March Animal Shelter Spotlight

Each month, we donate to 10 animal shelters nominated by you. One of the shelters this month is Angels for Minis in Walnut Creek, California. After reading their nomination email they sent to blog@cuddleclones.com, we were so happy we could help them out! 

ABOUT ANGELS FOR MINIS

Angels for Minis(501c3), founded in 2013, is a non-profit sanctuary dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption of miniature horses. They rescue these unique animals and provide them with shelter, food, veterinary care and lots of love. The horses, who come from all around the western U.S., are referred to AFM by humane societies, animal control officers, and the tips from concerned parties who become aware of an abandoned horse. Angels for Minis are one of very few miniature horse rescue facilities in the country.

HOW THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACTED THE SHELTER

The pandemic restrictions have confronted Angels for Minis with severe financial challenges.   They have not been able to hold their Mini Horse Shows, nor have they been able to celebrate with our yearly fundraising gala. Angels for Minis has no paid staff nor steady income.  They rely completely on donations but those have dwindled in the past year.

The horses rescued at Angels for Minis require a great deal of attention. Some horses come to AFM fully wild; others have never experienced human touch; some have been starved. Some require special feed. Others come needing wound care, medication or surgery.  Their dedicated corps of committed volunteers provides day to day care, socialization and patient training. Although tiny, minis need the same maintenance care as do their larger counterparts. In addition to basic environmental care and nutrition, the minis need veterinary and dental care. While they do not wear horseshoes, minis do require periodic visits and hoof trimming from the farrier. The average expense per horse after an initial veterinary visit is $550-$2,050. 

If you would like to help the Angels for Minis animal shelter, you can make an individual donation to the shelter here. 

To view a full list of shelters we donated to last month – check out our most recent donations blog post. Do you know of a shelter in need of some extra support? Send an email to blog@cuddleclones.com and tell us more about them for a chance to be one of the 10 shelters selected for next month’s animal shelter donations. Thank you!