04/02/2025
To all my customers and supporters,
This is a post I’ve put off writing for far too long — not because I didn’t care, but because I didn’t know how to face everything that’s happened. I owe you all an honest explanation, and it’s time I give you one.
Over the last few years, my life, my business, and my mental health have all been through some of the hardest moments I’ve ever known. I lost my mother to COVID and spent time out of state caring for her and handling her estate. Shortly after returning, a truck crashed into my home. That event alone left me without stable housing or a functioning shop for nearly a year. While trying to hold things together, I stored my freezers and equipment off-site. What I didn’t know at the time was that the crash caused a power surge that destroyed nearly every freezer I had.
By the time I discovered what had happened, the damage was irreversible. Most of the animals I had in my care were lost. Some of these were once-in-a-lifetime trophies. Some were beloved pets. All of them meant something — to you, and to me. As a taxidermist who has dedicated over 10 years to this craft, this was my worst nightmare. I lost more than animals. I lost my reputation. My livelihood. My stability. And I lost myself in the middle of it all. In the midst of all of this, I broke my dominant arm (both bones) in half and bones in both hands.
What’s been even harder is knowing I left so many people without answers. I shut down, and I failed to communicate. That’s on me, and I’m not going to make excuses for it. I know how hurt, angry, and betrayed some of you feel. I’ve had those hard conversations one-on-one with many of you already, and I’m committed to continuing them until everyone has the answers they deserve.
Now, I want to explain what comes next — because I am still here, and I’m not walking away.
I will not be accepting new work for the foreseeable future. I haven’t taken in anything since the freezer loss, and I won’t be doing full-scale taxidermy again. Going forward, I will only be completing mounts for customers I still owe work to, and for a very limited number of longtime, loyal clients, and select wholesale mounts or commissions. This is to protect my time, my health, and ensure I never find myself overwhelmed and behind like I did before.
For those of you who lost animals: if you had a deer, fox, bobcat, coyote, or similar, I am working to find suitable replacements. I will honor the original deposit toward the final mount — even though those funds were already spent long ago on materials and shop costs. That being said, I can’t replace everything all at once. This will take time, and I ask for your patience as I move through it based on where each project falls in line.
If you prefer not to move forward, I completely understand. I still have antlers and horns from those of the lost pieces, and anyone who wants to pick theirs up is welcome to do so. I’ll also offer in-shop credit to anyone affected, should you want to use it toward something else down the road.
Pet preservation will no longer be something I offer. These losses cut the deepest, and I understand how heartbreaking and personal they were. I’m truly sorry to every pet owner I let down, I can only imagine the pain this has caused you.
I know not everyone will forgive me. I know some people will continue to be angry — and that’s fair. But bashing me or posting hate won’t change what’s happened, and I won’t be tolerating it moving forward. Every customer signed a contract, and legally, I’m not obligated to do what I’m trying to do now. But I am doing it because it’s right, and because I do care.
Twisted Hollow won’t be what it once was — and maybe that’s okay. But I haven’t given up, and I’m not hiding anymore. I’m showing up, I’m being honest, and I’m working hard to make things right — one customer at a time.
To those who have stood by me — thank you. To those I’ve hurt — I’m truly sorry. I’m still here, and I’m trying.
Please do not comment on this post with inquiries about your mount, instead please message me and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Please keep in mind that it might not be an immediate response as this post will flood my inbox with people I owe an explanation to, just as I do you. I promise I will get back to you and we can discuss our plan with your personal animal.
With respect,
Brittni Bones
Twisted Hollow
