Bay Area Arbor learn about volunteering at Majical Miniatures

On December 17th members of the Gleaner Insurance Society's, Bay Area Arbor, who's mission is to help local nonprofits by volunteering and raising funds, visited Majical Miniatures for a volunteer orientation and to learn more about what we do and what they, as a group, can do to help the animals. Arbor member and volunteer, Santiago Fonseca, shared his visit and photos with his friends on facebook and with us. Here is what he had to say:

"What a great place!! We walked in and we were welcomed by Speedy - a beautiful Llama (probably my homeboy from Peru), who walked up to me and rubbed noses with me. He oversees and protects all the smaller range animals and is often seen on his mound lording over them and keeping an eye out for foxes or any other predators that may get into the property.

After Speedy came out and he made sure we were friends, all kinds of goats and miniature ponies came out as the welcoming committee and as we continued on the volunteer tour with Jenna, Majical Miniatures operations manager, we saw so many different animals, and some you'll see in these images. The little 'roos were adorable! We fed them Orange Juice - thirsty little fellows :-). Look at a picture of me and Oreo who rubbed his face on me over and over and was so affectionate.

They have over 200 animals and never enough volunteers to tackle the tremendous tasks they face on a daily basis - seven days a week. You see, many of their animals have been injured and are there for rehabilitation. Those of them who are healthy after rehabilitation are released back into the wild, but many who were hit by cars, shot or otherwise maimed by uncaring humans, will live the rest of their natural lives there. You can imagine their Vet fees are high – their weekly operating budget is around $4000 – without the Vet costs and those vary from month to month. Tough going without outside support!

I’d like to ask you once again to become a member to help them retain their non-profit status. Memberships vary but start at 10 bucks a year – hardly two beers at any bar! And being a member of such wonderful place will enrich your lives as well. You can keep up with them through the website and/or the newsletter you’ll get as a member.  One of their long time volunteers and supporters has set up a page specifically for this – please go to: http://www.majicalminiatures.org/membership.html

Each level tells you what you get and each level has the appropriate buttons to make it easy to join – or you can look on the left side and e-mail any of the ladies there and they can offer you an alternative for payment (if you do not like paypal)."

 

 

 

 

 

Animal lovers New Year's resolutions

It is that time of year again; time to make our new year’s resolutions. This year let's try resolutions that are easy to keep & will benefit not only ourselves but our pets and shelter animals:

1. Resolve to provide the basic needs for your pet or for a shelter animal: food, fresh water, shelter and love! 
2. Spend more time playing. Spending time with your pet or a shelter animal is a proven stress reliever for humans and provides mental stimulation for the animal. 
3. Exercise: taking your pet for daily walks will help keep you both fit & trim 
4. Commit for the long term: Pets are not disposable. As they age they will need you more than ever. Keep in mind all the unconditional love he or she provided you over the years. Consider putting your pet in your will. Who will take care of her once you are gone?
5. Be prepared, is not just the boy scout's motto: In Florida we keep hurricane disaster kits for our family but many times forget to think about what will happen to our pets in case of an emergency. Many emergency shelters do not accept pets. Check ahead of time with your local government to see which shelters allow pets; be sure to keep an extra supply of medicines, canned food, etc for your pets.
6. Resolve to only use positive reinforcement when training your pet. Take the time to find positive training methods to use with your dog, cat, bird or other pet
7. Become a volunteer or donate to a local animal shelter: There are many wonderful rescues in our community who are in need of not only monetary donations but also donations of time & every day items like towels, paper products, pet toys etc. 
8. Provide Proper ID: What if your pet was to wonder away from home? Would the person who finds him be able to return him to you? Be sure your pet has proper ID on his collar or have him micro-chipped. 
9. Properly dispose of items that can harm wild animals. 
10. Adopt do not buy:  Adopt a shelter animal instead of purchasing an animal from a breeder or pet store. There are so many wonderful pets waiting in shelters for their forever homes. 

Pet Photos with Santa Fundraiser

Check out the adorable puppies at last month's Pet Photos with Santa event. The event hosted at Pets Plus in Parrish, helped raise funds for the animals at Majical Miniatures Animal Sanctuary. Thank you to our volunteers,Tanya Sharkey our photographer & Dave Burns our Santa's helper.