Skipper is skipping through life now!

Skipper is an older sheltie mix who was left in a crate on the driveway at Red Lake Rosie's Rescue with a note attached: "Daddy wants to shoot Skipper because his teeth are falling out."? Well, 8 year old Skipper's luck has turned around. When he came into Pet Haven's foster program he went straight to the vet and had his teeth taken care of ... then he got to hang out at one of our doggie daycare partners, Auntie Ruth, for the weekend in the convalescence room where he had a chance to recover from his surgery. He was definitely pampered there ... until he moved to a foster home. Skipper is being fostered by Pet Haven's Fall Benefit coordinator ... so on Sunday when we met for our committee meeting, guess who got to come along??? Yes, Skipper told his foster there's no way he's skipping a chance to be the center of attention and to help in the planning of Pet Haven's Fall Benefit.

As you can see from the photo on the right, he was an active contributor to our meeting, and we very much appreciated it!

Skipper's full story with lots of great photos are posted on the Red Lake Rosie's blog. Click here to check it out!

If you're interested in learning more about Skipper, email pethavendogs@yahoo.com and check out his bio.

Fall Benefit silent auction donations needed!

Do you have unused gift cards laying around the house, received gifts that just aren't you, have a cabin, make killer brownies or have other special talents?

If you answered yes to any one of these, we need you! Donations are gladly accepted now through the end of October. To download a procurement form visit our website.

Not only does your donation(s) raise money that directly supports Pet Haven's program, most donation items and the cost of materials for services are tax deductible!

If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Rudolph at 651-295-8746 or PetHavenMN@gmail.com.

Homeless dogs and cats need your help!! We hope to see on November 7th at the Fall Benefit. Tickets are on sale online.

Adopted Dog Update: Tango

Tango is a terrier who was adopted by his fosters a couple of years ago:

Attached are a few pictures of Tango as requested. We hadn't taken any pictures of him for a while so these were taken just tonight. He loves to run after our daily walk to release his pent up energy.

Today is National Dog Day (apparently even dogs get "Hallmark holidays" now :)). In any case, it's a great excuse to make the daily walk a little longer and throw in a few extra belly rubs. Love your puppies!

Coco: snuggles and kisses guaranteed

Coco was abandoned at the doorstep of an apartment building. Her misfortune turned the corner when her foster found her in rough shape, sitting helplessly. Shortly after that, she came into Pet Haven's foster program. Coco's foster has the following to share:

"I have learned a few things about this lil lady over the last month. First off, she is an amazing snuggler! She is a perfect lap dog and is completely content just "hanging around". She LOVES to sunbathe outside! She doesn't play at all with toys, but does lay on her back with her paws flipping through the air when she does feel playful. She loves giving kisses too. Coco doesn't enjoy long walks, but short little ones she can tolerate. She has some separation anxiety issues and has had some accidents in her kennel, but Lynn from the Canine Coach is coming out next Saturday to address this. She doesn't mind other dogs, but doesn't enjoy being chased and jumped on by anyone bigger than her. She met a small Yorkie tonight that was smaller than her and for the first time actually wanted to play with him... I have a one year old yorkie that is extremely active- she just thinks he is crazy and stays out of his way. But when he tries to get her involved in playtime she puts him in his place. She is pretty shy at first, but I have noticed in the last week that her tail is finally coming unglued from her butt. She likes to be near me or on me. I have only heard her bark a few times, and that was either at a squirrel or when my dog starts barking at some make believe item he thinks he sees. She prefers the "expensive" food also- I feed my puppy Royal Canin and was given Natural Choice for her.... well she wants nothing to do with her food and tends to gobble up Meko's food pretty quickly (usually when Im not looking). She is missing quite a few teeth that were professionally removed before I found her. The vet says she only has about 8 left. However, she does have her back teeth so chomping on bones is not a problem for her. She really is just a perfect sweetheart and has NEVER showed any signs of aggression towards me.


She may need some work on the potty training when she finds her new home- she doesn't tell me when she has to go, I just have her on a schedule where we go out about every hour and a half. I think with some work she will be just fine though. I think her home should not have young children and she should have someone around most of the time- just because of the separation anxiety issue. Someone who doesn't mind sharing their furniture with her would be necessary."

If you are interested in learning more about Coco email pethavendogs@yahoo.com.

(No) Adopted Dog Monday

Sorry, no adoptions to report this week, but the MnPAW adoption event on Saturday was very successful and hopefully we will have a lot of good news to celebrate next week!

Adoption Event Tomorrow: Saturday, August 22nd

Pet Haven will be participating in the MnPAW multi-agency adoption event tomorrow from 10am to 4pm. Please come out and join us!

The event will be held at the Animal Humane Society:

Animal Human Society

845 Meadow Ln. N.

Golden Valley, MN 55422

(763) 522-432

Sushi with your Poochie Event

About six months ago, I had the opportunity to meet with Janelle Dixon of the Animal Humane Society to talk about forming a new animal welfare coalition in Minnesota. Our first meeting, and three hours later, we realized we shared a vision and a strong desire for our animal welfare community to work together in a positive, collaborative and respectful manner to reduce the euthanasia of adoptable animals in Minnesota. MnPAW (Minnesota Partnership for Animal Welfare) emerged and currently consists of 10 founding members. For more info visit the MnPAW site.

In mid-July, many thanks to Ali Jarvis of Sidewalk Dog, an incredibly fun event was held at Tiger Sushi 2, "Sushi with your Poochie". The event not only sold out -- it also raised almost $1,000 for MnPAW. I attended the event along with my poochie (many thanks to Sarah Beth Photography, for the great photo of my pooch Ahnung) who can vouch for what an incredible event it was -- she's already wanting to know when the next Sushi with your Poochie event is going to be.

To read more about the event check out the Sidewalk Dog blog. Thanks Ali for helping raise money for MnPAW and for supporting homeless dogs and cats!

Adopted Dog Update: Madison

Maddy's mom sent us an update this week:

Maddy continues to be a delight, and a good challenge. We just love having her, and she's such a goofball! We have our routine two walks/runs a day, almost always incorporating off-leash running because she loves it so much. She's so social--makes friends on most every outing (or tries!)--and the highlight of her week is the big airport dog park, where we meet friends and their two Weimaraners most weekends. Maddy's is in love, it seems, with a Bichon down the block, and with her big friend Guinness, who lives at a farm outside Northfield. Last weekend the two of them chased themselves silly across lawn and woods, and she slept the whole next day!

She's gotten much better on leash, but still has a pulling tendency, so we're taking another class on that starting tomorrow. She is great at sit/stay/down/shake indoors (a little more resistant outdoors--unless I have a really good treat in hand!), and she almost always comes when called outdoors. I feel so lucky I can trust her off leash.

One issue lately is that Maddy has been losing some fur on her back--a common malady among blue Dobermans, it turns out. Our vet found that her thyroid is a bit low, so she's on medication to see if that will turn this around. I don't think it's causing her much difficulty, and since her skin is dark she's unlikely to sunburn, though I'm concerned about her staying warm in winter. I'll have find a better coat than the too-snug one she ran away from last year! The hair loss is mostly an aesthetic issue, from what I can tell, and she's STILL beautiful!

Finally, we recently added a cat to our household (!) My son is great with Maddy (he especially loves cuddling with her on the floor, as I do), but he's always been a cat person, so we thought we'd try... We kept Libby (nee "Liberty") upstairs behind a gate for a week, allowing the two of them to meet each other by scent. And when they finally got face-to-face, it was fine! Maddy wants to play more than the cat does, but she's quite patient and only growls when Libby gets too near her food dish. I think they're making their peace, and that Maddy likes having another critter around.

I was Really impressed with Maddy's gentleness toward another creature the other day at a playground, where she interacted beautifully with a very young Golden puppy. I wished I'd had a camera! She still is all for playing rough with bigger dogs, but this puppy encounter was wonderful (and adorable) evidence of her good judgment and instinct.

She's a great dog, and I'm so happy we found her.

Separation Anxiety: Feeling sorry for your "rescued" dog?

A very common behavioral challenge that animal rescues face with dogs they take in is "separation anxiety." Pet Haven partners with the Canine Coach who has been an incredible resource for us. Maureen Haggerty, owner of the Canine Coach, has written a terrific article on Separation Anxiety, a common struggle for rescue dogs.

Here are some excerpts:
"As foster families and new adoptive families we have to help our dogs from developing separation anxiety. One way is to not fall into the trap of feeling sorry for our “rescued” dogs and the desire to give them an abundance of attention and everything they want. Don’t do this to your dog."

"... And keep your departures and arrivals very low key. Keep it to simple “goodbye” and “hello”, again, not to paint a dramatic contrast to when you are home versus gone..."

For the full article, which I highly recommend, click here.

As president of Pet Haven, I have been blessed with 3 rescued dogs (all adopted from Pet Haven - all big black dogs too!). One of them, Mister, has separation anxiety ... i'm happy to say though it has been getting much better. This past April he got into quite a bit of mischief while we were out. His sister, Ahnung (she has her own blog!) wrote about it. For what can happen IF you don't address separation anxiety, read Mister's story here.

Note: The photo above is "Sonoma", an energetic, playful girl who gets along with kids, dogs, cats and just about everyone!! To learn more about Sonoma check out her bio. Sonoma does not have separation anxiety ... she just wanted the opportunity to show her pretty face and let everyone know about how special she is AND that's she up for adoption!

Adopted Dog Monday!

Lilah, a 2 year old beagle, was adopted this week. She has a new mom and dad and 2 human sisters. She also has a huge backyard to run around in. Congratulations, Lilah!





Check back later this week for another very special adopted dog update.
Hint: It stars this delightful troublemaker:

Pet Haven on Facebook!

Meet Lola! She's one of our recent intakes into our foster program ... you'll hear more about her soon! For now, she wants to be sure you are aware that Pet Haven is on Facebook. Be sure to join the I Support Pet Haven Facebook group. Lola is happy to say her adorable puppy face is the new face of the group -- for now at least. Her cute sister, Emma, may be taking over soon though but not without a fight!!

Link to Pet Haven Facebook group.

Sadie is safe

Sadie was caught by her adoptive family and was home safe and sound before the storms kicked up last night.

Sadie is missing!

Sadie, a one year old basset/husky mix is missing in the Cottage Grove area. She escaped from her new adoptive home yesterday. Sadie looks exactly like a husky with short Basset Hound legs. She is very shy and will probably not approach a stranger unless there is another dog present. If you spot Sadie, please call (952) 831-3825.

Adoption Event Tomorrow - Saturday, August 15

The Pet Haven Dog Division will be at the Minnetonka Petco tomorrow from 10am to noon. We have dogs of all shapes, sizes, ages and energy levels just waiting to find their forever home.

Dog Adoption
PetCo Minnetonka
13691 Ridgedale Dr.
10am-12pm

Adopted Dog Update & You Will be Missed: Brandy

This is a tale of love, kleenex may be needed.

Back in Nov 1997 I attended a Pet Haven adoption day at a Holiday store in Bloomington. I went there with the intention of possibly adopting a sheltie, but in person it seemed too small for me. So I looked at other dogs available, and found my dream dog. Brandy was about 14 months old, was house broken, knew a few commands from the Pet Haven volunteer who spent time with her while she was living at the dog pound (too many dogs at that time, too few foster homes). The volunteer said they thought she was a collie x German shepherd and a little under weight at 55 lbs. She walked well on leash in the parking lot, and kept looking up at me, so I knew I had found my dog.

They also said she may have been abused by someone early in her life. She has been scared of vacuums, rakes, shovels. She would attack the vacuum, so I always say "Go to bed" and she goes into the bedroom until I'm ready to vacuum that room.

I met my husband about a year later and she bonded well with him. We have had many great memories with Brandy: taking her to the BWCA, backpacking out west, swimming at his parents' house in Ely (Brandy loves to play savior if you appear to be drowning), running next to us while we cross country skiied. She is very golden with only bits of black in her back coat, and we like to call her our Golden Retriever x German shepherd x whatever else is in the mix. She moved from our Maplewood home to Duluth MN back in July 2005.

She loves snow, so it is good to be living in MN with her. I thought since she would stay out of the water when we lived near Lake Phalen that she wouldn't ever be a water dog let alone a swimmer. The first time my husband and I went fishing in his parent's boat and took Brandy with us, she jumped after our first lure cast. At that moment I knew she would be a natural swimmer. Luckily we didn't catch her on the line, and brought her back into the boat via the swimmer's ladder.

On her first backpacking trip back in 2001 she had a blast. She was a typical herder, going out front and then to pick up the last hiker, so she would walk twice as long as we did. She had her own doggie backpack in which she carried her food, water bottle and on that first trip extra items that didn't fit in our friend's backpack. We took her out to Utah's Uinta Mtn Range in 2005. She learned to cross a couple of rivers on that trip, once slipping off of the logs to cross the river, and almost getting carried under the logs by the current. One of friends had already crossed the river, quickly grabbed her and pulled her to safety.

Sadly this past May she started to cough quite a bit, so we brought her to our vet. She was diagnosed with lung cancer on June 7, 2009. She sure had slowed down a lot the past few months, and we think that is the toll the cancer is taking on her. We're sad to say that we had to put her down on Wed July 15, 2009, just 2 months short of her 13th birthday. Thank you for saving Brandy for me to adopt her.

Thank you for all the work you do for animals. We were both so grateful to be Brandy's parents for as long as we did.

Thank you, J & K, for loving Brandy.

Multi-Agency Adoption Event: August 22

Pet Haven will be participating in the first MnPAW adoption event. Come on out to the Animal Humane Society (AHS) in Golden Valley on Saturday, August 22nd, from 10am to 4pm to meet and greet dogs from Pet Haven, AHS, RAGOM and A Rotta Love all in one place.

Click on the flyer to enlarge.
See the MnPAW website for more information.

Foster home needed: Charlie

Sweet Charlie is still hanging out at one of our doggy daycare boarding partners. He is a 9 month old Cavalier/Cocker Spaniel puppy who really needs to be in a home learning how to be a good canine citizen. He has been bounced around a lot in his life and needs some stability and boundaries. He is a good boy who does well with other dogs and cats. He needs a foster home with no kids under 10 years old because he hasn't been taught proper behavior when it comes to issues like jumping up and chewing on people. Charlie is your typical puppy and he's just looking for someone to take a chance on him!

If you are interested in giving Charlie a chance, please email pethavendogs@yahoo.com.

Adopted Dog Monday!

Jethro, a sweet older shepherd, was adopted last week. His new mom lives close to Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis and Jethro will get to walk around the lake 3-4 times a week. Congratulations, Jethro!

Jester, a black lab mix, was also adopted this week! He has been renamed Kinnick. His new family had 3 days off from work to spend settling in with the newest member of their pack. He has a new sister to hang out with and his mom is a runner, so Jester will get plenty of exercise. Congratulations, Jester!

Adopted Dog Update: Buddy

Buddy was adopted in 2008. Here's an update from his adoptive family:

When we got him your volunteers told us he was a Bichon mix. That was a good guess, but he doesn't have any Bichon in him. He is: 37 - 74% Lhasa Apso, 20 - 36% Maltese, and less than 10% poodle.

We were just curious so we had him tested.

He is a wonderful sweet dog and we love him to pieces! Thanks for all you do.

My apologies for the photo cutting off Buddy's nose -- it's a PH file photo, not a photo from his new family who I am sure does a much better job. :)

Dog blankets

One of our Pet Haven fundraisers is selling fleece dog blankets, made and donated by local Girl Scouts. As you can see, they are a huge hit with the dogs!

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HELP! Lost cat! Panther, a recent PH adoptee, has busted out the screen at his adoptive home in Eagan and has gone missing. If you live in the area, please keep an eye out for him and see the cat blog for more information.

A Special Boy with a Special Need: Boogie

What’s not to love about Boogie? He’s about 16 pounds, just right for lap sitting and snuggling. He’s a mature 9, so there will be no folderol or fiddle-dee-dee. Just a happy, well-mannered gent who wants nothing more than a good belly rub now and then and to be with you.

Boogie is housetrained and would be perfect for apartment or condo living. He’s calm and quiet and wouldn’t mind a canine companion who was equally laid back and gentle. Sleeping near you or even on your bed would be heaven for this great little guy.

A short walk would make Boogie’s day. He can’t go terribly far as he has a heart murmur. Daily medication will help keep this lovable boy in the pink as well lots and lots of hugs, kisses and attention. Low stress living will also serve him well. So probably no kids, though we suspect cats would be just fine.

So if you’re interested in a low maintenance, huggable, snuggable canine companion, come meet Boogie. He’s waiting for a belly rub.

Boogie will not be at adoption events, so anyone interested in adopting Boogie could meet him at a home visit. If you're interested in this sweet boy, please email pethavendogs@yahoo.com

Adopted Dog Update: Ruby

Here's an update from Ruby's mom and dad:

We are the two that adopted Ruby. We decidedto keep her name "Ruby" because she responded to it so well. She has been nothing but a joy. She loves going for walks, we usually get 3 in each day. She is happy and healthy. She attended Katie K-9 Obedience School for beginners. I was told by Katie that she was the best dog in the class. She may attend Beginners II in the fall. Everybody in the neighborhood just loves her. When we go for walks there are driveways she wants to stop at to see if the "nice" people are outside. She loves pontoon rides and swimming in the lake. We have attached a few pictures ofher "hanging out". Thanks for taking such good care of Ruby while she was with you. She is laying by me on the floor right now, pretty exhausted after a day in the lake.

Adopted Dog Monday!

Oh wow, we have a lot to celebrate today!

Dakota, a mid-aged husky mix was adopted by her fosters. Dakota has/had some pretty serious dog-dog aggression issues and Ed and Edith have worked very hard with her over the many months. They have made tremendous progress and hope that next year Dakota will be able to handle having a foster dog in their home. Congratulations, Dakota!

Missy, a black lab mix, has been patiently waiting for her new mom to get settled in a new place so that she could finally go home. That day has come and the adoption is final. Congratulations, Missy!





Clyde was returned to PH after a short adoption last month when he did not get along with the resident dog (not Clyde's fault). He moved to a new foster home, where it just so happens that one of the neighbors had been following Clyde on Petfinder. They ran into Clyde and his fosters on a walk and the rest, as they say, is history. Congratulations, Clyde!



Decey, a hound mix, has been officially adopted by his foster-with-intent family after spending several weeks settling into his new digs. Congratulations, Decey!





Abbie, a black lab mix, had a couple of interested parties come to meet her at our adoption event on Saturday. She picked a young couple to claim as her very own and enjoyed her first adopted dog shopping trip at Petco before they headed out on Saturday. Congratulations, Abbie!




Baxter, a maltese, has had a lot of interest during his short time in foster care and this weekend he went home with a wonderful new family. Congratulations, Baxter!





Louie, a three-legged sheltie mix, was adopted this weekend. His new mom has had her eye on him for a couple of weeks. Congratulations, Louie!






Eli, a Jack Russell Terrier, has been in foster care of over a year. He's a timid guy with a multitude of behavior quirks, but his foster has stuck with him and he has made tremendous progress. Of course, after bonding with Eli and helping him to come so far there was no way that she could let him go, so Eli has been officially adopted by his foster mom. Congratulations, Eli!



Maisey, a beagle, was adopted by a PH volunteer. He was helping out at an adoption event handling a different foster dog when he fell in love with little Maisey. Her new dad works from home and she has a brother to play with. Congratulations, Maisey!