Big Black Dogs

Pet Haven has quite a few big black dogs right now. Black dogs are often overlooked for reasons which are hard for those of us who know these fabulous big black dogs to understand. And so, we present the top 10 reasons to adopt a big black dog:

Top Ten Reasons to Adopt a Black Dog (source)
#10: We cannot clash with your furniture or clothing (and some of you actually worry about that).
#9: We cannot clash with any collar you might choose either! Ditto for the bandanas. Accessorize us!
#8: Ease of vacuuming! You can quickly spot the areas of most urgent need.
#7: We hide the dirt well (doesn't mean we don't need that bath after a messy play but guests won't be able to see it so quickly).
#6: We make an excellent "backdrop" for a second lighter colored dog (if you choose to have one).
#5: Availability!!! We are available now at every shelter or rescue you can imagine, in every age bracket with no long waiting lists or difficult search.
#4: No annoying queries of "exactly what kind of dog is that anyhow?" People are content with "big black dog" and don't ask anymore questions.
#3: EXCELLENT night walk protection. The "bad guy" won't see us till its too late!
#2: Status symbol potential. Black pearls are the most costly you know......
#1: WE NEED YOU!

Are you convinced?
Here are the Pet Haven big black dogs currently in foster care:

Wilma is a 1 year old female black lab mix. She came to us from a shelter in rural Iowa. She is totally house trained and good in the house. She is enjoying the company of the resident dog in her foster home and is an "easy keeper." Wilma is just looking for someone to take her home and love her up.




Lacy is a 6 year old female Rottweiler mix. She has been through the Pet Haven program before and was returned this fall when her adoptive home did not work out. Once a Pet Haven dog, always a Pet Haven dog! Lacy believes that 84 lbs is not too big to be a lap dog! She would love an adoptive home where she can be the center of your attention.







Garth [no photo available yet!] is a 5 year old male lab mix. He came to use from a shelter in Iowa. Garth is a rough and tumble player who enjoys the company of other dogs, but might not be the best match for an older dog who does not enjoy rough housing quite as much as Garth does.


Foster is a 10 month old male lab mix. He came to us from a shelter in Iowa. He's a big boy and we are thinking that he might be mixed with Newfoundland. Foster has a happy go lucky personality who would fit into almost any adoptive home willing to give him the attention and exercise that a puppy needs.




Komo (aka Dutch) is a 9 month old male lab mix. He came to use from a shelter in Iowa. He LOVES to play with other dogs and would love a doggy playmate in his adoptive home.










Dakota is a 7 year old female husky/shepherd mix. Dakota was an owner surrender. She is very smart and a star pupil in obedience. She has a tendency to get nervous around other dogs, but she could share her home with the right dog companion. Being a typical husky, she does need a secure fence.






Suzy is a 2 year old female collie/lab mix. She came to us from a shelter in rural Iowa. Suzy is house trained and crate trained and is used to being left alone for a full work day. At only 2 she is young and energetic and is looking for an active family to run and play with!





Daisy is a 2 year old female lab. She is shy as a result of an abusive background, but once she warms up to you she is an engaging, entertaining snuggler. Daisy is looking for a forever home without kids because their unpredictability makes her nervous.





Bailey is a 4 year old female springer spaniel/lab mix. She is an owner surrender due to divorce. Bailey loves to play fetch and is looking for an adoptive family with a good throwing arm.






Andy is a 2 year old male shepherd mix. Andy came to us from a shelter in Iowa. He was a bit of a wild child when he came into foster care, but after a few weeks of consistent boundaries, training and exercise he is a dream dog!





If you are interested in learning more about any of these fabulous dogs, email pethavendogs@yahoo.com.

Happy Howl-o-ween!

Doesn't Komo (aka Dutch) look adorable in his bee costume and isn't this a beautiful pictures?

This photo was taken by Sarah of Sarah Beth Photography and on November 22nd she is holding a fundraiser for Pet Haven! For a $25 donation to Pet Haven, Sarah is offering a free mini pet session and one free 5X7 print. 20% of any additional prints ordered will be donated to Pet Haven. Sessions are being scheduled for November 22 between 1 and 5 PM and will be at the Northwind Loft Warehouse, 2400 N. 2nd Street, Minneapolis, MN.
Email sarah@sarahbethphotography.com to schedule your mini session.

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Adoption Event Tomorrow - Saturday, November 1
You can also come out and meet Komo and his fellow foster dogs at our adoption event tomorrow. We will be at the Woodbury Petco on Saturday, November 1, from 10am - noon. All of our dogs would love to meet you!

Bishop: Looking to be your best bud

Bishop is a 9 month old terrier mix. He came in to Pet Haven foster care when he was approximately 4 months old and as he has grown our guesses about his breed mix have evolved. His foster thinks that he might be a Basenji mix. Whatever his heritage, Bishop is 100% sweetheart. He loves to snuggle and sack out with you on the couch. For a 9 month old pup his he not overly energetic. He likes to go for walks and sniff around the yard, but he's also happy to sit on your lap (yes, I said on your lap) and watch TV. He does still like to chew, as most puppies do, but he's learned to limit his chewing to dog toys. He is smart cookie and knows that you can't put just anything you find lying around in your mouth! In the 2nd photo posted here you can see Bishop combining two of his favorite activities -- chew toys and couch lounging. Doggy heaven!

Bishop is going to start an obedience course with his foster mom next week, but he would love to finish it out with his new adoptive family. It's a 6 week course, so act fast! If you would like to adopt Bishop, please email pethavendogs@yahoo.com

Benne: A big cuddle bug

Benne's name was originally pronounced "Ben-ay" (French), but after a few months in Minnesota its morphed into "Bennie" (our apologies to his New Orleans roots). Benne is a gorgeous 15 month old pit bull terrier. He is currently hanging out in a foster home with a couple of dogs and a cat named Henry. As you can see, he's hard at work attempting to broker a peace deal on behalf of dogs and cats everywhere. He gets along well with the dogs in his foster home as well. He likes to play with them and also respects the fact that he is not the one in charge in this dog pack.

Benne LOVES to snuggle. He would make a great foot warmer this winter. If your lap is cold, he'd be happy to sit there as well. If you need to warm your hands as temps drop this fall, Benne would like to remind you that dogs have warm fur and he would be happy to offer his services as a petting recipient. If you share Benne's belief that there's no such thing as "too big to be a lap dog" and want to meet this sweetheart, email pethavendogs@yahoo.com.

National Pit Bull Awareness Day!

Today is the 2nd annual National Pit Bull Awareness Day!

A Rotta Love Plus, a twin cities Pit Bull and Rottweiler rescue, is hosting a picnic at Minnehaha Park this afternoon to celebrate.


We at Pet Haven could not resist this opportunity to highlight the wonderful bully breed dogs that we have in foster care right now:

Dutch -- also known as Komo in his foster home -- is a 1 year old lab/bully breed mix. He is loving life in his foster home where he gets to go to work with his foster mom who works with one of Pet Haven's doggy daycare partners. He loves playing with other dogs and he still has a lot of puppy energy in him at just 1 year of age so this arrangement is a dream come true!



Hazel is a 2 year old Pit Bull. At only 37 pounds, Hazel is a petite little thing. Hazel gets long well with other dogs -- too well, she LOVES to play and she will play and play and play until the other dog collapses from exhaustion. She is not a hyper dog though, without a doggy playmate around she is happy to entertain herself a toy or snuggle in with her humans.

Bishop is a 10 month old American Staffordshire Terrier mix. He came into Pet Haven from a hoarding situation when he was just a few months old. He is loving life in his foster home where he has three people all to himself. Bishop likes to play with other dogs, but he doesn't like to share his space and people with them on a long term basis. He would love to take trips to the dog park, but would like to be the only pet in his forever home.

Benne is a 1 year old Pit Bull. Benne has come a long way from his sad start in life. He was dumped at a shelter as a young puppy. If you were to meet him now you'd never never guess there was a time that he didn't know love. He gets long well with other dogs and kids. He's still a puppy so he can get rambunctious and needs a family who will commit to continuing to train him to be a good canine citizen.





The 2009 legislative session starts on January 6, 2008. If another bill is introduced to try to ban specific breeds of dogs, Pet Haven will be involved in the fight to block its passage. To learn more about Pet Haven's advocacy efforts at the state capitol, check out our advocacy blog, the advocacy page on our website or email Advocacy@PetHavenMN.org

Dutch: Cute as a bug!

Dutch is ready for Halloween. Are you ready for Dutch? Just try and resist his big blue eyes!

Not only is he a willing participant when it comes to dressing up as a bee, he also loves to hunt for bugs in the yard. Sounds like some human boys I know! Estimated to be 1-2 years old, Dutch has a lot in common with human kids. He thrives on routine, love (his favorite is a big kiss on the head), positive training/reinforcement...and he will sleep better at night when he is given ample opportunity to burn off steam during the day! Sound like any kids you know?

Dutch has really lucked out with his foster home. His foster mom works at one of our doggy daycare partners -- so Dutch gets to go to work with her and play, play, play! This also means that she has gotten to observe him with all kinds of dogs and Dutch gets along fabulously with all of them. He would be a great 2nd dog if you have a pooch who needs a playmate.

If you've fallen victim to Dutch's big puppy dog eyes, email dogs@pethavenmn.org to find out more about him!