Desert Haven Animal Refuge, New Mexico

[retiredhappy]

Be careful of Desert Haven. I worked there for 2 months a couple of years ago. They are great to the animals BUT they treat their workampers like slave labor. On my contract I had written "No working outside in the hot sun". Then there we were, me and the other workampers, outside at high noon with the temp being 93 degrees raking rocks off the paths. I told the owner I couldn't do that and she said to just go ahead an unload her pickup truck which was full of rocks. At the time I was 66 and not up to the physical labor she seemed to want done. She wanted the dogs fed, walked and the pens cleaned starting at 7 to 7:30 am. She also has a thrift store in town with NO AIRCONDITIONING and you're expected to work there at least one day a week. She has these weekly staff meetings and if you say the word "CAGE" you have to put a quarter in a jar. You're expected to keep the plants around your site watered and believe me, you hear about it if you don't. A couple of the workampers that were there when I started actually pulled out real early in the am so as not to deal with her.

They have besides dogs and cats, rabbit, guina pigs (lots of them) peacocks, ducks and chickens. Never knew guina pigs could poop so much and you have to scrape out their pens at least twice a week.

My suggestion if you think about going there is to just stay a night or two at their RV park and check it out as it has been a couple of years since I've been there.

[avalen]

good info, we always like to hear of the places to be careful of as well as the great
places too. Thank you for sharing