Today, this young wild fellow fell into a bucket, and struggled til he was ready to give up. When we found him he was weak and wobbly, so we dried him in the sun and helped get his circulation moving. Once warm and dry, he was ready to take off for new adventures.

I’m feeling a little like this rat today, if I’m being honest. It’s a frazzle of doing all the things we need to attempt to buy the property next door, which will solidify the future of Broken Shovels. I’m struggling, and there are moments where I feel like giving up, and highs where I think “we can do this!”. It’s so important, and I get so focused on this being our saving grace, and then I get to drowning in fears. Will we get it? Will we fundraise enough? I don’t know, but I’m sure trying. I’m thankful for this sweet moment we shared with him to distract me from my anxiety.

We operate very much as a small org, although we do a lot, and admin tasks/all the behind the scenes stuff falls on us full time animal caretakers. We don’t have degrees in non-profit management, don’t employ development directors, fundraising consultants or outreach coordinators, content creators, or even accounts payable. Maybe I shouldn’t even be saying this, for fear we won’t look professional. But this means we can put every penny of your money into saving animals and that the cornerstone of our organization is doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing: providing expert care for the animals we shelter and love. Then again, it also makes for a tired staff that can out of our element when big things like an expansion comes to call. Just know that we’re doing our best, and each and every one of us appreciates your support.

We don’t see so many rat neighbors these days, due to diligent use of rat birth control by @getcontrapest the past couple years. We have a small rat cleanup crew who enjoy their mostly child-free lives, safe from harm til old age. It took a while, maybe not as quick as lethal methods, but like everything we do, it’s us doing our best to be kind and to help those who need us.

I’ll keep you posted as we continue to swim upstream a little to make this big thing happen. See link in bio for more♥️