Sprinkles Of Hope Rescue and Education

Rescuing animals started over two decades ago, when we pulled 3 kittens from a wood pile, and raised them. It's safe to say that, at two years old, I was a precocious child with much to learn. Over the years, we've rescued so many more animals: turtles, tortoises, cats, dogs, birds.... the list could go on. Most recently, we've focused on small, mostly furry, exotics. These include chinchillas, he

dgehogs, rabbits and chickens. As I accumulated these animals, whilst in college, I toyed with the idea of a nonprofit rescue. But when I graduated with a BA in Ecology, and given a little push in the right direction, this dream became real. We are working to get through the many political, economical, ecological, and spacial hoops, as well as all of the paperwork, but we're up and running. Sprinkles of Hope is named after the hedgehog that really jump started this endeavor.

*Sad story alert.*

Sprinkles was a dainty and tiny little girl. She was rescued from a semi-neglectful home, and very soon after, she came into my care. She came to us exceedingly thin, and unbeknownst to us, pregnant. After delivering the babies, Sprinkles cared for them until both made it to adulthood. Within months, our petite girl became so thin, we were feeding her almost exclusively high protein/high calorie foods. Soon, she was wobbling. X-rays were done,and a partial cause was found: displaced and misaligned hips caused by being dropped, repeatedly, and a poor diet.These, in turn, caused a break along her backbone, and during the healing process, it grew sharp, calciferous bone spurs, leading to her wobbling and subsequent loss of mobility. She fought to the very end. Despite the wrongs done to her, she never turned on us. She never showed us anything but love. She cuddled up and went to class with me many of the few days we shared with her. What hit me the hardest after she passed was that had her previous owner known how to care for her, Sprinkles would still be here. She was treated like a possession; something you get, and then put aside once its newness fades. This happens to so many animals, everyday, especially small exotics. They aren't domesticated like dogs and cats; they are often adorable to look at, and can be trained, but at heart they are wild. People don't understand this. So, when the chinchilla bounces off the walls, or chitters at them, or the hedgehog huffs or anoints rather than wanting to cuddle, the animal get ignored, pushed aside, and neglected. People don't know how to care for these guys, and because they are adorable, make very easy impulsive buys. But animals aren't possessions, and can't be ignored or neglected. Eventually, no one wants them because no one knows how to take care of them. This is where we come in. We take these unwanted animals, and resocialize them, incorporate them into an education program, and hopefully find them new homes with more knowledgeable owners. We educate the animals' new pals, and provide them with a lifetime of support. We answer those late night questions, and more. Our mission is to better the living conditions and mental health of these animals while delineating what is right and wrong for each of them, and letting people know. Giving them hope for a better life. This is our mission. We are Sprinkles of Hope.