Rancho Ridiculouso

04/22/2025

The Gabapentin has worked wonders on Barkley! Very little biting on his back feet and legs now.

However......he has substituted one bad habit for another. He is constantly on my dining table and even takes naps there. He's like, "I am the king and this is my kingdom!"

This guy is something else!!

04/22/2025

I spent 6 hours yesterday putting up the electric fence netting. It took a while to get all four together and making sure I was able to use them all.

I didn't hook up the fence charger yet but so far they seem to think it's just a new fence. Today I'll electrify it.

You can see how happy they are to be back in their big play yard! I am also so happy they are not around my feet 24/7! I've had them in my house and in a small dog run for two months now after that complaint from a neighbor.

04/20/2025

Happy Easter Sunday!

May your basket be full, your heart light, and your troubles non-existent.

All of us here at Rancho Ridiculouso wishing you a blessed day.

04/19/2025

So here is a new scam…it’s an email one.

I got an email from
Nicole King which is my daughter. Subject line said pictures. I’m thinking she’s sending me photos.

But in the body of the email it is all about Ward Van Lines with a link. There’s also a link for me to see 3 photos supposedly from Nicole. It gave phone number and address for ward van lines in Santiago Chile!!

At the bottom of the email it shows it’s from Nicole and Ward Van Lines.

When I went to the “sent from” Nicole King and clicked to see her email address it gave her email address as Wardvanlines.

I called her and asked “are you moving?” She’s
Like what are you talking about? Bottom line I am smart enough to never click on a link I’m not familiar with. I blocked it and deleted that email.

OMG the scam business must be pretty profitable to think up this crap! My TX daughter has a Criminal Justice degree and works for a big time cyber security firm. I’m calling her to see what I need to do.

04/19/2025

It's continuing to snow for the past two days. I turned my heat off a while ago so I hope it starts to warm up soon.

Another mouse in my jucuzzi this morning, but the dogs took care of it....if you know what I mean.

I have never lived in such a mouse infested area in my life. Twenty three years here, and they have destroyed three cars that were deemed totaled. It's not just a couple of mice....it's hundreds if not thousands! I keep thinking of Gene Hackman's wife dying from Hantavirus.

We built our home in a hay field by the river, and they are just everywhere. In the winter they burrow under the grass all around us, and I swear they have now learned to use the dog door.

I find them in the dog water buckets all the time. They even chewed through the wall in the bathroom of the guest apartment so the drywall had to be replaced. It's like that movie "The Birds" but "The Mice" lol.

You would think my mouse phobia would be cured by now, but it's no where near cured....in fact it's worse.

04/19/2025

UPDATE on Maddie the 15 year old cat. Someone from Telluride saw the post and went to the Montrose Shelter and adopted her!

I'm telling you....that Taco Bell Angel is working overtime these days.

I couldn't be happier for Maddie!

04/18/2025

I am happy to announce I have found someone to stay at Rancho Ridiculouso the week I'm away in Cancun!!!

First of all...thank you to everyone that reached out to me offering to help, but this couple live in Hotchkiss and know the sanctuary.

I've actually kept their dogs many times, and the man has helped me with "fix its" here various times. Even the sofas in my shelter office were donated by them quite a while ago.

The woman has a degree in animal science, was a vet tech for many years and has a lot experience with horses. I can now actually relax, and because they live so close, they will come out often before June to get the dogs used to them.

04/18/2025

Winter is refusing to leave…….

04/17/2025

As you know I am going to Cancun in June. I fly out very early morning on Saturday June 21st and return the evening of Saturday June 28th.

I'm looking for a couple of people to stay here while I'm away to care for the dogs, horses and donkeys. I need experienced and savvy dog sitters, and I don't think one person can handle all that is required here on the 40 ac ranch with dogs and livestock for a whole week.

I have a guest apartment with full kitchen or they can stay in my home. Their choice.

My plan is to put most of the dogs in the shelter and the older of my pack in my house.

Of course I am going to pay for your services and would like you to begin on Friday morning, June 20th so that I can show you the ropes.

I cannot stress enough that I need people that have experience dealing with a large pack of dogs in a communal living environment because things can get out of hand for the inexperienced. I am still trying to rehome some of my pack.

If I can't find someone to stay here then I'm thinking maybe I could foster the dogs out for the week????

You can contact me at 970-921-3784 (landline) or my cell 970-697-8568 or email me at [email protected].

04/17/2025

I have a serious phobia of mice. I think it's because when my mother was 9 months pregnant with me she was getting dressed and a mouse ran up her pants leg as she was putting them on.

She said she totally freaked, grabbed it in her pants while getting them off furiously. She ran outside and threw those pants in the yard.

When I see a mouse an intense fear wells up inside me, and my instinct is to run away.

This morning the dogs are gathered around the jucuzzi in my bathroom so I suspected it could be a mouse. It wasn't just one ...it was two. There was no way I was going to get anywhere near them, and finally Kyra jumped in.

I left the door open to the dog run in hopes she would get them outside, but she was just too entertained by them. I haven't been back there to see what's going on.

Barkley was acting as the guard of this whole episode. He wouldn't let any other dogs through his barrier so that these 4 could do their job lol.

I'm sorry to you mouse lovers, but I really hope they're dead.

04/16/2025

Yesterday when I spent two hours looking for Joey I went to several businesses to ask them to keep an eye out. One of those was the Rocky Mountain Inn. I told them where Joey had gone missing from and they knew his new parents.

Right before I got to the Inn they had seen Joey in their parking lot and he ran back toward his home.

This morning Joey was again in their parking lot and the woman that works there was able to pick him up. She took him home and there he was when I arrived this morning.

He was still so scared and wedged underneath the bathroom vanity. It took me a while to get him out of there but when I did he realized it was me.

As you can see in the video he was pretty excited to see me. His mom came home about that time, and he was excited to see her as well.

Their home has a fenced yard all the way around it with a dog door to the inside. They will not be taking Joey for walks until he feels more comfortable being with them. That will most likely take several weeks.

I'm ecstatic this couple are so patient and still willing to work with him. What a relief it is for him to be back home safe and sound.

04/16/2025

04/15/2025

Well.....I failed. In fact I never even saw Joey for the two hours I searched.

But he was close by because a man saw him not minutes before I got there. He ran through the parking lot and back towards his new home so obviously he's staying close.

His new home is on a dead end street right by the river so he's got quite a bit of rocky and bushy river front to hide in. His mom had to go to work and his dad is working on building their new home right next to their current one.

They left the gate open to the yard and he can go through the dog door back into the house so I asked that they check inside periodically.

I also left a cat trap for them to set right before dark. Poor little guy. He had been doing so well until the leash was put on. I thought he was dragging it but he slipped his collar and leash so he has nothing to get hung up on.

I asked what they wanted to do when we catch him, and they still want to keep and work with him. Joey has had little interaction with men because David was so sick for so long. It was his new dad he got away from. I was told when his mom came home from work the first day he was so excited to see her.

04/15/2025

UPDATE: I'm on my way to where Joey is. This morning he almost came to the wife but ran back in because she was on her bicycle which I'm sure was a big scary thing. At least we know he stayed put and I'm sure I will be able to get him. Not sure what they want to do when we catch him. Keep you posted.

I spoke too soon about Joey. Just got a call that the husband took him on a walk and he got away from him. He was on a little retractable leash that he's now dragging.

It’s been a hour and they can’t find him but it wasn’t far from their home. They left their yard gate open in hopes he will come back on his own.

Joey is the the type that will not bolt and head for the hills so i expect he is hiding in the heavy brush.

If he doesn’t come back into the yard by morning they will let me know and I’ll go over. I know he will come to me.

This Is the hardest part about rescue. You want them to find loving home but sometimes the dog just doesn’t want to leave and the reason I have so many dogs.

04/14/2025

Yesterday afternoon little Joey left for a trial adoption period. So far so good!

Joey is 3 years old and a male Chihuahua/Mini-Aussie/Border Collie. He has been at the sanctuary since he was 6 weeks old. He was never adopted because he was that puppy that was so shy he would stay way behind the others in his litter when people came to see them.

His new mom and dad saw through his shyness yesterday and decided to take him for a trial period. From the photo here I think we can tell he warmed up quickly. I will miss him, but I'm grateful he finally has full attention.

Keep you posted.

04/14/2025

I have spent all morning working on my 2024 tax return. I moved from my office to the kitchen table to have more room for all the supporting documents.

It is now E-filed along with the amount I owed....which was a lot. But this will most likely be the last time I will owe anything because 2024 was the last year we received David's E & Y partner retirement benefits. My income going forward is drastically slashed.

I can't afford to stay here at Rancho Ridiculouso for more than a couple of years which is good timing because I am getting old.

All the while I was working on the tax return Mr. Barkley set up his own office in mine. He got a lot of paperwork (from the trash can) done lol! In the video you see Leah walk in and right back out whispering under her breath, "Oh boy. Are you ever in trouble..."

04/13/2025

So far gabapentin isn't having any effect on Barkley, but I read that it takes about a week for it to work. It's not even making him sleepy at all. The plan is to keep him on it for 10 days and if not working I will take him off of it.

I can't believe I have never noticed this on Barkley until yesterday. He does not have a bottom canine tooth on his right side! I opened his mouth and looked closely. It's not that it broke off it just never existed. His gum where the tooth should be is completely smooth. Nothing about this guy is normal.......

04/12/2025

Barkley just had his first dose of Gabapentin with his breakfast. Can't wait to see if it works. He can have up to three per day if needed.

I don't know how long it takes the Cytopoint injection to work but he didn't slow down one bit in biting his back legs last night and this morning.

David had trigeminal nerve pain in his face so I have a lot of gabapentin. If it doesn't curb Barkley's obsession with his back legs and feet after 10 days we go to the next step in the plan.

Maybe this is an "oral fixation" problem. As you can see....he also likes to chew on my feet!