We can all say 2020 has been like none before for us. With no one traveling much, our boarding numbers have been very low. So, we took advantage of that to take on a lot of new renovations! We have replaced the outside roof with a larger one, added insulation, new siding and new kennel doors.  Inside, we had a new poured epoxy floor installed, had the concrete walls ground smooth and given an epoxy coating. We have new, state of the art runs from Mason Fence Company. The old chainlink runs are gone and replaced by gorgeous suites made of stainless steel, calming colored FRP panels and tempered glass doors. New calming paint on all the walls. We also totally renovated our kennel office with new windows allowing AC to be installed in our cat room as well. You will also notice when you are here that we have had a lot of work done on our private road as well as our driveway and parking area. Add in some new landscaping and things are looking good!

2019-2020 brought a lot of changes to Ripanco Kennels. One very welcome change was adding our wonderful big blue 2020 Ford AWS Transit Cargo Van! While we were sad to see the last of the Astro Vans go, this new van is extra roomy while still being able to handle our mountain roads. It can hold more crates than either the Sienna or Astros by almost twice! And with the great lettering, it will be easy to find us at the Park and Ride!

• Happy New Year everyone!!
  

May this new year bring you all health, happiness and lots of furry friends!

2013 brought many changes at Ripanco, mostly good, some very sad. Our biggest venture has been the addition of our PV and hot water solar systems. They actually ended up performing better than anticipated, in spite of a dismal November and December, and we closed out the year with a credit with Green Mountain Power of nearly $600.00!! I actually would like to give a shout out to GMP for being a company of integrity. Not only are they wonderful to work with on the solar end, they also have gone above and beyond keeping the power on here! Thanks guys! If anyone is interested in going solar and would like some real facts, we are always glad to talk!! We also were able to make some nice upgrades to the kennel with some more in the plans.

Sadly we did have say goodbye to a couple of our dear equines. We lost Angel, a mini donk last January when she suddenly became very ill. Then in November, we let our old pony Sparky, the curmudgeon, go. He has left a hole in the herd and in our hearts!

Each year also brings us much sadness when our clients lose their beloved pets. So many of them have become much loved extensions of our family. As it has become our custom, Ripanco Kennels will donate a trophy in memory of lost pets at the Green Mountain Dog Club's AKC dog show in July.

On a happier note, our family has grown. In January, we welcomed our first grandchild, Serena Anne Ripley, into the world. Proud parents, Brandon and Aditi Ripley.

Our critter family also has grown! We added a tiny dwarf mini gelding named Ben to the herd when his family had to leave their home. Ben is all of about 24" tall and just about as round as tall and sweet as can be. In October, another Camelot Auction House graduate joined us. A very sweet, pretty pinto mini mare we named Punkin. She is just 2 years old and we are hoping that she will become Serena's pony!! She is very kind and sensible and has fit in just perfectly! Then last month, we welcomed Celeste to the family. Celeste is a 2 yr old Corgi who has become my new best friend!

Willow and Stevie continue to bring us so much joy as have all our creatures. We are so lucky to be able to share our lives with them.

We are also so very grateful to all our family, friends and clients who continue to enrich our lives in so many ways. Thank you all so much for being part of our lives.

Andy

We are happy to let everyone know that the River Rd in Duxbury is open! You can now reach us from Waterbury again. There is a temporary bridge in place until the permanent repairs can be made. We would like to thank the Duxbury road crew for all their hard work in getting the road passable again.

We are sorry to announce that the River Road from Waterbury to Camel's Hump Road has been closed until further notice. Apparently a giant sinkhole has developed that the town road crew can not mend. We have no idea how long this will take, but will keep everyone informed as soon as we know.

To get to the kennel now, you must take Rte 2 to the Jonesville Bridge and come back on the Duxbury Rd in Richmond. We will also be trying to consolidate our pickup and drop off runs as much as possible. We appreciate your understanding and hope this will not last too long!

OK, for everyone that wants to know more about our solar systems, here is the technical part. The PV system is made by Solar Edge and was installed by Building Energy. We have 43 panels that are capable of producing up to 10.965 KWp. This should be almost 100% of our electrical needs, even with our high usage equipment like the dog dryers and clipper vac.

The hot water system is made by Caleffi. Also installed by Building Energy. We have 3 panels and a 100 gal. tank, which should give us about 80% of our total hot water needs. However, we get our hot water from wood in the winter and in the summer the panels should easily provide 100% of our needs, so propane usage should sharply drop. 

Along with our solar use, the new foam insulation in the roof has decreased the amount of wood we are burning by more than 1/2. Wish we had done this years ago!

Waterbury Leap and Efficiency Vermont have asked us to hold an Open House to showcase our energy savings. We are delighted to share our experiences with anyone! The smart guys from Building Energy will be here to talk to anyone that may be interested in becoming more energy efficient. The Open House will be on April 4th, 6:30-8:00. Since that is also Jerry's birthday, we will be serving birthday cake!! So please come join us.

Ripanco Kennels is proud to announce that we have now gone solar! 
In a continuing effort to minimize our carbon footprint, we had Building Energy VT complete an energy audit. We now have a new roof with foam insulation, a solar PV system and a solar hot water system. Our office has a new, more energy efficient window. We have already noticed a marked change of the amount of wood and propane we are using for heat and hot water, and there is nothing more satisfying than watching your electric meter running backwards!

It is getting close to the 'howliday' season, so remember to make your reservations early. The boarding kennel tends to fill up pretty early so check your travel plans now. This is also the 'purrfect' time to schedule grooming for your pets. Make sure they are looking and feeling their best. We have special holiday bows and ribbons and scents so your pets will be in the howliday mood too!

We are also finishing up some really wonderful renovations in the kennel. New ceilings, new cabinets, refrigerator, shelving, washing machine, gutters and partitions! All freshly painted. It should be all ready in plenty of time to welcome all our furry guests before Thanksgiving!!

The new van, which we call the "Irene" van, is finally newly lettered! Look for us around town. Vermont Signs and Graphics did the design work and we are very pleased with the results. I asked for an outline of Camel's Hump with a wolf in the logo. We should be easy to spot now at the Park and Ride and if you see us around town, make sure you wave!


And for those of you who wonder how we make it up and down the mountain all winter, the Irene van is sporting a brand new set of very expensive Hakkapeliitta studded snow tires! The van handles like a tank in the snow. Now we just need more snow!

The weather this winter has been very strange so far. We just have been able to completely hose all our outside runs in January! While that is a wonderful and unusual luxury, it just does not seem quite right. One of the negative side effects of this mild weather has been an increase in the number of fleas and ticks we are seeing, many on animals that have never had a problem before. So make sure you are staying diligent about checking for the pesties. If you do see signs of a problem, we can give your pets a safe treatment. Remember too, that for every flea you see on your pet, there are many more in the environment. Meanwhile, let's hope for a little more snow!!