Hey there, fellow animal enthusiasts, chaotic critter lovers, and professional page-turners!
It feels like it’s been a hot second since we gave you a peek behind the curtain, but don’t worry—we haven’t been napping in a sunny patch on the floor (well, not all of us, anyway). We’ve been running around like a ferret that just found a fresh pile of socks! The summer flew by in a blur of dehydrator steam, 3D printer whirring, and greenhouse assembly, so grab your favorite drink, kick back, and let us bring you up to speed on all our summer antics!
May: Bookmark Launch & Summer Reading
We kicked off the season in May with the official debut of Chapter Chums—our lineup of custom 3D-printed bookmarks crafted specifically to keep your reading energy high all summer long. Now that school is officially back in full swing, don’t think we’re slowing down—we are already cooking up fresh new batch designs to keep your fall reading stacks looking extra sharp!
June: Sunkissed Sidekicks Take Off
June brought the grand entrance of our 10-piece Sunkissed Sidekicks keychain collection under Tag-Along Tethers! These little pocket-sized companions gave supporters a delightfully snappy excuse to add some extra charm to their daily keys, purses, or school backpacks.
July: Treats, Greenhouse Build, New Outpost & Education
July was a full-blown whirlwind of fresh ideas, physical builds, and big debuts! Over in the kitchen, we celebrated Fourth of July and National Blueberry Month with Jubilee Giblets—blending berries handpicked from a local Wisconsin patch with beets and cauliflower for a festive red, white, and blue feast. True to our zero-waste obsession, nothing was tossed in the bin! We turned the leftover beet water into frozen Twilight Tundras and transformed the beet greens and stems into Crimson Crystals for our herbivore friends.
July was also the month we officially crossed the finish line on assembling the Leafy Lodge greenhouse, marking a huge physical win for our little ecosystem! On top of that, we launched our Critter Curriculum Corner Facebook group, our weekly Creature Feature spotlights (complete with hand-drawn coloring pages and website audio buttons so you can listen on the go), and our digital rehoming portal, The Thicket Outpost. Right now on the portal, you can find Cinnamon, a strikingly gorgeous pit bull available through private adoption, while five unbelievably cute dwarf hamsters are hanging out on-site at Fluegel’s Lawn & Garden holding out for their forever homes!
August: Peachy Jerky & Bonfire Bash
August kept the momentum rolling at full speed! In the dehydrator kitchen, we honored National Peach Month and Raw Food Month (Rogust) by mixing sweet peaches with raw chicken to craft our Clucking Cobbler Chews jerky strips. Out in the community, we wrapped up the month with a wonderfully cozy evening at Spring Lake Park Reserve for our Barking Bonfire Bash, gathering around the fire to swap stories and celebrate local animal welfare.
Growing Our Local Network
Throughout the entire summer, we also expanded our local network by teaming up with incredible new partners like Town & Country Vet, Fluegel’s Lawn & Garden, Hastings Family Services, Animal Ark, and Misfit Pups. Working alongside these dedicated crews—right alongside our ongoing, long-term rescue partnership with Katie’s Critters—allows us to broaden our outreach, hand out supplies, and keep our efforts deeply rooted right here in our community.
September & Beyond: Fall Pantry & Looking Ahead
Following our initial summer fundraising garage sale, we held onto the remaining stash so we could run round two on September 11th and 12th right at the Leafy Lodge location! While folks browse, our trusty Chaos Wranglers will be running a volunteer-distributed pop-up pet food pantry on-site, handing out free pet food supplies to visiting families while supplies last. Once the sale wraps up, all remaining donated human goods will head straight over to support our friends at Hastings Family Services.
Looking ahead, our upcoming October bonfire will officially serve as our grand finale gathering for the year—but don’t get too misty-eyed, because we are already plotting our big spring comeback! Get ready for the Spring 2027 Birdhouse Bonanza and Botanical Build Event, where families can team up to construct wildlife-safe habitats and mix their very own plant-based paints.
Thanks for sticking with us through every wild, whimsical step of the journey—stay tuned, because the fun is just getting started!
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