Stories from adopters: Brandy

We have a collection of Happy Tails from adopters who have shared with us how their adopted dog or cat is doing. If you have an adopted a dog or a cat from Pet Haven we would LOVE to hear from you. Send an email to editor@pethavenmn.org.

Our most recent story is one in memory of back packing Brandy. Here's an excerpt from her story:

"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."

To read her full story click here.

Our beloved furry companions are only here for a short time. Our greatest gift to them is to love them, care for them, and make them a valued member of our families --- Brandy's family did just that. When we open our hearts to these innocent creatures, in turn we learn how much they are in fact teaching us about life, loving, compassion, playfulness and letting go.