Sanctuary makes home for abandoned creatures

By Marty Metzger
Correspondent

The weak, skinny puppy stumbled from hunger and thirst. She slowly wobbled alongside the railroad tracks, ready to let death claim what little was left of her, when she spotted a building and crawled toward the sound of human voices within it.

Here Lizzie, as she would be called, received a second chance. The railroad workers who found the 6-month-old stray contacted Denkai Animal Sanctuary. Its founder, Floss Blackburn, said she'll never forget the pathetic condition of that sad, sickly pup.

Lizzie had no hair anywhere on her body. Instead, bloody lesions covered her flaking skin. The Shar-Pei/pitbull mix Blackburn hurriedly carried from the Vine and Timberline rail yard in Fort Collins hovered near death. She passed nothing but corn in her stool for three days, indicating shelter in a cornfield was all that had sustained her for some time.

Veterinary bills that mounted up to more than $1,000 didn't deter Lizzie's foster mom, Kristi Fisher of the Mutt Hutt, a Windsor boarding facility. Not only did Fisher pay the burgeoning medical tab, but she also adopted Lizzie, now a healthy, 1-year-old, red and white beauty.

It's because of needy animals like Lizzie and devoted volunteers like Fisher, that Denkai Animal Sanctuary in Carr exists.

Denkai, named for Blackburn's two sons Denali and Kaia, ages 3 and 6, moved from Nunn to Carr in May to provide better facilities for its resident and guest creatures. These include horses, cats, dogs, goats, llamas, sheep, pigs, cows, turkeys and chickens.

The original rescue at Denkai was a 32-inch tall miniature horse named Sweet Pea. In January 2004, at Blackburn's urging, the mare's owner surrendered her. The 7-year-old sorrel's tiny hooves had curled backwards some 4 inches. Blackburn said it looked like the mare was walking on clenched fists. X-rays showed that ongoing neglect had caused the horse's bones to fuse together. Proper care now keeps permanent Denkai resident Sweet Pea comfortable.

More animals joined Sweet Pea, and by May 2004 Denkai had received nonprofit status, moved from west of Ault to just outside Windsor, then to Nunn. Blackburn winced at recollection of the Nunn facility.

She described the primitive premises as all-sustainable, using windmill power. That sounds ecologically marvelous, but the cement-block house had no insulation. A single wood-burning stove barely heated the room it occupied, and the remainder of the house was frigid. Blackburn described routinely dressing for bed in a hat, coat, scarf, gloves and socks. She repeatedly thawed hoses with a torch and conducted private funeral services for three deceased generators. Blackburn's sons, then 2 and 5, spent most of that winter with their dad.

"It was such a horrible place," Blackburn moaned. "It was like being a pioneer. I didn't enjoy being a pioneer."

Several large donations funded the move to Carr, where 180 acres (100 of them in pastureland) support numerous barns, outbuildings and even a silo. The reluctant pioneers had moved uptown.

Blackburn had originally toyed with the idea for the group to save factory-farmed animals. "But that really wasn't us," she said. "Not all of Denkai's volunteers are vegans. We're just not that hardcore. So we decided to work with domestic animals that are owner surrenders, strays, abuse cases and transfers from other rescues."

Denkai's vision is farsighted. The group is currently working on a mobile spay-neuter program for feral cats. They're seeking a grant and private/corporate donations to fund the mobile unit, anesthesia supplies and other needs for a volunteer veterinarian. Blackburn estimates $50,000 is needed to initiate the project.

Other ideas in the early planning stages are low-cost farrier and hay programs to assist horse owners who've fallen on hard times through unemployment or illness. Blackburn believes this would help prevent neglect and owner surrenders. Hay would also be available at low cost to other rescues.

As with most animal rescue groups, Denkai is continuously seeking donations and volunteers. "People are always needed for mobile adoption events, feeding, dog walking, training and riding horses or pen cleaning," said Blackburn. "Monetary and in-kind donations are tax deductible because we're a 501(c)(3) group. We've received trucks, feed, leashes and collars, tack, labor and vet and farrier services as in-kind donations and we definitely welcome more, as our needs continue to expand."

More information about the sanctuary is available on the web site www.denkaisanctuary.org.

Anyone interested in helping the animals should call Blackburn at 897-3122. Donations may be mailed to Denkai at 10375 WCR 118, Carr, Colo. 80612.