An Interview With Desert Haven Animal Rescue
- Rhiannon
- Jan 23
- 7 min read
Desert Haven Animal Rescue (DHAR) is located in Williamsburg, NM, just a few minutes south of Truth or Consequences (they're practically the same town). And they are AWESOME.
So awesome, I must share them with you. To that end, I interviewed Greta, one of the main faces of DHAR and one of the most influential forces in keeping the rescue running. Here's what she had to share with you.
A little heads up: you won't want to miss the end of this article!
What is your mission, and how do you strive to fulfill it?
Mission: To rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome animals as well as fund comprehensive spay and neuter programs.
Vision: A world where no animal suffers.
We raise funds in order to pay the costs associated with rescuing animals that often need vaccinations and sterilization surgeries. We assemble a team of animal care providers (mostly volunteer and work campers) to take care of our animals every day until they get adopted. We pay close attention to the health and well being of our animals and wrap care plans around them when needed. We cast a wide net and actively promote our rescued animals to find loving adopters for them. In addition, we raise funds to offer discounted spay and neuter for personal pets of Sierra County residents and pay the full cost of fixing and giving a rabies shot to community/stray cats in Sierra County.
How do you source your dogs (strays, owner surrenders, etc.)?
We pull from a variety of sources: T or C Animal Shelter, owner surrenders, Las Cruces Shelter, Las Cruces Rescue, Shelters in other cities in New Mexico, in partnership with other rescues in NM and bordering states.
What does your adoption process look like?
Not necessarily in this order but generally in this order:
Application
Meeting
Interview
Home visit
Counseling
Adoption fee of $75
Finalizing adoption paperwork/vet packet/smooth transition documents
Post adoption counseling as needed
Author's note: DHAR does not limit adoptions to Sierra County! They've adopted dogs (and cats) out to loving homes in Albuquerque and beyond.
What qualities do you look for in potential adopters?
Excited to rescue and adopt, eyes open to the challenges ahead, interest in working on improving behaviors, patience, shortish list of criteria regarding what they are looking for in their new pet, not comparing new pet to previous pets, effective communication.
How do you assess the behavior of the dogs in your care?
Open communication between animal care providers and volunteer dog walkers, request for everyone interacting with our dogs to watch for, observe, pay attention to, and report any changes in behavior (positive and negative), consider factors like new dogs in Dogtown changing the dynamics/illness/overall health/changes occurring or occurred/etc., notebook to record observations along with texting the manager or the text group we’re all on.
Author's note: "Dogtown" refers to DHAR's housing yard - they have "Old West," where most dogs can walk, run, and explore off leash, as well as "Playland," the doggie equivalent to a human child's playground, fully equipped with platforms and agility structures.
What kind of training or rehabilitation do you provide for dogs with behavioral issues?
We hired a professional dog trainer for a dog named Twix who had behaviors beyond our abilities to shape. Her name is Rhiannon! Through professional training sessions, we learned how to help Twix be a calmer dog who listens to us, how to direct his focus by tossing treats at opportune times, and how to give him mental stimulation to help him be calmer. We learned what makes Twix tick and what he doesn’t appreciate and what to do to when his behavior amps up.
Most of our dogs in rescue don’t need any behavior intervention and some dogs need a moderate amount. For the dogs needing the moderate amount of support, we do our best to help dogs become more adoptable. We’re able to handle teaching basic commands paired with simple expectations like having a dog sit before eating their meal. We teach “off” to curb jumping. We enter kennels in a way that doesn’t increase the energy level. We focus on having dogs sit before we open gates to keep their attention on us and what we want them to do. We are many volunteers doing our best with a toolbox that was filled by experience, input from past and current volunteers, and by Rhiannon.
Author's note: You may be tempted to think "A rescue that doesn't have behaviorally challenged dogs? Yeah right!" No, really, Greta and all the other amazing staff and volunteers at DHAR have done a superb job at not only caring for and teaching the dogs in their care, they also go above and beyond each and every day to fulfill their dogs with long walks, off leash run time, and a bunch of other enrichment activities. EVERY DAY. I challenge you to find another rescue as quiet and peaceful as DHAR.
What role do volunteers play in your organization?
A key role! The main role! Volunteers serve on our board of directors, take care of our animals, fundraise and participate in events, do projects around our five acres, everything! Volunteers make the rescue world go round.
Author's note: Please thank the nearest rescue volunteer near you!
Can you share a success story that highlights the impact of your work?
We have a toolbox filled with ideas and strategies for when dog behaviors amp up and start to approach “out of control.” Recently, a large pup named Levi turned one year old and began unwanted behaviors of nipping, jumping, being too rough in play, pushing us around, etc. Our team quickly came together to discuss the behaviors, who was experiencing them, and how to go about solving these problems as quickly as possible. We decided on some strategies to help Levi through this difficult period of growth to keep him from harming anyone on the team. We implemented for two weeks then collected data and reassessed, continued with our approach another two weeks, and then we were able to start allowing him some rein again and within about 6 weeks time we had him through that difficult period back to being enjoyable to walk, play with, and manage. It was a lot of work, a lot of important work on Levi’s behalf.
Author's note: Adolescence is in dogs as the "terrible twos" are in humans. Behavior changes are common in dogs between around 9 months and 2 years in age. Well done, DHAR, for giving Levi structure and positive learning!
What advice would you give to new adopters?
Be patient. Our rescues have been through a lot. We don’t know half of what they went through before they got to Desert Haven. They deserve our patience, and they deserve an adopter’s patience. Keep expectations simple at first, and keep your expectations consistent. Let your new pet learn your routines, give them time to know what they are supposed to do. They will learn. Be open to learning about what your pet needs and likes. Learn about each other, and enjoy that time. Be persistent. You will all come together as a family, in time.
Author's note: You may or may not be familiar with the 3-3-3 rule of adopting a rescue pet. It's more of a guideline - many pets will not fall strictly into this "rule," but generally it takes about 3 days for your new pet to decompress, 3 weeks to learn routines, and 3 months to fully feel at home.
How can people help support your rescue?
Financial donations are very helpful. We provide enrichment activities to our dogs and our cats which cost money. Enrichment helps them feel satisfied and content and this helps them stay calmer and more hopeful while in rescue. We also use donations to provide essentials like food, supplements for good health maintenance, cat litter, and treats for training. Folks can donate on our website to help our sweet rescues get what they need in life while living in rescue. And we promise to work very hard to find each one a home and family. In addition, people can share with their friends and family that we have adoptable pets. We take very good care of our animals, and we can represent them well in adoption conversations and meetings because we know them inside and out. Talk to your friends about Desert Haven Animal Rescue and our unique brand of compassion!
Author's note: Again, you can truly trust Greta's words here: the volunteers and staff at DHAR spend a great deal of quality time with the animals in their care, and they truly get to know the personalities, likes and dislikes, and needs of each individual soul in their care.
Summary
Isn't Desert Haven Animal Rescue just awesome? I highly recommend checking them out and going for a visit! They just might have your next best friend... Perhaps Nutmeg? (Learn about her below!)
DHAR contact info:
Could Nutmeg Be Your New Best Friend?
Nutmeg is described as being a happy, silly, friendly, and playful girl with medium energy levels. Her foster family reports that she is super easy to take care of, even with diabetes - she sits patiently for her injections and makes no fuss at all.
From agility and fetch, to outdoors adventures, to lounging on the sofa watching your favorite Netflix show with you - Nutmeg does it all. Happily and with love.
She loves plushy squeaky toys, to chew on bones, playing with people and other dogs, and will readily entertain herself. Told ya she was super easy!
Here are some more details:
6 years old
40 lbs
housebroken
good with kids
good with dogs, large and small
has never harmed cats, but may chase them
is diabetic and will require special food & insulin shots twice daily for the rest of her life; DHAR will provide Nutmeg's adopter with $75 per month to support her ongoing care!
If you're interested in meeting or adopting Nutmeg, apply today.
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