Flash and Thelma Memorial Hedgehog Rescue

Hello, my name is Louise Akwekon, the senior hedgehog at The Flash and Thelma Memorial Hedgehog Rescue from July, 1998 until September, 2001. My successors as senior hedgehog have been Little Flash (September, 2001 until February, 2002), Angel (February, 2002 until November, 2002), Vula indlela (November, 2002 until May, 2005), Little Pokie (May, 2005 until January, 2006), and Reggie (January, 2006 to the present. On these pages, the hedgehogs do the talking through the human administrator at the rescue, Z. G. Standing Bear (except Bozeman's escape page, where the human does the talking because Bozeman is too busy thinking of ways to escape). I was the third hedgehog to join our Rescue, and I arrived here to be greeted by the Rescue founders, on November 15, 1997 when I was a youngster of just 2 months of age. A few months after Flash died of liver disease on February 21, 1998, the Flash Memorial Hedgehog Rescue was formed informally. The name was changedf to The Flash and Thelma Memorial Hedgehog Rescue, when our elderly and very kind Grand Dowager hedgehog Thelma herself traveled over The Rainbow Bridge in June of 1998. The fourth hedgehog to join our Rescue was little Rosie, who had led a pretty hard life from breeder mill to pet store to classroom pet, arriving here in February, 1998. I was the third hedgehog to join the rescue in November, 1997, and Rosie was the fourth in February, 1998. In the Summer of 1998, our little rescue was taken in by a larger rescue (W.O.L.F. - Wolves Offered Life and Friendship)

However, as our rescue grew in size and diverse services, we needed to seek separate corporate and licensing status. In October of 1999 The Flash and Thelma Memorial Hedgehog Rescue became a Colorado nonprofit corporation, the only corporation in North America, as far as I can determine, solely devoted to hedgehog rescue where hedgehogs are in residence. So, in November, 1999, we were inspected and licensed as a Colorado Animal Shelter, Lic. No. 3190 (more detailed and more expensive, unfortunately, than an animal rescue, since we house animals on-site). We are also licensed under the USDA as a Class “C” Exhibitor (a necessary license to do public presentations, in the same category as zoos) under the U.S. Animal Welfare Act, License No. 84-C-0075. Our Rescue is also a member of the Colorado Federation of Animal Welfare Agencies, a networking group of humane societies, animal control agencies, and nonprofit animal care, rescue, and adoption organizations in Colorado.

As of right now, most of the hedgehogs at the rescue are either too lazy or too grouchy to post stuff to their pages. These pages are authored by hedgehogs that are presently living at the Rescue or are watching over us from the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, where all of us are destined to go to live within the Great Country of Souls and be reunited with out friends and to look kindly upon and watch over our earthly brethren. Our pages here are meant to inform and provide enjoyment for our readers. Each page expresses a different aspect of hedgehog life, interests, and philosophy. Of course, I am always after my friends to write of their ideas and exploits, but this is often like pulling teeth or herding cats. Since hedgehogs have been around for over 50,000,000 years they do not seem to see a sense of urgency about all of this. BUT we will get it done, so check back with me.

Note: PO Boxes will not show correctly on the map below.