Puppy Education Blog

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue Blog has Moved!!!

2009-06-21T18:55:00.000-05:00

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue Blog has Moved!!!

New raccoon hideout

2009-06-21T12:33:00.002-05:00

I had some left over plywood and built a little platform for the girls to hide out on. They are spending most of their time up there now.

Pumkin and Sandra are refusing the bottle for 3 days now and eat only solid foods. Rocky has started to nibble on kitten chow.

Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Real Facts about Rabies

2009-06-18T18:27:00.002-05:00

Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Real Facts about Rabies
by TOM PIPERSON & BIRGIT SOMMER
June 17, 2009

Getting the facts about rabies is not easy. Myths and misconceptions are as strong today as they were 4,000 years ago when rabies was first recognized. When the average person today thinks about rabies, they typically imagine dogs gone wild, foaming at the mouth, and painful shots. Ignorance about rabies can be hazardous to your personal health and well being, as well as the safety of family members, beloved pets and livestock. Understanding the facts about rabies, as provided in this article, can help prevent the spread of the disease, or even save a life.

Even though we enjoy the benefits of 21st Century medicine, rabies is still dangerous and even deadly to its victims, both animal and human.

Once the rabies virus travels through the nervous system and is established in the brain, a painful and prolonged period of suffering leading to death is the prognosis for 100 percent of victims who do not receive treatment.

Fact – You cannot contract rabies from an animal held in quarantine for 10 days.

If an animal who seems ill or acts strange happens to bite you, it is possible you could be infected with the rabies virus. The virus is typically spread through the saliva of an infected carrier in the late stages of the disease after it has reached the brain. From thousands of years of medical observation of rabies victims, it is known that 3-5 days after reaching the brain, the animal will show unmistakable symptoms of rabies. A few extra days of quarantine are added as a precaution.

Fact – Until the rabies virus reaches the brain, a bite from an infected animal does not transmit the disease to its victim.

The period between the time a victim is bitten by a rabid animal and the time it can spread the infection to others is called the incubation period. It can take a few weeks up to several months for the virus to transfer from muscle tissue, to a peripheral nerve, the central nervous system, the brain, and from there into the saliva. This incubation time can depend on age (shorter in children), the location of the bite (the farther away from the head, the better), and the severity of the bite.

Fact – A person cannot contract rabies from the blood, feces or urine of an infected animal, or from handling a carcass that is dried or mummified.

Only saliva or nerve tissue (brain, spinal cord) from a rabid animal can transmit the virus to another victim.

It is possible to contract rabies through an open wound or mucous membrane. One possible scenario would be by contact with a water dish contaminated with saliva from a rabid dog. Or by breathing the air in a cave where rabies-infected bats are present. Human transplants who died of rabies infection have proven that nerve tissue transmits the virus, as well.

Fact – Bats can bite a victim without leaving a visible trace and present a unique danger for rabies infection.

Bats also carry the rabies virus. People who are awake will feel a pinch when bitten by a bat. But, when asleep, the bat’s needle-like teeth make practically no wound and may not even be felt. Because a few cases have proven rabies as the cause of death in individuals found asleep in a room with a bat, state governments have taken special steps to educate their residents.

In Iowa, for example, the public health department presents a detailed decision tree for the public to use in diagnosing suspected cases of bat-infected rabies, and recommends administering the rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in cases where a person who has fallen asleep in the same room as a bat cannot say with certainty “I know I wasn’t bitten.”

In Colorado, based on the epidemiology of rabies, the primary rabies exposure risk for domestic pets is from bats. The Colorado Public Health Department recommends prompt treatment of pets for any direct exposure to bats, such as if direct physical contact was observed, the presence of puncture wounds on the bat or pet, or the presence of saliva or injuries on the bat.

Fact – Rabies is rare in opossums, rodents, and squirrels.

Small rodents (mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, chipmunks, squirrels) are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to cause rabies among humans in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bites by these animals are usually not considered a risk of rabies unless the animal was sick or behaving abnormally and rabies is a major problem in your vicinity.

Opossums have naturally evolved their metabolism to resist many common infections, as well as having a robust immune system virtually impervious to the venom of rattlesnakes, vipers such as cottonmouth snakes, and spiders. Their extremely low body temperature of 94 to 97 degrees F is an inhospitable environment for survival of the rabies virus and other common wildlife diseases. There have been only 5 confirmed cases of a rabies infected opossum in Texas since 1962.

Fact – Human-to-human transmission of rabies is possible, but very rare.

There have been 8 confirmed cases of death due to human-to-human rabies transmission as the result of a corneal transplant operation.

Fact – The signs of rabies in an infected animal are not easily recognized.

Foaming at the mouth can be a symptom of many conditions more common than rabies, such as roundworms, ticks, poisoning, liver failure, allergies, distemper, and dehydration. It is important to remember it is the total package of symptoms that add up to a possible diagnosis of rabies. Be alert for changes in behavior.

A dog that is normally friendly may avoid people. Dogs that are not normally sociable may act friendly to strangers. Animals may become aggressive, make strange noises or erratic movements, and attack other animals or humans. They may have trouble drinking, swallowing, or chewing. A direct fluorescent antibody test (dFA) is used to test the brain tissue of animals suspected to be rabid. However, the dFA test can only be performed after the animal has died.

Fact – Thoroughly cleaning and treating the bite or wound area significantly reduces the chance of infection.

Immediate treatment is required in order to prevent possible rabies infection. First, flush the area with water for at least one full minute. Follow up by washing with soap (or detergent if soap is not immediately available) to remove saliva containing the virus. Then apply a disinfectant such as alcohol, bleach, iodine tincture directly on the wound and under skin flaps to stop the rabies from being absorbed into the body tissue. Get to your doctor or an emergency room as soon as possible.

Fact – The symptoms of rabies in humans are numerous and increases in severity as the disease progresses.

Some of the symptoms identified in rabies victims include twitching or tingling around the area of the animal bite, fever, sore throat, difficulty in speaking, confusion, aggressiveness, nausea, abdominal pain, muscle aches and spasms, paralysis, seizures, hydrophobia (fear of drinking or swallowing water, painful spasms when trying to drink), diplopia (double vision), breathing difficulties.

Fact – Treatment for rabies in humans who have been bitten by a rabid animal is 100% effective if given within 24 to 48 hours after the bite occurred.

Post-exposure rabies anti-serum costs about $1,200. Patients in the US receive one dose of human rabies immunoglobulin, or HRIG, and five doses of rabies vaccine administered over a 28 day period, at day 0, day 3, day 7, day 14 and day 28. One half the dose of the HRIG is injected in the region of the bite, if possible, with the remainder injected into muscle tissue away from the bite. Previously, the immunoglobulin was injected through the abdominal wall with a large needle which was extremely painful.

Fact – Vaccination of animals and humans can greatly reduce the spread of rabies.

Vaccination of wild animal reservoirs through food baited with rabies vaccine has controlled the spread the disease in Europe. At one point the virus was almost completely eradicated in the regions treated before rabies started to reappear from wild and imported animals. Wild animals such as the red fox account for 4 times the number of rabies cases as domestic animals in France.

Domestic animal vaccination programs are the law in many municipalities across America. Typically, a dog or cat that is not current with rabies vaccinations and has a wound of unknown origin must be quarantined at a veterinary hospital at the owner’s expense or at home under the supervision of the department of agriculture or public health. Some pet owners cannot afford the cost of quarantining and are required, by law, to euthanize their pet. States such as Pennsylvania have set up vaccination clinics costing $10 to encourage residents to obey the law requiring all domestic dogs and cats three months of age or older to be inoculated against rabies.

Fact – New treatments and vaccines hold promise for eventually and permanently ending rabies everywhere.

In over 4000 years, when the rabies virus was first recognized, slow but steady progress was made in the fight against rabies. It wasn’t until the late 19th Century when the original rabies vaccine, harvested from infected rabbits, was formulated by Louis Pasteur and Emile Roux, back in 1885. The modern vaccine, formulated in the late 1960s, uses purified and cultured cells grown and harvested in sterile labs. Biological research and advances in technology continue to bring the world closer to eliminating rabies completely and forever.

Today, the vast majority of human deaths caused by rabies occur in Asia and India. The industrialized world, including countries such as New Zealand and Australia, much of Western Europe, and the United States, have much lower rates of death from rabies.

Human vaccination is essential for animal care professionals, lab technicians and anyone who may come in contact with the rabies virus in the course of their work or hobby. The vaccination consists of a series of shots given in the arm or shoulder and must be renewed on a regular basis. Since the potential for exposure is high among certain individuals, vaccines are effective in preventing rabies infections. Overseas travel to locations known for high incidence of infection is another circumstance where administration of the human rabies vaccination series is highly recommended.

Summary

Provide your pets and livestock with rabies vaccine as advised by your family veterinarian. Keep rabies pet vaccines current.

Keep pets away from wildlife and don’t let them wander loose through the neighborhood.
Contact the proper authorities if you see an animal acting strangely. Never attempt to catch or touch the animal unless you are trained.

If your pet is bitten by an animal, call the animal authorities and take your pet to the vet.

If a person is bitten by an animal (whether it is from a wild skunk caught foraging in the trash or a nip on the hand from a neighbor’s pet), clean the wound thoroughly and go to your doctor or medical clinic for treatment. Contact the authorities who will try to capture the animal for testing or quarantine.

Keep contact information handy for notifying the proper authorities about a possible rabid animal in the neighborhood.

Information and research provided by Birgit Sommer, licensed wildlife rehabilitator in the State of Texas and Director of the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue.

Sources:

Rocky, Sandra, Pumkin, orphaned raccoons are at it again

2009-06-16T11:49:00.006-05:00

Everybody is doing great here despite of the heat!

Rocky climbed my leg for the first time, and I had the camera on me! Sandra starts to eat solid foods and is quite feisty and Pumkin is her usual sweet and cuddly self.

Here is Rocky, the princess of the tree lol:

And Sandra climbing my leg for more sips from the bottle even though she prefers Fruit Loops these days. But too much sugar isn't good either:

Last but not least, Coco's pups had their first solid food today.

I re-named the Coca, the kitten, into Puppy by the way! Just for the confusion effect :-):

Sandra, Rocky and Pumkin, Raccoons after the Storm

2009-06-11T09:35:00.005-05:00

We had quite some storms last night, so I brought all animals, including the 3 girls of course, inside. After the storm had passed and the air is fresh and the ground still wet, I took the girls back outside. Boy did they enjoy the cooler temperatures!

And the starlings won't leave the nest!

Rocky and Abi:

Abi

Rocky and Abi asleep:

Rocky likes her ball:

Coco Banana adopts a Kitten

2009-06-10T13:56:00.002-05:00

A couple of days ago I received a little kitten with the eyes just opening. It was weak and not in the best shape. Coco Banana's puppies had also just opened their eyes, so I felt I had nothing to lose by offering the kitten to Coco, see what she's going to. Accept or reject it. She accepted without hesitation!

New Raccoon Enclosure

2009-06-08T15:04:00.002-05:00

We got around this weekend and worked all day yesterday, sweating gallons (really! lol) to get the floor of this enclosure done. We put wire mesh underneath the dirt, so the raccoons can't dig out and nothing can dig in.

We then furnished the enclosure and this morning, I brought the 3 girls, Pumkin, Rocky and Sandy in.

This is the enclosure:

Here are the girls:

The 3 Stooges aka 3 Starlings won't leave, insist of harrassing my neighors and myself for food:

and Coco's puppies opened their eyes today:

And last but not least, the 3 Abelenians are opened their eyes as well. Pictures will follow soon!

3 Raccoon Girls Outside

2009-06-06T11:34:00.004-05:00

Pumkin, Sandy and Rocky are outside together for the first time. I keep a very close eye on them and right now they are sleeping all in different spots:

Rocky, Sandy, Pumkin, Abi, Lena, Ian, the orphaned raccoons

2009-06-05T16:19:00.004-05:00

So, with 6 raccoons from 4 different litters and different ages, cottontails, various birds, and a foster dog with 6 puppies, the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue is officially full.

But of course I want to share the fun with ya'll, so here goes!

Here are the movies!!!

Pumkin being a goofball:

Sandy and Rocky, first time together:

And Rocky and Pumpkin getting to know each other too:

Rocky (bottom) and Sandy (top), first touch:

Precious little Rocky Girl:

Doves, Starlings, Raccoon Orphans

2009-06-02T13:14:00.004-05:00

Abi and Lena, the coonie sisters all snuggled up sleeping together:

Their brother Ian was hiding under a stuffed teddy and didn't want his picture taken.

In addition we have some birds: doves and starlings:

and a little Killdeer:

Raccoons and Birds Update

2009-05-31T09:03:00.002-05:00

I got to meet the most wonderful lady who took lil Peanut home with her to give her a permanent home. Poor lil Peanut does not only have neurological problems, but she also appears to be blind. But now she is in the best hands possible and I can stop worrying and start concentrating on the babies I still have.

The 3 Abilenaians, Abi, Lena and Ian are growing like crazy:

Here's a picture of Ian gaping. That happens sometimes when they fall to sleep with the bottle. The white stuff around his mouth is milk:

And below is Pumkin with sand on her nose while playing under my chair:

3 Starlings joined the family:

The doves are doing great and the sparrow is still here:

Chihuahua Mom Coco Banana and her 6 Munchkins

2009-05-30T16:45:00.000-05:00

What a happy family with those happy puppy noises!

Raccoons Raccoons Raccoons

2009-05-28T18:49:00.007-05:00

I finally have a few minutes to update this blog.

Pumkin has moved to the outside enclosure and has started to play. Unfortunately she is still alone, so I spend a fair amount of time playing with her:

Sad news about Peanut (who's a girl after all!). She has neurological problems and has no control over certain movements of her body, such as her head. Thankfully, Jani at the Breezy's Place in South Texas has offered to come and pick her up. She will get the best treatment possible which I cannot afford at this time. If she is not releasable, she will have a permanent home there too. Thank you, Jani and Katt!!

Then I have 3 new additions of about 10 days old, 2 girls and a boy. I named Abi, Lena, and Ian, based on the town they originated from, Abilene that is. All 3 are doing good, even though they are on antibiotics due to previous aspiration:

Coco says Hi too:

Coco has 6 healthy Puppies

2009-05-24T06:48:00.003-05:00

Coco Banana finally had her pups! Six of them! They all look healthy and they all look like mom.

Raccoons, birds and a rehabber

2009-05-22T19:16:00.004-05:00

Today Pumkin was introduced to a larger pool. I had gone to the Dollar Store and bought tons of colorful toys I to play with.

The first thing Pumkin did when I placed her into the pool was to tinkle into the water LOL. After that...well, see for yourself!

Afterward we had a good meal:

The birds also benefited from the trip to the Dollar Store. They got new baskets. Below you see 2 mourning doves and 3 phoebes:

An injured great-horned owl that spent a night here before she was picked by the avian rehabber:

Peanut and Pumkin, orphaned raccoon babies

2009-05-20T14:32:00.002-05:00

Here they are, my pride and joy of this year's spring season:

Peanut:

Pumkin:

lil Peanut after his bottle.

And lil Pumkin on her first day outside in the enclosure:

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News

2009-05-18T14:49:00.004-05:00

2009

Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Opossum
Published: Monday, March 30, 2009 - Empire Tribune

	Among the mix of Erath County wildlife is an unassuming creature that once roamed with the dinosaurs 70 million years ago. Hard to believe, but the lowly opossum, most commonly encountered as road kill along county roads, is an enigmatic and remarkable animal.

	Read the entire article HERE >>>>

Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Squirrel
Published: Monday, February 17, 2009 - Empire Tribune

Some folks in Erath County may call her a nut, but when it comes to squirrel rescue, Birgit Sommer knows her stuff.

As a licensed rehabilitator and founder of Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Stephenville, Sommer has worked with dozens of squirrels endangered by natural disaster...

Read the entire article HERE >>>>

Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Cottontail Rabbit
Published: Monday, March 2, 2009 - Empire Tribune

	Most folks living in Erath County have encountered rabbits. Coexisting with these furry, fertile creatures is not difficult once you understand them. The most common rabbit species in Texas is the eastern cottontail, identified by its 2-3 lb. body, brown or gray coat, white belly, and distinctive white tail.

	Read the entire article HERE >>>>

Leave the Mothering to Nature
Experts say young animals who appear to be abandoned often are in parents' care
By Angelia Joiner
Special to the Reporter-News
Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Spring is just around the corner, and as the new season arrives so do the offspring of a variety of wildlife.

Kindhearted humans sometimes find -- and try to take in -- young birds, squirrels, fawns or rabbits that appear to be abandoned.

Roy Johnson, Taylor County game warden, said most of the time this is not the case.

Read the entire article HERE >>>>

Honey and Trinity Success Story
How two dogs can create a lot of human winners
Published: Sunday, April 5, 2009 - Empire Tribune

Not everybody in Erath County knows about the Humane Society Animal Shelter and its adoptable pets. A few of the people that do know about it have the wrong impression.

They often think of it as dog pound-hell. Maybe after reading the following story of the combined efforts of many people to make happy endings happen, they will change their minds and convince more pet lovers to adopt a pet instead of purchasing one from a pet store or a breeder.

Read the entire article HERE >>>>

2008

Orphaned squirrels find refuge in Stephenville
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:07 AM CDT

	When natural disasters strike, a mobilization of relief workers from various agencies such as the Red Cross, National Guard, and FEMA are ready to respond, bringing in food and water, working to restore power, and setting up temporary shelter to assist in returning the disaster zone and the lives of those within it back to normal.

	Read the entire article HERE >>>>

Locals build ‘homes’ for orphaned squirrels
Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 9:06 AM CDT

	The gray baby squirrels orphaned by Hurricane Ike now have a cozier place to play - and sleep - while temporarily residing in Erath County. Volunteers spent the better part of Saturday building a mesh enclosure at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue Center in Stephenville so the little ones will have room to move around until they can be taken back to the coast.

	Read the entire article HERE >>>>

Rescuing Animals
Published: Sunday, May 2, 2008

	One local woman works to save abandoned and mistreated pets Birgit Sommer has been a Stephenville resident since 1991. She was born in Germany and just last month, after passing a test correct answering questions covering U.S. government and history, she took an oath before officials and became a naturalized citizen of the United States. "It just feels great to become a citizen of this country," Bridget said. "I studied hard in order to pass the test and now I can vote in this important election."
Birgit didn't wait to become a registered voter before taking the responsibility of foster care of homes and abandoned animals in Erath County. Having a great love for animals, she was attracted to the animal shelter maintained by the Erath County Humane Society, shortly after becoming a resident in Stephenville. During the past few years she has given loving, expert care to hundreds of dogs and cats including entire litters of puppies and kittens.

	Read the entire article HERE >>>

Stephenville woman takes in 'squirrely' hurricane victims
Published: Monday, September 22, 2008

STEPHENVILLE -- Appropriately nicknamed "Miss Doolittle" when she was just 5 years old, Birgit Sommer is taking in orphans from Hurricane Ike.

Not the human kind. The small, furry kind.

Infant gray squirrels were found everywhere after Ike moved through the Houston area, blowing down their nests, and residents were desperate to help them.

Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, said before Ike had even moved out of the Gulf area, her phone began ringing off the wall and the e-mails started piling up. People were contacting her to see if she could help.

Read the entire article HERE >>>

Donations helping baby squirrels left orphaned by Hurricane Ike
Published: Sunday, September 28, 2008

STEPHENVILLE -- Several volunteers were busy Saturday building a mesh wire enclosure at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue center in Stephenville to provide shelter for additional gray squirrels orphaned by Hurricane Ike.

Birgit Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, said members of the Tarleton State University Student Wildlife Society collected $62 in donations and are soliciting area businesses for materials needed to build shelters for the squirrels.

She said she has also received a check for $500 from a Buffalo Gap resident, lumber from Barns and McCullough in Stephenville and numerous smaller donations.

Read the entire article HERE >>>

Pumkin and Peanut the baby raccoons

2009-05-17T19:53:00.004-05:00

Pumkin and Peanut, the orphaned raccoon babies:

This is Peanut. He came to the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue yesterday. He's about 2 weeks old:

Peanut with a full belly...

and very tired:

Below is Pumkin, our little girl and only survivor of a litter of 3. She's now 7 weeks old and loves to explore new things every day:

We also have baby birds, 1 sparrow, 3 wrens, a grackle, a white winged dove and an Inca dove:

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News - Wildlife

2009-05-13T14:22:00.001-05:00

Abilene Reporter News: http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/feb/17/leave-the-mothering-to-nature/
Empire Tribune (FREE subscription only): http://www.empiretribune.com/articles/2009/02/17/news/doc499979185e5e6763148526.txt

Leave the mothering to nature
Experts say young animals who appear to be abandoned often are in parents' care
By Angelia Joiner
Special to the Reporter-News
Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Spring is just around the corner, and as the new season arrives so do the offspring of a variety of wildlife.

Kindhearted humans sometimes find -- and try to take in -- young birds, squirrels, fawns or rabbits that appear to be abandoned.

Roy Johnson, Taylor County game warden, said most of the time this is not the case.

"Mother Nature has a way of taking care if itself," Johnson said. "If you see a fawn, I promise you the mama has not abandoned it. She will come back and take care of it."

He said the same is true for other animals.

Johnson said the exception is when someone sees a dead mother. The fawn will not leave it, and in that case, the fawn should be taken to a licensed rehabilitator -- but those are hard to find.

"There are no rehabilitators in Abilene. The closest is Breckenridge or Baird," Johnson said. "I've encouraged four people to get a license, but they don't follow through because it is extremely difficult to obtain and it's at their own expense."

Johnson said to find someone in the area, go to www.tpwd.state.tx.us -- but be prepared to drive to them or to meet them somewhere.

Sometimes, he said, fawns can be seen lying on or near the road. To keep them from being injured, they can be moved and placed over a fence.

"It's a rumor that a deer won't come back to its baby once it's been touched by humans," Johnson said. "That's not true."

Birgit Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in Erath County, said the same is true for most animals. The human touch myth is "just an old wives' tale." And if a baby is found, it's best to try and reunite with the mother if possible.

Sommer specializes in caring for squirrels, but also cares for other wild critters and all kinds of domesticated animals.

She said February is the time of year when young squirrels are often knocked out of their nests. The best policy she said is to place the baby squirrel in a shoe box at the base of the tree where it was found. Because they chill easily, a plastic bottle can be filled with warm water and wrapped in a T-shirt to keep the young animal warm. Sommer said to avoid using terry cloth in the box because the tiny claws will become snagged.

If the baby squirrel could be in danger from predators, such as dogs, tie a basket to the tree.

Most likely, the mother will come back for her offspring if she feels safe to do so; it is best to observe from a distance.

It's a different matter for baby squirrels found during the evening hours.

"Squirrel mothers will not come back at night, so try putting it out first thing in the morning," Sommer said.

Squirrel feeding is difficult, so it's best to take the young to a trained professional because they aspirate easily, she said.

Sommer also has raised opossums successfully. She noted that opossums often are often struck and killed by automobiles.

She said that if an animal is hit, it's good to check the pouch for surviving babies.

"These are the only marsupials in North America and often times, the infants will still be alive -- protected by the pouch," Sommer said. "And they are not known to carry rabies, either."

Baby birds

Young birds are commonly found on the ground, she said.

"Fledglings may look like they are unable to be on their own, but the parents are still caring for these fledglings and keep track of where they are. So the baby bird you see may be a fledgling that is being taken care of by its parents still."

Sommer said that if the bird is not fully feathered, the best thing to do is to put it back into the nest.

"A baby bird might need to eat every 20 minutes in daylight hours depending on its age and species," Sommer said. "The parents can take care of it so much better than you can."

Sommer cautions that if people find wild baby bunnies during the day, "leave them alone." Many folks think they have been abandoned and most times they have not, she said.

Rabbits don't feed their young very often and usually only nurse for about five minutes a day, returning to the nest only once or twice in a 24-hour period.

"If the babies' bellies look plump, then they've been fed," Sommer said. "If a nest has been destroyed, you can rebuild it within 10 feet of its original spot."

Sommer said that if you know for certain that the mother rabbit is dead, locate a rehabilitator because infant rabbits have a high mortality rate, especially cottontails.

Following the law

Johnson, the game warden, said it is against the law to keep any live game animal and that should be considered when someone is contemplating keeping a baby animal they've found.

Before she gained her license, Sommer said, the Erath County game warden fined her $150 for caring for baby squirrels and the action prevented her from obtaining the license for one year.

She said the licensing process is incredibly difficult and because of the expense of buying formula and building shelters, etc., she believes this is why there are so few licensed rehabilitators.

For more information on animals or guidance in acquiring a license, contact Sommer at www.rainbowwildlife.com.

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News - Squirrels

2009-05-13T14:19:00.001-05:00

One woman’s mission, one baby squirrel at a time

By ALEX HARMON
Special Contributor
Published: Monday, February 16, 2009 8:58 AM CST

Some folks in Erath County may call her a nut, but when it comes to squirrel rescue, Birgit Sommer knows her stuff. As a licensed rehabilitator and founder of Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Stephenville, Sommer has worked with dozens of squirrels endangered by natural disaster, injury or who have become separated from their parents.

“There are many key mistakes that people make when trying to rescue a baby squirrel and I want to help set the record straight,” Sommer said. “Although these tiny babies are adorable, they are not domesticated and do not make good pets. As a matter of fact, it is a Class C Misdemeanor in the State of Texas to possess a squirrel without the necessary permits.”

She described a typical scenario: A pile of leaves, crushed by February’s gusty winds and winter frosts, suddenly becomes a temporary home for a fluffy baby squirrel that has fallen from its nest and lies still in wait for its mother to find it. Slowly the baby starts getting chilled and with mom nowhere in sight, the chances for this baby’s survival without proper human intervention are slim.
Sommer suggests some useful advice when dealing with this type of scenario.

First, attempt to reunite the baby with the mom. If you think the mother squirrel may still be in the area and you have a good idea where the nest is located, first, give the mother the opportunity to retrieve the baby or babies.

Sommer cautioned that baby squirrels cannot only carry parasites such as fleas and lice, but they can also bite if they are old enough to have teeth, so they should never be handled without gloves.

Place the infant squirrel in a small box on an old T-shirt (no terry cloth where the little toenails can get hung up) at the base of the tree where it was first found. If there are dogs in the area, place the baby in a basket and tie the basket to the tree out of the dogs’ reach.

If the baby appears healthy and warm, allow 2 hours for the mother to reunite with her young while you observe from a safe distance. Even on hot summer days baby squirrels can get chilled quickly. A soda bottle filled with lukewarm water and covered with a sock can be placed near the baby. Make sure it can’t roll onto the baby and suffocate it by placing old shirts or rags around it, she suggested.

What happens when the mother does not return for her young or if the baby is visibly injured?

Bring the box containing the baby inside and place it in a dark, warm and quiet place away from children, pets, and loud noises. Limit handling the baby to the absolute minimum and contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately. Veterinarians will not treat wildlife but usually will refer you to a local rehabilitator instead. Sommer explained she receives regular referrals from area vets.

In her experience, dehydration is very common when animals first arrive, and almost every orphaned baby is dehydrated to some degree. Unflavored Pedialyte, found in the baby aisle of the supermarket, is the best hydrating solution. Homemade rehydration fluid is made by combining 1 teaspoon salt with 3 tablespoons sugar in 1 quart of warm water. Microwaving the fluid is not advised.

Administer the fluid orally with a small 1-cc syringe or a rubber nipple if available. A syringe larger than 3-cc increases the risk of aspirating and drowning the squirrel baby, she explained.

Holding the baby in an upright position for feeding and rehydrating (never on its back), she feeds the baby 1-cc or ml of the hydrating solution every two hours, for up to 12 hours if necessary.

Sommer noted a few important safety tips to be observed when feeding squirrels in this way. Liquid coming out of the nose, indicating that the fluids have entered the lungs, could endanger a nursing baby squirrel. If this occurs, stop feeding immediately and allow the baby to clear its lungs by encouraging it to sneeze, because pneumonia will set in if the fluid is not expelled.

She also advised to never feed cow’s milk to a squirrel baby. Most baby animals, wild or domesticated, can’t handle the lactose in cow’s milk and develop diarrhea as a result. Most animals in need of human care are already in a compromised health condition and many won’t be able to survive additional digestive problems.

In addition to rehydrating a squirrel baby, it needs to be kept warm. No matter what heating source you use, make sure you give the baby enough room to get away from the heat. Always use the lowest setting of an electric heating pad.

“If you come across a squirrel with common ailments such as external parasites, visible injuries or obviously sick, it is critical that you speak with a rehabilitator immediately,” Sommer emphasized.

For animal rescue emergencies in Stephenville and Erath County, contact Birgit Sommer at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue at 254-968-4626 from 8 a.m.- 8 p.m.

The Rainbow Wildlife Rescue is a non-profit organization working with local animals, wild and domestic alike, and is funded entirely by donations of food, supplies, and contributions from the public.

For additional information on how to deal with orphaned wildlife, or to find licensed wildlife rehabilitators outside of Erath County, please visit www.rainbowwildlife.com or www.squirrel-rescue.com or e-mail help@rainbowwildlife.com.

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News - Rabbits

2009-05-13T14:16:00.001-05:00

http://www.empiretribune.com/articles/2009/03/30/news/doc49d0cb21438d4160110053.txt

Know your neighborhood wildlife - rabbits
By TOM PIPERSON
Special Contributor
Published: Monday, March 2, 2009 9:26 AM CST

Most folks living in Erath County have encountered rabbits. Coexisting with these furry, fertile creatures is not difficult once you understand them.

The most common rabbit species in Texas is the eastern cottontail, identified by its 2-3 lb. body, brown or gray coat, white belly, and distinctive white tail. They are common in brushy areas from southern Canada to South America.

Cottontails are an important part of the food chain, preyed on by more species than almost any other animal. Their amazing fertility is Mother Nature’s way of compensating to ensure their survival as a species.

Cottontails feed in the evenings or at night. Their diet consists of a variety of green plants, barks, buds, and grasses. Unlike the jackrabbit, which are actually a larger and more muscular member of the hare family, cottontails are true rabbits. This distinction is important, as hares are born virtually self-sufficient - eyes open, body fully furred, and with the ability to hop around only moments after birth - whereas rabbits are born hairless, blind, and helpless.

The eastern cottontail’s nest is a saucer-like depression three or four inches deep and about eight inches across, lined with mouthfuls of soft, dead grass mixed with hair from the mother’s breast. A covering of grass and hair is used to hide the nest and keep the young “kits” warm and dry.

Rabbit mothers, called “does,” nurse their babies for approximately 5 minutes a day. The milk is very rich and the babies fill up to capacity within minutes. Mother rabbits do not sit on the babies to keep them warm as do some mammals and birds. They will be in the nest early in the morning and then again in the evening, which gives the impression that the kits have been abandoned.

Most baby cottontails that end up in human care do not survive despite the honorable intentions of their kind-hearted rescuers. If you come across a nest of bunnies in the wild and the doe is nowhere in sight, please do not disturb them. By removing them from the nest you are greatly reducing their chances of survival. Individuals raising orphaned babies must not treat them as pets.

There is a 90 percent mortality rate with orphaned baby rabbits in human care, especially cottontails. This number increases if the rabbits are very young and their eyes still closed. They are extremely hard to save. There is little substitute for the nutrients their mother’s milk provides. Often they die of bloat, improper feeding or overfeeding. Many die even when people have done everything right.

Baby rabbits are cute and it is natural to want to handle them. However, they are very easily stressed by handling and noise. Any undue stress can cause them to have heart failure. They are wild animals. So before you pick up a baby rabbit with the kind-hearted intention to help the little creature, remember the following guidelines:

If you see a cottontail with its eyes open wandering around, leave it alone. It is exploring outside the nest and learning to forage for food. The nest is nearby and the baby will be able to find it. A juvenile cottontail is at least four weeks of age (about the size of a tennis ball) and no longer requires the nurturing of its mother or the protection of the nest. Do not touch the rabbit and keep pets and children away.

If your dog or cat captures a baby cottontail and you don’t know the location of the nest, follow the instructions for preparing a substitute nest and contact a wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible. Contact with cats is frequently fatal to young animals, even when no injury is apparent. Contact with dogs is usually less serious and a baby bunny could be returned to the nest if there has been no injury.

Rabbits will still care for their babies even if they have been touched by human hands. If you find a nest that has been destroyed, you can move it or rebuild it in a safer area within 10 feet of its original location. Try to lay twigs around the nest so that you can see if the mother is returning.

If you know for certain that the mother has been killed or the babies are in need of urgent help, contact a wildlife rehabilitator immediately. If the babies cannot be returned to the nest, you can take a few simple steps that will help them survive until they can be transferred to a wildlife rehabilitator.

Use a box or bucket with a lid. Punch a few holes in the container for air. Create a cup-like nest using rags, towels or paper tissues. Place the babies in the substitute nest and affix the lid securely. Even very small bunnies can escape from an open box. Place the container in a warm, quiet place, away from household sounds, odors, children, and pets.

Place half of the cottontail’s container on an insulated heating pad set on low (to insulate the pad, wrap it in a towel) or apply an overhead light. Check the container (do not touch the animal itself) every few minutes to avoid overheating. Alternatively you can fill a soda bottle with warm (not hot!) water, wrap it up in a T-shirt or towel and place it near the baby. Make sure the bottle is secure enough so it cannot roll onto the baby.

Do not attempt to feed babies whose eyes are sealed shut. These infants require a carefully developed formula delivered at the proper strength and amount, and feeding them anything else could compromise their survival.

An older baby whose eyes are open may be offered clean grass and clover (pulled from an area void of pesticides and herbicides), a bit of fresh apple, dry oatmeal, and a shallow dish of water. Do not hand-feed or force-feed a baby cottontail.

Cottontails of any age usually become very stressed in captivity. Do not handle or pet them and keep the container covered at all times. Being confined in a limited space with an open top or sides may cause the cottontail to panic and literally traumatize itself to death. If using a cage or other see-through housing, cover it completely using a sheet, towels, or newspapers.

Do not hold, pet, or talk to the cottontail. When confined, older cottontails may appear to be calm and tame; in reality they are scared to death, frozen in fear. Cottontails have also been known to suffer heart attacks due to the trauma of confinement and handling.

The Rainbow Wildlife Rescue, a non-profit organization in Stephenville, is working with local animals, wild and domestic alike. We accept squirrels, opossums, rabbits, raccoons and some birds. We do not accept skunks, deer, bats, foxes, coyotes, or reptiles.

Contact Birgit Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, at 254-968-4626 if you come across an orphaned or injured wild animal.

For additional information on how to deal with orphaned or injured wildlife, or to find licensed wildlife rehabilitators outside of Erath County, please visit www.rainbowwildlife.com or e-mail help@rainbowwildlife.com.

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News - Opossums

2009-05-13T14:13:00.002-05:00

http://www.empiretribune.com/articles/2009/03/30/news/doc49d0cb21438d4160110053.txt

The opossum is often misunderstood
By ALEX HARMON
Special Contributor
Published: Monday, March 30, 2009 9:00 AM CDT

Among the mix of Erath County wildlife is an unassuming creature that once roamed with the dinosaurs 70 million years ago.

Hard to believe, but the lowly opossum, most commonly encountered as road kill along county roads, is an enigmatic and remarkable animal. Knowing their habits and history helps promote a peaceful, mutually beneficial coexistence with these humble and sometimes misunderstood “first citizens” of wildlife.

According to Stephenville wildlife rehabilitator Birgit Sommer, these furry foragers are actually one-of-a-kind wonders. Opossums are the only marsupials in the entire United States, a cousin of the kangaroo and koala. They have more teeth than any other land mammal (50-plus). Opossums also have a robust immune system virtually impervious to the venom of rattlesnakes, vipers, cottonmouth snakes, and spiders.

Their extremely low body temperature of 94 to 97 degrees F is an inhospitable environment for survival of the rabies virus and other common wildlife diseases. In fact, there have been only five confirmed cases of a rabies infected opossum in Texas since 1962.

Solitary and nocturnal (active at night), the opossum has a brief life span for their size (2 to 4 years). If encountered unexpectedly, they can appear very intimidating with their sharp teeth exposed, growling and hissing with the appearance of an oversized rat, but, in reality, they are not aggressive and prefer to be left alone. However, they will defend themselves when cornered and may bite.

Sometimes, when frightened or trapped, they may fall into an involuntary shock-like state for up to four hours (“playing possum”). Always give the benefit of the doubt when approaching an apparently dead opossum, Sommer advised.

These unique creatures are at home in trees. Opossums use their prehensile tail to help stabilize their position when climbing. (Contrary to common belief, they do not hang by their tails.) Their omnivorous diet includes snakes, insects, snails, rodents, carrion, eggs, corn, berries, over-ripe fruit, grasses, leaves, and other vegetables. They do not actively hunt and are not predatory.

Opossums are beneficial to Erath County by eating the harmful, unwanted pests around our homes such as snails, slugs, spiders, cockroaches, rats, mice and snakes. They do not dig holes with their delicate human-like hands nor are they destructive. If you encounter such damage, another culprit is usually to blame. Opossums are well known as “nature’s little sanitation engineers,” Sommers said.

If you do not wish to have these useful critters around, bring pet food and water indoors at night, close all doors and windows (including pet doors), and tightly secure garbage cans.

Opossums have many predators such as people (with cars), along with dogs, cats, owls, and other wildlife. It is popular with some people to joke about dead ‘possums on the highway but in some cases many other unseen lives are at stake.

Sommers advises that if you see an apparently dead opossum on the road and it is safe to pull over, move the body to the side of the road and (if a female) check the pouch for any live young. She may be carrying up to 13 babies, or “joeys.” Make sure you wear gloves or use a rag or towel for protection. If there are babies present, carefully extract them from the pouch and place them into a box or bucket lined with cloth. Joeys cannot survive long outside the pouch environment.

A word of caution: if the apparently dead opossum is not dead but injured, please be very careful. Injured animals are already frightened; approaching them will have self-defense as an automatic response and you could get bitten or scratched.

The worst dangers to the orphans are chilling and dehydration. The best way to warm up an opossum baby is to wrap them in cloth and hold them against your body. Alternatively, you can use a disposable plastic bottle filled with warm water. Wrap the bottle in an old T-shirt and place it inside a box or plastic container with the baby. Make sure that it will not roll around, possibly hurting the animal. Do not use a towel or else there is a danger of the threads getting caught around toes or tails. T-shirts, sweatshirts, or blankets cut into small squares work great.

If the babies are well furred, you may try to give them fluids to keep them hydrated before you transfer them to the nearest wildlife rehabilitator. Pedialyte or clear Gatorade will work. Dilute either with distilled water 1 part to 2 parts, warm it to body temperature, and offer it slowly with a dropper. Even small infants have the ability to lap.

Be careful that the baby does not inhale the fluid. Just one drop of liquid entering the lungs can mean a protracted death for the baby. Opossum joeys usually do not suckle.

Never feed cow’s milk to an opossum baby. Almost all baby animals are incapable of digesting the lactose and many die due to digestive problems.

If you come across an orphaned or injured opossum or other wild animal in Erath County, contact Birgit Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for the State of Texas, at 25-968-4626 or e-mail help@rainbowwildlife.com.

The Rainbow Wildlife Rescue, a non-profit organization in Stephenville, is working with local animals, wild and domestic alike. They accept squirrels, opossums, rabbits, raccoons and some birds, but do not accept skunks, deer, bats, foxes, coyotes, or reptiles.

Raccoon Baby, pregnant Chihuaha, white-winged Dove

2009-05-12T13:07:00.003-05:00

Finally I have some time to post some updates!

After over 80 animals came through the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue since mid February, I am down to 1 raccoon, a dove and a pregnant Chihuahua.

Coco Banana is getting REALLY BIG!!!!

Our lil Pumkin is doing good as well.

And the white-winged dove made friends with my bunny Max.

Coco, a very pregnant Chihuahua

2009-04-30T15:44:00.002-05:00

Coco was thrown over the fence at the animal shelter. Since she is very pregnant, we decided that a busy shelter is no place for her, so she is at a quiet place at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue, awaiting birth and hopefully healthy puppies.

She was thrown over the fence with a male Pomeranian who is most likely the father of the puppies, so I'm expecting some very fluffy Chihuahuas!

Live Baby Squirrel Cam

2009-04-28T11:15:00.004-05:00

Thank you, http://lpyardcams.camstreams.com/

Orphaned Opossums, Beaver, Squirrels, Rabbits, Raccoons

2009-04-20T09:08:00.009-05:00

Update:

Frosty and Flurry, the Siamese kittens, had to be humanely euthanized because they developed symptoms of feline leukemia. R.I.P. Babies...we all tried hard, especially you.

3 of the 5 cottontails did not make it, however, the remaining 2 rabbits are doing just fine.

6 of the 8 squirrels were released. The other 2 will be ready next weekend.

2 opossums were released as well, which left me with 7. Then there came 7 more, six siblings from one litter and a loner, which weighs only 30 grams.

the 3 raccoons have opened their eyes this weekend and are doing great.

the beaver kit is also doing great, but he needs to be transferred to another rescue with other beavers present. There is a place in Plano that is willing to accept him that has already 2 other beaver kits, but so far I have not been able to turn up anybody to make that 3 hour drive. I can't get away for this long myself.

So if anybody close by is willing to transport this animal from Stephenville to Plano, TX, please contact me!!!

Here's the little 30 gram opossum girl. She's about 6 weeks old:

Noisy hungry raccoon babies:

And the beaver:

Orphaned Beaver, Cottontails, Raccoons, Opossums, Squirrels

2009-04-15T16:48:00.005-05:00

We have a beaver! He weighs 566 grams and is less than 2 weeks old. I'm hoping to find a beaver rehabber in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, because a lone beaver is not going to do so good, nor do I have the proper facilities once he gets older. Isn't he absolutely adorable????

nice t-shirt, isn't it??

One of 3 cottontails:

I was going to feed the opossums today and do the daily check. They are outside in a large enclosure and have a dog house packed with old t-shirts to sleep in. When I opened the lid, all I could find was one opossum!

I thought "ohoh, they must have gotten out those little Houdinis", but I couldn't see how. So I got the idea to look into the squirrel house that I had still hanging in there. And this is what I found. It probably reminds them of momma's pouch:

Three orphaned Baby Raccoons

2009-04-15T10:53:00.003-05:00

They are about 2 weeks old, eyes still closed. Their mother was run over and a caring lady took the babies in until she found me to take over. All 3 are in good shape and eating and drinking like they are supposed to.

I have given them Dontral, a dewormer, which is extremely important to give to raccoon, because they most likely carry a parasite named Baylisascaris, the raccoon roundworm which can infect humans, dogs, cats, and just about every other mammal.

According to the CDC, Baylisascaris, an intestinal raccoon roundworm, can infect a variety of other animals, including humans. The worms develop to maturity in the raccoon intestine, where they produce millions of eggs that are passed in the feces. Released eggs take 2-4 weeks to become infective to other animals and humans. The eggs are resistant to most environmental conditions and with adequate moisture, can survive for years.

Spring Babies Movie at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue

2009-04-09T11:30:00.002-05:00

It's SPRIIIIIIIIING!

Currently residing at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue:

5 kittens
4 cottontail rabbits
9 opossums
8 squirrels

Trinity and Honey Story in the Newspaper

2009-04-05T14:53:00.001-05:00

Today, Trinity's story made the cover page of the local paper's Lifestyles section. I don't think they put that part online, so I scanned the article and pasted the text below it for easier reading:

Click picture to view larger scan:

Honey and Trinity Success Story

How two dogs can create a lot of human winners.

Not everybody in Erath County knows about the Humane Society Animal Shelter and its adoptable pets. A few of the people that do know about it have the wrong impression. They often think of it as dog pound-hell. Maybe after reading the following story of the combined efforts of many people to make happy endings happen, they will change their minds and convince more pet lovers to adopt a pet instead of purchasing one from a pet store or a breeder.

It was a cold and damp morning on New Year's Eve 2007. My small wildlife rescue was empty for the winter and I was enjoying the relaxing moments before spring would present me with its orphaned critters again. That's when the phone rang and my life was about to be changed forever.

On the phone was Judy Hallmark, the Erath County Humane Society's shelter manager. In the previous 8 years, I have fostered quite a number of domesticated animals for the shelter in addition to my own wildlife rescue efforts.

Judy had taken me under her wing when I was new in town and encouraged me to become a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. I admire her with all my heart and will be forever grateful for the help she gave me. She is a true hero to me with whom I have the honor to work hand in hand to do what I was born to do: to bring people and animals together so they may understand, assist, and complete each other.

On that particular morning of New Year’s Eve, Judy asked me to bottle-raise six newborn Yellow Labrador Retriever puppies. She told me there were eleven in the litter and that five were too weak to be saved and had to be humanely euthanized. They were found frozen half to death under some porch with the mother too far gone to care. She did not have the heart to euthanize the remaining 6 healthy looking pups, Judy said. I could hear her swallowing hard, near tears. "Too many innocent ones had to go this year before they even had a chance," she sighed.

I agreed to raise the puppies, but I also wanted to help their mother, so I took her home too. She was such a sweet dog that I named her Honey. In the following weeks Honey recovered from her obvious past neglect while her puppies grew strong.

The entire Lab family was such a delight to take care of, especially one female puppy, the only one with the tan nose. She was the first to walk, to eat solid food, and to be weaned. This puppy will play a bigger role later on.

Six weeks later, in mid February 2008, the puppies were almost weaned, the phone rang again. Judy told me about a litter of five newborn Border Collie pups that had been found in a plastic bag on Alexander Road. A caring passerby stopped, picked up the bag, and drove it to the shelter.

I picked up the pups and brought them home in a laundry basket. I put the basket down to get fresh towels. Upon my return I found Honey sitting in the laundry basket with the five black and white puppies suckling peacefully. She looked at me with this glare in her eyes that only a mother has.Needless to say, Honey raised those puppies too.

Honey displayed such high intelligence that I decided to keep her a while longer after all the puppies were adopted into new homes. I had her spayed and vaccinated and took her to obedience classes. It was clear to me from the beginning that Honey had a higher purpose in life than just being a pet. My plan was to take her to hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and more to make people smile while educating them about animal behavior. Honey was the perfect dog for such a job.

She stayed with me for eight months. Somehow the word got out about her skills and my phone rang again. This time it was a lady named Susan Branham. She told me about her son Jacob, who suffers from spina bifida, a serious birth abnormality in which the spinal cord is malformed and lacks its usual protective skeletal and soft tissue coverings. Confined to a wheel chair, her son had been having a difficult time lately and was not very motivated to do anything, she said. A dog might change that, but it has to be the right kind of dog.

With every word Susan said, that feeling deep inside us that tells us clearly what's right and wrong, grew louder and stronger, screaming at me that this is it! It was time to say good-bye to Honey.

Susan picked her up next day and Honey won everybody's heart in no time, especially Jacob's. There couldn't have been a better ending.

A lot people have asked me how I do it, why I am not sad that Honey is gone. How come that I don't miss her? My answer is always the same "Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened!"

The story is not over, however, far from it. Remember the female puppy with the tan nose that stuck out? She was named Trinity and ended up being the "shelter dog", like a mascot to the shelter. She grew up amongst dogs and people, displaying the same sweet character and intelligence as her mother Honey, even though she lacked obedience and leadership. It was planned that I take Trinity in over the winter months to teach her the basics.

In November 2008 Trinity turned up missing from the shelter. Previous occurrences at the shelter led us to believe that she was stolen. We immediately started with the search efforts: printed out flyers, informed the police and animal control, called the newspaper; even Crime Stoppers offered a $1000 reward for her safe return. We all were worried sick!

Exactly a week later she was found at the Dublin animal shelter! How she ended up there will probably never be known, but she was safe and healthy. Or so it seemed.

It was obvious that life at the shelter was not in Trinity’s best interest. After she was spayed, I took her in to teach her basic obedience and then put her up for adoption.

Trinity looked and behaved so much like Honey, even my husband and my neighbors started calling her Honey.

Trinity turned out to be a fast learner and she absolutely loved to do tricks. As with Honey, I pictured Trinity visiting hospitals and schools. I taught her how to stop, drop and roll and dreamed about a future with the fire department. Surely such a smart dog had a bright future and if not, I was more than happy to call her my own. As with her mother, I knew Trinity was meant to be more than just my pet.

On a hunch I contacted Susan Branham to see how Honey was doing and if she wasn't by any chance interested in adopting a second dog. She replied stating that they are in the process of adopting a chocolate Lab from a Lab rescue in the Metroplex. What a shame, I thought, I asked a little too late.

I continued working with Trinity and started to look for ways to permanently keep her, when she screamed out in pain one evening and started to walk on three legs. She always had a slight limp to her right hind leg, but she never showed any signs of pain, so we didn't pay much attention to it. Her condition worsened and I decided to take her to the vet for an x-ray. The diagnosis was hope-shattering: she must have sustained a severe hip injury as a puppy which was left untreated. As a result her bones had suffered severe damage. Only extensive surgery or pain medication for the rest of her life would make her life comfortable. She was only one year old.

There was no doubt in my mind what had to be done. I immediately started a fundraiser and with the help of my own mother in Germany, Randi Baldwin from the TSU Wildlife Society, and many other generous contributors, we were able to raise the funds for the necessary hip surgery.

During that fundraising process I decided to check back with Susan and see if the adoption of the chocolate Lab worked out. It had not. I explained Trinity's situation and Susan agreed to give her a chance.

We set up a visit and had Trinity spend a day with Honey before the surgery. If mother and daughter get along, they would consider adopting Trinity after the surgery and recovery. I was thrilled!

It all worked out like a Hollywood fairy-tale. The surgery was a success.

Trinity recovered nicely and was officially adopted by Susan Branham, her husband Weldon, son Jacob, and of course Trinity's mother Honey. "We are all enjoying her very much and think she is going to be absolutely as wonderful as Honey is," Susan says. “The two dogs make our lives so much richer. We laugh while they play and, honestly, I don’t know how some people live without having the love of good dogs as a part of their family like what we have here.”

Animals like Trinity are taken to the shelter every day and without people to adopt them into their own loving families, many will be put down. Instead of going to a pricey breeder or a pet store to buy a puppy or kitten, please take the time to visit the Erath County Animal Shelter. If you have online access, their adoptable pets are also displayed on http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/TX1178.html .

The shelter in Stephenville is open Monday through Friday from 9am until 3pm with extended hours available by appointment. Their phone number is (254) 965 – 3247. Donations for pet care items and repairs are always very welcome and extremely appreciated.

Frosty and Flurry

2009-04-02T17:21:00.001-05:00

Frosty's sister was found too! I named her Flurry:

Frosty, the newborn Kitten and 9 Opossum Babies

2009-03-31T10:26:00.004-05:00

The shelter just called and said that the ACO brought in a newborn kitten, ice-cold, probably not going to make it, if I wanted to try it anyways. OF COURSE I DO!

He sure was icey cold, so cold that I named him Frosty right away! After I warmed him up, he suckled like a champ, peed and went to sleep purring. I think he has a good chance :

__________________

It's getting crowded at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue! I'm up to 9 opossums, 8 squirrels, 2 kittens, a momma dog with her 4 puppies, and a rabbit.

7 of the 9 opossums were being tube-fed until yesterday when they finally figured out how to lap from the bowl:

And here are the 2 older opossums:

Heidi with 4 newborn Puppies

2009-03-27T19:40:00.005-05:00

I got her in today from the shelter. No history on the dog whatsoever. What are your guesses on the breeds she's got in her?

I named her Heidi. I can't say much about her yet..she was very nervous and crying, so I gave her a safe place, food, water, warm Esbilac, blankeys and now she's calmed down and sleeps with the babies:

Rainbow Wildlife Spring Newsletter

2009-03-21T17:02:00.000-05:00

Spring 2009 at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue

The Rainbow Wildlife Rescue is a non-profit organization in Stephenville, Texas. My name is Birgit Sommer. I am a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator for the State of Texas as well as a Shelter Walker and volunteer foster parent for the Erath County Humane Society. I, like many other licensed wildlife rehabilitators, work out of my own home and volunteer my time and just about every spare cent I can gather towards animal rescue efforts. No state funding is available for animal caging, veterinary care, medicine or food. That's why most rehabilitators gratefully accept donations towards the care of animals they receive from the public.

I would like to welcome our new subscribers! With 438 members we are approaching the 500 mark! Thank you all so much for taking the interest in my work with animals!

In this Issue:

Introduction
LOCAL: Stephenville Dog Park, City Council Election, Boy Scouts
Honey and Trinity: Happy Ending
Spring Babies: What to do when you find a baby animal
Currently residing at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue
Erath County Humane Society Animal Shelter
Last Word

Stephenville, Texas: Local Issues

If you live in Stephenville, we urge you to support and vote for Mark Murphy on May 9th. Mr. Murphy has been of great help to the animal community. He actively supports the dog park issue and if re-elected, wants to speak out for a new animal shelter.

Sean Perry has started a web site called Stephenvilledogpark.com. He also created the above graphic. Thanks! His web site features an exclusively local petition in favor of the dog park. Please click HERE to sign it!

Boy Scouts building a Flight Cage

CLICK HERE to watch a Video of the Scouts in Action!!!

The Boy Scouts started to build on a 16 x 8 x 8 foot flight cage according to the required State standards! It's nearly completed and the last hurdle on my way to the federal bird permit! I can't express enough gratitude towards these boys. Thank you all so very very very much!!!!

Honey and Trinity: Happy Ending

Trinity has finally made it into her forever home! The story is supposed to be printed in this Sunday's edition of the Empire Tribune, but we haven't received any confirmation as of this writing.

To the folks outside of the local newspaper area, I made the article available online for ya'll to read. CLICK HERE!

Here's an excerpt:

Honey and Trinity with Family

It was a cold and damp morning on New Year's Eve 2007. My small wildlife rescue was empty for the winter and I was enjoying the relaxing moments before spring would present me with its orphaned critters again. That's when the phone rang and my life was about to be changed forever.....

READ MORE >>>>>

Spring Babies

If you found any of the following animals, click on the appropriate link or contact me at help@rainbowwildlife.com:

Baby Squirrel

Baby Bird

Baby Opossum

Baby Rabbit

The following is an article by Angelia Joiner which she wrote for the Abilene Reporter at www.reporternews.com . I had the honor to put my 2 cents in, so make sure you read the article all the way to the end or you miss all the good advice!

Leave the mothering to nature

Experts say young animals who appear to be abandoned often are in parents' care

By Angelia Joiner
Special to the Reporter-News
Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Spring is just around the corner, and as the new season arrives so do the offspring of a variety of wildlife.

Kindhearted humans sometimes find -- and try to take in -- young birds, squirrels, fawns or rabbits that appear to be abandoned.

Roy Johnson, Taylor County game warden, said most of the time this is not the case.

"Mother Nature has a way of taking care if itself," Johnson said. "If you see a fawn, I promise you the mama has not abandoned it. She will come back and take care of it."

He said the same is true for other animals.

Johnson said the exception is when someone sees a dead mother. The fawn will not leave it, and in that case, the fawn should be taken to a licensed rehabilitator -- but those are hard to find.

Read More >>>>

Erath County Humane Society Animal Shelter

I want to mention the ECHS, since they have a current Adoption List on petfinder.com. I go to the shelter at least once a week and take pictures to update the petfinder page. It has been a great success!

Don't Buy, Adopt a Pet!

Currently residing at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue

5 Squirrel Babies from 2 different Moms

3 Opossum Babies

A Cottontail Rabbit

A Kitten named Martini

Last Word of Advice: Dog Tips

Is this Dog aggressive? Know what to do!

If a strange dog approaches you, should you run or should you stay calm?

Rule number 1: always stay calm!

Emotions such as fear are considered a weakness in the animal world and will make you vulnerable.

Here are some guidelines of what you need to do to stay save when a strange dog approaches you:

1. Do not take it personally; the dog is only protecting his own space and not out to get yours.

2. Stay calm. Dogs communicate with energy. Fear and anxiety is energy. If the dog is aggressive, he wants you to get scared which spells vulnerability in the dog world. Any emotion does. So stay calm and controlled and the dog will be thrown off.

3. Stand your ground, don't run. If you have a purse, an umbrella, a stick, or something similar, place it in front of you to make yourself appear larger. Body language is another form of communication that the dog understands and he will see that you are no threat to his space, because you are claiming your own. By staying calm and claiming your space you are building an invisible energy boundary between you and the dog. You let him know that you are not afraid.

4. Wait until the dog retreats or simply looks away or turns his back on you. Then calmly walk away.

Miss Dolittle's Websites:

Critter Blog with regular Updates - Kittenbaby.com - Puppy Education - Funny Animal E-Cards - Squirrel Rescue Texas - Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Texas - Pets and Wildlife Forum - Magic Postcards - MissDolittle on Youtube - Stephenville Dog Park - Webdesign in Support of the Rescue

Several U.S. Bird Populations Plummet Due to Habitat Loss

2009-03-20T17:25:00.002-05:00

Sweeping Report Shows Some Species Have Made Gains

By Juliet Eilperin

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 19, 2009; 2:30 PM

Several major bird populations have plummeted over the past four decades across the United States as development transformed the nation's landscape, according to a comprehensive survey released today by the Interior Department and outside experts, but conservation efforts have managed to stave off potential extinctions of others.

"The State of the Birds" report, a sweeping analysis of data compiled through scientific and citizen surveys over the past 40 years, shows that some species have made significant gains even as others have suffered. Hunted waterfowl and iconic species such as the bald eagle have expanded in number, the report found, as birds along the nation's coasts and in its arid areas and grasslands have declined sharply.

"Just as they were when Rachel Carson published Silent Spring nearly 50 years ago, birds today are a bellwether of the health of land, water and ecosystems," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement. "From shorebirds in New England to warblers in Michigan to songbirds in Hawaii, we are seeing disturbing downward population trends that should set off environmental alarm bells."

The fact that concerted conservation efforts have saved birds such as the peregrine falcon and allowed various wetland birds to flourish, scientists said, shows that other species can reverse their declines with sufficient support from federal agencies and private groups.

"When we try, we can do it," said John Fitzpatrick, executive director of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. "There are now populations and habitats across the country begging for us to do it."

The species in decline are being affected by climate change, habitat destruction, invasive species and disease, among other factors, the report found. More pedestrian threats, such as collisions with buildings and attacks by feral cats, have diminished birds' numbers in some urban and suburban areas.

Hawaii, more than any other place in the country, highlights the challenge native American birds face. Seventy-one bird species have disappeared since humans populated the Hawaiian islands in 300 A.D., and another 10 have not been spotted in years. At the moment, more than a third of the bird species listed under the Endangered Species Act are in Hawaii, but state and federal agencies spent only $30.6 million on endangered birds there between 1996 and 2004, compared with more than $722 million on the mainland.

"In Hawaii we've got lots of imminent extinctions, but not enough resources being spent on them," said George Wallace, vice president of the American Bird Conservancy.

With sufficient funds, Wallace argued, federal managers could restore Hawaiian birds' habitat and protect them against introduced species such as pigs, sheep and deer that threaten their survival. He estimated it would cost roughly $15 million to erect extensive fencing for the Palila, a Hawaiian honeycreeper whose numbers declined from 6,600 birds in 2003 to 2,200 in 2008.

Bird advocates have enjoyed more success in raising money to protect North American waterfowl, which have a powerful political constituency among sport hunters. The U.S. government has raised $700 million for wetlands conservation through the sale of Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, better known as "duck stamps," and a coalition of private groups and agencies in Canada, the United States and Mexico have raised more than $3 billion over the past 20 years to protect more than 13 million acres of waterfowl habitat. Taken as a whole, the 39 species of hunted waterfowl that federal managers track have increased 100 percent over the past 40 years.

In some cases, however, public and private protections for key bird species are in jeopardy. The Conservation Reserve Program provides federal dollars to farmers in order to preserve vital habitat on which species such as the lesser prairie chicken depend, but contracts encompassing 3.9 million acres are set to expire by the end of September. Michael J. Bean, who directs the wildlife program for the Environmental Defense Fund, an advocacy group, said losing these grasslands "could be the tipping point that makes an endangered species designation for the lesser prairie chicken unavoidable."

Placing the bird on the endangered species list, Bean added, could make it more difficult for entrepreneurs to build wind projects in the southern Plains. As a whole, birds that breed only in grasslands have declined by 40 percent over the past four decades.

Elsewhere in the country, conservationists are trying to protect rare bird species before disease can strike. On Santa Cruz Island, off California's southern coast, part of the Channel Island chain, Nature Conservancy officials are conducting a vaccination campaign aimed at protecting the Island Scrub-Jay from the West Nile virus, which has already hurt some related bird species on the mainland.

Scott Morrison, the conservancy's director of conservation science in California, said his group has determined the virus has yet to infect the island's unique, bright blue birds even as incidence of West Nile among birds in nearby Ventura County nearly doubled between 2007 and 2008. While the scrub-jay's remote location offers them some protection, vaccination offers even more.

"There's evidence, anecdotal, this [vaccination] could actually be a useful strategy to guard against this disease," Morrison said, noting that scientists had already vaccinated California condors against the virus. "If it comes over tomorrow, maybe we would avoid some of these scary drops in numbers, for at least a subset in population."

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/19/AR2009031902055.html

A Kitten named Martini

2009-03-19T11:42:00.001-05:00

Animal Control brought lil Martini 3 days ago. He found her under a trailer, rest of them were already dead, he said. She's about 10 days old, just opening her eyes and is terribly congested with yellow mucus coming out of her nose and infected eyes.

She responded well to the infant Amox and seems to get better. She's drinking fine and purrs a lot:

That old Lindt Teddy here has raised more kittens and squirrels and opossums than an entire school class full of kids would see in a life time!

Wrens moving in

2009-03-16T17:01:00.000-05:00

This is not a rehab post, just some backyard fun. I had this little birdhouse which I used to cover up a hole in the enclosure. I had to cut the screen so I could get in there to rake some dirt away from the entrance, because I couldn't get in anymore. Look at the rabbit thread for that one lol.

Anyways, I had tied up that birdhouse there until I get the screen fixed and yesterday I look outside and see the wrens moving in.

I also had this little 'I forgot what it's called' in the red net. My friend's 2 year old made it. She collected all sorts of hairs and grasses for the birds to pick on for nest building material. Isn't that the cutest thing ever?? And it soooo works!!

Baby Squirrels, Baby Cottontails, Trinity, Boy Scouts

2009-03-09T08:52:00.006-05:00

3 days ago I received 3 squirrels of about 5 weeks, eyes fully open. A playhouse was taken down and moved to another city. On arrival, the babies were discovered. They were a bit dehydrated and scared, but otherwise in good shape.

Yesterday, I received 2 more babies with their eyes still closed, but about to open any day now. They are close to 4 weeks old and also in very good shape.

I also received 2 baby cottontails (in addition to the one I already have for a few days and who is doing great!) with their eyes still closed and badly injured by a dog. They are also very dehydrated and starved, so I don't have much hope for them, but that won't keep me from trying to help them.

The Boy Scouts have also been busy building a flight cage for the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue, so that I can apply for the federal bird permit:

And last but not least, Trinity together with her mother Honey in their new forever home:

Orphaned Cottontail first Baby of 2009

2009-03-06T13:25:00.000-06:00

His mother and siblings found an unfortunate end under a lawn mower, but this baby was saved:

He had one eye open when I got him, now both eyes are open, which is the most critical time. So far, everything looks good.

Trinity, Boy Scouts, Federal Permit

2009-03-01T09:09:00.005-06:00

Yesterday, Trinity had her stitches removed and received the green light to start rehab. I started her exercise on the treadmill and we will go water treading tomorrow, when it's warmer. She is doing so great! In a week, 2 the most, she will be moving in with her new forever home!

The Boy Scouts, led by an Eagle Scout (I really need to learn the ranks and functions of the Scouts, so I can do them justice!) came by yesterday and stayed for a few hours to start building on the flight cage. I need an 8 x 16 x 8 foot enclosure so I can finally apply for the federal bird permit which will enable me to accept songbirds and waterfowl.

Here is a little movie of the boys working hard. They have yet to raise the netting material in order to finish the flight cage and I'm looking forward to them coming over again. They are such a delight. Kids are so curious and I always find some ears to listen to some animal stories which I try to combine with some education.

Trinity is home after hip surgery

2009-02-20T10:19:00.002-06:00

I just picked up Trinity from the vet a day after her hip surgery. Read more about it here!
Thanks to a fundraiser we were able to get her the best care. Thank you to everybody who got involved!!!

Trinity one day before the Surgery Video

2009-02-18T19:38:00.001-06:00

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News

2009-02-18T08:16:00.002-06:00

Leave the mothering to nature

Experts say young animals who appear to be abandoned often are in parents' care

By Angelia Joiner
Special to the Reporter-News
Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Courtesy photo Opossums being cared for by Erath County wildlife rehabilitator Birgit Sommer.

Courtesy photo An opossum being cared for by Erath County wildlife rehabilitator Birgit Sommer.

Courtesy photo Birgit Sommer, a wildlife rehabilitator in Erath County, says she also cares for domesticated animals.

Spring is just around the corner, and as the new season arrives so do the offspring of a variety of wildlife.

Kindhearted humans sometimes find -- and try to take in -- young birds, squirrels, fawns or rabbits that appear to be abandoned.

Roy Johnson, Taylor County game warden, said most of the time this is not the case.

"Mother Nature has a way of taking care if itself," Johnson said. "If you see a fawn, I promise you the mama has not abandoned it. She will come back and take care of it."

He said the same is true for other animals.

Johnson said the exception is when someone sees a dead mother. The fawn will not leave it, and in that case, the fawn should be taken to a licensed rehabilitator -- but those are hard to find.

"There are no rehabilitators in Abilene. The closest is Breckenridge or Baird," Johnson said. "I've encouraged four people to get a license, but they don't follow through because it is extremely difficult to obtain and it's at their own expense."

Johnson said to find someone in the area, go to www.tpwd.state.tx.us -- but be prepared to drive to them or to meet them somewhere.

Sometimes, he said, fawns can be seen lying on or near the road. To keep them from being injured, they can be moved and placed over a fence.

"It's a rumor that a deer won't come back to its baby once it's been touched by humans," Johnson said. "That's not true."

Birgit Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in Erath County, said the same is true for most animals. The human touch myth is "just an old wives' tale." And if a baby is found, it's best to try and reunite with the mother if possible.

Sommer specializes in caring for squirrels, but also cares for other wild critters and all kinds of domesticated animals.

She said February is the time of year when young squirrels are often knocked out of their nests. The best policy she said is to place the baby squirrel in a shoe box at the base of the tree where it was found. Because they chill easily, a plastic bottle can be filled with warm water and wrapped in a T-shirt to keep the young animal warm. Sommer said to avoid using terry cloth in the box because the tiny claws will become snagged.

If the baby squirrel could be in danger from predators, such as dogs, tie a basket to the tree.

Most likely, the mother will come back for her offspring if she feels safe to do so; it is best to observe from a distance.

It's a different matter for baby squirrels found during the evening hours.

"Squirrel mothers will not come back at night, so try putting it out first thing in the morning," Sommer said.

Squirrel feeding is difficult, so it's best to take the young to a trained professional because they aspirate easily, she said.

Sommer also has raised opossums successfully. She noted that opossums often are often struck and killed by automobiles.

She said that if an animal is hit, it's good to check the pouch for surviving babies.

"These are the only marsupials in North America and often times, the infants will still be alive -- protected by the pouch," Sommer said. "And they are not known to carry rabies, either."

Baby birds

Young birds are commonly found on the ground, she said.

"Fledglings may look like they are unable to be on their own, but the parents are still caring for these fledglings and keep track of where they are. So the baby bird you see may be a fledgling that is being taken care of by its parents still."

Sommer said that if the bird is not fully feathered, the best thing to do is to put it back into the nest.

"A baby bird might need to eat every 20 minutes in daylight hours depending on its age and species," Sommer said. "The parents can take care of it so much better than you can."

Sommer cautions that if people find wild baby bunnies during the day, "leave them alone." Many folks think they have been abandoned and most times they have not, she said.

Rabbits don't feed their young very often and usually only nurse for about five minutes a day, returning to the nest only once or twice in a 24-hour period.

"If the babies' bellies look plump, then they've been fed," Sommer said. "If a nest has been destroyed, you can rebuild it within 10 feet of its original spot."

Sommer said that if you know for certain that the mother rabbit is dead, locate a rehabilitator because infant rabbits have a high mortality rate, especially cottontails.

Following the law

Johnson, the game warden, said it is against the law to keep any live game animal and that should be considered when someone is contemplating keeping a baby animal they've found.

Before she gained her license, Sommer said, the Erath County game warden fined her $150 for caring for baby squirrels and the action prevented her from obtaining the license for one year.

She said the licensing process is incredibly difficult and because of the expense of buying formula and building shelters, etc., she believes this is why there are so few licensed rehabilitators.

For more information on animals or guidance in acquiring a license, contact Sommer at www.rainbowwildlife.com.

Found a Baby Squirrel? Here is Help!

2009-02-16T13:08:00.005-06:00

One woman’s mission, one baby squirrel at a time

By ALEX HARMON
Special Contributor to the Empire Tribune

Published: Monday, February 16, 2009 8:58 AM CST

Some folks in Erath County may call her a nut, but when it comes to squirrel rescue, Birgit Sommer knows her stuff. As a licensed rehabilitator and founder of Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Stephenville, Sommer has worked with dozens of squirrels endangered by natural disaster, injury or who have become separated from their parents.

“There are many key mistakes that people make when trying to rescue a baby squirrel and I want to help set the record straight,” Sommer said. “Although these tiny babies are adorable, they are not domesticated and do not make good pets. As a matter of fact, it is a Class C Misdemeanor in the State of Texas to possess a squirrel without the necessary permits.”

She described a typical scenario: A pile of leaves, crushed by February’s gusty winds and winter frosts, suddenly becomes a temporary home for a fluffy baby squirrel that has fallen from its nest and lies still in wait for its mother to find it. Slowly the baby starts getting chilled and with mom nowhere in sight, the chances for this baby’s survival without proper human intervention are slim.

Sommer suggests some useful advice when dealing with this type of scenario.

First, attempt to reunite the baby with the mom. If you think the mother squirrel may still be in the area and you have a good idea where the nest is located, first, give the mother the opportunity to retrieve the baby or babies.

Sommer cautioned that baby squirrels cannot only carry parasites such as fleas and lice, but they can also bite if they are old enough to have teeth, so they should never be handled without gloves.

Place the infant squirrel in a small box on an old T-shirt (no terry cloth where the little toenails can get hung up) at the base of the tree where it was first found. If there are dogs in the area, place the baby in a basket and tie the basket to the tree out of the dogs’ reach.

If the baby appears healthy and warm, allow 2 hours for the mother to reunite with her young while you observe from a safe distance. Even on hot summer days baby squirrels can get chilled quickly. A soda bottle filled with lukewarm water and covered with a sock can be placed near the baby. Make sure it can’t roll onto the baby and suffocate it by placing old shirts or rags around it, she suggested.

What happens when the mother does not return for her young or if the baby is visibly injured?

Bring the box containing the baby inside and place it in a dark, warm and quiet place away from children, pets, and loud noises. Limit handling the baby to the absolute minimum and contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately. Veterinarians will not treat wildlife but usually will refer you to a local rehabilitator instead. Sommer explained she receives regular referrals from area vets.

In her experience, dehydration is very common when animals first arrive, and almost every orphaned baby is dehydrated to some degree. Unflavored Pedialyte, found in the baby aisle of the supermarket, is the best hydrating solution. Homemade rehydration fluid is made by combining 1 teaspoon salt with 3 tablespoons sugar in 1 quart of warm water. Microwaving the fluid is not advised.

Administer the fluid orally with a small 1-cc syringe or a rubber nipple if available. A syringe larger than 3-cc increases the risk of aspirating and drowning the squirrel baby, she explained.

Holding the baby in an upright position for feeding and rehydrating (never on its back), she feeds the baby 1-cc or ml of the hydrating solution every two hours, for up to 12 hours if necessary.

Sommer noted a few important safety tips to be observed when feeding squirrels in this way. Liquid coming out of the nose, indicating that the fluids have entered the lungs, could endanger a nursing baby squirrel. If this occurs, stop feeding immediately and allow the baby to clear its lungs by encouraging it to sneeze, because pneumonia will set in if the fluid is not expelled.

She also advised to never feed cow’s milk to a squirrel baby. Most baby animals, wild or domesticated, can’t handle the lactose in cow’s milk and develop diarrhea as a result. Most animals in need of human care are already in a compromised health condition and many won’t be able to survive additional digestive problems.

In addition to rehydrating a squirrel baby, it needs to be kept warm. No matter what heating source you use, make sure you give the baby enough room to get away from the heat. Always use the lowest setting of an electric heating pad.

“If you come across a squirrel with common ailments such as external parasites, visible injuries or obviously sick, it is critical that you speak with a rehabilitator immediately,” Sommer emphasized.

For animal rescue emergencies in Stephenville and Erath County, contact Birgit Sommer at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue at 254-968-4626 from 8 a.m.- 8 p.m.

The Rainbow Wildlife Rescue is a non-profit organization working with local animals, wild and domestic alike, and is funded entirely by donations of food, supplies, and contributions from the public.

For additional information on how to deal with orphaned wildlife, or to find licensed wildlife rehabilitators outside of Erath County, please visit www.rainbowwildlife.com or www.squirrel-rescue.com or e-mail help@rainbowwildlife.com.

Source: http://www.empiretribune.com/articles/2009/02/16/news/doc499979185e5e6763148526.txt

The Cabin Shed is HERE

2009-02-13T18:49:00.001-06:00

Toxic and Poisonous for Pets

2009-02-12T07:52:00.001-06:00

Chocolate, fruit and nuts may sound like tasty delights to you, but these foods can be downright deadly to our four-legged friends. In 2008, the ASPCA handled 140,000 animal poison related emergencies. It's often pet owners who unwittingly poison their pets by giving them foods and drinks they can't tolerate. To help you protect your furry friends, we tapped Fiona Fisher, D.V.M, veterinary expert at JustAnswer.com, who practices in Ontario, for her roundup of common household foods and items that pose a threat to your beloved pets. Avoid these common toxins to keep your dogs and cats live long, healthy lives.

Grapes and Raisins
Healthy for you? Yes. Healthy for pets? No. In dogs and cats, grapes can cause kidney failure. "We're not exactly sure why grapes pose a health hazard to pets," says Fisher, but experts suspect it has something to do with a chemical in the fruit's skin. Raisins are even more dangerous because they contain a concentrated supply of toxins. Keep this snack out of the reach of your pets.

Bread Dough
"I see this one a lot when people make bread, leave it to rise, and come back to find their dog has helped himself to a serving," Fisher says. What's the harm? The dog's body heat will cause the dough to expand quickly resulting in severe abdominal pain and bloating. In some cases, death can occur if enough dough is eaten.

Chewing Gum
A dog might be attracted to the sweet-smelling gum that your kids are chewing or that's tucked away in your bag. But the artificial sweetener, xylitol, in many types of gum and breath mints, can be deadly to pets. The sweetener can cause a low-blood sugar crisis in your pet. In fact, just one pack of gum can kill a dog, warns Fisher.

Macadamia Nuts
Careful where you keep that bowl of mixed nuts. If they're on a low table that your dog can reach, your pup might get into trouble. Ingesting these nuts can cause tremors, weakness, unsteadiness, depression, a rapid heart rate, and a dangerous rise in body temperature that can lead to other complications. Though macadamia nut toxicity is very scary and dangerous, most dogs recover within a few days, says Fisher.

Nicotine
It may seem unlikely that a dog would eat cigarettes, but those nosy, little creatures will gobble them without a second thought. Nicotine is highly toxic so it doesn't take much to cause a health crisis for your pet, including seizures, coma and death.

Chocolate
Who doesn't find chocolate irresistible? But when it comes to dogs, chocolate is one deadly treat. Caffeine-like stimulants in chocolate known as methylxanthines can produce vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and urination, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures and even death, cautions Fisher.

Alcohol
"This type of poisoning happens a lot after people throw a party and their dog or cat gets into a glass alcohol sitting around or that's spilled on the floor. Sometimes, children will think it's funny to give a dog some beer," Fisher says. And while animals may experience some of the same wobbliness and weakness that humans do after drinking, they are much more sensitive to alcohol than humans and can quickly be in a life-threatening situation, she says. Alcohol ingestion can lead to seizures, heart arythmia, vomiting, coma and death.

Pain Relievers
According to Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the number one insurance claim by far for poisonings in 2007 was owner-induced. In most cases, the problems were caused by pet owners giving their pets drugs intended for human use. "Sometimes when the vet's office is closed and a pet is in pain, people will administer over-the-counter pain relievers like iburprofen or acetaminophen to their dogs," Fisher says. Never give your pets these types of drugs, warns Fisher. One tablet of acetaminophen can kill a cat, she says.

Tea
Ever had your cat poke its head into your cup of tea? It's not just annoying, it can be downright dangerous depending on the type of tea you're drinking. Caffeine in your tea is toxic to both cats and dogs. Depending on how much is consumed and the size of your pet, ingesting it can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, seizures, coma and even death.

Onions
You'd probably never consider giving your dog a piece of an onion, but if you toss her a piece of steak or a bit of stir fry cooked with onions, you're putting your dog in danger. Onions are toxic to dogs and cats whether they're raw or cooked. When ingested, onions can cause hemolytic anemia, a condition that destroys the red blood cells in the bloodstream. A dog with onion poisoning may become lethargic and have difficulty breathing. Generally, a large amount of onions would need to be consumed to pose a serious threat to your dog, but cats are highly sensitive to onion toxicity.

Stephenville Dog Park Blog

2009-02-03T16:25:00.001-06:00

Animal Cruelty-What Can I Do?

Posted January 28th, 2009 by Alex

An 18th-century German philosopher from the Prussian city of Konigsberg once said, “He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” Immanuel Kant is to this day regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of modern Europe and when I came across this well put quote the wheels began to turn in my brain and tug at my heart strings.

In preparing for the Dog Park proposal that Birgit and I took before the City Council on Jan 13th, I visited a ton of websites devoted to pets and animal laws and their legal rights as well. From a link on one site I came across www.pet-abuse.com that lists animal abuse case within 100+ miles of your zip code, but please head my warning: the details are incredibly graphic and disturbing. I was heartbroken so some people may not want to read the cases—part of me wished that I hadn’t honestly. Every case I opened was worse than the last and I was mortified. How can a human being hurt a defenseless animal?

When I first stepped foot into the Erath County Humane Society a few months back, I had stopped in just to take my two year old daughter to look at the animals. I chatted with Judy, the animal “savior” of the facility and I really felt bad for some of the sweet little animals that were there some of whom had been abandoned by reckless owners and others were caught in traps strayed or orphaned, struggling to grow up and all lonely for the love and affection only a real family can give to them. Judy and her grandson have devoted themselves entirely to their cause working 365 days a year without the financially rewards that they should be receive.

The moment I walked out the door I wanted to know what I could do to help. On my next visit to the Shelter I brought a couple of gallons of bleach which is always one of the main necessities of the shelter because it helps disinfect and keep the kennels disease free and as clean as a place like that possibly could be. The bleach is always at the top of the “Wish List” and if you would like to do something nice that isn’t a big hit to your wallet, you can always get a couple of gallon jugs from the Dollar Store and drop them off any time. If you do so and the shelter is not open at that time you can set them over the fence and they will be taken in by the Animal Control Officer when he stops by later. Anyways~ She told me some stories about her recent successful adoptions and foster families but also some sad tales of how some of the puppies in the back fenced in part of the property had come to be shelter residents. A woman had stopped in her car by the side of the road when she noticed a black trash bag moving in the middle of the street. She tugged the bag open to find four puppies left for dead.

How can someone be so sick and heartless? When I think puppies, I think of fuzzy little warm bodies wagging their tails in excitement from any affection, the smell of sweet puppy breath, soft little bellies and lovable eyes looking at you like you hung the moon. Most people would not throw out their garbage on the highway partly out of obligation to abide by the law, partly for respect for their city roads but mainly from simple common sense!

This all has me thinking: Where do I stand in my views on animal rights? Of course I HATE the idea that anyone would intentionally cause an animal pain, but I am nowhere near being a “tree huggin’ hippie” as my husband so graciously refers to it. How far will I take this? I am a good ol’ Texas girl who loves the smell of a juicy steak cooking on the grill. Half of my freezer is stocked with elk, antelope and wild boar meat; kills from my father’s many hunts which he goes on so that we have tons of meat. So no jumping on the PETA bandwagon for me. (A funny side note on that though- PETA’s most recent efforts to protect animals has now stretched to include the slimy scaley fish as well and they are attempting to rename them “sea kittens” so that people will feel guilty ordering the fish of the day AKA “sea kitten of the day. To me that is totally over the top and ridiculous.

When a hunter covers himself in deer urine and steps into his heated deer blind with some 40 caliber semi-automatic weapon that is better suited bringing down Al Queda Leaders than the year old deer eating from the strategically placed corn feeder, that aint cool to me!

I have a rescued Chihuahua French Bulldog mix from San Francisco, 2 rescue cats both from Stephenville, 2 “feeder fish” that have somehow or other outlived any other fancy expensive breed of fish I’ve ever purchased, 17 adopted goats and a donkey that watches over us all. My husband, daughter and myself love our modest property and our extended “family” of animals that will soon be expanding to include 6+ chickens.

I will continue to work in the right direction- it’s all I can do. This dog park is important to me because with the state of the economy, people are having to work more and more to make ends meet which does leave a lot of dogs stuck inside all day or in the yard with no outlet for built up energy who after a while can start to act out up chewing favorite shoes or scratching up the doors for attention. If some of that energy can be burned up in a healthy way by playing with other dogs in a safe environment and running until their hearts are content then I truly believe there will be many fewer cases of dog abuse or animals jumping or digging out of fences. Plus, the shelter can use the dog park as a place to showcase their adoptable dogs to help unite responsible owners with the perfect, loving animal for them. So, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Rachael Ray’s Nutrish

Posted January 29th, 2009 by Alex

In July 2008, famed Food Network chef Rachael Ray created Nutrish Pet Foods, a line of natural dog foods modeled after her own healthy recipes that she put together for her beloved pit bull Isaboo. A line of products for cats is also scheduled to be launched sometime this year. All proceeds from the sale of these products go to Rachael’s Rescue, a charity founded by Ray for at-risk animals.

Heartbroken by the thought of the millions of mistreated and abandoned animals taken in by shelters each year, Rachael Ray has created the Rachael’s Rescue website to highlight organizations that are dedicated to helping animals in need. Below are some of Rachel’s favorite organizations:

North Shore Animal League America

The largest no-kill animal adoption
and rescue organization in the world

Since 1944, The League’s mission has been to save the lives of pets through adoption, rescue, spay/neuter and advocacy initiatives. Every year, the League reaches across the country to rescue, nurture and adopt nearly 20,000 pets into happy and loving homes. To date, the League has placed close to 1 million puppies, kittens, cats and dogs into carefully screened homes. One of the first animal rescue agencies on the ground in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the League rescued more than 1400 pets from the region.

Check out their website

BAD RAP

Securing the future of the American Pit Bull
Terrier as a cherished family companion

The Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls (BAD RAP) is a small and active nonprofit organization of pit bull owners, trainers, educators, rescuers and supporters. BAD RAP evolved out of a desire to respond to the difficult issues facing this misunderstood breed.

Check out their website

ASPCA

The ASPCA was founded in 1866 as the first humane organization in the Western Hemisphere. The Society was formed to alleviate the injustices animals faced then, and we continue to battle cruelty today. Whether it’s saving a pet who has been accidentally poisoned, fighting to pass humane laws, rescuing animals from abuse or sharing resources with shelters across the country, we work toward the day in which no animal will live in pain or fear. Come and join us in the fight to end animal cruelty – become an ASPCA Member today!

Check out their website

Wildlife Rehabilitation 101 Movie

2009-01-30T10:57:00.001-06:00

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates and Leslie Rink of the Opossum Society present an important educational show about springtime wildlife babies including a baby and a juvenile opossum. About the end of January to March and then again around July, tree squirrels will have from 2 to 5 babies. Opossums will have a litter of about 8 to 11 babies. Around April and May skunks will have up to six babies in a litter.

Please visit http://www.AnimalAdvocates.us and http://www.OpossumSocietyUS.org

Stephenville is one step closer to a Dog Park

2009-01-15T09:32:00.005-06:00

2 nights ago, the city council members of Stephenville had a work session. Their agenda included the dog park proposal. I went down there with a friend, who is a journalist major and offered to do the talking for me, because public speaking and I just don't agree with each other!

Alex, my friend, did a great job, because the council voted AYE unanimously to move the proposal forward to the Parks and Rec. board to research and see what it would cost to construct and maintain a dog park. The result of that research will then be taken back to the city council for final voting, if I understood that correctly.

I'm sure other issues will come up that need to be researched such as legal liabilities etc., but the overall chances for a dog park in Stephenville are very good!

Alex and I will keep pursuing this actively, hopefully get a chance to speak to the Parks and Rec. board, see if we can be of assistance with the research we have already done, explore different avenues, do some brainstorming, etc.

I am in the middle of putting up a little website and maybe even start a local petition this way:
http://www.puppyeducation.com/stephenville-dogpark/

As of this writing, the site is still under development.

I want to take the opportunity to thank Alex for her having my back in this.

YOU ROCK GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!

And I would also like to thank Briana Reyes and her dog Jackson, who was shot by an off duty police officer at the city park. Without this unfortunate incident I would have never thought of proposing a dog park, but I refused to participate in the blame games and rather pondered about possible solutions or preventions. The dog park idea was the result. So hopefully Briana's and Jackson's traumatic experience will result in something good in the end. They are a true inspiration.

Kittens are growing up

2009-01-09T08:00:00.002-06:00

The babies are slowly starting to wean. Another week and I'm sure they will be eating dry food! They already use the litter box and groom themselves.

Happy New Year with 4 orphaned Kittens

2009-01-02T16:55:00.002-06:00

What else is there to say? They are all doing great and have an even greater appetite!

Santa was good to the Critters

2008-12-27T08:58:00.002-06:00

On Christmas Eve my phone rang. It was the Stephenville Police Department. I immediately thought "Oh oh, what happened?". The very friendly dispatcher asked me to come down to the PD, because somebody wanted to make a donation to the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue, but wanted to stay anonymous and brought it to the PD so they can pass it on to me. WOW!

We drove down there to pick up the donation. I'm pretty sure, it was from somebody reading the wishlist on my website and possibly this blog too, so whoever you are:

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dogfood, Puppyfood, Catfood, Kittenfood, Rawhides, a huge piece of Fleece, and the Tubs for storing it all! That was a GREAT gift for the Critters.

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue 2008

2008-12-23T17:51:00.009-06:00

A look back over the year 2008 at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue.

Saved: 10 rabbits, 15 opossums, 3 raccoons, 38 squirrels, 34 birds, 40 cats and kittens, 32 dogs and puppies.

172 Animals rescued at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the Year 2008. Watch Video below!

Click Image to view larger version!

Christmas Dogs

2008-12-21T18:33:00.001-06:00

Dexter turns out to be a funny dog lol:

The following card I printed out and will send to the people who were involved in Olivia's rescue a year ago. Olivia will be 7 years old on New Year's Eve:

Labradors - Butters welcomes Dexter

2008-12-20T09:02:00.005-06:00

Today Dexter was strong enough to come out of his pen and explore the yard. I let Butters, my Yellow Lab out, to welcome him. Notice the motion blur on his tail :-).

Butters showed Dexter around, invited him into the house and showed him what and whatnot to do:

The first outing with the pack and the first time on a leash too. He did great! First he tried to refuse, then he protested, then he just got mad, and then he gave in and accepted the leash. After that I took him off leash and we let the pack run and swim:

Lets not forget that I also have some orphaned kittens here!

Dexter first day of recovery

2008-12-19T09:32:00.002-06:00

After a few good meals, a bath and a good night's sleep, look at that beautiful dog!

Black Lab Rescue

2008-12-18T14:01:00.003-06:00

My neighbor just rang my door bells, said he found this dog half dead in front of his door this morning, if I could help him out with that, because he had to leave.

The dog is in terrible shape, so I called Animal Control to pick him up. After I spent 5 minutes with him waiting for the AC to show, I decided to keep him for a few days, see if I can turn him around. He's such a friendly young animal...mostly Black Labrador, un-neutered male, less than a year old. I know he's probably going to be euthanized if I turn him over, so lets give him a chance. I named him Dexter:

It's hard to see, but he's skin and bones, covered with small cuts and dehydrated too. He could not walk, I had to carry him...at least he was standing up while eating..and boy was he hungry. I'm not sure I wanna know what happened to him.

Kittens and Puppies

2008-12-14T08:32:00.005-06:00

I have been lazy in updating the blog, I admit it! But now I will do some catching up.

2 puppies, 2 firekittens and 4 newborn kittens are the current residents of the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue. All 7 puppies are doing fine as of this writing. 5 are being raised at another foster home along with 2 of the fire kittens.

Here is an update on the fire kittens that had been nearly burned in a grass fire that consumed a barn. The other 2 siblings have recovered too:

Here are 2 cute movies of Doogle, who is slowly coming out of his shell:

He isn't too sure about this jingle bells dog, but I have to start exposing him to non-threatening objects so he can gain some confidence. He got lots of treats and associates the singing dog with liverwurst by now.

Help for the Kittens with Smoke Inhalation

2008-12-04T14:09:00.003-06:00

Boy, those kittens are coughing up a storm from that smoke inhalation.

A volunteer for the animal shelter who also works at a vet's office, is going to take 2 of the kittens that are coughing the worst with her. Surely they can help the kittens better than I can. The 2 I am keeping are hardly coughing at all.

Here's a movie:

7 Puppies and 4 Kittens

2008-12-03T16:32:00.002-06:00

So, here I thought I'm going to get bored now that the rescue is empty. As soon as I was done cleaning everything and repairing and/or replacing the little things that broke over the summer, I got the phone call.

7 puppies had been thrown into the trash in a box and if I could and would. Of course! But 7 is a lot of puppies to feed, so I reached out and found 2 sweet and kind ladies, Laura and Kelli, that took a few off my hands, so I'm down to 2 puppies.

Thank goodness so, because an hour ago I received 4 kittens that had been rescued from a fire. It was a very close call. One of the lil noses is burned and they are coughing and stinking of smoke and were all black with sud. I bathed them, put some antibiotics on the wounds and fed them.

The eyes are just opening and they are otherwise in good shape, so I'm hopeful, providing that the lungs didn't get damaged by the smoke and heat.

Red-tailed Hawk

2008-11-12T17:46:00.002-06:00

Today I received a red-tailed hawk from Animal Control which I am holding for the raptor rehabber, who will pick him up tomorrow. His right wing does not function properly, even though I can't detect any visible injuries.

He sure was very hungry and seems to be in good shape, so I think he has good release chances:

And here are a couple of snapshots of my dogs that I just have to share!

Doogle, the singing Chihuahua

2008-11-10T13:16:00.003-06:00

Don't believe me? Look for yourself!

Doogle, the singing 4 lbs Chihuahua

How about a singing squirrel?

Or a roaring and barking Calico cat?

A Psycho Labrador

The apologizing Opossum

Shelter Dog stolen from the Erath County Humane Society

2008-11-09T09:29:00.004-06:00

I was very upset when I got the phone call this morning from the Erath County Humane Society. It was the shelter manager telling me that Trinity had been stolen. Trinity, a Yellow Labrador, is also Honey's daughter, for those of you who remember Honey, who is now a service dog.

Trinity was the pick of the litter and eventually became the shelter dog. She will be 1 year old this Christmas. Everybody was in love with her sweet personality, dogs and humans alike. So naturally, Trinity is being missed and everybody is worried out of their minds!

A reward is being offered for information leading to her save return, so if you know anything, PLEASE CALL THE ECHS AT (254) 965 - 3247 or email me and I will forward the information!

Pets at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue

2008-11-07T16:24:00.004-06:00

Butters (photo)	Olliver, whining (movie)
Click Pictures to view larger version of picture or a movie
Doogle, the 4 pound Chihuahua (movie)	Olivia (photo)

October Newsletter

2008-11-07T14:14:00.001-06:00

October 2008 at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue

The Rainbow Wildlife Rescue is a non-profit organization in Stephenville, Texas. My name is Birgit Sommer. I founded the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue and am a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator for the State of Texas as well as a Shelter Walker and volunteer foster parent for the Erath County Humane Society.

I, like many other licensed wildlife rehabilitators, work out of my own home and volunteer my time and just about every spare cent I can gather. No state funding is available for animal caging, veterinary care, medicine or food. That's why most rehabilitators gratefully accept donations towards the care of animals they receive from the public.

If I find enough time, I accept various online jobs including web design and hosting, to add to the funds needed to maintain the rescue. So, if you need a website or know somebody that does, here is a list of clients.

Hurricane Ike's Squirrels are still here!

Click Pictures to view Video!

I had planned to get the squirrels back to south-east Texas last weekend, but the ride didn't come through, so hopefully something will work out this weekend. The squirrels are soooo ready to get out there and start a life outside of a cage! All 8 are healthy and as wild as they get.

To refresh your memory: gray squirrels are not native to Central Texas. They populate the eastern and southern parts of Texas.

If anybody in the Stephenville area is going to drive to south-east Texas, south Texas or east Texas this or next weekend, PLEASE EMAIL or call me at (254) 968 - 4626!!

The Eagle Scouts built a brandnew Enclosure

The Eagle Scouts came on the 25th of October and built a new enclosure for the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue's future critters! It was a coming and going, but I think we were around 30 people at one time. The Scouts had managed to get all the material donated and put the new enclosure up within 7 hours!

We would like to thank:

Colton Beverly, Jamie Burns, Steven Gibbons, Chad Gifford, Creed Alexander, Rusty Ford, Bobby Brown, Andrew Murray, Skylar Bell, Michael Fick, Dana Gibbons, Chris Bell, Travis Johnston, Kenneth Gifford, Chili Alexander, Mike Beverly, Michaela Beverly, Debora Beverly, Pat Alexander and Jimmie Don Alexander.

The Following businesses and individual donated material and tools for the project.

Higginbotham's all lumber, corrugated tin, nails and hinges. Fibergrate donated staple gun and staples, friend of Boy Scout troop 18 donated the mesh wire, Jimmie Don Alexander donated use of tools, Jean Beverly for use of air compressor, CiCi's for donating the pizzas for lunch.

Also a HUUUUUGE Thank You to Kelli Parham who got the ball rolling!!!

Here are my favorite photos and a movie of today plus a link to the COMPLETE ONLINE PHOTO ALBUM

Click Pictures to view larger version (watch movie HERE)

We still have enough lumber left to build yet another enclosure. The Scouts were considering sending out another group for this project, but there are no details yet.

After that enclosure is built, all there is left a Storage Shed, few more fence panels, concrete for a walkway, and a flight cage, which is nothing else but a very long enclosure. The latter is the last item I need to complete my application for the federal migratory bird rehabilitation permit.

You can help by clicking this link or contact Birgit at help@rainbowwildlife.com

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News

Erath County Humane Society Animal Shelter

I want to mention the ECHS, since they have a current Adoption List on petfinder.com. I go to the shelter at least once a week and take pictures to update the petfinder page. It has been a great success!

Don't Buy, Adopt a Pet!

Wildlife

Currently residing at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue
It's late in the year and baby season is over. Now we are concentrating on building and preparing for next season's start this coming spring. The first baby squirrels usually arrive mid February..

8 Gray Squirrels: 5 of the 15 were transferred, 2 expired, 8 are still "in custody" ( watch movie )

Our Pets

Butters (photo)	Olliver, whining (movie)
Click Pictures to view larger version of picture or a movie
Doogle, the 4 pound Chihuahua (movie)	Olivia (photo)

Miss Dolittle's Websites:

Critter Blog with Daily Updates - Kittenbaby.com - Puppy Education - Funny Animal E-Cards - Squirrel Rescue Texas - Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Texas - Pets and Wildlife Forum - Magic Postcards - MissDolittle on Youtube - Webdesign in Support of the Rescue

Funny Doogle Updates

2008-11-04T21:32:00.001-06:00

Just a couple of funny Doogle updates in picture and movie:

And a short movie of Olliver, who is whining and complaining as usual:

Ike's Squirrels last Video

2008-10-30T16:37:00.001-05:00

The squirrels will be picked up this weekend and taken back to south Texas for release!

Eagle Scout Project at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue

2008-10-25T19:26:00.007-05:00

The Eagle Scouts came today and built a new enclosure for the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue's future critters! It was a coming and going, but I think we were around 30 people at one time. The Scouts had managed to get all the material donated and put the new enclosure up within 7 hours!

We would like to thank:

Colton Beverly, Jamie Burns, Steven Gibbons, Chad Gifford, Creed Alexander, Rusty Ford, Bobby Brown, Andrew Murray, Skylar Bell, Michael Fick, Dana Gibbons, Chris Bell, Travis Johnston, Kenneth Gifford, Chili Alexander, Mike Beverly, Michaela Beverly, Debora Beverly, Pat Alexander and Jimmie Don Alexander.

The Following businesses and individual donated material and tools for the project.

Higginbotham's all lumber, corrugated tin, nails and hinges. Fibergrate donated staple gun and staples, friend of Boy Scout troop 18 donated the mesh wire, Jimmie Don Alexander donated use of tools, Jean Beverly for use of air compressor, CiCi's for donating the pizzas for lunch.

Also a HUUUUUGE Thank You to Kelli Parham who got the ball rolling!!!

Here are my favorite photos and a movie of today plus a link to the COMPLETE ONLINE PHOTO ALBUM:

Gathering, planning, measuring, laying it out

The Boss' hat :-)

The "Supervisor" ;-)

Doogle runs all over the Scouts

Taking a break

Group Picture

I released them back into the wild, I swear!!!!

All done! Excellent job!

Now watch it all happen!

September 2008 at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue

2008-10-10T10:35:00.000-05:00

The Rainbow Wildlife Rescue is a non-profit organization in Stephenville, Texas. My name is Birgit Sommer. I founded the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue and am a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator for the State of Texas as well as a Shelter Walker and volunteer foster parent for the Erath County Humane Society.

I, like many other licensed wildlife rehabilitators, work out of my own home and volunteer my time and just about every spare cent I can gather. No state funding is available for animal caging, veterinary care, medicine or food. That's why most rehabilitators gratefully accept donations towards the care of animals they receive from the public.

If I find enough time, I accept various online jobs including web design and hosting, to add to the funds needed to maintain the rescue. So, if you need a website or know somebody that does, here is a list of clients.

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue and Ike's Squirrels

September at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue was all about Hurricane Ike's orphaned squirrels. Ike had not even left Texas when my phone went crazy. I received over 150 calls and emails from people that had found baby squirrels, often with the dead mother's body still protectively covering them. It was heart-breaking.

Most people were out of power themselves and had no means to provide extra heat for the babies or warm up formula, which was impossible to purchase anyway, because the stores were closed.

With a lot creative thinking, adjustments and brainstorming, we came up with some extreme measures to help all of these caring people and their babies, until a place was found where they could turn the babies over to professional caretakers.

Naturally all the shelters, rescue centers, and rehabilitators across south Texas were overrun with orphaned squirrels. The large organizations and official responsible parties such as the Houston SPCA, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Humane Society of America, just to name a few, got together and ended up shipping the squirrels all over the State of Texas and neighboring States to centers, rescuers, and rehabilitators. 1200 of those babies alone were shipped to the SPCA of Texas located in McKinney near Dallas, TX.

I decided that I can take in 10 - 15 of these infants, possibly more, if I had more outside enclosures. So I reached out to the local as well as the online community for help. As a result a fundraiser was held by TSU Wildlife Society students, led by Dani Meyers (thanks girl, you rock!) as well as an online fundraiser, which resulted in enough funding to complete a 6 x 12 x 6 ft metal framed enclosure and have enough material left to build a new wooden framed habitat for squirrels and other small wildlife.

The Eagle Scouts are working on drawing up a project to build 2 more habitats in addition to the material we have now.

Two newspapers covered the rescue efforts and the arrival of the 15 orphaned infant squirrels we picked up from the McKinney SPCA (video) .

With all of this effort, the outside facilities for the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue will be 80% completed by the end of this year! All there is left a Storage Shed, few more fence panels, concrete for a walkway, railroad ties, and a flight cage. The latter is the last item I need to complete my application for the federal migratory bird rehabilitation permit.

Special Thanks goes to:

The TSU Wildlife Society (especially Dr. Jim Mueller and Dani Meyers)
Barnes & McCollough for the lumber
Don and Jackie Wallace for the squirrel houses and all over support
Gerry Cockrell for the most generous donation
Northland Cable for the Channel 9 Ad (especially Kelli)
Empire Tribune for their newspaper stories (especially Amanda Kimble and Jessica Horton)
Abilene Reporter for their newspaper stories (especially Angelia Joiner and daughter, and Jane Pratt)
Erath County Humane Society
All the other generous friends and strangers that donated via the internet.

You can help by clicking this link or contact Birgit at help@rainbowwildlife.com

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News

Empire Tribune in Stephenville, TX

Orphaned squirrels find refuge in Stephenville Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008
	When natural disasters strike, a mobilization of relief workers from various agencies such as the Red Cross, National Guard, and FEMA are ready to respond, bringing in food and water, working to restore power, and setting up temporary shelter to assist in returning the disaster zone and the lives of those within it back to normal.
Animal rescuers also play a vital role in rehabilitating disaster touched habitats. One local resident and licensed wildlife rescuer, Birgit Sommer, who operates Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Stephenville, recently made a trip to the Metroplex to pick up 15 baby squirrels orphaned by Hurricane Ike.
Read the entire article HERE >>>>

Locals build ‘homes’ for orphaned squirrels Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2008
	The gray baby squirrels orphaned by Hurricane Ike now have a cozier place to play - and sleep - while temporarily residing in Erath County. Volunteers spent the better part of Saturday building a mesh enclosure at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue Center in Stephenville so the little ones will have room to move around until they can be taken back to the coast.
Read the entire article HERE >>>>

Rescuing Animals Published: Sunday, May 2, 2008
	One local woman works to save abandoned and mistreated pets Birgit Sommer has been a Stephenville resident since 1991. She was born in Germany and just last month, after passing a test correct answering questions covering U.S. government and history, she took an oath before officials and became a naturalized citizen of the United States. "It just feels great to become a citizen of this country," Bridget said. "I studied hard in order to pass the test and now I can vote in this important election.".
Birgit didn't wait to become a registered voter before taking the responsibility of foster care of homes and abandoned animals in Erath County. Having a great love for animals, she was attracted to the animal shelter maintained by the Erath County Humane Society, shortly after becoming a resident in Stephenville. During the past few years she has given loving, expert care to hundreds of dogs and cats including entire litters of puppies and kittens.
Read the entire article HERE >>>

Abilene Reporter in Abilene, Texas

Stephenville woman takes in 'squirrely' hurricane victims Published: Monday, September 22, 2008
	STEPHENVILLE -- Appropriately nicknamed "Miss Doolittle" when she was just 5 years old, Birgit Sommer is taking in orphans from Hurricane Ike. Not the human kind. The small, furry kind.
Infant gray squirrels were found everywhere after Ike moved through the Houston area, blowing down their nests, and residents were desperate to help them. Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, said before Ike had even moved out of the Gulf area, her phone began ringing off the wall and the e-mails started piling up. People were contacting her to see if she could help.
Read the entire article HERE >>>

Donations helping baby squirrels left orphaned by Hurricane Ike Published: Sunday, September 28, 2008
	STEPHENVILLE -- Several volunteers were busy Saturday building a mesh wire enclosure at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue center in Stephenville to provide shelter for additional gray squirrels orphaned by Hurricane Ike.
Birgit Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, said members of the Tarleton State University Student Wildlife Society collected $62 in donations and are soliciting area businesses for materials needed to build shelters for the squirrels. She said she has also received a check for $500 from a Buffalo Gap resident, lumber from Barns and McCullough in Stephenville and numerous smaller donations.
Read the entire article HERE >>>

Erath County Humane Society Animal Shelter

I want to mention the ECHS, since they have a current Adoption List on petfinder.com. I go to the shelter at least once a week and take pictures to update the petfinder page. It has been a great success!

ADOPT A PET, DON'T BUY!

Wildlife

Currently residing at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue

8 Gray Squirrels: 5 of the 15 were transferred, 2 expired, 8 are still "in custody" ( watch movie )
1 Raccoon named Chip ( watch movie ) - transferred to another rehabilitator with other raccoons his age, so he can be socialized before release.
6 Fox Squirrels: released (watch movie)

Our Pets

Sandy: she has left this world peacefully. R.I.P. my lil princess, you are missed!

Don't cry because it's over, Smile because it happened :)))))))!

Miss Dolittle's Websites:

Critter Blog with Daily Updates - Kittenbaby.com - Puppy Education - Funny Animal E-Cards - Squirrel Rescue Texas - Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Texas - Pets and Wildlife Forum - Magic Postcards - MissDolittle on Youtube - Webdesign in Support of the Rescue

Adult Squirrel Diet

2008-10-09T19:34:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to confuse you with endless explanations and recommendations. Instead I made a simple list for you to look over fast.

Rodent Block:
Daily Recommendation: 2 - 4 small blocks
Recommended brands:

Harlan Teklad Rodent Diets
KayTee Forti-Diet for Rats and Mice

Vegetables that are High in Calcium
Daily Recommendation: 5-7 small pieces

beet greens
endive
carrots
celery
chicory
chinese cabbage
cilantro
chrysanthemum flowers
collard greens
dandelion greens
escarole
fennel
kale
lettuce
mustard
spinach
parsley
radicchio
radishes
romaine lettuce
squash
turnip greens
watercress

Healthy Vegetables
Daily Recommendation: 2-3 small pieces

asparagus
artichokes
bell peppers
broccoli
brussels sprouts
cabbage
carnations
cauliflower
cucumber
green beans
okra
peas
pumpkin
squash
sweet potato
zucchini.

Wild and Natural Foods:
Daily Recommendation: unlimited while in season.

magnolia cones
pine cones
pine branches
pine bark
branch tips
roses
purslane
plaintain
dandelion greens
whatever the wild squirrels outside in your neighborhood are eating is what's natural to their diet. Be careful while gathering them and rule out that the area hasn't been treated with pesticides.

Animal Protein:

live or dried mealworms
crickets
live moths
hard-boiled eggs
cheese
plain yogurt

Fruits:
Daily Recommendation: 2 slices

apple
apricot
bananas
blackberries
blueberries
cantaloupe
cherries
crabapples
cranberries
grapefruit
grapes
honeydew
kiwi
kumquats
lemon
lime
mangos
oranges
nectarines
papaya
passion fruit
peaches
pears
pineapple
pomegranates
raspberries
strawberries
watermelon

Nuts and Seeds:
Daily Recommendation: 2 nuts, still in shell.

acorns
almonds
hazelnuts
macadamia nuts
pecans
pistachios
peanuts
roasted unsalted pumpkin seeds
sesame seeds (high in calcium)
walnuts

Something to Chew On:

antlers
tree branches
sea shells
cuttlebone

CAUTION: SOME SEEDS AND PITS CAN BE TOXIC

FOODS TO AVOID:

all dried vegetables or fruits
avocados (high in fat, toxic skin and pits)
pototato sprouts
garlic
onions
palm hearts
fresh or dried corn
yams
figs
fruit juice
plums
prunes
raisins
cashew nuts
sunflower seeds
pine nuts (will cause calcium loss)
commercial squirrel food at stores, pet treats, seed mixes
pasta
bread
sugary foods such as candy, cookies, sodas, sweetened yogurt, candy nuts, sweetened breakfast cereals, chocolate etc
junk foods, chips, crackers, anything salted
artificial sweeteners or any food items that contain them.

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue News Coverage

2008-10-08T07:41:00.001-05:00

Empire Tribune in Stephenville, TX

Orphaned squirrels find refuge in Stephenville
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:07 AM CDT

	When natural disasters strike, a mobilization of relief workers from various agencies such as the Red Cross, National Guard, and FEMA are ready to respond, bringing in food and water, working to restore power, and setting up temporary shelter to assist in returning the disaster zone and the lives of those within it back to normal. Animal rescuers also play a vital role in rehabilitating disaster touched habitats. One local resident and licensed wildlife rescuer, Birgit Sommer, who operates Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Stephenville, recently made a trip to the Metroplex to pick up 15 baby squirrels orphaned by Hurricane Ike.

	Read the entire article HERE >>>>

Locals build ‘homes’ for orphaned squirrels
Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 9:06 AM CDT

	The gray baby squirrels orphaned by Hurricane Ike now have a cozier place to play - and sleep - while temporarily residing in Erath County. Volunteers spent the better part of Saturday building a mesh enclosure at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue Center in Stephenville so the little ones will have room to move around until they can be taken back to the coast.

	Read the entire article HERE >>>>

Rescuing Animals
Published: Sunday, May 2, 2008

	One local woman works to save abandoned and mistreated pets Birgit Sommer has been a Stephenville resident since 1991. She was born in Germany and just last month, after passing a test correct answering questions covering U.S. government and history, she took an oath before officials and became a naturalized citizen of the United States. "It just feels great to become a citizen of this country," Bridget said. "I studied hard in order to pass the test and now I can vote in this important election.". Birgit didn't wait to become a registered voter before taking the responsibility of foster care of homes and abandoned animals in Erath County.
Having a great love for animals, she was attracted to the animal shelter maintained by the Erath County Humane Society, shortly after becoming a resident in Stephenville. During the past few years she has given loving, expert care to hundreds of dogs and cats including entire litters of puppies and kittens.

	Read the entire article HERE >>>

Abilene Reporter in Abilene, Texas

Stephenville woman takes in 'squirrely' hurricane victims
Published: Monday, September 22, 2008

STEPHENVILLE -- Appropriately nicknamed "Miss Doolittle" when she was just 5 years old, Birgit Sommer is taking in orphans from Hurricane Ike.

Not the human kind. The small, furry kind.

Infant gray squirrels were found everywhere after Ike moved through the Houston area, blowing down their nests, and residents were desperate to help them.

Read the entire article HERE >>>

Donations helping baby squirrels left orphaned by Hurricane Ike
Published: Sunday, September 28, 2008

She said she has also received a check for $500 from a Buffalo Gap resident, lumber from Barns and McCullough in Stephenville and numerous smaller donations.

Read the entire article HERE >>>

Ikes little orphaned squirrels are growing up

2008-10-03T19:31:00.000-05:00

Ike's little orphaned squirrels are growing up:

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue and the Community

2008-09-29T20:24:00.001-05:00

Thanks to the generous people, students, stores, and organizations, we have managed to build the first enclosure and are ready to accept more squirrels! We are in the process of setting up the details.

The Eagle Scouts will be building one, possibly 2 more enclosures next month, which will complete the main section of the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue.

All that is left is a Storage Shed and trash/storage bins for the different feed.

This allows me to apply for the federal migratory bird permit next year, so I can accept songbirds as well.

Special Thanks goes to:

The TSU Wildlife Society (especially Dani Meyers)
Barnes & McCollough for the lumber
Don and Jackie Wallace for the squirrel houses and all over support
Gerry Cockrell for the most generous donation
Northland Cable for the Channel 9 ad
Empire Tribune for their newspaper stories
Abilene Reporter for their newspaper stories
All the other generous friends and strangers that donated via the internet.

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News

2008-09-23T13:11:00.003-05:00

Here's the local article
http://www.empiretribune.com/article...9231197745.txt

Orphaned squirrels find refuge in Stephenville
By AMANDA KIMBLE
Staff Writer
amanda.kimble@empiretribune.com
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:07 AM CDT

When natural disasters strike, a mobilization of relief workers from various agencies such as the Red Cross, National Guard, and FEMA are ready to respond, bringing in food and water, working to restore power, and setting up temporary shelter to assist in returning the disaster zone and the lives of those within it back to normal.

Animal rescuers also play a vital role in rehabilitating disaster touched habitats. One local resident and licensed wildlife rescuer, Birgit Sommer, who operates Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Stephenville, recently made a trip to the Metroplex to pick up 15 baby squirrels orphaned by Hurricane Ike.

Sommer said with the assistance of locals, she hopes to bring more homeless squirrels to the area.

“Hurricane Ike has left literally thousands of baby squirrels orphaned on the ground in Houston and in the surrounding areas,” Sommer said. “One wildlife rescuers alone received 730 infant squirrels!”

In the days following Ike’s destruction, Sommer said her phone has been ringing non-stop and e-mails began piling up, all from people looking for refuge for baby squirrels they had rescued. She said many of the people seeking help didn’t even have electricity to care for themselves and their families but they were still taking in the tiniest of hurricane victims.

While Sommer was only able to bring 15 squirrels home in her first round of aide, she hopes to bring more to her local sanctuary on East Clifton. She said when she picked up her tiny patients, she was told about 600 more were on their way to Dallas. The problem is that not just anyone can adopt a baby squirrel. You have to have a state wildlife rehabilitation permit, which Sommer does.

“With a little bit of help and effort I could take in twice or even three times as many,” Sommer said. “I just need more outside cages.”

Sommer said donations to her local rescue efforts have been scarce and since she does not get funding to support her cause, she needs help caring for her new furry friends.

Sommer said local organizations, including Ark Veterinary Hospital and the Girls Scouts have offered assistance in the past. She also said the Boy Scouts have offered to help.

“The Boys Scouts are planning a fund-raiser to help get the funds I need to build more enclosures,” Sommer said.

In addition, Sommer said members of Tarleton State University’s Student Wildlife Society have stepped up to help. The club organized a fund-raiser and also plans to visit local hardware and supply stores this week to see if local retailers have any materials they would be willing to donate for the cages. One member of the Wildlife Society, Danielle Meyers, who is majoring in wildlife management, said she and other members are working on a letter to distribute to managers of local supply companies to solicit donations.

How can you help? While taking in a few orphaned squirrels is only an option for licensed rescuers, Sommer said donations would go a long way in saving the baby squirrels. Monetary donations, as well as supplies, are needed.

Sommer said she is in need of materials to build outside enclosures, as well as a garden utility shed to store cages and food. The young orphans are fed milk replacers.

Materials used to construct outdoor enclosures include: 1/2 inch galvanized hardware cloth (most useful at the moment); 50 ft. privacy fence panels; concrete for cage foundations; 2 x 4’s and plywood for bottom frames and back walls. Or if you have unused cages such as large ferret type cages with enough room for squirrels to climb around in, they too would be appreciated.

Anyone interested in assisting with the effort is encouraged to contact Sommer at Rainbow Wildlife rescue at 968-4626 or you may send e-mail to squirrels@rainbowwildlife.com.

For more information on the Student Wildlife society, visit www.tarleton.edu/~wildlifeclub.

__________________

http://reporternews.com/news/2008/se...ely-hurricane/

Stephenville woman takes in 'squirrely' hurricane victims

By Angelia Joiner
Special to the Reporter-News
Monday, September 22, 2008
Photo by Angelia Joiner/Special

STEPHENVILLE -- Appropriately nicknamed "Miss Doolittle" when she was just 5 years old, Birgit Sommer is taking in orphans from Hurricane Ike.

Not the human kind. The small, furry kind.

Infant gray squirrels were found everywhere after Ike moved through the Houston area, blowing down their nests, and residents were desperate to help them.

Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, said before Ike had even moved out of the Gulf area, her phone began ringing off the wall and the e-mails started piling up. People were contacting her to see if she could help.

"These people were calling and they didn't even have electricity themselves and they wanted to help all the squirrels being found in their yards and around their homes," Sommer said. "I told them how to feed them and gave emergency instructions, but there weren't any stores open to get the food."

Sommer said she was then contacted by the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council and learned that more than 900 baby squirrels had been dropped off at the nonprofit Wildlife Rehab & Education in Houston. Some of the squirrels are being sent to animal rescue centers around Texas.

Last weekend, 175 of those animals were delivered to the McKinney SPCA of Texas, and Sommer was there to cart 15 little critters back home to Stephenville.

Two Tarleton State University Wildlife Society students, Randi Baldwin and Danielle Meyers, heard about the plight of the animals and offered to help. They collected $62 in donations at their school's football game last Saturday and will begin soliciting area businesses for donations and materials needed to build shelters for the squirrels.

Sommer said she could take 20 more babies if she just had the wire needed to enclose a metal frame a neighbor donated.

"I'm in desperate need of galvanized hardware cloth also called mesh wire," Sommer said. "I'm not allowed to use chicken wire or chain link type wire. What I need is about $140 a roll."

Just a bucket of Esbilac (milk replacer for puppies) is $50, and according to Sommer, it's just what a baby squirrel needs for nutrition.

The goal is to get the animals healthy enough that they can be released back into the wild in their native area.

Sommer also takes in all kinds of other needy animals and has just rehabilitated a young raccoon. She works closely with the Erath County Humane Society by taking in as many dogs and cats as she can and tries to find good homes for them. Sommer said animal control officers and police bring her animals they find injured or sick as well. Area residents also bring her animals.

Sommer grew up in Northwest Germany, and her parents didn't allow pets because they were allergic. But her grandfather, who lived next door, called her "Miss Doolittle" after a fictional doctor who could talk to animals because it appeared that strays followed her home from school. It wasn't unusual for a bird to light on her shoulder. She said all of the animals in Germany are taken care of because "it's so small with so many people.

She believes she's found her place in Stephenville.

"I'm trying to give back one little animal at a time to nature," Sommer said. "That's where they belong. There's a cycle -- we need them."

Donations are accepted at Sommer's Web site at www.rainbowwildlife.com or at (254) 968-4626.

__________________

15 orphaned Squirrels from Houston have arrived!

2008-09-21T20:00:00.007-05:00

We picked up 15 infant orphaned grey squirrels from the SPCA of Texas in McKinney, TX, today. They expect 600 more babies in the very near future!

The Tarleton Wildlife Society and the Eagle Scouts are working both on fundraisers and getting together enough material to build new enclosures to house these baby squirrels. If the work pays off and we can build at least one more enclosure, I will accept more transfers at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue.

The Channel 11 Dallas News was present when I picked up the squirrels and my hubby filmed them filming me. I don't know if they show me on the news or not yet. I also have not heard from the local newspaper back either:

And here are the 15 darlings:

Hurricane Ike's orphaned Squirrels are coming to the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Stephenville, Erath County, Texas

2008-09-20T12:42:00.005-05:00

Hurricane Ike's orphaned Squirrels are coming to the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Stephenville, Erath County, Texas

The IWRC (International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council) put out a call for help to all wildlife rehabilitators to accept transfers of orphaned squirrels left behind in Houston and surroundings by hurricane Ike. Caring people found the squirrels and turned them over to the various wildife centers and animal shelters, which got so overwhelmed. One center alone received over 700 infants squirrels.

If I understood everything correctly, the rescue organizations are working together to transfer a load of squirrels up to the SPCA of Texas in McKinney, Texas.

I have volunteered to accept 15 squirrels for now. I will pick them up in McKinney on Sunday, September 21st at 11 am.

I could accept more later on if I had more outside enclosures. Thanks to the Tarleton Wildlife Society efforts of doing a fundraiser at tonight's Texan football game, we are off to a good start, but we are far from having a suitable enclosure up and read ty move squirrels into.

Material to build outside enclosures and/or aviaries as well as a garden utility shed to store cages and food.

1/2 inch galvanized hardware cloth (most useful at the moment!)
50 ft privacy fence panels
concrete for cage foundations
2 x 4's and plywood for bottom frames and back walls
utility or garden shed for cages, supplies, and feed (right now the stuff takes up an entire room in my house which I could use as a nursery)
large ferret type cages with enough room for squirrels to climb around in

If you want to help with a donation, supplies, or just ideas, please CLICK HERE or EMAIL me!

Outside Enclosure (Example ONLY):

Hurricane Ike and orphaned Squirrels

2008-09-15T12:18:00.006-05:00

In the past 2 days I am getting literally hammered with phone calls and emails from Houston. So many nice and caring people are contacting me about having found baby squirrels, most of them with eyes closed.

To make things even worse, many of the people that contacted me don't have electricity, so they have no means of keeping the babies warm. Stores and Vets are closed, so there is also no way of purchasing Esbilac somewhere.

So we are working with limited resources here. Most of the people found me via their PDAs, so I'm going to write down some emergency care instructions.

IF re-uniting with the mother doesn't work:

You hopefully know that cow's milk is a big No No. Why? Because the lactose will cause diarrhea which can lead to death fast in such fragile little babies due to dehydration.

For the first 24 hours you can simply feed the baby with the following solution:

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup of warm water.

Feed every 3-4 hours.

If the eyes are still closed, do not feed more than 2 cc (or 2 ml) at one time. If you can not get a hold of a puppy or kitten milk replacer (preferably Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer Powder), see if you find Ensure, preferably Vanilla flavor. It will work for a few days.

Other TEMPORARY Options:

lactose-free milk
skimmed milk
goat's milk
lactose-free baby formula
oatmeal

Evaporated (canned) milk is NOT recommended!

If the eyes are open you can also offer

nuts (unsalted and untreated)
acorns
fruits
vegetables
any baby jar foods with fruits and veggies
baby cereal
Cheerios
Cornflakes (stay away from sugar)
oatmeal
rolled oats
anything rice, grain or wheat based

Do NOT feed cat or dog food, meats, spicy foods, or any canned foods meant for humans.

How to feed:

Eyedropper or Syringe (without the needle!).
Baby squirrels like to suckly hard and often get formula down the wrong pipe and it shoots out of their noses. This is called aspirating and can easily result in fatal pneumonia, so we do not want that to happen.

Therefore only feed tiny amounts at a time. Squirrels also suckle eagerly and like to swallow half the eyedropper. That is normal! I usually use a special made extra long nipple that fits on a syringe, so they can't get hurt.

Here is a link to a Video on HOW TO FEED A BABY SQUIRREL

Keeping the Baby warm:

Fill an old sock with rice (just the foot of the sock), tie a knot on top and place it in the microwave for 2 minutes. Wrap an old t-shirt around the sock and you have 2-4 hours of snuggly heat for the baby.

You can also use old bottles and fill them with warm water and place them around the baby.

If you have electricity and can use a heating pad, make sure the baby has enough room to crawl off it in case it gets too warm.

Peeing and Pooping

If the eyes are still closed the baby needs to be stimulated to go pee and poo. Simply use a papertowel or piece of toiletpaper and moisten it with warm water and pad the bottom. If it's there, it'll come out. If not, it'll work next time.

I hope I covered everything in this short time.

Chip the raccoon, 9 weeks old

2008-09-11T15:45:00.002-05:00

Chip needed to be moved into a bigger cat. He is 9 weeks old now and has outgrown the other smaller cages I have!

He hasn't met Roxy yet, she's sleeping all day and was not interested in interacting with me, which is perfectly fine by me. This way she will turn on her "wild switch" much sooner, I believe.

He's having 2 stories of this cage to climb in now, he loves it!

Roxy, the Raccoon, and 2 Kittens

2008-09-10T20:18:00.002-05:00

Feeding Chip, the orphaned Raccoon

2008-09-09T19:52:00.000-05:00

Six Squirrels

2008-09-06T23:51:00.001-05:00

Olliver, Great Dane, is up for Adoption

2008-09-05T19:40:00.001-05:00

Yes, you are seeing correctly. This was one of the hardest decisions I had to make in a long time, but I have to declare myself defeated. I simply do not have the time that dog needs to become a balanced part of the pack.

Due to lack of exercise and daily walks, he has turned into a bully. He is not aggressive, but he has no respect for smaller dogs or people. He simply steps on them or runs them over or treats them like toys. And he does kill chickens and squirrels and skunks and whatever else he could get his teeth on.

He needs somebody to work with him. He is so intelligent, but without the constant assertiveness and stability, he is going to backfire.

So I made it a requirement for people that are interested in adopting him, that they have to do it Cesar's style.

Here's his petfinder url:
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/dis...petid=11847135

We'll see what comes out of it. I'll leave it up for a month. If it's meant to be, the right owner will show at the right time, just like with Honey and with Grandma (she went off to New Mexico today!!!!).

If not, we'll work something out.

Six Squirrels

2008-09-03T19:51:00.004-05:00

I have six squirrels at the moment from 3 different litters. 2 came yesterday. They are all outside and starting to eat solids, except the 2 new ones. They need another week or so before they are there.

Here are a couple of pics of the 4 older ones I have since they had their eyes closed:

Chip the raccoon, developed ringworm on his tail, so he's being treated for that and Chuck, the opossum is growing fast too.

Besides the wildlife I have two 2 weeks old kittens and 2 foster dogs. It's starting to quiet down a little. Time to shift the focus on building this rescue, so we are prepared for more critters in need by spring!

No Justice for Animal Cruelty

2008-09-03T19:44:00.002-05:00

Yard of Horrors

2008-09-01T21:26:00.007-05:00

Unbelievable what happened on Sunday.

It started out with my neighbor coming home from church and running over a kitten with her car (a stray). I cleaned it up for her and disposed of the dead body at the shelter. They have a disposal place I can use even when they are closed.

Before that I was happy to have been able to find homes for 2 of the dogs I have up on petfinder for the shelter, so I thought the Sunday started out pretty good.

But after the cat incident, my neighbor comes over and tells me that another neighbor's puppies are dead, or at least some of them, the others were in the process of dying. I went over there, and sure enough, dead dogs everywhere.

The owners had moved away and left the dogs to random juveniles that appeared to live there off an on. We had fed the 8 puppies (3 months old) plus mom, who's a pitbull. That's why we never called Animal Control on them, because we knew that pitbulls will be euthanized at the shelter, no matter what. It's their policy.

So we kept feeding the dogs and deworming them and thought they were healthy looking fat pups. 3 days ago one was dead and we thought the mother had killed it, because they are weaned now and won't leave her alone and she had no place to get away.

So the teenager that lived there put the mom, into another pen finally and this morning, the pups started to drop dead one after the other, foaming at the mouth.

So I called the cops. I knew Animal Control wasn't on today, but this had to be addressed ASAP. 4 puppies barely alive and suffering, the others were already bloating and crawling with ants and maggots. The one that had died 2 days prior was half dug up and about to explode.

So you can imagine that smell.

Anyways, so I called the cops and the dispatcher refused to even talk to a cop, just told me she can leave Animal Control a note, he'll be back on Wednesday. My jaw dropped!

I asked her again to make sure I understood correctly "you want me to leave these dead dogs in the heat and watch the other remaining dogs suffer and die, until Wednesday? 2 more days?".

She said "Yes, but I can leave the ACO a note." Just kept repeating that. Outrageous!!!

Not only are TWO city ordinances violated here, (you find them at the end of this post) but I believe that animal cruelty is a crime in itself. Well, wrong address!!! I don't give up when there are animals suffering, that is not an option.

I hung up, alarmed my neighbors and they called too. Of course then she couldn't ignore it anymore and finally contacted a Sergeant about it.

He came out and talked to us and was horrified when we saw that yard.

I took pictures. They are graphic:

Click on the Thumbnails below

The cop was very nice and tried to figure out what to do. He tried to reach our ACO without luck. I offered my help, since I am vaccinated against rabies and know how to handle this, so he ended up talking to a Vet to make sure we are not dealing with rabies (which we didn't, it's Parvo I'm sure), and then, under his supervision and authority, I cleaned up the carcasses and took them to the disposal at the shelter.

That still leaves 4 puppies and the mother, who has the onset of mange on top of everything. As soon as the next puppy dies, we are asked to freeze it if we can (my neighbor can) and take it the shelter in the morning to have a piece of the brain sent in for rabies testing, just in case.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday Update

3 more pups died over night, one was barely alive this morning. We took them all to the shelter and they are pretty certain that it's not parvo but hookworms! I de-wormed them 2 weeks ago..I saw roundworms crawling out of them after they died too. So much for the over the counter de-wormers.

Mom is still there, with the onset of mange. I'm waiting for her to get out of the yard, so I can capture and take her to the shelter. Seizing her from a private property is so complicated, but she got out every day so far..so I'm waiting.

Here are the City Ordinances that were violated, if not even Texas State Law:

§ 90.20 GENERAL CARE.
No owner will fail to provide an animal in his/her care with sufficient good and wholesome food or water, adequate shelter and protection from weather, veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering and humane care and treatment. Shelter shall be of sufficient size to allow each animal to stand up, lie down and turn around in a natural position and must have three sides, a roof and a floor.
(`75 Code, § 3-21) (Ord. 1997-8, passed 7-1-98; Am. Ord. 1998-24, passed 11-17-9 Penalty, see § 10.99

§ 90.22 ABANDONMENT.
In this section, "abandon" means to leave an animal in any place without providing reasonable and necessary care for the animal, under circumstances under which no reasonable, similarly situated person would leave an animal. Reasonable and necessary care means shelter, food, and water.

A person commits an offense if, having custody, care, or control of an animal, he intentionally abandons the animal in any place under circumstances that expose the animal to an unreasonable risk of harm.

An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor.

Wednesday Update

NO JUSTICE FOR DEAD PUPPIES

This morning I was told that Animal Control nor the Police is doing anything about the dead puppies or about the still suffering mother dog. Animal Cruelty does not seem to be a crime worth bothering with here. They didn't even go out to have a look. I regret that I went through this horror cleaning up the bodies and doing their job for not even so much as a thank you.

But I had to pay a 155 Dollar fine last year because I had an orphaned squirrel baby I was try to help without a permit AND was barred for a year from obtaining my wildlife permit. What is wrong without laws??????

This is not over yet!

Grandma Chihuahua Terrier Mix Needs Home

2008-08-29T15:58:00.001-05:00

This old girl here has been at the shelter for weeks. They didn't have the heart to put her down, because she is soooo sweet and we are still hoping to turn up an owner. She had to get this old somewhere!

But she has been declining at the shelter. She was full of fleas and wouldn't eat right, so I decided today to take her home over the long weekend while I'm trying to find her at least a foster home, if not a permanent one.

She even is on local TV (thanks Kelli!), but so far...nothing. I'm going to use my Miss Dolittle Newsletter to spread the word. Around 300 people have subscribed to it, so hopefully we'll find her a home this way.

By the way, if you have not subscribed to my newsletter, there is a lil form on every front page of the sites listed in my signature.

Now here's Grandma. I estimate her age to be about 12 years old, Chihuahua Terrier Mix (and yes, I"m sure that is cataracts in her eyes, she can't see well at all, but is not blind):

Doogle Chihuahua Update

2008-08-26T19:29:00.001-05:00

Doogle has been with us for 6 weeks now. He's neutered, vaccinated, de-wormed, has all preventions and tests done. Short of having his teeth cleaned, he's all set. He gained some confidence, is respected by the other dogs in the pack here, is happy when he sees people and he minds very well.

He already knows how to "dance" and give a "hi 5", to "come" and "stay" too.

And he KNOWS when to look cute too LOL:

Meet Chip the Baby Raccoon

2008-08-26T09:48:00.002-05:00

He arrived 2 days ago with pretty bad diarrhea. After I switched his formula, gave him some Bene Bac, and de-wormed him, and now he is all back to normal. I named him Chip:

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue is taking shape

2008-08-24T09:34:00.003-05:00

We have the fence up (thanks Kelli, Yann, Tommy, Megan, and Don!!! ) and the freshly welded cage frame with 2 large and 1 small compartment.

Now I'm saving up for the galvanized hardware cloth to put on, some sheet metal for the roof, some 2 x 4s for the bottom frame, concrete, and privacy fence panels for the back part of the fenced in area, which will also function as back walls for the enclosures.

Then I have finally more room for different animals! One enclosure is just not enough! I hope to be able to get this all done by the end of this year or before next spring starts.

You can help by clicking this link!

here without cage

Opossum Time

2008-08-19T19:01:00.002-05:00

4 of the 5 opossums decided to move into the squirrel house which I had put up in anticipation of putting the squirrels out there after the opossums were released:

Honey and Doogle Updates

2008-08-18T08:22:00.003-05:00

I let the pictures and the movie speak for itself:

Stephenville needs a Dog Park - Petition!

2008-08-13T17:26:00.002-05:00

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stephenville-texas-needs-a-dog-park

Target: Stephenville City Council

Sponsored by: the Citizens of Stephenville, Texas

Please support the creation of an enclosed, off-leash dog park in Stephenville, TX!

Our beautiful and fast growing City of Stephenville, Texas, does not offer a place where responsible dog owners have the opportunity to let their dogs off leash, nor are there enough Animal Control Officers to enforce the law and City Ordinances regarding the animal and human welfare.

As a result, dog-related incidents are increasing due to more dog owners moving to Stephenville.

A dog park would not only provide a safe place for owners to exercise their canine friends, but it would also provide a place for the community to meet and share a common interest.

The letter to the Stephenville City Council that you are signing:

This petition, supported by the undersigned constituents, is directed to the respected Members of the Stephenville City Council and other concerned City Officials.

Our goal is to support the designation and construction of an enclosed dog park at the proposed area across from the tennis courts with the back to W Long St (between the pavilion by the swimming pool and the washed out concrete road that crosses the river, behind the wooden dock).

We, the undersigned constituents of Stephenville, Texas, respectfully urge you to authorize the funding required to establish an off-leash dog park to be created at the location described above, or any other suitable location within the City Park.

In creating a Dog Park, we hope to accomplish multiple goals:

To establish a fenced in, off-leash Dog Park where well-behaved dogs can exercise in a clean, safe environment without endangering or annoying people, property, or wildlife.
To develop a beautiful, well-maintained space, open to all dog lovers and friends who are willing to uphold the park- and city's laws, rules, and restrictions.
To view this park as a community project, in partnership with the City of Stephenville, designed to satisfy the needs of dog-owners and non-dog owners alike.

We request the City of Stephenville to authorize adequate funding to provide appropriate fencing, including a double gated entry to prevent dogs from bolting, water availability, garbage cans, and signage so that this park can be constructed as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, no off-leash dog parks currently exist in the fast growing City of Stephenville. Just as other taxpayers enjoy convenient public swimming pools, jogging trails, golf courses, and playgrounds, dog owners need a place to exercise and enjoy their pets in an off-leash environment.

Further, such a park will benefit the greater community in the following ways.

It is in a dog's genes to travel with the pack to earn food and to socialize with their own kind. A dog deprived of these basic needs is restricted from releasing energy through exercise and socializing, and will in most cases develop behavioral problems. Aggression, nuisance barking, and destructive behavior are just a few of them. A dog park will allow the responsible dog owner to fulfill these basic needs.
Such a facility would increase general park utilization and build bonds within the community.
The park could also act as a venue to stage pet adoptions, dog obedience training, and educational programs promoting an improved quality of life for all of our community dogs.
Those who care enough to attend dog parks are usually registered voters, educated people, very attractive to local businesses. Such citizens attract others like themselves to live in the area, continuing the trend to increase revenues to local business and to the tax base.
Once the off-leash park is constructed, a core group of community activists including the creators of this petition do commit ourselves to its continued maintenance (e.g. organized periodic cleanup efforts).

Again, we would appreciate your consideration in constructing an enclosed off-leash dog park at the Stephenville City Park.

Statistics show that over 35% of all households have dogs, and the average number of dogs in a residence household is 1.43 dogs. This means a community of 10,000 households has over 5,000 dogs. A dog park serves a similar proportion of the community population to that of children's playgrounds and athletic fields.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned
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This petition was created by Birgit Sommer (me) in response to the recent dog shooting at the City Park. Here is a link to the Empire Tribune's story about the incident:

http://www.empiretribune.com/articles/2008/08/13/news/doc48a18e8b7768e947746485.txt

Tarleton officer shoots dog in City Park

By JESSICA HORTON
Staff Writer
news@empiretribune.com

Published: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 11:08 AM CDT

An off-duty Tarleton police officer shot a pit bull he claimed was about to attack his children in Stephenville City Park Monday.

According to Jeff “Chili” Alexander, he and his children were playing in the park near the tennis courts when four dogs, none of them on leashes, started playing in the stream that runs along the north side of the courts.

Brianna Reyes, the owner of the pit bull, and another girl were with the dogs. Reyes admitted the dogs were running loose and playing in the water, but said they were not acting aggressive toward anyone.

Witnesses in the park at the time of the shooting backed up Reyes’ claim.

MORE >>>>

Squirrel Rescue in Stephenville, Texas

2008-08-08T18:37:00.003-05:00

Today I want to share 2 videos with ya'll. One is about how to feed a baby squirrel in case you have found one and can't turn up a rehabilitator and the other one is how to identify the gender of the squirrel.

For more information on what and how much to feed a squirrel, please follow THIS LINK!

Baby Squirrel	Baby Bird
Baby Opossum	Baby Rabbit


5 Squirrel Babies from 2 different Moms	3 Opossum Babies

A Cottontail Rabbit	A Kitten named Martini

Puppy Education Blog

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue Blog has Moved!!!

New raccoon hideout

Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Real Facts about Rabies

Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Real Facts about Rabies by TOM PIPERSON & BIRGIT SOMMER June 17, 2009

Rocky, Sandra, Pumkin, orphaned raccoons are at it again

Sandra, Rocky and Pumkin, Raccoons after the Storm

Coco Banana adopts a Kitten

New Raccoon Enclosure

3 Raccoon Girls Outside

Rocky, Sandy, Pumkin, Abi, Lena, Ian, the orphaned raccoons

Doves, Starlings, Raccoon Orphans

Raccoons and Birds Update

Chihuahua Mom Coco Banana and her 6 Munchkins

Raccoons Raccoons Raccoons

Coco has 6 healthy Puppies

Raccoons, birds and a rehabber

Peanut and Pumkin, orphaned raccoon babies

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News

2009

2008

Pumkin and Peanut the baby raccoons

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News - Wildlife

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News - Squirrels

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News - Rabbits

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News - Opossums

Raccoon Baby, pregnant Chihuaha, white-winged Dove

Coco, a very pregnant Chihuahua

Live Baby Squirrel Cam

Orphaned Opossums, Beaver, Squirrels, Rabbits, Raccoons

Orphaned Beaver, Cottontails, Raccoons, Opossums, Squirrels

Three orphaned Baby Raccoons

Spring Babies Movie at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue

Trinity and Honey Story in the Newspaper

Honey and Trinity Success Story

Frosty and Flurry

Frosty, the newborn Kitten and 9 Opossum Babies

Heidi with 4 newborn Puppies

Rainbow Wildlife Spring Newsletter

Spring 2009 at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue

Stephenville, Texas: Local Issues

Boy Scouts building a Flight Cage

Honey and Trinity: Happy Ending

Spring Babies

Leave the mothering to nature

Experts say young animals who appear to be abandoned often are in parents' care

Erath County Humane Society Animal Shelter

Don't Buy, Adopt a Pet!

Currently residing at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue

Last Word of Advice: Dog Tips

Is this Dog aggressive? Know what to do!

Miss Dolittle's Websites:

Several U.S. Bird Populations Plummet Due to Habitat Loss

Sweeping Report Shows Some Species Have Made Gains

A Kitten named Martini

Wrens moving in

Baby Squirrels, Baby Cottontails, Trinity, Boy Scouts

Orphaned Cottontail first Baby of 2009

Trinity, Boy Scouts, Federal Permit

Trinity is home after hip surgery

Trinity one day before the Surgery Video

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News

Leave the mothering to nature

Experts say young animals who appear to be abandoned often are in parents' care

Found a Baby Squirrel? Here is Help!

One woman’s mission, one baby squirrel at a time

By ALEX HARMONSpecial Contributor to the Empire Tribune

The Cabin Shed is HERE

Toxic and Poisonous for Pets

Stephenville Dog Park Blog

Animal Cruelty-What Can I Do?

Rachael Ray’s Nutrish

North Shore Animal League America

BAD RAP

ASPCA

Wildlife Rehabilitation 101 Movie

Stephenville is one step closer to a Dog Park

Kittens are growing up

Happy New Year with 4 orphaned Kittens

Santa was good to the Critters

Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Real Facts about Rabies
by TOM PIPERSON & BIRGIT SOMMER
June 17, 2009

By ALEX HARMON
Special Contributor to the Empire Tribune

By JESSICA HORTON
Staff Writer
news@empiretribune.com