Weathering the storm
The power at Angel Ridge went off late Friday and did not come on until Tuesday evening. The two biggest problems that this presented were lack of heat and lack of water. The dogs in the Rascal condo are heated by propane so they were comfy. Our challenge was to keep the dogs warm and the water from freezing in the main kennel building, which houses about 32 dogs. We began to use wood shavings and straw on the cement floors in the runs and all dogs got a warm blanket. Amazingly, the building seemed to hold enough heat over this four day period that the water buckets never froze. Two dogs that had surgery at veterinarian offices remained there through this crisis.
Finding enough water was another story. Our animals - dogs, cats and horses- consume about 200 gallon of water per day. A volunteer family who live nearby never lost their power and allowed us to fill our buckets and containers, several times per day, at their home. But by Tuesday, we were getting weary of the trips and the animals seemed to need even more water. Another volunteer purchased a 200 gallon water buffalo and loaned it to us. The Chartiers Department Fire Department offered their services to fill it. It was mounted on the back of our pickup truck and driven to the various areas containing the animals for an easier bucket fill up.
The snow removal went on for two solid days - Saturday and Sunday - to get our 50 acre parcel passable for vehicles. We send a huge thank you to our dedicated volunteers, particularly the Craig and Manon families for their amazing work. WPXI did a great story on our dilemma, highlighting the work of volunteers to keep the animals safe and comfortable in this crisis. We are asking for donation of money, hay, straw and bagged wooden shavings to get us through this storm and the balance of the winter. We would also welcome a snow blower in good condition.
So, thanks to a LOT of help from our friends, we are doing okay. Our angels say THANKS and God BLESS!
