My New Pet

27/12/2023

🤣🤣

27/12/2023

25/12/2023

Meowy Christmas! 🎄😻🎄😻🎄

24/12/2023

We are SO excited for Chicken Strips to celebrate the holiday season and many more to come with his new Dads!

Chicken Strips came from a rural shelter as a newborn kitten with his littermates and mama cat. There was an outbreak of deadly calici virus at the shelter. They wouldn’t have survived had our founder, Richelle not fostered them in her home. All of his siblings and mama cat have been adopted. Today was his turn. Chicken has been a delight to have around the clinic. He is playful, hilarious and very cuddly when he’s finally worn out. Now he gets to start his next chapter as a sibling to another kitty in a fantastic family. Shelter networking, fostering and adopting saves lives.

Happy holidays, Chicken. We love you.

24/12/2023

09/02/2023

14/01/2023

It is with a very heavy heart that we report Dirt, our Boss Shop Cat, passed away yesterday. He was 15 years old, and beloved by everyone here at the railroad and around the world.

Here’s Dirt’s story. In the spring of 2008, a little kitten of orange and white fur was found in the engine house by himself. The mother and any other kittens were long gone. The crew at the time would sit for hours each day with cans of tuna and soft cat food, to get the little fur ball to trust them.

When he finally came around to trusting them, Al, the railroad’s Master Mechanic, took him to the vet for a checkup, shots, and eventually he was neutered. It was live and let live. The shop guys did their thing, and the little kitten did his thing. The warmest place in the shop is in the cab of a coal-fired steam locomotive. There is coal dust everywhere. Over time, our little ball of fur started picking up some of the black coal dust, and he was named Dirtbag. As our visitors started discovering the shop’s cat, it was decided to shorten his name to Dirt.

The engine house and machine shop are very dirty, noisy environments. In addition to the locomotives and railroad cars being moved in and out. Repair work goes on all the time. Dirt got very wise, very fast, quickly figuring out where not to be when locomotives and cars were moving, or work was being performed.

He grew into a large rough-and-tough tom cat that ruled the shop and surrounding neighborhood. We saw him playing fetch with gophers and bats. Don't ask us how he got them, he just did. He hated being cleaned up, but loved being a railroader. It was not uncommon to find him rolling around in the dust outside the shop.

The shop knew he was special, and did what they could to protect him. When Angie, our superintendent, went to work in the mechanical department she became one of his caretakers. She became his nemesis, since she took him for his vet visits. She cleaned him as much as she could, which Dirt did NOT like at all. To make amends, she would sneak him turkey dinners on the holidays.

Mike Calchera, our grizzled track guy, got to scratch Dirt’s ears and would make sure he had clean warm beds, it was Al who was his favorite. Al was our master mechanic at the time, had a soft spot for Dirt. Dirt could do no wrong and was given the run of the shop and the engine house.

The arrangement of Dirt doing his thing, while the shop guys did theirs, would have stayed that way, had it not been for the keen eye of photographer extraordinaire, Steve Crise. It was during the 2018 winter photo shoot; Steve was walking through the machine shop. He happened to notice Dirt, sitting regally, in front of locomotive 40. He laid down on the machine shop floor with his camera, and grabbed the shot with Dirt posing the whole time.
It was a great photo, but there are thousands of great photos out there. What Dirt needed was a publicist, enter Eric Mencis, who was our Guest Services Manager at the time. Eric posted Steve’s photo on our page and the rest, they say, is history!

Who knew that a semi-feral cat, living at a National Historic Landmark Railroad, in the middle of the “Big Empty” of Nevada, would become so famous? We sure didn’t, but boy howdy did Dirt become famous! Google “Dirt the Nevada Northern Cat,” and stories, videos and articles pop up. Dirt has been featured in the Washington Post, Trains Magazine, and newspapers in Europe, not to mention the thousands of individual posts of our visitors that got to take his picture.

All this publicity brought people to Ely to see him, many traveling hundreds, if not thousands of miles. This stunned the staff and volunteers. After all, Dirt was just Dirt, right? Nope! Dirt was a media and social media sensation, and Dirt knew it!

As part of the experience at the Nevada Northern Railway, we offer scheduled guided tours of the machine shop and engine house. Dirt knew the schedule. He would hide away all morning long, but let the 2:30 pm tour come into the machine shop, and Dirt was there to greet them. When the tour was over, Dirt would wander off to one of his many hidey-holes until the next tour.

Dirt has fans that love him from all over the world. But we few at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum are the lucky ones. We got to love him in person. As he aged, we found a vet that loved him as much as we did. Dirt also received more care takers including Jasmine, who would be his last. He never missed a meal, or a head scratch. As he aged and slowed down, he learned to love watching shows on our phones while he was sitting in our laps. After the show, he would leave streaks of dirt on the pants of his visitors, or drool on their boots.

Dirt was one-of-kind. He was the Boss Shop Cat at the Nevada Northern Railway. Con, our Trainmaster, selected a spot on the grounds in between the Depot, and the Freight Depot in the shade of a pine to serve as his final resting place. His burial site is opposite where all our excursion trains’ locomotives sit prior to departure, and it gives a view of the yard, that in addition to the shop, was Dirt’s domain.

But be forewarned, if you’re visiting the Nevada Northern Railway Museum and you’re admiring one of our steam locomotives just prior to departure, don’t be surprised, if, out of the corner of your eye, you see a lanky old guy, holding an orange and gray cat, looking over the locomotive. The old guy will be cursing a blue streak at the crew, while the cat just looks on knowingly. If you turn to confront them, they will have disappeared. But don’t fret, that was just Al and Dirt checking out the locomotive, making sure that everything is running smoothly. After all, they don’t call us the Ghost Train of Old Ely for nothing.

We are all saddened with the passing of Dirt. He will be missed. The machine shop and engine house won’t feel the same without him. His last days were spent with the crew that loved him best. Gathering around, our crew laid him to rest while a Nevada snowstorm blew through. They shared their memories and thanked him for his service. Knowing that they were laying to rest one of their own, a part of the Nevada Northern Railway family. They will all tell you, this was one of the hardest things they have done here.

To commemorate Dirt, we will be having two life size bronzes cast of Dirt. One will serve as his gravestone, the other will be placed in the machine shop, so Dirt can continue watching over the shop. As details become available on the bronzes, we’ll keep you posted.

And don’t forget, Dirt was teaching his protégé DJ, Dirt Junior, the ins and outs of being the Boss Shop Cat. We knew this day was coming, DJ now has big paws to fill.

We will be posting stories on Dirt, and his time at the railroad in the coming days and weeks. Please feel free to post your stories in the comments for all to read.

Sincerely,
The Nevada Northern Railway Crew

Mark, Joan, Angie, Charish, John Henry, Lennox, Josh, Nick, Carlos, Mike Hughes, Con, Mike Hejny, Kurt, Gary, Ron, Bill, Kelvin, Kemper, Ellie, Jasmine, Kat, Jim, Roger, Will, Brian, Zech, Derek, and Michael Green.

14/01/2023

"You're more expensive than a human doctor!" - Some of us hear that so often that we start to believe it. Here are some numbers to keep in mind.

07/01/2023

07/01/2023

The BEST feeling in the world!! :D

[via | Twitter]

25/11/2022

With holidays around the corner, make sure you are super careful with your holiday decorations please!

07/10/2022

Different pets are sometimes the best pets. Don't pass up a pet just because it's different, or you will miss something truly remarkable.

22/09/2022

I'm back in the clinic! That's right, Angel Paws offered me a spot on their staff, and I took it! Thank you, Angel Paws. Here are some pictures from my first weeks back.

22/09/2022

17/09/2022

Time to find a new friend!

A 501c3 organization dedicated to providing resources to improve the lives of the most at-risk animals in our community.

10/08/2022

I endorse this. But you don't need to park illegally to help your homeless fur friends. You can always donate time, money, or supplies to your local shelter!

Muncie Animal Care & Services is an animal shelter based in Indiana. For years, they have provided animal adoption and animal control services. Recently, the shelter is facing a slight dilemma. Currently,...

06/08/2022

24/07/2022

Funny clip, but also a good reminder to only let your puppy do what you will allow his big dog self to do. A polite shake is a much better greeting than a body slam! 😆

23/02/2022

My Angel Paws friends do amazing work with the little they have. Please support them by visiting their wish list and sending them some new boxes for their kitties.

At the end of a hard day, an unexpected delivery of Amazon boxes came with so many things from our wish list! We were so excited opening boxes of paper towel and dental gauze! Thank you so much to those who have donated! We appreciate your generosity and kindness. ❤️

😹The cats also appreciated the boxes 😹

We have updated our list with some bigger items that we desperately need! Please check out our list here:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3IZ43TOP1HR41?ref_=wl_share

Thank you for your support! We are so grateful for the donations. Every like, share, and comment is appreciated!

16/02/2022

Chubby pets are cute, but not healthy. Increase your pup's quality and quantity of life by keeping them at a healthy weight.

17/12/2021

What a ❄️ week it’s been! We haven’t had a storm set like this in a long time. Before y’all head out to frolic in the snow this weekend we’d like to share some safety concerns.

1. Be cautious cross country and tele skiing with your doggos. Common injures are lacerations, severed tendons and even veins from skis. Be prepared with a first aid kit in your backpack.

2. Ice melt and rock salt can cause irritation to cats and dog’s paw pads. Wipe paws with a warm wet washcloth and dry when they come inside.

3. Rough ice can cut paws. At Tanner Park yesterday morning I saw a lot of bloody paw prints in the snow from minor cuts. Inspected paws when they come inside.

4. Dogs and cats can suffer hypothermia, too. Be aware of time outside, your pet’s coat length and keep them OUT of the water. I know dogs love to swim regardless of the temperature. But their bodies cannot handle it. Dog jackets, booties and sweaters are an adorable and important way to keep pets warm.

5. Add an extra litterbox inside or outside (out of the snow) for cats that go outside. Their outdoor potty spots are covered in snow. This can cause cats to hold it until they just can’t anymore which can lead to urinary tract infections and inappropriate urinating in the house.

⭐️ DO NOT LEAVE PETS OUTSIDE ⭐️

📸 of my doggo Joey at Tanner Dog Park yesterday.

14/12/2021

Headed over the river and through the woods to Gramma's like Santa and Bruce, the Red-Nosed Dane-deer? If so, pump the breaks. Because it's probably icy and you may not be fully prepared. We have a few safety tips for ya.

1. Pack for your pet. For the love of Frosty the Snowman, PLEASE do not wait until the day of travel to request a prescription. Make sure to have prescription meds and/or diets filled several days in advance. It's often the last thing pet owners think about when packing for a trip. Make sure you bring their own bed, bowls and extra food.

2. Allow for extra time. Pets and kids need more bathroom breaks than you'd expect. Know where rest stops are along the route.

3. Plan for an emergency. There's nothing quite like being on a desolate stretch of highway with no cell service when your dog lacerates their paw pad on broken glass at a pitstop. Know where the nearest veterinary ERs are along your route. I look about every couple hundred miles. Check out www.aaha.org for their AAHA-Accredited Hospital Locator tool. This is also a good time to pack a pet first aid kit to your vehicle or your carry-on if you're flying.

4. Does your pet suffer from motion sickness? Whether headed to the airport or driving, do not feed them before travel and make sure to take a walk prior to getting into the car. Pack some potty pads. They can double as a bib for drool. Ask your favorite Veterinarian about medications they recommend for motion sickness.

5. Maintain routines. Whether during a long road trip or at a relative’s home, your dog will appreciate eating their meals and taking their usual walk at the same time. Cats are creatures of habit too, so keeping their routine as normal as possible is important for limiting their stress.

6. Update your pet’s ID tags and microchip. The last thing you want is for your pet to get lost while on holiday. But in case they do, having a collar with up-to-date contact information and making sure their microchip is registered and updated will increase your chances of a fast reunion.

24/11/2021

Keep your holiday safe and happy!

Poor Ghillie, my former Doberman foster pup isn't feeling too hot in this picture. He was a classic pancreatitis case. He couldn't get comfortable, didn't want to eat and started vomiting. Why, you ask? Bacon grease in the garbage.

Fatty foods make the pancreas angry. Inflammation of the pancreas causes digestive enzymes to spill into the abdominal cavity resulting in secondary damage to the liver, bile ducts, gall bladder, and intestines. After recovery from acute pancreatitis some dogs may continue to have recurrent bouts of the disease, which is referred to as chronic pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis develops sometimes days after ingesting the offending food(s). I know it's hard to say no to those big, sad puppy dog eyes. But for your pet's safety please refrain from sharing your holiday feast. Or have a can of green beans (NOT green bean casserole) for the puppers at the table. *Sucking the "good stuff" off then giving it to your dog is a NO NO, too. I see you, Grandpaw.

If your dog is experiencing serious symptoms get them to the ER ASAP. Otherwise, please contact us at 801-272-5557.

17/11/2021

Mitz, our beautiful polydactyly, is still looking for her forever home. 💜💜💜

30/10/2021

It's Halloween time too. Please keep all your pets safe this weekend by keeping them indoors or in a room to themselves if you are expecting company.

07/10/2021

31/08/2021

Cat tip: Are your cats destroying your plants, or worse, getting sick from eating your plants? Try making them a planter of things they can eat, like wheatgrass and catnip, and leave it in their area for grazing on. This satisfies their urge to graze without risking your plants or their health.

Note: leave their new plant out for short periods at first, especially if they are gorging on the new treat, to protect their tummies. Once they get used to it, you can leave it out all the time for their pleasure.

For extra stubborn cats, surround the plants you don't want them at with tin foil with a lemon scent on it. Once they get used to grazing on their plants and not yours you can remove the tin foil and just sprits with a citrus scent now and then to keep them off.