Sweetheart, 9 Month old TB/Paint Mare

Sweetheart is just that, an amazing, intelligent sweet girl! She is 9 months old and has quite a story to tell. Sweetheart was purchased by her previous owner from a woman in the Galeton/Eaton area that was recently convicted of animal cruelty for starving a horse resulting in death. This precious little girl has entered our Sanctuary because the woman who purchased her is no longer able to care for her or any of her other animals due to alcoholism issues. This curiously wonderful little filly has a special need, she has a very large hernia that will require surgery and she needs your help to make this possible or she faces serious health complications. Please help her live, make a contribution to Sweetheart today! Your contribution is life-saving and can be mailed to: Denkai Animal Sanctuary 36710 WCR 126 in Grover, CO 80729 or via our website at www.denkaisanctuary.org, just click on any donation button.

Sugar Babe Update, End of June

Sugar Babe continues to recover. This week she was visited by Dr. Michael Suit of Timnath, CO who sutured her finally healed puncture wound and then floated her teeth. She had a history of ulcers in her mouth from a long lack of dental work, a lot of the reason she was having a hard time gaining and holding her weight. It is very painful for a horse to chew when they continually bite into the sides of their mouths or on their tongues. Your contributions count, please help Sugar Babe Recover: www.denkaisanctuary.org to make a contribution.

Sugar Babe, doing great!

Sugar Babe on June 6, 2008

Sugar Babe June 19, 2008
Sugar Babe is doing great! Thank you for your donations and support towards her. She has finally shed most of her winter coat, is showing a bit of a belly and her infection in her hip has healed well. She still has a ways to go though, so we will keep you updated!

Fort Collins Animals In Need

The below listed animals are just a few of the many in need at a local rescue with only 1 week left to find placement. If these animals do not find placement, they will be transported to Denkai Sanctuary until placement can be found.



Approx. 6 year old Molly Mule. Trained to ride, needs advanced rider has been on trails, has some trust issues with new people, but patience will get you a long way with her.



TB mare, lameness issues, age unknown. Some of the lameness may be fixable, but we are not sure at this point.






Registered QH Mare and yearling Filly. Both need training and are pretty green.



TB Mare, Fairly young, trained to 3rd level dressage.



Mini molly Mule, trained for children to ride, age unknown.

Kiger mustang mare and colt, both are friendly, but need more halter training, etc.


Must stay together, mustang gelding and John Mule, both are seniors, not ride-able.



These goats are all very friendly and would make great pets, most look like a nubian type breed.


Female Pot Bellied Pig. Pretty shy of people, needs a buddy! We are not sure on her age.


Steer, young, maybe 2 years old. Friendly and food motivated.


Donkeys, all jacks from what I could tell, all are incredibly friendly.


Female Yak, food motivated and very friendly

Greeley 4-H Club Helps Out!

Weld County Rangers Help Animals In Need

As part of their once a year community service project, local children ranging in age from 6 years to 15 dedicated their Father's Day weekend this Saturday to the Animals! Working right along side their parents, the Weld County Rangers 4-H Club, led by Kathy Seelhoff of Greeley, dove right into the task of helping homeless animals residing at Denkai Animal Sanctuary near Grover, CO.

The Weld County Rangers 4-H Club is a group of girls and was one of the hardest working volunteer groups we have had at our Sanctuary. The parents even dove into the task of helping to clean pens, children helped to exercise and graze horses, socialize puppies, and finally, build a yard for incoming chickens and turkeys that are being left behind during the foreclosure crisis we are facing here on the front range.

Denkai is always looking for groups to help with community service projects at the Sanctuary. These projects include; building, clean up, horse training, daily volunteer work, and much more. For information on how you can make a difference, contact Denkai at: info@denkaisanctuary.org or call (970) 895-2337.

No Country For Horses: CBC Video

The Following is a video aired by CBC. Some of the footage is a bit graphic.

Horse Slaughter in Canada, disturbing findings.

http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/special_feature/no_country_for_horses/no_country_for_horses.html

Alcoholism Hurts Animals Too

Alcoholism is a disease. Not only does it take a toll on a person's personal life and well-being, their friends and families, but also their pets.

We have seen many an animal come into our sanctuary because of this issue. The first was a beautiful purebred collie. The woman literally had to sneak out of her house with her child when her husband was away to bring us the dog, because when her husband drank, the dog, then the wife were both abused. The latest rescue to come to us involves 6 chickens and 2 ducks, one of which is currently fostered as it is only 1 week old. The person had purchased these at a local feed store and was then arrested on a repeat DUI charge, thrown in jail and will be there for a while. All of these birds were without food and would have starved to death without a place to go.

Think Before you Drink. Drink Responsibly, think about the effects this has on your children, friends and especially your pets, those that rely on you to feed and care for them. Take responsibility for your actions!!

Sugar Babe Days 2-5 in Recovery

Sugar Babe has shown great strides in her recovery she still has rarely lifted her head from her hay and has really enjoyed getting out to graze on fresh grass a little every day. She has been on antibiotics and we have worked at flushing out her wound. On day four, it finally flushed clear without any more sign of infection. She has shown her personality finally today too! I took her out to graze on some fresh grass and when we were headed back to her stall she planted her feet and went oh no you don't! I want the green grass, I'm not moving! I had to laugh, she is feeling alive again! This horse is amazing, for what she has endured and for her will to live through it and recover.

Day 3: Youth from Turning point helps to graze Sugar Babe.


Day 5: The brown patch on her hip is from Comfrey Root, an herb used in drawing out infection and swelling, it works wonders.

Plains Sugar Babe, nearly starved to death

Plains Sugar Babe is her registered name, she is now 25 years old. She was once a beautiful, thriving young mare, born in Loma, Colorado to a Miss Leo Royal and Mr. Plains Bar. Sugar Babe has been through six owners since her birth in 1983. Some treated her like royalty and others forgot to care or worked her so hard she nearly fell over.

Sugar Babe was sold as a children's horse to previous home. The child was to take care of this horse, feed her, ride her, provide for her. Well that child found other interests and Sugar Babe was not one of them. Parents, before you purchase or adopt an animal for your children, make sure that the entire family understands that this is a lifetime commitment, not just a few years or couple of months until the fad wears off. This is a living, breathing, sentient being that is going to rely on ALL of the family to help care for them. There is a lot of money involved in veterinary care, the cost of feeding, and time in working with an animal. If the care stops, you are all responsible. All it takes is to put yourself into the shoes that animal is standing in. For Sugar Babe this meant alone, standing in a small fenced area staring at that door to your house where she knows you come out of that door to feed her, waiting for days and watching you walk right past her to get in the car and go grocery shopping or to a friends house. Her water is low, she has to ration it, survival kicks in as she realizes that nobody is going to care for her, she has been forgotten. She sheds a silent tear. How would you feel?

Friday night, Sugar Babe came to our Sanctuary, her current caretaker fulfilling a promise to her previous owner never to run her through the kill sale. That did not protect her from starvation or an injury that festered for four months, a puncture from a t-post into her rear hip. Sugar Babe's hooves and lower legs along with her right side were covered in horse manure, a sure sign that her stall was not cleaned. She hardly lifted her head all last night and into today from her hay and senior grain. Finally, this afternoon she stopped to take a look at her surroundings. She found a wonderful friend in Michelle, one of our incredible volunteers who helped to give Sugar Babe a bath and scrub the manure from her sides and hooves. She immediately perked up, listening, hearing the other horses, though she has to stay separated for now for the special care she is receiving. She is alive again and she needs your help to begin to thrive.

Please consider making a donation towards Sugar Babe and the care she is receiving here at our Sanctuary. This is made possible because of you and your support. Visit our website to make a contribution: www.denkaisanctuary.org