Ice Fishing Extravaganza Tournament

Sunday, Feb 15th from 9am to 1pm in wood stove heated shacks. No permit needed between Feb 14th to 16th - it is the Ministry of Natural Resources "Free Family Fishing Weekend". Recommended donation of $10 per person - all proceeds going to NARC. Unless we find a sponsor, costs will be $2 per line/hole, plus a $4 vehicle fee. Bring warm clothes, boots and beverages or snacks. We will have free hot chocolate, hot dogs and chips. You may bring your leashed pets - this is an open invitation tournament! RSVP by Feb 7th with Dan at dddubeau@yahoo.ca or 613-820-8743, 613-240-7992 cell.

Large Shacks #70 and #13
Pourvoirie Masson Angers Schryer
540 chemin de Montréal Ouest
Gatineau, 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa.

Still no electricity - waiting on ESA again!!!

Still no electricity in the mobile home after over 3 weeks of waiting... Hydro has connected us pretty quickly once ESA approved their part. Now we are STILL waiting on ESA - AGAIN! I can't beleive how slow all of it is... Do they not realize that we are homeless and that the farm animals have no water because of this??? I have to bring water 3-4 times a day from another location - isn't that nice... They came to the farm 3-4 times already - what is the problem? We need to get NARC back on track!! We need water on that farm for the horses!!

Wine & Cheese Silent Auction

Come one, come all to our Wine & Cheese Silent Auction to raise funds for NARC. March 28th from 8pm to 1am at Notre Dame Des Champs Community Centre on Navan Road, closest cross street is Mer Bleue. $20 a ticket includes light snack buffet, silent auction followed by a night of dancing with DJ services.

Great prizes to be auctioned off includes a Via Rail Comfort Class round trip for 2 from Ottawa to Niagara Falls worth $625.80, a Hand Made queen zize Quilt is priceless, etc... Keep looking for updates on list of gifts to be auctioned. Tickets will be available very soon!

For those wanting to donate items for the auction, please call us at 613-834-7005 or e-mail donations@narc-charity.ca to arrange pick-up or drop-off.

Ice Fishing, poker tournament - Contact Dan @ dddubeau@yahoo.ca

Ice BREAKING NEWS:
Ice Fishing becomes much more than cold toes!!
Break the bus strike blues with the annual ICE FISHING extravaganza Tournament!
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This year we will combine our fishing efforts with a good cause and support someone in our community who does great work for animals in distress but has recently suffered a major setback. For this reason we will raise the adult entry fee to a "suggested donation of $10 or more" (kids are still free).

As well, one of the Ice Shacks will be hosting an $25 buy-in 50/50 POKER tournament. The winner will get 50% of the buy-in and the other 50% will go to our good cause. (dont worry, poker players can keep an eye on their fishing lines as well).

An unknown number of wood stove heated shacks on the Ottawa river will be reserved within the next two weeks - depends on your RSVPs. I invite you to this “Canadian culture” event - even if its just to sip on the marshmellow filled Hot Chocolate and/or any other drink of your choice. I know that the recent weather may make you think I am crazy, but hopefully the weather will be much nicer than minus 29! Kids are more than welcome; hopefully one of them can catch the biggest fish and take away the annual trophy that my nephew has won the past two years! Please let me know if you are interested and I will add your name to my list and keep you updated. The cost per person includes the gear needed to ice fish - FREE for the kids under 13. Transportation can potentially be arranged, but that will depend on carpool availability- let me know what you need. Date and time to be confirmed; likely to be Sunday Feb 15th or Feb 28th from 9am to 1pm.

Dan
dddubeau@yahoo.ca

2 weeks and still no house!

Wow, this is already the 2nd week of our ordeal! It is taking so much time for the contractors, permits, inspections, etc... before we can even have Hydro installed. Tomorrow the inspector is supposed to come - I say supposed as he was supposed to come by last Friday and again on Monday from what our contractor said... Needless to say - I hear different stories every day! That being said, if he does come by tomorrow... this means Hydro has 5 business days to connect - another 5 business days of us living off other people and NARC being closed! It wasn't tough enough that we lost everything in a few short hours - they are also making us loose our minds! Yes, I guess I am becoming a bit grumpy - wouldn't you? I can't wait to see the light at the end of that tunnel everyone keeps telling me about!!! Till then, I am hanging on by a thin thred in hopes to have a place to call home and NARC getting back on it's feet soon! Thank God for support from the friends, clients and the community as I really don't know what I would do without all of you helping out and pushing me to go on!

Slowly but surely!

Well, I think if all goes well and Hydro connects us soon that NARC will have a home by the weekend (although the inspector is only coming Friday!)... Not sure yet but hopeful! We still need a double sink for the kitchen with cabinet, a temporary computer to update NARC's website until I have time to go out and buy one and of course to pay our vet bill (we re-ordered everything we need, dewormer, ear cleaner, medications, multi-advantage and soon will have to pay that invoice). Although we have received a few collars, leashes, dog beds - we will need a few more and of course plastic crates for when they are neutered/spayed to have a quiet place not to get hurt. We also need treats and dental sticks to keep our pooches teeth clean. Thanks again to everyone that came and helped or with donations over the weekend. If we have hydro by this weekend we will be finishing drywall, puttying, painting and installing flooring for those who want to join!

One more week and hopefully we will be back up and running!

Although NARC will still need many items to fully get back up the hill, a few volunteers showed up and helped in re-building the mobile home. Tomorrow is another day and although we have no Hydro due to inspections and electricians work not finished - we will manage and heat with propane to get warmed up. If anyone out there is experienced in installing wood stoves - now is the time to come out of the woodwork! We need someone with experience to come in and install it this weekend, if possible. Of course it will have to pass inspection so experience is a must!

NARC still needs to pay the vet bill for everyting we re-ordered such as our Strongid-T dewormer, Multi-Advantage, Ear Cleaner, Pain Medication, etc... We also need leashes, collars for when new doggies come in, doggy beds/pillows, plastic crates, rubber gloves, laundry detergent, towels, face cloths, doggy treats, shampoo, tea tree oil shampoo, tea tree oil, oil of oregano, etc... Although NARC had insurance, it does not cover loss by fire which we found out after the ordeal! We are left to start with no help from NARC's insurance to re-build.

Thank you to my friends, NARC clients, the community and everyone out there for your kind words, your donations and your support - I don't think NARC would have survived without all of you! You can't even imagine how much your help has made us stronger and is pushing us through this and of course helping NARC to hopefully become bigger and stronger! There are no words for what happened and no words that can Thank everyone enough!

We don't know how to thank you all...

Although I am still in a daze, still crying every minute of every day - I am trying to be strong and get the mobile home up and running. No way NARC is closing!!! It's my baby - my life and I can't live without it... Thank you to all that called or e-mailed - it is keeping me going and making me stronger every day. Lots of help from the community, people showing up today to lend a hand with drywall and again tomorrow - plumber coming tomorrow to install water to the mobile and electrician for the hydro. Hopefully Hydro One doesn't take a week to connect... we are praying they come tomorrow or the next day. Our 3 pooches are still in foster including the rabbit that survived the ordeal - luckily for Chachi, he found a good home! I will try to get back to everyone who e-mailed and called but it will take some time as I also have to get myself back on track - shop for clothing, get our health cards back, passports and the list just keeps going on and on! Thank you to my neighbours, friends and NARC clients who are either organizing a fundraiser for NARC or have furnished most of the mobile for us - WOW - I still can't beleive how many wonderful people there are out there!! I can't thank everyone enough - don't even know how to start - it is overwhelmingly beautiful and so many people out there care for NARC and my family! We are fine, every day is a new day - it is very tough and I don't wish this on anyone as it is the worst feeling ever! I miss my little people but from what everyone is saying - in time it will get better so I am grasping to that in hopes that the emptiness will end soon! Also, a big thank you to my insurance for stepping in so quickly - Nicky - you are the best!

What we need to get back up and running!

Right now, we are trying to get the mobile home up and running... We need to hook up a meter so that hydro comes and connects the hydro and plumbing needs to be set up from the well and also septic tank. Drywall needs to be finished and once we have heat in the home we also need to putty! We have all the drywall and wood for the floors that needs to be installed. We are lacking the putty, glue for the commercial tiles we have to install, a few drills and of course the Manpower! Other items we will need is a shower head, a toilet, a sink for the bathroom and kitchen double sink with bottom cupboards. Once this is done we will need doggy beds for our rescues as they are all gone, leashes, collars, treats, money for the vet bills, canadian tire money will help to get putty or our wood stove and yes we also need an approved wood stove to heat the mobile home including piping. So many things needed in such a short period of time! We need help, people to come and drywall, putty, install flooring, doggy trap doors so they can run in and out as they please - we also need 2 more doggy trap doors! A few couches, chairs and other items you don't need to furnish to mobile home. Anything you can do to help - give us a call - we don't have a computer right now but can easily access our phone messages. Thank you so much to all of you who called, e-mailed and want to help or sent their best wishes - this society is the best and we send our thanks to everyone! We would't be able to move on this quickly if you wouldn't all be there to morally support us.

My dogs, my rescues - my home - all gone up in flames!!!

I can't beleive I am starting the New Year with such sadness and such a broken heart! My poor babies, I can't stop crying... This was the best day of my life with my 11 new puppies born that morning - until that evening - it turned into my worst nightmare! Although I lost everything - it doesn't matter - it's only stuff but my dogs... that hurt, still hurts and I have no clue how to get over it! I am so sorry to announce this - didn't even know how, but it has to be done... I will try to check e-mails as best as possible and messages!! Luckily the SPCA dogs that were supposed to arrive this Saturday will be held for NARC for at least another week. We still have the mobile home although there is no hydro - we are trying to get that rectified this week so NARC at least can continue on! The four remaining - Kappa - Chachi - Parker and Casey have been fostered out to friends and family until I find a home of my own for 3-4 months...