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Caring For Creatures (CFC) is a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to caring for homeless animals and enhancing the human-animal bond.
Mission
Caring For Creatures is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit foundation established in 1987 dedicated to caring for homeless animals and enhancing the human-animal bond by:
---Providing a safe and healthy environment in which to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home abandoned, neglected, abused, or otherwise homeless dogs and cats;
---Creating a lifetime home, if necessary, for animals that are elderly, disabled, and/or have a chronic condition requiring specialized care and;
---Promoting programs and policies that will help to stem the number of animals entering care facilities through education and awareness, promotion of spaying and neutering, and community involvement.
About their facilities
Caring For Creatures is situated on 157 beautiful and secluded acres in the rural countryside of central Virginia. They are located approximately 35 miles southeast of Charlottesville and 65 miles west of Richmond, VA.
At any given time CFC is home to 200 animals: on average they have 55 dogs in residence and 145 cats. Upon arrival to the sanctuary each animal is thoroughly examined and tested for various health conditions. All receive appropriate vaccines and other medications deemed necessary by our veterinarians. Each animal is spayed or neutered. In addition to orthodox veterinary care, CFC utilizes alternative methods of care such as homeopathy, flower essences, acupuncture, T-Touch, animal communication, and chiropractic adjustments. To that end they seek out trained practitioners in these various fields for consultation and application.
Kitty Quarters
CFC's new cattery, the Scratching Post was completed in August of 2003.
They have two feline residences: The Scratching Post, a 3,000 s. f. facility, is their main cattery and consists of six rooms, each having the capacity of approximately 20 cats. The Eleanor K. Friede Feline Residence has three cat areas and is typically home to about 40 cats. Their cats live a cageless life lounging on beds, climbing cat trees, or taking sunny naps in the protected outdoor patios. CFC is one of the few facilities in the state that offers ongoing care for cats testing positive for feline leukemia and the FIV virus. They have a senior citizen room for those cats enjoying their retirement years and an Observation Room for new arrivals and cats recovering from illness or surgery.
Canine Corner
Their canines live in spacious outdoor kennels with ample, comfortable housing that includes heat during the winter months. The dogs are combined in small compatible groupings. Their yards offer shady areas in the summer as well as raised tables for lounging on or under. The sanctuary also has a large pond for our water-loving residents during those hot and humid dog days of summer! Weekly visits by volunteers provide socializing and walks through the woods.
CFC's Training & Education Center offers the perfect space for teaching basic doggie manners to our residents as well as a bathtub for bathing. An adjacent 60' x 140' Training Arena provides agility equipment for the canine athlete.
A variety of animal-related workshops are offered throughout the year to enhance the relationship between humans and their animal companions. Topics range from communicating with animals, learning and practicing Tellington-Touch, to introducing a pet to a new baby, and much more.
Adoption Procedure
Caring For Creatures' goal is to place as many of our animals as possible into loving and responsible homes. Our adoption process is thorough and they make every effort possible to correctly match animal and human.
If you are interested in adopting one of the CFC dogs or cats, the first step is to complete our Adoption Application. This form may be printed from the website, completed, and faxed, mailed, or brought to the sanctuary. If CFC receives more than one application for an animal, the applications are considered in the order they are received. If more than one adopter is a good match for the animal in question, the application received first will be selected. You may fax your Adoption Application to: (434) 842-1308.
Adopters are required to sign an Adoption Agreement.
ADOPTION FEES: Cats: $60, Dogs: $75. For unaltered animals (typically this would include kittens and puppies), $25 of this fee is refundable to adopter when the spay or neuter procedure has been done. In order to receive the refund, Adopter must have the procedure completed on or before the date designated in their Adoption Agreement. Refund will be mailed once CFC receives the Written Statement of Sterilization By Licensed Veterinarian provided at the time of adoption. CFC is vigilant in following up with adopters to confirm the spay/neuter procedure has been completed on a timely basis!
While awaiting adoption, the animals live their lives in spacious living quarters and enjoy the companionship of other animals, volunteers, and dedicated staff. They choose not to euthanize healthy animals to create additional space.
There are no wrong animals. There are wrong matchups!
As a not-for-profit charitable foundation, Caring For Creatures operates solely on donations. Without the help of many individuals they could not continue their work. Your tax-deductible donations to make a difference and they put every dollar to very good use. If you are able to assist them in our work, please call, email, or write the sanctuary. Ask them about the Sponsorship Program, Charlie's Gift, a special emergency fund, and their group of Providers.
Rags to the Rescue - the Humane Education Dog
Help spread Humane Education to your area using Rags, the HumaneEducation Dog. Created to help shelters and schools teach children how to treat animals with compassion and to stay safe around animals. Rags, a marionette, dances his way into the hearts of all he meets. Why not order one for your school or shelter today? Click here to learn more about Rags and to order a Rags, the HumaneEducation Dog KIT.
Caring For Creatures believes it is important for children to understand how to interact safely with the animals that share our world. Through the wonderful medium of puppetry and the help of volunteers, Caring For Creatures help teach children crucial skills needed to help them interact with animals in a loving and safe way. Students will join in the fun and practice these skills with CFC's very own Stand Like a Tree song. To book a presentation or for more information, please contact Caring For Creatures at 434-842-2404.
Dog Training
Classes are held on a regular basis at Fluvanna County Parks and Recreation's Community Center in Fork Union and are also now offered at Center Hill School. Please visit the website for more information on current classes or call Cheryl Falkenburry at 434-591-6113 or e-mail her at info@centerhillschool.com for information on classes or private in-home sessions.
Please donate - Caring For Creatures is a non-profit, charitable organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Sponsorship Program
The Caring for Creatures sanctuary is home to over 200 animals. As a non-profit organization, they support their work entirely through tax-deductible donations from individuals like yourself. Each month they must spend a minimum of $5,000 to cover the basic expenses involved with caring for these animals: food, veterinary care, housing, litter, part-time helpers, utilities and other administrative costs. That is approximately $30.00 per animal, per month.
A sponsor is an individual or group of individuals that is willing to financially support one or more of their animals on a monthly basis. Each sponsor receives a Sponsorship Certificate with a photograph of their adopted animal along with a brief resume and history about them. They also provide a Sponsorship Coupon Book and return envelopes for sending in the monthly donation. Throughout the year they provide you with regular updates on your new friend. In addition, for IRS purposes, at the end of the year you will receive copies of receipts for the total of that year's tax-deductible donations. If your sponsored animal is adopted, they select another deserving animal for you to sponsor. They also encourage their sponsors to visit the sanctuary and meet their four-legged friend in person!
Becoming a Sponsor is EASY! Follow the donation link below to find out how.
Provider Program
A Provider is an individual who pledges to financially support one or more staples of life each month for the sanctuary dogs and/or cats. These staples of life include dog and cat food and cat litter. On average, the monthly expense just for these supplies ranges between $2,000 - $2,500, depending on the number of animals in residence. At CFC they choose to purchase as high a quality of food for our animals as we can. Rarely do animals arrive at the sanctuary in robust health; in fact, usually it is just the opposite. It is imperative that they provide them with nutritious meals to first restore their health, and then to maintain it. It is their experience that what they do not spend for healthy food, they will, at some point in time, spend in veterinary care.
Listed below are the staples of life they purchase every month along with the quantity needed and their cost for each one.
DOG FOOD (Dry) $17.00/ 40 lb. bag 20 Bags/month needed Cost: $340
DOG FOOD (Canned) $14.00/case (24 cans) 15 Cases/month needed Cost: $210
CAT FOOD (Dry) $14.50/18 lb. bag 28 Bags/month needed Cost: $406
CAT FOOD (Canned) $11.00/case (12 cans) 60 Cases/month needed Cost: $660
CAT LITTER $5.00/30 lb. bag 100 Bags/month needed Cost: $500
Becoming a Provider is EASY! Follow the donation link below to find out how.
Caring for Creatures is in desperate need of help
Caring for Creatures is a no-kill sanctuary located in rural Virginia. Mary Birkholz is president and founder of the sanctuary which has been in continuous operation for 18 years. Recently the shelter has fallen into a financial slump and is in imminent danger of closing - soon. Why is it that a community will support a disaster in other areas of the world, but forsake their own?
Fluvanna County's 'pupulation' consists of 85% hounds and mixes. This is a big hunting community and quite a few of Mary's residents came to her as strays - lost / forgotten after the hunting season. Of course they aren't claimed because if they get lost they aren't good huntin' dawgs! Then there was the Columbia (Virginia) disaster. Two days before Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, Gabe Swift died of a heart attack while out feeding his massive population of dogs. These dogs were 'collected' and then kept in kennels / makeshift houses / inferior (dangerous) fencing / chicken coops. There were 112 animals involved in this rescue, some going to other rescue groups, but the majority of dogs and cats going to Mary. The county was willing to euthanize all the animals but Mary said NO. The animals involved in this rescue had been terribly neglected during their residency at the Swifts. An elderly couple, they were unable to maintain the kennel areas (grass so dense you couldn't see the dogs, rats, deep in feces, lack of water), and provided little to no medical attention. None of the dogs were spayed or neutered, and there was fighting. Medical needs were attended to immediately, and then a systematic evacuation of the dogs and cats to Caring for Creatures. You can imagine the overwhelming expenses on an organization that was already stressed (financially and population-wise). Because of the treatment during their lives with the Swifts, the dogs have issues which prevent them from being prime candidates for adoption. They are shy / scared / downright afraid. There are no aggressive dogs in the group and all their health issues have been addressed, as well as UTD on shots and all spayed/neutered.
Mary is in danger of closing due to lack of support. If she can return her numbers of animals to 'pre-Columbia' days, she has a chance at returning operations to normal. She would love to find these dogs and cats a permanent loving home, but she is running out of time. What Mary needs is the help and support of other rescue groups who may be willing to take 2 or 3 of the dogs or cats. If you or someone you know may be willing to help, please call Mary at 434-842-2404 or email her at Ccreatures@aol.com.
Contact Information
352 Sanctuary Lane, Palmyra, VA 22963
(434) 842-2404 Fax: (434) 842-1308
www.caringforcreatures.com
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