Sucess Stories!

When Jason and Lesa Totten first visited Denkai, they were new horse owners with little experience.

Through a lot of hands on work with Denkai volunteers, they have come a long way and are not only adopting two horses, Dream and Sylver (one of the 18 arabians), they are also working as a foster home for our one to three years olds. This has proven to be an excellent program and is aiding our organization in not only making these horses more adoptable, but helping to increase our adoption rate.

Supplies for this program are always needed in the form of halters, bridles, older saddles, and lead ropes.



Shannon and her father Jason working with Western Skye, a mustang/paint cross gelding.

Skye is fostered with Jason, Lesa and Shannon until we can find a suitable home for him.







Shannon riding Dream






Shannon riding Sylver Moun! Sylver is one of the 18 arabians, previously part of a Niwot, CO neglect case.

Bubba the Haflinger

Bubba is an 8 year old Haflinger Gelding rescued from kill. He is trained to drive and ride.

Thanks to Jenny, he is getting worked with and exercised!

www.denkaisanctuary.org

Liberty, Cutter, and Bubba Playing

This is an every day routine here at Denkai! Liberty and Cutter are two of our mustang geldings, Bubba is a Haflinger. This has actually been really good for Bubba, he has finally lost some needed weight!

Cutter is sponsored by Louise Orr-Bell!

Visit www.denkaisanctuary.org for more information.

Weanling Update

The Palomino Weanling is doing great, what a little spitfire! He is very obviously feeling much better these days after several doses of wormer and a lot of good feed, he has been running around and kicking up his heels on a daily basis. Now we are working on socializing him. He is going to be a fun challenge!

Pal is now in an excellent foster home with Scott and Patty. Whether they know it or not, Scott and Patty are giving him a second chance at life, one he would have never had otherwise. Pal's hernia is being monitored closely and Scott and Patty are doing everything they can to help in his recovery! Pictures will be coming soon!

Senior Horses Have Special Needs

Denkai Animal Sanctuary is home to five senior horses. Each of whom have special dietary needs that keep us busy tending to them every day! Below you will see each of their photos and read each of their heartbreaking stories.

Our work here is special and incredibly important to the happiness and welfare of these wonderful animals. Find out below how you can help them live their life out here at Denkai after a lifetime of service to people.

Our goal for all of these seniors since they are permanent residents here is to gain enough in-kind and cash contributions that will fence off a 50 acre area which is available now so that they may enjoy their stay. The emotional happiness in these animals is so important to us! Supplies needed include: 8' round posts, t-posts, smooth wire, wood for more shelters, a trencher to run a water line, hydrant for water, gates and lots of volunteers! Contact us if you can help! info@denkaisanctuary.org.





Santana is a 28 year old Paso Fino Stallion. He was part of a neglect case in Jefferson county where he nearly starved to death. Thanks to the work of animal control officers and other individuals in the community, he is now safe at Denkai!

A big thank you goes out to Tracy, Jennifer and Scott for their hard work on Santana's new loafing shed. This took a enormous amount of effort on their part.

Santana is on a senior feed only diet, we could really use some help sponsoring him! www.denkaisanctuary.org




Jebediah is a 31 year old Mule. he was originally part of a dude ranch, then found a home with a wonderful couple. Due to health problems with his owner, they were no longer able to care for him.

Jeb is on a senior feed only diet as well. Sponsor him today! www.denkaisanctuary.org



Ponch and Fred are best friends at Denkai. They came to us last night because their owner passed from cancer recently. Ponch is 23 years old and Fred is 28. Ponch is an OTT Racehorse and Fred is an ex-therapy horse. Fred is pretty thin and is going to need a lot of extra care to get back on track, not to mention dental work as soon as possible.





Survivor, 33+ year old gelding. Survivor was part of the Miracle Horse Rescue with HSUS. He is doing very well still, has a lot of spunk is is just an amazing gentleman.





Fred again, you can see he needs a bit of help, but with your dedication, we can make this happen!









You can become a monthly sponsor for one or several of these special needs horses by visiting: http://www.denkaisanctuary.org/denkai_animals/sponsor_denkai_animals.htm
We rely on your monthly contributions to continue caring for and feeding each of these animals. Their daily feed includes mineral supplements, joint supplements, senior grain and lots of love twice each day! Each horse costs us a total of $150 per month to care for. None of these horses are sponsored monthly at this point in time. Contact us at info@denkaisanctuary.org or (970) 895-2337 to help.

October 28, 2009 Blizzard

This was the scene early this morning as I walked out the door to begin feeding.
This video starts at the Chicken Coop, you will see a gray blob which is the horse trailer, next to that is the round pen, the collapsed loafing shed that never made the pen, with the horse corrals and pasture in the background and then ending at the red barn. All of this is about 75 yards from where I am standing at the house.

So far it has only gotten worse today. I had bedded animals in heavily and Ray placed large bales in all of the feeders for the horses before this storm hit in an effort to get ready for it.

The only downfall is that the loafing shed we had spent so much time building for the senior horses as shelter for this storm was not welded tightly to the skids so when I tried moving it to their pen, it came apart completely. I guess that is what comes from not having the equipment we need to get the job done the way it is supposed to be done. We had reused materials from an old building for this that now will be firewood instead. Talk about frustrating. We have decided that it is worth trying again to raise the funding for needed loafing shed materials and having it built with steel instead of wood..

You can see somewhat from this video the weather I am dealing with in caring for these animals on a daily basis and why it is so important to have an operational piece of equipment so that I can maneuver over these snow drifts to feed these animals that rely on me daily. I can't stress how important and valuable this is. A skid steer on tracks is definitely going to be the most versatile tool for us at this point. That machine would be able to travel over these snow drifts, dig the animals out, and would ensure that we do not fail these animals because of the winter blizzard conditions in that I can't get to them to feed.

Please consider helping Denkai with this need. I can't express enough the urgent need for this machine. Please visit www.denkaisanctuary.org, e-mail: info@denkaisanctuary.org or call (970) 895-2337 if you are able to help.

Sanctuary Horses aid Youth in Crisis

Two of 18 Arabian Horses have found their calling in aiding youth in crisis. Bashkira, a 26 year old mare and Colby, a three year old gelding arrived at Reflections for Youth near Loveland, CO on October 20. The reaction from the youth was all we needed to know that this is going to be a successful program for both Denkai Animal Sanctuary and Reflections.

Not only are these youth learning about the horses, their backgrounds and the strife that the equine have been through, they have helped to build a fence, loafing shed and now have daily chores in feeding, watering, and caring for Bashkira and Colby.

We will Bring you continued updates on this project and hope to grow it into more facilities such as Reflections in the future!

Visit www.denkaisanctuary.org for more information on our facility.

October 10, 2009 Snow

Video taken today at the Sanctuary after the snow had started melting and feeding was done.

You can see where the snow is settling and when it drifts, we can't even walk or drive though the area you see here.

Hence the need for a tractor/skid steer to dig out with. Visit www.denkaisanctuary.org

Charlotte the Incredible!

Charlotte is now nearly one year old. She will be a full sized hog and grow to around 1000 lbs. Charlotte originally landed at the Larimer Humane Society in Fort Collins after running loose near Loveland, CO.

She loves to run, must be scratched daily and has the greatest personality! She still loves her visits to the senior horses and of course will drop everything for a belly rub.

You too can be part of Charlotte's world! Help through sponsoring her, bring her treats and spread the word!

Visit: www.denkaisanctuary.org

New Arrivals Show the Callouness of our Society

We received an urgent call from one of our supporters regarding several weanling and yearling horses this past Wednesday who had been dumped off at Centennial Livestock Auction in Fort Collins. They needed a place to go.

This was a difficult decision for us, we are slammed with horses here and really could not fathom more coming in. Looking at these poor souls, the shape they are in and the fact that the two weanlings are around 2-3 months old and should never have been removed from their mothers at this age was enough to seal the deal. The only other choice these innocent babies would have been death thanks to the callousness of their previous owners.

Both of the weanlings here have some issues that will need attention immediately and again Denkai is asking for your help for the sake of these poor babies. The darker Chestnut foal has a very large hernia and has been a bit dehydrated, but otherwise seems pretty lively.

The palomino foal is in pretty rough shape. He has a very swollen rear hock, is limping on it a little, but does put weight on it. He is obviously very parasitic (worms) and in pretty poor health. He is very scared and obviously was not well cared for.

The two yearlings will recover pretty quickly. There are areas where their mane and fur have been rubbed off, looks to us like they were roped, there is a possibility that they were all used as roping dummies.

Please be the angel these babies so desperately need right now. Become a sponsor today to help us provide needed immediate veterinary care, supplements, feed, and medication to these babies. No contribution is too small, even $10.00 helps. Please visit: www.denkaisanctuary.org or mail to: 36710 WCR 126 Grover, CO 80729.

Meet the Goats of Denkai! Help through Sponsorship!

There are many special animals here at Denkai. More than 20 goats and sheep reside at our Sanctuary. Several of these are senior animals who have been with us over the last four years and several are young goats who have faced misfortune prior to entering Denkai.

The escape artists in the video are from the Peyton, CO area. Breeding became out of control and what started with merely a few goats turned into 9 very quickly. Their owner, no longer able to care for them had just stopped feeding them until rescue stepped in. Most all of these goats had very little if any handling and are still pretty wild to this day. They are very beautiful and without our facility would have had no place to go, they were and are not considered adoptable as a pet.

Goats at Denkai have free roam, but do have a penned area that gives them shelter and protection from predators.

Here's how you can help these wonderful goats:
1. Consider fostering or adoption. We only let goats go to homes as pets and do have several friendly goats here.

2. Become a monthly sponsor, get your church involved in sponsoring, have your child's school or class sponsor an animal. Please visit our website at: www.denkaisanctuary.org and click "The Animals", then Sponsoring for more information.

3. Donate Materials for their enclosure. We need more fencing, preferably 5' livestock panels and posts; wooden or t-posts. Goats love to climb, we would love to be able to build them a bridge to climb onto.

4. Volunteer! You can visit more than just the goats!

Members of the CSU Pre-Vet Club gave a helping hand here at Denkai September 19.

This group was absolutely amazing, from riding horses to cleaning pens, sanitizing tack, stacking hay, cleaning the barn and much more. This amazing group literally saved our Director months worth of work.

We owe these students an enormous thank you!

This past weekend was roaring busy with projects and visitors for Denkai Animal Sanctuary. Volunteer Darrin Hill led our fencing project at Reflections for Youth near Loveland, CO on Saturday. Together with Erich Phillips, Founder Jeff, Director Virgil, the house staff and especially the youth living at this facility this fencing project went up in a hurry!

The purpose of this project with Reflections is to bring in two horses that will be fostered at their facility and cared for with the help of Denkai’s and Reflections staff throughout the year. Phase two of this project will be in building a loafing shed. Contributions towards this project will be needed in the form of 12’ or 16’ 6x6” posts, 2x4’s and as much tin or sheeting as we can get. To help contribute supplies for this project, contact: info@denkaisanctuary.org or call: (970) 895-2337.

A special thank you goes out to Daniel with Mill Brothers. Daniel not only spent his Saturday helping to make this project a success, but was also responsible for organizing a landscaping project for Reflections earlier in the year.

Bridging the Sanctuary/ Agricultural Industry Gap

At the Sanctuary we had a visit from some local square dancers who spent the day touring our area deciding to make Denkai a stop on their way. This was a demographic of mainly ranchers. They walked away from the Sanctuary with a positive image regarding our work, one which they did not come into the tour with. Unfortunately we are fighting an image that is common among most individuals in the agricultural industry regarding rescue groups.

I was asked many times what happens when an old horse that is seriously ill and has no chance of recovery comes to us if we just keep it alive and let it suffer and how do we dispose of these animals, how are we funded and my favorite, so can you legitimately say that no animal on your place is suffering. Great, obviously, they have come across a few not so legit organizations.

Whew, I had to wipe my brow after this group left. However, I was able to identify with them in many ways, especially when in came to harvesting crops and the hard work that goes into that. I was able to communicate to them the fact that we have a good relationship with area ranchers and farmers, are actually working together and able to help them through several means.

Through all of our farming activities, showing that we are responsible in caring for the animals at our facility, working side by side with farmers and ranchers, and having a business/marketing plan, Denkai is bridging the gap between the Sanctuary and Agricultural industries.

Cortez Babies Get a Little Socialization!

The yearling horses rescued from Cortez, CO last fall are coming along well. Elijah has been working on gentling them first through socialization. These little ones will now follow and come up for a visit. Taming wild young ones isn't so bad, especially where treats are involved.

Wheat Field Raises Bumper Crop 2009

Floss Blackburn, Denkai's founder pictured June 2009 in Wheat Fields, stand is around 5' in height.

On a portion of our 640 acres, we have been growing wheat which is then sold as a commodity and helps to bring in funding towards our operating expenses. This year, the crop has come in amazingly thick and with extraordinary heads. We will be getting ready to harvest this crop in the next two weeks.

This is made possible through help from Ray Reichley.

Arabian Horses Finding Homes

Augusta Moun and Bint Joi are enjoying their stay at Lori and Bill Delfs in Loveland, CO. A big hug and thank you go out to Dr. Susan Williams for her dedication to our equines and veterinary care.



Lady Josephine, Jasmine, and El Lucero have found a loving new home with the Atkinson Family in Fleming, CO. They send weekly updates and are enjoying their time with these wonderful horses!



Maggie Atkinson shows Jamsine off to her grandchildren who waited anxiously in the car!



Karen Legros and her son, Elijah of La Porte have adopted Bint Bint Shafar

Six of our Niwot Arabian Horses have found homes in the last couple of months. The situation with these horses has been a very long, drawn out and political ordeal. There are no words to describe the joy we feel knowing that these horses are finding good, loving homes where they will have all the care, food and attention they will ever need. Never again will they go without.

There are so many to thank for assisting us in saving these wonderful horses: PetSmart Charities
ASPCA
Boulder Community Foundation
Darrin Hill
Brad Laue
Our many dedicated contributors
Arabian Horse Association
Ray Reichley

HSUS Provides Emergency Funding for Grover Cats

Due to a recent Panleukopenia (feline distemper) outbreak in the cats of Grover, CO. Denkai was able to secure funding for much needed vaccinations through the HSUS Annie Lee Roberts Emergency Grant. This clinic was successful and held on July 18 in town. We had posted flyers advertising this clinic, which is the best way to communicate with the community in Grover.

Not only did our veterinarian Dr. Michael Suit offer his services to this clinic at a very reduced rate, he offered health exams and vaccinations for owned cats and dogs at a rate of $30.00. The kicker? Nobody showed up. People in Grover can not even afford a minimal $30.00 health exam for their pets. At least this is what we were told. So, we offered it for free and managed to get animals taken care of. We knocked on doors and ran animals back and forth from the clinic. Some of these pets had not seen a vet in around 5 years.

We have a little more time to work through this grant and will put the rest of the funding toward spay/neuter services for the feral cats in need. Thank you HSUS for helping us to provide a very needed service to an incredibly under served area.

Rescued Rabbits Desperately Need Homes!

Rescued Rabbits from Cheyenne, WY are still in need of forever and foster homes. There are still more than 70 rabbits needing to be placed. These bunnies are very well socialized and have been handled on a regular basis.

This rescue lasted until Midnight, pulling, logging, sexing and sorting rabbits.
Little Bit of Love Rescue of Wyoming has been caring for these bunnies along with help, running them to their medical appointments and keeping the ball rolling on this rescue.

Thank you to those who have contributed and helped with this effort:
Bloedorn Lumber
Home Depot
Capital Lumber
Lowes
K9 Bed and Biscuit
House Rabbit Society Members
SpayToday
Christine
Tabatha
Denkai's Volunteers
Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
Channel 5 Grand Junction

Contributions are still immediately needed in the form of:
Funding toward Spay/Neuter
Pellets
Grass Hay
Rabbit Cages

Shelter or building for those that are not placed in homes or have a longer stay at Little Bit of Love

To Contribute: www.denkaisanctuary.org and click any donation button or mail contributions to; 36710 WCR 126 Grover, CO 80729

Contributions are tax-deductible within the means of the IRS 501(c)3 code

Over 100 Pet Rabbits Need Help Immediately!

Denkai Animal Sanctuary

Cheyenne, WY - Today we were called in to a situation in which more than 100 pet rabbits and counting are in desperate need. These rabbits have been bred and used for their fur. The owner brushes them on a regular basis to gather their excess and shedding fur in order to weave with it.

What started with a few rabbits and a hobby is now seriously out of control. Once again, animals are suffering at the hands of human callousness. This individual is losing her home due to foreclosure. These rabbits are currently being housed in her garage and will have two options: 1. To be rescued in a joint effort by Denkai and other rescue groups in which they will be spayed and neutered and placed in homes or 2. To be euthanized by the local shelter. Since these rabbits are being housed in the county, we have the opportunity to help save them. They are all handled daily by a 7 year old girl and would be wonderful pets for and educated family.

We expect all females of reproducing age to be pregnant as the males and females have not been separated and expect that what is now 100 rabbits will easily turn to several hundred or many more in a very short time if we do not act right away.

A Wyoming Sanctuary will be temporarily housing these rabbits while we work to seek out other rescues, sanctuaries and individuals able to assist in taking in or fostering these bunnies. A joint effort in getting these bunnies to safety will begin this week.

Funding in the amount of $7,500 for spay and neuter costs. This number will most likely mount daily.

Tuff sheds or another steel building would be really ideal. If you know of anybody who would be willing to purchase this item or contribute toward it, it is a desperate need.

In-kind Contributions Needed include:

Supplies needed:
Rabbit Cages
Tuff Sheds
Timothy Hay
Straw
Funding for spay and neuter at a cost of $75.00 per bunny
Foster Homes
Rescues and Sanctuaries willing to take these babies in.
Bowls
broccoli, cabbage, celery, and most dark colored greens
Papaya tablets
For baby bunnies up to adult hood we need: alfalfa hay and or pellets

To contribute: Visit www.denkaisanctuary.org and click any donate now button.
Mail Contributions to: 36710 WCR 126 Grover, CO 80729