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PETS COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, EACH REQUIRING
ITS OWNER TO PROVIDE A HOME, SHELTER,
COMPANIONSHIP, AND MAKE A COMMITMENT TO THE ANIMALS'
HEALTH AND WELFARE.
WHEN ISSUES ARISE AND BASIC NEEDS BECOME
COMPROMISED, ABSENT ADOPTION IT'S ONLY A
MATTER OF TIME BEFORE EUTHANASIA BECOMES THE
ANSWER.TO PETE AND KIT JAGODA, OWNERS OF RIVERS
WISH ANIMAL SANCTUARY IN NORTH WEST SPOKANE,
ANIMALS ARE GIVEN A CHANCE TO EXIST AND THRIVE WITH
AN OPEN OPPORTUNITY FOR ADOPTION.BEGUN IN 1995,
PRIMARILY AS A RESCUE FOR DOGS AND CATS, AND AFTER
BECOMING AWARE THAT RABBITS WERE THE THIRD
MOST COMMON ANIMALS AT THE SHELTER, RIVERS WISH
CREATED THUMPQUA, A RABBIT FOSTER HOME OF SORTS,
MEANT TO HOUSE PRIMARILY RABBITS FOR EVENTUAL
ADOPTION.
(KIT JAGODA) THE THING THAT GOT US INVOLVED WAS
JUST BECOMING AWARE OF THE PLIGHT OF ANIMALS AND IT
JUST SEEMED LIKE IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE FELT A
CALL TO DO I GUESS WE FELT THAT WE WANTED TO HELP IN
ANY WAY WE COULD.(PETE JAGODA) I SAID WE'RE GOING
TO END UP KEEPING A LOT OF THESE DOGS WHICH WE DID
BUT WE ALSO FOUND HOMES FOR A LOT OF DOGS AS WELL,
THEN THERE WERE CATS, THERE WERE BUNNIES, JUST
ABOUT ANY ANIMAL YOU COULD IMAGINE, THEY NEEDED HOMES
OR SOMEONE TO HELP, SO IT JUST SORT OF GREW ONE
THING LED TO ANOTHER AND THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW,
THERE ARE ANIMALS EVERYWHERE.
OPERATING AN ANIMAL SANCTUARY IS NO SMALL JOB,
MONEY FOR FEED, LITTER AND VETERINARY CARE CAN ADD UP
QUICKLY, BUT WITH THE HELP OF MANY HANDS, ALONG WITH
TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS, THE OPERATION OF THE
FACILITY GLIDES ALONG SMOOTHLY.(PRUE ADDY) I
LOVE RABBITS, RABBITS ARE VERY SUBTLE ANIMALS AND
THEY MAKE GREAT FAMILY PETS AND THEY MAKE GREAT
PETS FOR PEOPLE WHO WORK 8 TO 5 BECAUSE THEY SLEEP A
LOT DURING THE DAY AND THEY'RE VERY SUBTLE
THEY'RE DIFFERENT THAN CATS AND DOGS IN THAT THEY
DON'T COME TO YOU, YOU GO TO THEM MOST OF THE TIME,
SO THAT WORKS FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
ESPECIALLY ME.
(KIT) OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE WONDERFUL THEY'RE VERY
COMMITTED TO COME OUT EVERY WEEK SO YES IT TAKES
A VILLAGE I GUESS IT REALLY DOES AND WERE
REALLY LUCKY TO HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD PEOPLE
INVOLVED.
BOTH BEING ARTISTS AND TEACHERS AS DAY JOBS, KIT
TEACHING ART FOR SPOKANE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND PETE
TEACHING JEWELRY AT SPOKANE FALLS COMMUNITY
COLLEGE, ART PRODUCED IN THE GALLERY AND METAL SHOP
EVENTUALLY ARE SOLD WITH PROCEEDS GOING TO HELP
FUND BOTH THEIR SANCTUARY AND OTHER ANIMAL RELATED
CAUSES IN THE SPOKANE AREA.FINANCIALLY WE WERE
FUNNELING QUITE A BIT INTO THE OPERATION AND WHAT
I'VE STARTED DOING RECENTLY IS DOING
COMMISSIONED PAINTINGS AND THEN HOPEFULLY GENERATING
AN INTEREST THERE AND THEN HAVING THAT MONEY GO BACK
INTO THE ORGANIZATION I THINK THAT ARTISTS HAVE A
CERTAIN SENSITIVITY TOWARD A LOT OF THINGS AROUND
THEM AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT WE BOTH JUST HAPPEN TO BE
VERY FOND OF ANIMALS AND A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH
RIVER. RIVERS WISH ANIMAL SANCTUARY IS NAMED AFTER
OUR DOG RIVER.
RIVER WAS A VERY SPECIAL DOG I ADOPTED HIM FROM THE
SPOKANE HUMANE SOCIETY IN 1986 HE WAS JUST THE BEST
DOG, I DON'T KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE
CONNECTION BETWEEN HUMANS AND ANIMALS THAT HE WAS
ABLE TO TEACH WE WANTED TO HONOR HIM BY NAMING THIS
AFTER HIM.
RABBITS ARE VERY MISUNDERSTOOD THEY'RE VERY
SENSITIVE THEY'RE VERY SOCIAL THEY'RE VERY
TERRITORIAL SO THERE'S A LOT TO LEARN ABOUT RABBITS
AND WHAT PEOPLE OFTEN DON'T REALIZE THEY DO WELL
WITH THE BONDED PAIR OR EVEN A SMALL GROUP BECAUSE
THEY ARE SO SOCIAL SO WHAT WE TRIED TO DO IS ONCE WE
HAVE THE SPAYED AND NEUTERED WE TRY TO DO
INTRODUCE THEM TO ANOTHER RABBIT SO THEY CAN HAVE A
COMPANION.
WE FOLLOW THE HOUSE RABBIT SOCIETY PHILOSOPHY THE
IDEA IS THAT ALL OF OUR RABBITS ARE SPAYED AND
NEUTERED THEY'RE ALL HOUSE-TRAINED TO A LITTER
PAN AND WE WANT THEM TO ALL BE HOUSE RABBITS, MOST
OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE ADOPT TO ARE EITHER VERY
RABBIT SAVVY TO BEGIN WITH OR THERE REALLY OPEN TO
LEARNING AND ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN HAVING A
LIFELONG COMPANION RABBITS LIVE 10 TO 12 YEARS WE'VE
HAD A LOT OF LUCK AND A LOT OF SUCCESS IN PLACING
THE RABBITS.
WITH THREE DIFFERENT GROUPS OF FERAL RABBITS,
WHICH ARE DOMESTICATED RABBITS THAT HAVE BEEN
TURNED LOOSE, SPACE IS AT A PREMIUM, WITH LITTLE
ROOM FOR MORE.
(KIT) THE THING IS WITH THE FERAL RABBITS THEY
DON'T REALLY WANT TO HAVE MUCH TO DO WITH PEOPLE
(ROOSTER CROW) THAT WOULD BE JOHN, SO WE HAVE A
PREDATOR PROOF AREA WHERE WE HAVE THE FERAL BUNNIES
WHERE NOTHING CAN GET IN FROM ABOVE NOTHING CAN GET
IN FROM BELOW THE RABBITS ARE SAFE AND IT GIVES THEM
A LOT OF SPACE AND ROOM AND THEY'RE PROTECTED.IT'S
JUST UNBELIEVABLE HOW MUCH NEED THERE IS OUT THERE
UNFORTUNATELY WE CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH.
(PETE) WE CAN'T DO THIS FOREVER, I KNOW THAT.
WHEN PEOPLE SAY WELL WHAT DO YOU GET OUT OF IT WELL
I SAY IT SAVES US THAT PROBLEM OF TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT DO ON VACATION, WE DON'T HAVE TO
SPEND ALL THAT MONEY ON VACATION.
(KIT) BOTH PETE AND I FEEL VERY COMMITTED TO WHAT
WE ARE DOING,
WE ARE VERY FOCUSED MAKING SURE THAT THE ANIMALS ARE
HAPPY AND THAT THEY'RE CARED FOR WELL HERE AND IF
AN ANIMAL DOES GO TO A NEW HOME THEN THAT HOME IS
GOING TO BE AN EXCELLENT HOME SO WE SHARE THE
VISION WE BOTH FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT THE ANIMALS
AND ABOUT DOING WHAT WE CAN TO HELP THEM AS MUCH
AS WE CAN.