The Animals
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Moose
Patient Moose. I adopted Moose in 2010 after his six siblings, and his mother were dropped off outside of a veterinary office after closing hours. His mother died of canine parvovirus shortly after being taken in.
I had been volunteering at the time and as soon as I saw him I knew he was going to come home with me. He was the first dog I ever adopted, the first dog that I could call my own. I picked him up the day I arrived home after my high school senior trip. I’m now 32 and only recently said goodbye to him in the summer of 2024. He's was a special soul and because of his patient nature he's helped many smaller animals learn to feel comfortable and safe before going to their forever homes.
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Juniper
Juniper is the fox that started it all. I adopted her when she was only five weeks old in 2015 after learning that she needed a home.
Foxes, like minks and other plush animals have been bred for their fur for over a hundred years. Juniper and foxes like Juniper are considered "domestic fur-bearing animals" and being that she is descended from animals that have spent many generations in captivity means that she genetically lacks many of her natural instincts. Unfortunately, because of this she could never be released to the wild.
I began posting Juniper on instagram to document my challenges raising her as a "pet" in the weeks following and her quick rise to fame changed the direction of not only my life, but so many animals in need.
She has been my muse and companion for many years. This refuge was named in her honor as her legacy.
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Fig
Fig arrived 2017 after he was initially rescued from a fur farm in Minnesota. He was bred to eventually be pelted for his coat and that would have been his fate if not for a tragic bacterial infection that caused him to lose his left foot, most of his toes on his remaining feet, and sight In his eye. He was surrendered after the fur farm would no longer be able to use his pelt due to the abnormalities.
Now Fig is the sweetest animal in the family. He never ceases to surprise me with how loving and kind he is to not only myself, but all of the other animals that live with us. He is often the first one to befriend any of our foster animals and greets everyone with a happy smile and soft caring eyes.
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Elmwood
The white "red fox". Red foxes have been bred in captivity for their fur for centuries, but in the last century they began to exhibit a strong variety of coat colors including "snow glow" which is what Elmwood's unique coat color is referred as.
Elmwood was found being sold in a pet store and was in poor condition when he was being exhibited to the public. He was covered in urine, which had dried and crusted causing scabs. He had an upper respiratory infection, and eye infection, and ear mites. After coming home with us his little personality blossomed and he is now the clown of the house. Elmwood is lovingly referred to as our alien because of his bewildering looks and silly behaviors that are not typical of foxes.
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Ferngully
Ferngully’s parents were rescued after being sold at an exotic animal auction. His mother gave birth to him shortly after arriving to her new home. Fern came to live with us in 2021. He was placed with us at the same time as Newt the raccoon. Both Fern and Newt were young when we took them in so we raised them together as if they were siblings. They created a strong bond and consider each other family even though they are different species and would normally not interact in the wild.
Fern is a very laid back fox. He enjoys being indoors under the air conditioning and taking long naps. He is the most tame out of all of our animals. He loves to be hugged and has impeccable manners when inside. His only flaw is that he enjoys sneaking by when you aren’t looking and taking a quick tinkle on your leg.
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Newt
Newt was our first raccoon resident! He arrived along with Fern in the summer of 2021. I had never considered bringing home a baby raccoon prior to his arrival, but during my trip to Ohio to retrieve Ferngully. I got a call about a baby raccoon who needed placement only a few states away. I decided since the raccoon and the fox were both young and close in age I could raise them together. And so their saga began.They are still best friends and enjoy hanging out together in short sessions, like true brothers they can get annoyed with each other if left together too long.
Newt grew into a large and lovely raccoon. He is very docile and enjoys meeting new people. Like most raccoons he loves to wrestle, but as he’s matured he’s learned that he has to be gentle with humans and he can save his pro-wrestling moves for his matches with his tumble buddy, Howie - our rambunctious husky mix.
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Franklin
Frank came to us after we received a call that he needed emergency placement after being kept as a pet in a Miami home. He was kept in a garage with other animals during the hot Florida summer. He was only 5 months old at the time.
Frank shows so much appreciation for his life. He loves ice, eggs, and has become a brother to Newton the other resident raccoon at the sanctuary.
Frank ended up being such a kind and friendly raccoon despite his early upbringing. He is one of our most trusted animals and has become a wonderful ambassador for his species.
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Jam Jar
Jam Jar is an icon. He is our only skunk at the sanctuary and lives in the house full time due to past health issues that caused him to have several seizures. He came to live at the sanctuary after being bought as a pet by a couple who quickly understood that he would not fit their lifestyle. Skunks are diggers and Jam Jar was digging up the carpet in their apartment causing them to seek placement for him.
Jam quickly became used to living with us and now rules the house as if he's the one paying the mortgage. He stomps and scoots if he doesnt get his way and has put holes in many blankets and sheets by grabbing them if we do not pick him up and place him on the bed or couch fast enough.
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Valley
Valley arrived in summer of 2023 with her two adopted siblings Blink, and Lake. The group of them were rescued from a fur farm and brought here to live out their lives in the safety of a loving home. Valley has a very boisterous personality and she pairs well with Fern. Since her arrival they have become a bonded pair and they are inseparable.
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Lake
Lake is the most shy of all the animals that reside here. Despite arriving at a young age she has only bonded with Blink and does not allow anyone to touch her or get too close. She has made several breakthroughs in the past year and now will approach us for treats, but always keeps a cautious eye on anyone that gets too close. She has an adorable crush on Ferngully and tries often to get his attention. She is always fawning over him and following him, but he only has eyes for Valley. ​
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Blink
Blink is a sweet boy who almost lost an eye to infection before arriving at the refuge. He grew up with his two adopted siblings Valley and Lake, and bonded closely with Lake who gravitated to his calm demeanor. He is very laid back and loves all of the other foxes, especially Fig and Ferngully.
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Petunia
Petunia is a sugar glider we found at a reptile convention in 2016. She was being sold as an "easy pet" for small children, she was shaking and obviously terrified after being passed around between people for hours. We told the vendor we would take her after seeing her condition and that they were giving potential buyers incorrect information regarding proper care for sugar gliders. Upon bringing her home we realized she had quite a few health problems and some uncontrollable twitches due to being malnourished. After just a week of a proper diet she started to improve and is now in perfect health.
We later found out that she has her own snaggle tooth which causes her tongue to hang out of her mouth, making her a perfect fit in our family of misfits.
Petunia lost her best friend Peach recently after Peach succombed to health issues she had been battling with since her arrival in 2017. Sugar gliders are very social animals and while Petunia seems to be thriving we would love to find her another friend in the near future.
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Mumford
Mumford is a Virginia opossum who was placed with us after being deemed "non-releasable". Mumford has MBD or Metabolic Bone Disease, which is brought on by malnutrition in opossums. Because of this the bones in his wrist did not grow properly causing him to have and inward turned hand which affects his mobility.
Despite his disability Mumford is very active and after discovering the cat wheel, it is now his favorite activity. He puts hours into his cardio routine and although he arrived to us very overweight, we now struggle to make sure he has enough calories to compensate for his vigorous work outs!
![Tezza-5078.JPG](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7cc6f2_a7b394db25314e11bbdbcdc2a4c77787~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_23,w_3364,h_2479/fill/w_456,h_336,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Tezza-5078_JPG.jpg)
Howie
Howie was found by my own mother in a box with his brother outside of a truck stop in rural Alabama. His brother quickly found a home, but Howie still needed a place to stay. He came to live with us a the refuge temporarily until we found placement for him. However, it didn't take long before we became his official home. After a few weeks we fell in love with his goofy charm and couldn't imaging him leaving. Howie has become a wonderful companion for many of the animals here. He's a great referee for the raccoons, let's Jam Jar the skunk beat him up regularly, and has recently blossomed a beautiful friendship with Fig the fox that mirrors the relationship Juniper had with Moose.
Howie is a very loved member of our family and a plays a vital role here at the refuge.