Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue.

Those of you who know me know that I am rarely at a lack for words. I’ve got a big yap. The overwhelming response to my request to raise $20,000. for the rescue however, has left me pretty much speechless. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and a profound sense of well-being for the animals in my care. I send a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you who helped to make this happen.

This has been a good year at Save Your Ass. Mostly happy endings, with a few not so happy, but that is to be expected. I have averaged 35 adoptions every year the rescue has been in operation. One year it was 32, last year it was 37, and this year I am at 39 adoptions with two adoptions in the works!!

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I am amazed and grateful for the many people interested in giving loving, caring homes to these animals. I’ve had a lot of owner surrenders this year. We are all getting older and our donkeys live for a long time. Both are good things! Caring for large animals in the winter months especially, can be difficult. I am glad that our adoption contract states that animals must come back here if they can no longer be kept for any reason. I am happy to provide that safety net for the animals and their caregivers.

Every year I do this I meet more and more wonderful, compassionate, committed people. I have made some great new friends via the long ears this year and am grateful for that as well.

Thank you very, very much on behalf of all of us at Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue for continuing to make what we do possible. We could not do it without you.

I wish each and every one of you a peace filled, happy and healthy New Year.

ChEARS,

Ann

President & Shelter Manager

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