New Web Site URL

[dekaybrown]

Last night I was pondering over the "old" web site I have been using to host my snake pictures.

Once upon a time "reformedsniper.net" was very active, and served it's purpose well. But times have changed...

So I had to come up with a name that would be better suited, and easily remembered, yet had to have a cool "ring to it".

In approximately 2.38 seconds, I slam my foot into the brake pedal, turn to Dorothy and say it.

OH yea, see if it's available (And "can we start moving again before someone drives right into the back of us")

So we have been discussing filing paper work to become a real reptile rescue, and get some tax breaks.. We have a local chapter of "farm sanctuary" right up the street, so I hope they could share some pointers on getting started.

I wonder what the neighbors would say if we started driving around in a van covered in graphics depicting snakes and lizards, with huge lettering

"Reptile 911" and "we remove snakes" or "Serpent Savers to the rescue"

With a bumper sticker "Have you hugged your snake today"

The registration process will be completed by tomorrow, I will reveal it then, but not yet. It is just cool enough that I don't need some lurker to steal it away before I have it locked down.

[Lori P]

Wayne, good for you! It does take time to become a 501(c)(3).... it took us about 3 years to get our final determination letter if I remember. The paperwork is not as bad as I feared, if you stay on top of it. (Ahem. Practice what you preach, Lori... lol)

The biggest thing to keep in mind (in my opinion) is that there is a very, very fine line between running a rescue/sanctuary and becoming a hoarder. It is very easy to become overwhelmed, and with large numbers of animals, once you let one thing slip, the rest dominoes behind it. The hardest thing for me to learn was that I could not literally save every one... sometimes you have to say no for the benefit of the other animals. So right at the beginning, setting up a network with other rescues to help with the overflow is a great idea, and know that you are not a bad person for sometimes having to turn an animal away (Practice what you preach, Lori..... )

Not that you needed my input, but, I have come very close to crossing that line in the past and that defeats the whole point of rescuing the animals in the first place...

Keep us posted!!!!

[dekaybrown]

Lori, I always need advice, ALWAYS

And yes I understand about letting it careen out of control.. and there are other more morbid factors to consider.

I often wonder "what if" I got in a terrible accident, got cancer, a 747 lands on my head, what then?? a hundred animals without this crazy guy to spend unimaginable hours caring for them, what about them?

I have enough "ex's" to ensure that my younger kids are cared for, and my oldest has a kid and a mortgage, no plans for reptiles there.

Dorothy swears if I dropped tomorrow, she would take care of the animals, but if it takes both of us to do it now, I honestly feel that one gal on her own would be overwhelmed real quickly.

There is also the issues that would make most of you on here either want to vomit, cry or both...

A guy I know of rescues reptiles and built a rep for it, one day a fellow hands him a pillow case with a snake in it, and bolts. gone without a trace before the pillow case was even opened. Inside was a Ball Python that had been left in a cage with a rat for 3 days.

The rat had no food provided for it, and decided to eat the python to survive, sadly the python was still alive, no skin and about 50 percent of it's flesh eaten. It had to be euthanized.

Another had a boa left with a ferret, etc.. etc.. etc.. Iguanas with gangrene, emaciated monitors because the owners became afraid of them... It goes on forever..

So I know I may be daydreaming. There are plenty of critters right here in our circle that need help, so why advertise and get swamped.

What do you do when an animal gets sick, and needs the vet when your down to your last $30, oh and the garters need guppies, uh oh..

Sure I can memorize every possible medical situation that may arise, buy my own microscope, learn amature vetrinary medicine, but then one does need to sleep sometime.

Do I allow my business to crumble because I spend all my time helping out reptiles? logic mandates NO.

But still, wouldn't it be cool to write off bags of aspen?? Or the electricity used to run the basking lights Milage for road trips to pick up critters.
Oh and we HAD to purchase 10 new fish tanks at 100 bucks each.

[anji1971]

Best of luck with your new endeavour, Wayne.
It takes a very special kind of person to run any animal rescue.
Lori is one of those people, and I'm convinced that you are too.
I'm sure you'll make a huge difference in the lives of many lucky animals.

[Lori P]

Running a rescue isn't fun and happiness. It's days and days of ugliness and pain and more tears than you ever thought a human body could produce. It's seeing the most horrible things people can do and seeing them get away with it because the laws are so lax. It drives you to despair over and over and over.

But then the first time an animal raises its head and looks you right in the eye with the sudden spark to survive, that moment fills your heart so full that you have enough to carry on to the next one.

It won't be pretty, Wayne, and you have to choose to be upbeat and find laughter in everything you can to make it. If you find pleasure in the little things, it helps so much-- value every cute, silly thing the critters do, laugh about them, treasure those little gifts. That's what gets you past the ugliness. And make sure to have some kind of life outside of the rescue, or at least something to take your mind off it all. This forum is a good place to escape too.

Here's one of those silly moments that I walked out to last week. I'd just heard from the vet that a little chihuahua that we'd just rescued, soooooo badly neglected, is full of cancer-- lymphoma. I was so upset, and then I stroll out on the front porch and see this....



Poor Rudy the pig, trying to nap while those dratted birds used him for a perch!! I couldn't help but laugh, and then I started thinking of all the ways I can spoil this little dog, Mandy, in the days she has left. I'll give her the best last few months that she's ever had-- and that is what we do.

The money part is so hard. If you have to choose between paying the mortgage and surgery on an animal, well, I go with the critter but that's really not the best way to go. Yes, you can do a lot of the medical care yourself. But you will need a good vet, and you will be faced with the decisions on which animals to save and which to euth based on money, unfortunately... do you spend $1000 to save one or let that one go peacefully and save 5 others?? There's no right answer, it's just one of those decisions you make each time. You'll have to do fundraising, and that is the thing about running this that I hate the most. But you can't possibly pay for it all yourself.

Believe it or not..... I have learned that the people who do best at this have significant others who are not as into the rescue. Jamie supports what I do in any way I ask, but he does not get attached to the animals (well, sometimes). He is my balance-- he shows me the whole picture when I'm too emotional to see it. And, he keeps my head straight by distracting me-- dinner out, a shopping trip, anything to just get away from it sometimes. Having someone to swoop in and take you away from it all is vital, in my opinion.

[dekaybrown]

Dances with reptiles is up and on line!!

danceswithreptiles(dot)com

index

In time it will evolve to include care, field observations and rescue info.

To help ensure accurate information, NO hearsay, rumors or unsubstantiated info will be published, just strait facts and first hand observations.

And the best part, since it is a private domain, the first amendment grants me the right to say whatever is on my mind

[jitami]

Very nice Wayne. You do seem to be well suited to rescue. Caring and compassionate, but level headed enough to drudge through the "not so fun" stuff. Please keep us updated on the progress. Love the web addy, too!

[Snake lover 3-25]

good luck!!!

[count dewclaw]

Good luck, Wayne!

[dekaybrown]

Thanks everyone I made some updates to that home page.