Spread the word - special black dog adoption event!

Pet Haven currently has 16 large black dogs and one small black dog in foster care right now. In an effort to highlight our black beauties, we will be having a special black-dog-only adoption event on January 31st and we are making February Black Dog and Cat Adoption Month!!

Please spread the word that our black dogs will be meeting and greeting their adoring fans at the Richfield Petco from 10am to noon on Saturday, January 31st.

These are the black dogs currently in Pet Haven care. If someone strikes your fancy, don't wait until the 31st -- email pethavendogs@yahoo.com today to learn more about them.

Midnight is a 4-5 year old male black lab who was going to be put to sleep when his family could not afford the surgery to repair a torn ACL. Pet Haven stepped in and saved his life and it could not have happened to a nicer boy. Midnight is a love bug who is good with all the dogs, cats and kids in his foster home where he is recovering from surgery.




Missy is a 1.5 year old lab who came to us through an Iowa animal control facility. She was dumped at the home of a good samaritan. Missy is good with other dogs and very sweet with cats. She is also housetrained and crate-trained. All the hard stuff has been done, but she would still benefit from a basic obedience course.







Sweetie is a 2.5 year old lab mix who would love to find a home where she can be your one and only dog. She does get along with other dogs, but at home she would prefer to have all the attention for herself. She loves to play fetch, but she is also happy to settle down and snuggle up. She's a people-lover who is looking for some new people to love.




Kix is a 4 month old shepherd mix boy who came to us via Red Lake Rosie's Rescue in November. He came in with his littermates, Ozzy and Sierra who have since been adopted. Kix is the only one remaining. They appear to be shepherd mixes, but they are small puppies -- so whatever their mix, they have something small in there!





Ruby is a a black lab mix that we are estimating to be around 1 year old. She came to us from an animal control facility in Iowa, so we don't have a lot of background on her. Ruby is very sweet and shares her foster home with a husky sister. She can easily jump a 4' fence so she needs a 6' fence or a home where she will be taken out on leash.




Frankie is a 3 month old black lab mix. He was picked up running loose along with his littermates in northern Minnesota just before Thanksgiving. He came to use through Red Lake Rosie's Rescue along with his brother Forest (and Fletcher, who has been adopted).





Forest is a 3 month old black lab mix. He was picked up running loose along with his littermates in northern Minnesota just before Thanksgiving. He came to use through Red Lake Rosie's Rescue along with his brother Frankie (and Fletcher, who has been adopted).






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 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!





And one little guy!...

Bentley is a 4-5 year old poodle/pomeranian mix. His previous owner was not able to keep up with his energy needs so he came to Pet Haven to look for a new home. Bentley is a tennis ball FREAK and despite his small size he can fit a regular sized ball in his mouth. He loves to play fetch and just carry a ball around. He would love to find a forever family to toss the ball for him.

Midnight: Saved from death, recovering from surgery

Midnight is a 4-5 year old male black lab who tore his ACL and his family was not able to afford the surgery to repair it. Because they were not able to relieve his suffering they were going to help him to the bridge. Midnight's foster, Kathy, and Pet Haven stepped in at the nick of time to save this sweet boy! He had his ACL repaired last week and he is recovering nicely in his foster home.

Midnight has lived with kids in the past and lives with kids in his foster home. He also lives with 3 dogs and 2 cats in his foster home and loves them all. He loves to carry around a stuffed animal "prize" in his mouth and show it off to everyone (you can see his favorite stuffie safely tucked underneath his paw in the photo above).

Midnight has 6-8 weeks of rehab and recovery ahead of him, so he will not be coming to our adoption events for a little while, but he is available for adoption if a family is willing to continue with his rehab and follow doctor's orders on his exercise and recovery. If you are interested in learning more about Midnight, please email pethavendogs@yahoo.com.

Midnight's vet bills top $1,000. It is because of the generosity of Pet Haven donors that we are able to say "yes" to helping dogs like Midnight. If you would like to donate to Pet Haven in honor of Midnight, please visit our website.

Foster: On the road to recovery

Unfortunately, Foster has taken "sad puppy dog eyes" to a whole new level in the past 2 weeks.

Foster is a 10 month old black lab mix who fell ill about 10 days ago. He had been in foster care for a couple of weeks, but the source of his problems probably precedes his arrival in foster care. Foster developed a growth on his neck and spiked fevers up to 105 degrees. He began to collect a large volume of fluid in his neck, the affected swollen area started to extend up onto his head.

The road to a diagnosis and treatment has been a long one. Foster spent several days hospitalized at one of our partner vets. He had exploratory surgery to try and determine the source of the infection. Our vet ultimately suggested that we seek a 2nd opinion at the University of Minnesota vet school. Foster spent last weekend at the University of Minnesota ICU where he received 24-7 monitoring and was put on 3 different IV antibiotics.

We are relieved and delighted that Foster was released back to the care of his doting foster family on Tuesday evening. His fever and swelling are under control at the moment. The veterinarians believe that Foster's injury was the result of some kind of foreign body (stick, etc.) becoming lodged in his neck at some point in his past. It is possible that there is still some residual foreign matter in his neck that will require additional surgery in the future. We prefer to maintain an optimistic outlook and hope that the worst is behind us for this sweet boy!

Foster's vet bills, thus far, total into the thousands of dollars. We rely on the generosity of donors to help off-set the cost of high medical needs dogs like Foster. There are two ways to help:
1) Visit our website and make a donation.
2) Mark your calendar to stop by the Twice the Gift shop between November 21 and December 31 to purchase Pet Haven gift cards to give as holiday gifts. All proceeds go directly to Pet Haven and will provide food, veterinary care, and spay/neuter services to homeless dogs (and cats) like Foster.

Foster (when he was feeling better) on the day he arrived in Pet Haven foster care.

Drake: Learning to live on 3 legs

Drake is a young American Bulldog who was hit by a car and taken to a local vet for medical attention. His family never claimed him during his stray hold. The clinic staff felt he was a sweet dog who deserved a 2nd chance so they went ahead and amputated his badly damaged leg (all of his medical care was donated by the clinic, Camden Pet Hospital) and started searching for a rescue who could take this boy in and help him find his forever home. This weekend Drake landed on all three feet in Pet Haven care. He is currently hanging out at Pampered Pooch where Keith and his staff are loving him up while he waits for a foster home. Drake gets along well with other dogs, but cats are a no-no for his foster or adoptive home.

Who can resist Drake's seriously sweet puppy dog eyes?
If you are interested in fostering or adopting Drake, please email pethavendogs@yahoo.com.

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For those of you who will be attending the Pet Haven Fall Benefit on Saturday, November 1, Drake will be one of the models in the dog and cat fashion show. He will be joined by fellow tripod and Pet Haven alumni Bella (fka Spice Girl). There are a few seats still available for the biggest event of the year if you want to see Drake in action. Last year we did sell out, so don't wait until the very last minute to reserve your tickets or it may be too late: Pet Haven Fall Benefit

Nestle & Gunnar: Adopted!

Don't you think that Nestle looked very much at home at his foster family's cabin this weekend? Well, his foster family agrees! Nestle is being adopted by Jenny and the rest of her pack. From Jenny's email "He is such a great dog and we have already grown very attached to him."

Gunnar is another middle-aged lab who came from the same shelter as Nestle and arrived in Pet Haven care on the same day. He was profiled on the blog a couple weeks back. He was deemed unadoptable at the shelter because of a heart murmur. Gunnar also charmed the socks off of his foster family and they are adopting him.

Nestle and Gunnar's stories are a heartwarming example of what dog rescue is all about.
Congratulations, boys!

Katie: From a hoarder to happy hound

Katie is a 2-3 year old pointer mix who came to Pet Haven this summer from a hoarding situation in SW Minnesota. A hoarder is someone who has an obsessive-compulsive disorder about collecting things, such as newspapers, boxes, books, etc. Unfortunately for Katie, this individual hoarded dogs. Things were way beyond their control and luckily Katie ended up in rescue and coming to Pet Haven.

Since Katie did not have the best start in life, she had some insecurities when she arrived in foster care. Katie was living outside a number of other dogs, and did not get a lot of attention. Katie has some separation anxiety and would do best in a home where someone is home most of the day, or someone works from home. She does take an inexpensive medication to help keep her calm. When she is left alone in the home she will bark, but she is not destructive.

Katie's separation anxiety, which is common in many dogs, is the only special requirement she has. She is ready to go home! Katie is housetrained and currently lives with two senior dogs. Katie would like to have another dog brother or sister but doesn't need them to be a playmate, just to hang out with. Katie would prefer a fenced in yard so she can explore without you worrying about her nose taking her somewhere far away! Katie knows some commands and likes to play fetch and tug. Katie walks well on a leash -- she sticks close to your side (ok, maybe sometimes a little TOO close). Katie also enjoys listening to you talk - she'll wrinkle her forehead so you know that she is really paying attention. She has some favorite toys she would love to show off for you!

If you would like to meet Katie, please email pethavendogs@yahoo.com

Nestle: Being nursed back to health

Nestle came to us from an animal control facility. Pet Haven was asked to consider taking in Nestle because he is middle aged and a retriever mix (we are thinking a Chesapeake Bay Retriever) -- which are a dime a dozen in animal control shelters. What we and the shelter didn't know at the time is that Nestle needed immediate medical attention as well.

Nestle arrived three weeks ago and he was very skinny (you can still see his ribs and hip bones in these photos -- after 3 weeks of good food in foster care) and generally in poor condition. He had an eye injury and was a little lame in one leg. Within a few days he had gone down hill and was very sick. He was hospitalized in ICU at one of our great veterinary partners, Bloomington Veterinary Hospital. They ran a battery of tests to try and understand what was wrong with our sweet boy. They were able to determine that he was shot with a pellet gun in the past. He may also have been hit by a car at some point. He developed a lot of swelling in his chest and front legs, he was bleeding in his groin area and was very lethargic. It was a tense few days -- Nestle was found to have a blood infection and bacterial endocarditis, which is an infection of his heart muscle. He also developed a slight heart murmur.

Nestle has the softest eyes and the sweetest disposition -- everyone who meets him falls madly in love with this chocolate brown boy. Everyone in Pet Haven and at the vet clinic was pulling for him to make it through. After a week of treatment at the vet he started to turn the corner and was well enough to move into a foster home. Nestle charmed one vet tech so much that she jumped at the chance to bring him home. He is now on the road to recovery, but he's not entirely out of the woods yet (all signs are positive though!).

Pet Haven is fortunate to know that he is in good hands with a trained veterinary professional who will be able to monitor his progress on a daily basis...
...and who also takes him to her cabin!! Nestle spent this weekend swimming in the lake and hanging out up north with his foster family. Nestle has come so far in three weeks.

Pet Haven is able to provide these life saving treatments for Nestle and other dogs like him because of the generous financial support of our donors. We are incredibly blessed to have been able to say "yes" to all of the diagnostic work and veterinary care that Nestle required. Pet Haven supporters saved Nestle's life. All you need to do is look into Nestle's big brown eyes to see how thankful he is.

To make a donation and help Nestle and other dogs like him, please visit our donation page.

Gunnar: Gunning for your heart, of course!

Gunnar is a 7 year old yellow lab who came to Pet Haven through animal control. During examination by the vet staff at the shelter they detected a heart murmur. Unfortunately, this meant that Gunnar was unadoptable through the shelter. Fortunately, Pet Haven was able to step in and save this sweetheart's life. Gunnar was brought into foster care and is currently undergoing some diagnostic tests so that we fully understand the extent of his heart murmur.

What we know at this point is that Gunnar is happy and in good health right now. It will be important to keep Gunnar at a healthy weight so that his heart does not expend extra energy hauling around weight that Gunnar does not need anyway. He will never be a jogging partner, but regular exercise will be important for Gunnar. The heart, like any other muscle, needs to be kept well-conditioned for optimal health and this will be especially important for Gunnar.

Pet Haven is very fortunate that we are able to say "yes" to helping dogs like Gunnar with some extra medical needs on a regular basis. We are able to do this because of the generosity of our donors who provide us with the funds necessary to pay for extraordinary care such as Gunnar's diagnostic work. If you are interested in making a donation to help Gunnar and other dogs like him, please visit our donation page. If you would like to adopt Gunnar, please email dogs@pethavenmn.org.