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Dawn... a True Inspiration!
This hard-working mom and her pups
are the inspiration for the
Sanctuary's first Maternity Ward!
Please read on for the
full story
of what it takes to provide for our parents and pups! |
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Rolf |
Sequel |
Pickle |
Petra |
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McKala |
McKinsey |
Moe |
Dawn |
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St. Francis Animal Sanctuary earnestly advocates spay and neuter for all
cats and dogs who come to live with us, as well as for all pets in our
communities. It is also our policy to spay and neuter any animal
we make available for private adoption prior to the animal leaving our
Sanctuary. What then, you may ask, are we doing with all of
these kittens and puppies? Pregnant mothers and brand new
litters are often abandoned by their owners because the responsibility
or cost is too great. People who feed strays often find that "their"
stray shows up either pregnant or with a new litter and they are
desperate to get rid of the mom, the babies or both. St. Francis
gives sanctuary to pregnant mothers and new mothers with alarming
regularity as the new or soon-to-be "parent" is a particularly dependent
and vulnerable animal.
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Dawn and her
seven puppies are but one (albeit precious) example of the latest
addition to our animal family. Mother dogs are inherently generous
providers and with the right surroundings they often do most of the
work. As the litter gets older, mom and her pups need space to
move away from each other and learn more about dog manners and
independence. Once puppies begin to eat solid food, mom cleans up
after them less and less. Of course, once the pups have teeth, mom
wants her own space as nursing becomes painful. Dawn and her
babies inspired our CareGivers to "get creative" and provide a safe,
private and healthy environment for mother dogs and their litters.
Pam and the CareGivers decided to convert a metal storage
shed into such a facility and we are quite proud of our first attempt at
an exclusive Maternity Ward.
Photo A shows the shed with the spacious
fenced yard. A tarp is attached at the corner of the yard to
provide a shaded playground. Photo B is a side view of the
shed with the added window and skylight. Experience taught us that
until we have an insulated facility we should forgo the skylight (notice
the tarp that covers it) unless it has tinted glass (simply too hot!).
Photo C shows the strategic placement of pavers to minimize mud
and mess. Photo D is an "inside shot" of the linoleum that
was installed (easier to keep clean!) and the A/C unit is in the corner.
Finally, Photo E illustrates the doggy door that was installed
into one of the shed doors... and the ease with which the puppies
learned how it worked!
We know that the Maternity Ward is a temporary facility
and one upon which we will build as we are able to. Dawn and her
puppies taught us many things about how to provide a space that
facilitates the level of care a new mother and her family deserve.
We would like to share with our readers and generous supporters what it
took to put this Maternity Ward together and to look forward with
us to bigger and better things! |
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Animal Care; per litter |
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"Intake" on
mother |
Vet Visit |
$150.00 |
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Food for
mother for 4 weeks prior to birth |
Bil-Jac Puppy; 4 bags @ $35 per bag |
$140.00 |
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Puppies born
naturally |
Vet Visit |
$75.00 |
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Puppy food
when pups are 3 weeks old |
Bil-Jac Puppy; 8 bags @ $35 per bag |
$280.00 |
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Mother's spay |
Vet Visit; depends on weight of mom |
$80.00 |
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Puppy
spay/neuter |
Vet Visit; based on 7 puppies @ $50 per pup |
$350.00 |
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CareGiver
salary with a minimal amount of attention |
$21 per day for 60 days; assuming the pups are adopted
out at the time of their 8 week booster and not including pre-birth
mother care |
$1260.00 |
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Puppy shots |
$3.50 per puppy @ 7 puppies x 2 shots |
$49.00 |
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Sub-Total |
Based on healthy dogs and natural birth |
$2384.00 |
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C-Section for mothers in
trouble could add $1000.00 |
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Housing; shown as a one-time cost, not per litter |
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Original Shed |
$795.00 |
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Gravel for
under shed |
$100.00 |
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Air
conditioner |
$400.00 |
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Tile for floor |
$60.00 |
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Fencing panels
for yard |
$1,000.00 |
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Labor to
install French Drain, set up shed, install window and run electricity |
$950.00 |
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Doggie door |
$75.00 |
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CareGiver set up of yard; 2 people @ 5 hours |
$70.00 |
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Sub-Total |
Based on using OUTSIDE sources |
$3,450.00 |
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Total |
Based on using OUTSIDE sources; healthy dogs and
natural birth |
$5834.00 |
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If we look at the labor cost paid to outside sources
versus having a full-time Operations Manager we expect that we would
have saved more than $600 dollars. We base this on the idea that
an Operations Manager would cost approximately $1500.00 per month.
This project would have taken about 1 week and we would have had
the Manager to work the rest of the month on other much needed projects! |
