PARTNER PROJECTS

Are you interested in a unique team, family or scout building opportunity? Know someone that wants to help out a non-profit that rescues animals and helps children? Then sponsor one of our projects below.

Building a tangible product, a home for a deserving animal, not only helps your team, or scout group learn practical skills along the way but they also have a chance to actively communicate in a hands-on project.

If you or your group are interested in one of our projects, please email us at info@safeinaustin.org.

Projects around the rescue

(in no particular order!)

Asphalt/cement driveway -

our driveway is falling apart in multiple places making it difficult to drive on, but also to walk and push wheelchairs around on.
The road going up the right side of the property on the way to the barn is disappearing with drainage issues and the lack of cement/asphalt. It is unsafe and easy to slip for able bodied people to walk down and flat out dangerous for anyone with extra needs.
The road is becoming difficult to drive on and is the only back access to the barn and the only way the Porta-potty company cleans and maintains ours.
In a dream land we would have drainage on the side of the driveway as well!

Asphalt/drainage Inspiration

Hoses/plumbing-

The entire rescue is watered off of a spiderweb of hoses and connectors that are all coming from only three sources and one tank. Hoses are constantly exploding and leaking and not getting adequate pressure.

Water outlet Inspiration

Electrical/lighting

There are multiple areas throughout the rescue that the electrical work is in desperate need of help or upgrade.
None of the lighting or fans in the barn work or are the kind of lights/fans that should be in a barn and actually be helpful. Netflix installed Ikea lights in a working sanctuary barn. All of it needs to be replaced. For right now, we have just strung up some string lights between the stalls to give us any amount of light to see after dark.

Barn light Inspiration

Dog Building-

The main dog building is the last of the buildings that do not meet any of my standards or the actual needs of the animals in there. It was donated to us almost ten years ago, and it had been in that space even longer. Its actually falling apart. Has holes in the floors, broken windows, doors that don’t open, electrical that is literally taped together, and more duct tape then should be in any one space. It’s impossible to cool, and hard to heat. The rodents have easy access and we do not have the ability to stop them.

We need a space that works for any of the dogs (no matter their size or abilities) that need to be fed, or sleep in there. We also want to make the space more people friendly for visitors of all ages and abilities and the possible opportunity to stay overnight with the dogs.
Considering multiple tiny homes and expanding the yard.
This would involve an upgrade to our laundry area
Adding turf to any common area to prevent weather or safety issues

Dog Building Inspiration

Lift-

We have outgrown the reboot room (our classroom) with the number of children that are in our programs now and need to switch the office and reboot room. The only way to do that appropriately is to install the outdoor lift we have already laid the $10,000 cement slab for so that all our visitors no matter their abilities can get up to that space. Right now there are two flights of stairs preventing anyone with physical disabilities from getting up there.
The last quote we got for the lift was around $32,000 but I’m sure it’s gone up some in the last couple of years.

Lift Inspiration

Adding field space to the goat and cow pastures-

We have metal panels that were donated that could easily be wired together to fence off the center of the goat and cow yards. The goal being to bring in soil that is seeded and plant a “pasture” in the middle that we will invite the cows and goats into and keep them out of when necessary. This will give them grazing opportunity but will also enable us to water, monitor regrowth, and keep everyone off when the ground is wet to prevent destroying everything that has grown.
Hoping that we could spray paint the panels black and they would look something like the inspo photo below. The are very sturdy with small holes so the goats can not get their heads stuck and hopeful they will last a long time.

Expanding the tortoise yard and adding tortoise house

We now have five large Sulcata tortoises when our tortoise yard was built for just one. We need to expand into the goat yard next to the current yard and work out a way to have separate runs for the tortoises that could be blocked off sometimes to help with growth and when the ground is wet.
We also need to get more cottages for the tortoises to go into during bad weather.
In each run there needs to be a pond or water source for them to dip in, and a feeding platform for their fresh veggies and whatnot to be put on.

Tortoise Inspiration

Major organization projects with lots of storage tub needs.

Right now we have so much more than we know and too much is ruined simply because of the lack of storage and organization. We host a lot of parties and events for survivors and people and children that deserve to be celebrated. We have so many holiday things for all areas of the rescue. Our summer camps and programs involve stocking up on many supplies and easy access to it when necessary. Dividing out things between holidays, animal care needs, children/family needs, party/event planning/décor and whatever else is so needed.
We do have a few different areas we can get better organized and divide things up better, but we could also use more storage.
Clear tubs are always preferred to save time on opening and closing a million different tubs, causing an even bigger mess, to quickly see what’s inside everything, and to help keep labeling down to a minimum.
(We are brainstorming about storage locations, and how we can affordably get organized in a way that helps us move forward in all areas of the rescue successfully. Our city bus we bought for $3,000 several years ago was a huge benefit for storage and something we are considering doing again. We have very much learned that the barn is not a great storage area cause it everything in it gets covered in dust and whatnot. We’ve also learned our lesson about plastic storage buildings and how they are not built for constant use and animals and Texas weather!

Rescue Entrance/Fencing-

- Looking for a better and nicer looking street side fencing and entrance. Possible wood/vinyl options along with the cattle panels. Making it sturdier and nicer looking. We also have had several pallets of 1x4’s donated that we could possibly use to build a fence with down the road side of the property.

Entrance Inspiration

Chicken City-

Looking to make every chicken coop and run a nice place to visit and an ideal place for the chickens
We need it to be the easiest possible way to clean up and care for the chickens which includes no dust sand inside the coops!
And also inclusive to all visitors.
Ample places for the chickens to perch and play.
Organized tools and set up for feeding and cleaning and easy step by step instructions to feed, refresh water, clean up coop, clean up stream in the run and spray down anything necessary.

Chicken City Inspiration

Landscaping to help prevent erosion and drainage issues

We’re on a big hill and clearing the trees and having animals is causing drainage issues everywhere. We need more railroad ties and areas of leveling to stop erosion and be able to make nice areas for the kids and animals even during wet times of the year.

Railroad tie/landscape Inspiration

Rodent control

We have failed to keep the rodent population down to a manageable level and need help making that happen.
There is the rodent “birth control” that helps make it so that they can not have babies, but it’s super expensive and takes a long time to actually seem like it’s making a difference.
We could very much use some live trapping here that isn’t dangerous for any of the animals or children here. We have no interest in killing anything or having poison of any kind at the rescue obviously!

We love all living things…. But we don’t like for any of them to start taking over!!

Rabbitat update-

The tunnels and “houses” underground need to be cleaned out and rebuilt!
The above ground area needs more shade, more climbing, and more décor and fun things for both the bunnies and the kids that sit inside there to visit them!
I saw that large tile squares are a great addition to shaded areas of the rabbitat for staying cool!

Rabbitat Inspiration

French drain

We need a French drain in front of barn where we dump the water troughs from stalls and going down into the cow pasture where we soak Max’s hay to prevent erosion and mud issues

French Drain Inspiration

Furniture for office deck-

Needs to seat lots of people and take up the least amount of room, this is the porch off the current office space, but future Healing Hearts room! Many talks and group meetings and healing conversations and cuddles will happen on this giant porch. We just need stuff to sit on!

Patio furniture idea-

Finish rainwater collection tanks and ability to water animals and field

We have the tanks, and the barn has gutters, but they are not connected and there is nothing connected to get the water from the tanks to the fields/animals

Cat building

Build an enclosed “patio” for the front of the building so the cats can’t get out and run off as easily when people go in because there is a second door. (First Picture)
Bigger upgraded catio area for the cats to explore outside when they want to. One that we can walk into to check on the cats, feed them outside if needed, and clean up easily would be better!
The cat building is too small already, we could always use an upgrade of the entire building.

Cat house additions Inspiration

Guinea Pig House

Right now we have guinea pigs spread out in random areas around the rescue. We have hopes of one day creating a whole building like the one below that can be just for the guinea pigs. One with multiple levels and space for different families, and needs, attitudes and any disabilities! But a space kids can walk into and sit with and care for the little furry friends!

Guinea pig house Inspiration

Pond

We are so grateful for the $20,000 donation that was made specifically to build this cement pond for our animals and kids. Almost every species of animal uses it to cool off and the kids love getting to swim with pigs and dogs and horses! The cement bottom is crucial to the idea of being able to drain the pond and keep it clean and safe for everyone. The pond drains straight into our cow pond that we dug out for the cows, horses, and pigs to cool off in in a more natural setting. It drains into the ground usually right around the time its time to drain and clean up the cement pond!
The surface of the pond isn’t the best. It tends to get slippery and slimy in the summer and I know there are pond paint that you can coat it with to help that.
The landscaping around the pond is just rocks we stacked around it ourselves.
The pump that moves water from the deepest part of the pond to the water feature gets clogged up all the time. However the movement of the water is crucial in preventing algae and keeping the water cooler.

Pool/Party yard

We host so many parties in this space it’s ridiculous! Parties for people who have never been celebrated. Graduation, birthday, beating cancer, personal triumphs, getting safe, fighting and winning against all odds. Children that don’t have any friends that will show up for them, and adults that feel the same way. We have an emergency text line we can send out when a child is being celebrated and nobody shows up.
We laid all the stones and did all the landscaping ourselves, so it’s not great! The landscaping, furniture, grass, and pool could all use an upgrade!
Pool- Every summer we drain the old cement pool and paint it blue again before filling it back up! It’s not fancy, but it works! The main thing I would change about the pool is adding a shoreline entrance for easier access to everyone. Right now it’s just stairs straight to a four foot drop. We love the deep end of the pool though and the jumping rock the kids use to cool off and practice bravery. Water therapy for both humans and animals happen in the pool, and water trauma is a very real thing that we utilize the pool for! The pool is also used by all the volunteers and dogs when it’s unbearably hot outside. Our teen groups are in it all week long, and all our camps visit the pool also.
Landscaping – the stones are coming up everywhere and we never built a retaining wall when we dug out a flatter area for furniture! We’ve talked about trying to turf the whole pool yard to help keep it cleaner and safer for children all year long. Plus, the pigs occasionally sneak in there and tare it all up, so it almost always has muddy spots.
Furniture- Most of the tables/furniture in there were on the property when we got there. We just need surfaces and some chair to celebrate, grill, put food, and rest. The cloth gazebo is torn up constantly because of the weather so we have to replace the canopy a lot.
We also have a blow up hot tub that is used often. It’s used for humans that get sore and animals that need the warm water therapy. Luckily it is easy to drain and fill back up cause we just have it set up on a tarp and piece of turf!

Pool/Party yard Inspiration

Material storage

We have two other flat areas right above/next to this one that could be cleared and have a car port storage built on it for tools, construction, tractor and tractor supplies, lawn mower, UTV’s, gas cans, generators…. No such thing as too many outdoor storage areas that are protected from rain and sun. This one is 8ft tall, 10 feet wide, and 16ft long (I think!), the height and width are a good fit for the other areas, but it could be up to 40 feet long and still fit there. We would want the sides to go all the way down, but open on each end is fine!

Security options-

Cameras are about safety for both the animals and visitors. We have grown beyond the ability to check on everyone efficiently and enough to feel confident we are not missing anything. Right now we have a few cameras in a few areas, but nothing significant and a constant need for more and advice on how to make that happen.

Pig room install of enclosed shelves and decorations

I still have a dream of our pig stall to be just covered in all things pig! Like the world record for the most amount of pig stuff! To make that happen we bought some clear cases we can put some of the stuff in and mount it to the wall so that we have a flat surface to dust and clean; making it more manageable. That has been our biggest struggle with everything getting really dusty and gross, but the clear shelf cases would help that.
Obviously we still have to be careful in regards to anything we put in there that could get knocked over or hurt anyone. Pigs are VERY strong! But they are also VERY cute!!!

Raw woods clearing

We have around 3-4 acres that we need to expand into but haven’t yet because it is completely raw. We need to start by lifting the canopy to six feet or so and cutting down any small insignificant trees or cedar trees that are taking over an area.

Fencing off the last of the property line

We are so close to having the entire property completely fenced in so that we can be sure that none of our animals can leave the protection of our property. Right now it is just the very top back left corner of the property that isn’t finished. Only the dogs and pigs can even get up there, but that makes us super nervous. It’s a matter of dragging fence panels, wire, and T posts up the hill and getting it installed.

Moving big pigs/pot bellies

We have an area of the property that is very raw. We call it our grand canyon. It’s a large ravine in the back of our property that isn’t conducive to children, especially special needs children, but would be a great place for some of our more feral rescues to hang out and explore! It just needs to be cleared out some and fenced in; plus some sort of housing structure for them to get out of the elements! Easier said then done!

Cat-io for New Office

The switching of the reboot room and the current office so we have more space for the kid programs will result in the office cats being in a much smaller space, as a result, we need to build a catio area off the side of the reboot room for the cats to have outdoor space also. This way they will be able to go in and out of the building safely without danger to them, and we’d be able to put them outside for a while when needing a break from the ever growing office cat population!

Septic upgrade for the farmhouse/whole property

Not only would we benefit from bathrooms in other areas of the rescue, but the only septic we have on the property was the original septic built and designed for a single family.

RV hookups with water and septic

We know that we have a huge need for places for people to stay that isn’t our couches and offices and animal areas. We also know that Airbnb type places for people to stay at the rescue would be a good income for the rescue. We’ve actually already renovated an old camper to be a play therapy space and were surprised at how cute it turned out. Now we just need some more campers and places to hook them up!

Rolling garage door for front side of barn-

The back of the barn has a rolling garage door that seals the space really well, but the front of the barn has two decretive sliding barn doors that don’t seal the space at all. And the front doors face the north where all the freezing wind and weather comes from. When it is extremely cold outside the front doors are the issue with letting all the cold in. If we had a garage door on the front also, we could basically seal up the barn and keep everyone nice and warm!

In our Wildest Dreams

A safety nest (hotel/village)

Our dream is to build a community of some sort (either one building or multiple) in the “nest” area behind the house (it’s a big clearing in the woods) for people to be able to stay when they need to. This space would be more specific to survivors that need us for short term reasons or longer term needs. We love the feeling of being tucked back in our property in a little “safety nest” in the middle of the woods!

Separate living space and school house

If we had the money we would do it immediately! There us a property for sale two houses down right now that would be perfect with two houses, two apartments, and five tiny home hookups. The idea being we move where we sleep to that property and get a moment to catch our breath every once in a while and we turn the farmhouse into the school house.
The other option outside of a separate property is to build a small house at the very top of the property where we could feel like there is a tiny amount of space between us and the sanctuary.

Please email us at info@safeinaustin.org if you are interested in completing any of our projects.