Pet Haven Fall Benefit tickets on Sale

PET HAVEN, INC. OF MINNESOTA TO HOLD 5^TH ANNUAL FALL BENEFIT

Local Fundraiser to Include Dinner, Silent Auction, Dog and Cat Fashion Show

WHO:              Pet Haven, Inc. of Minnesota

WHAT:            5^th Annual Fall Benefit

WHERE:         Hotel Sofitel

5601 West 78th Street

Bloomington, MN 55439

WHEN:           Saturday, October 29, 2011 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

WHY:             To raise funds and make a difference in the lives of the thousands of homeless and neglected dogs and cats throughout Minnesota

Pet Haven, Inc. of Minnesota, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit animal rescue, announced that they will be returning to the Hotel Sofitel to host this year’s 5^th annual Fall Benefit, the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year. The evening will be kicked off with a silent auction, followed by dinner, and a dog and cat fashion show that will feature several of Pet Haven’s adoptable dogs and cats. Accompanied by local celebrities down the runway, the animals will model the latest attire and accessories from Lulu and Luigi, a local French-inspired pet boutique, in hopes of impressing their potential future families. Proceeds from the fundraiser will support Pet Haven’s mission: rescuing and re-homing animals, spaying/neutering to reduce overpopulation, educating communities about the importance of responsible guardianship and serving as an advocate for animals that do not have a voice.

Tickets are now on sale and include the following options:

• ·      Single - $50
• ·      Single Preferred Seating - $75
• ·      Group Table (seats 10) - $500
• ·      Group Table Preferred Seating (seats 10) - $750

To purchase your tickets and learn more about what the evening entails, visit www.pethavenmn.org and click on Fall Benefit. 

Many thanks to our sponsors:

Event Sponsor: Chuck and Don's Pet Food Outlet

Platinum Sponsors: Bubbly Paws and Photographers Guild

Fund the Need Sponsor: Adogo Pet Hotel

Gold Sponsors: Canine Coach and Downtown Dogs Minneapolis

Silver Sponsor: Lake Harriet Veterinary and Optum/Insight

Bronze Sponsor: Neiman Marcus, Plymouth Heights Pet Hospital and Tuka (Pet Haven alum)

If you are interested in donating to our silent auction please download our procurement form. If you have any questions please contact Marilou at marilou@pethavenMN.org.

RIP Mario ... you will be missed ....

Mario was blessed to have had the chance to spend his last months in the loving home of Pet Haven volunteers Sharon and Barbara. Here are their reflections:

"Mario came for a couple of weeks, and stayed almost nine months. That kind of thing seems to happen with a lot of our "respite" foster dogs. They're supposed to stay for a couple of days while a new foster arrangement is worked out, and in the end we become the new foster moms. With Mario it was a little different, though. After a time those other dogs found their forever homes and left our care. Mario, it turned out, had a liver tumor, along with severe arthritis, and was not adoptable. He needed a place to live the rest of his life, which would probably not be too long. And so Mario entered "hospice care" in our home.

Mario was about 12 1/2 years old when we picked him up just before Thanksgiving. He had a little trouble walking very far, and trouble climbing up steps. If he was laying on the wood floor, he couldn't get up again on his own, but if we managed to convince him to lay down on one of the rugs, he could push himself up and stand. He loved his food and would bark, almost without breathing, until the bowl was down in front of him. And he loved his treats.

He also loved his walks, though he couldn't walk very far on his own. We didn't want to leave him home alone when we walked our two dogs, and Liz from Lulu and Luigi came to the rescue with the loan of her own doggie stroller. Mario looked so happy when we took him out and he could smell all the good outside smells. People would do double takes when they realized there was a little white dog in the stroller.

With love, care and quite a few medications, Mario held his own for about 6 months. In the last three months he had more trouble getting up even on rugs, until he couldn't raise himself up at all any more. He was no longer able to go down the stairs to the back yard on his own, so we carried him down as well as up. But he still perked up when it was meal time or when we put him in the stroller for a walk.

In early August it was clear to us that he was struggling much more to just move and breathe, and we made the difficult decision to euthanize him. Our Pet Haven leadership was so supportive and understanding, and they trusted that we would know when it was the right time. Mario went very peacefully, and we cried but knew that he was no longer suffering. We were glad to have those 9 months with him and he'll always have a special place in our hearts."


From the bottom of our hearts, thank you Barbara and Sharon for opening up your heart to a beautiful spirit and giving him the most beautiful 9 months he could've ever imagined. Thank you for your selfless act. There's a bright star now up in the night skies ... it's Mario and he's shining down on us and he will forever live on in your hearts.

Adopted Dog Update: Phoebe the Firefighter!

Phoebe was adopted from Pet Haven in November, 2006. She is now a member of a family of dad Scott and two rat terrier siblings, Lucy and Tucker ... could a girl ask for any more?? From the photo on the left there is no doubt that this is one happy family!!

We recently got an update from Phoebe's dad and had to share his wonderful note:

"Dear Pet Haven,


I wanted to thank you and give you an update on Phoebe. I adopted Phoebe through Pet Haven on Wednesday November 22, 2006. I started looking on Pet Finder in October ‘06 for a rat terrier. Not too far into my search I came across Phoebe’s picture and fell in love. I then went to Pet Haven’s website and Phoebe was the featured pet of the week…I was thinking she would have a lot of interest and I probably wouldn’t have a chance. I kept thinking positive thoughts, if it is meant to be it will happen. I went through the application process and I was right, she had 3-5 inquires before mine and was already set up for a meet and greet.


That didn’t work out, so in the mean time I had been in contact a few times with Phoebe’s foster mom Kendall. She had such a loving and caring foster family. We are still in contact and Phoebe sends a Christmas photo card to her foster family every year. So you figured out what happened. My best friend’s wife Tristan and I and one of their rat terrier’s Vinny went to meet Phoebe and to sign the adoption papers if all went well…which it did. Lola is Vinny’s sister and the one that started my love for the rat terrier breed. Phoebe has a rescued brother, Tucker (4) and rescued sister Lucy (4) that joined our family the summer of 2007. Phoebe turned 5 years young on June 18th, 2010."


Click here to read the rest of the story and to learn more about how Phoebe saves the day!!

Working together to save another dog's life ... Jake shines on!

Jake

[Reflections by Marilou Chanrasmi, co-director Dog Division for Pet Haven, and board member of Pet Haven and MnPAW]

As of 5 pm last night, today was going to be an incredibly sad day ... it turned out to be a glorious day ... here is Jake's story:

Pet Haven is a member of the coalition Minnesota Partnership for Animal Welfare ... MnPAW... (www.mnpaw.org). In early May MnPAW got involved in an effort to save dogs up at Leech Lake Indian reservation, 3 hours north of the Twin Cities. [To learn more about these efforts visit the Leech Lake Legacy blog.] To date 83 dogs have been given a second chance. All have been adopted or transferred to rescues with the exception of one dog, Barry who is still up for adoption through Animal Allies in Duluth (a MnPAW member). Of the 83, two (Cass and Pepper) had serious medical issues that were not treatable and were humanely euthanized. They are bright stars up in the night skies and will always be remembered. Jake (photo above) arrived on the July 30th transport from the reservation. He arrived at the Animal Humane Society (also a MnPAW member) that Saturday, was vetted, did great on the behavior assessment and was placed up for adoption on 8/3. A customer witnessed what appeared to be a possible seizure and Jake was pulled off of the adoption floor and unfortunately due to possible epilepsy was no longer placeable through AHS. We reached out to MnPAW members, after which we then reached out to other rescues, sanctuaries and shelters not only in Minnesota but across the country. Would anyone consider taking in Jake, a gorgeous 1 - 2 year old lab/shepherd mix? Email after email came back with heart felt apologies ... in the end the answer was always no. After three weeks of reaching out, a decision was made yesterday to humanely euthanize Jake. Pet Haven, like many other groups, didn't have any open fosters to take him ... let alone a dog with 'possible' seizures. I arrived at AHS late yesterday afternoon with Jenny Fitzer (the volunteer leading the effort to save the dogs from Leech Lake reservation). We spent an hour and a half with Jake ... took him out for a long walk, let him feel the sun on his back, let him roll around in the grass... it was a heart breaking afternoon with our hearts so heavy. This is the heart ache of so many on the front lines of animal rescue. The reality is we know we can't save them all. But Jake? He was full of life, of joy, of sweetness. We both left AHS at 5 pm with tears in our eyes. I was going to return the next day to be with Jake as he got euthanized. I was there for both Pepper and Cass when they were euthanized ... as painful as it was I knew in my gut it was the right thing to do for Pepper and Cass. For Jake, my gut was screaming out to me that it's not Jake's time .. we don't have enough information about his condition and whether or not he really has epilepsy. They were only 'suspected' seizures.

As I drove away, an idea popped into my head ... earlier in the week I had the good fortune of meeting Tom Morehouse the owner of a brand new doggie daycare in Bloomington, Lucky Dog Pet Lodge. We discussed ways that we could partner and Tom offered to foster a dog for Pet Haven at no cost. He gave me a tour of his facility which was extremely impressive ... 18,000 sq ft of outside romping room and loving, caring, compassionate and knowledgeable staff. I called Tom as I left AHS and filled him in on Jake's story. He indicated that even if he has seizures that he was prepared to deal with it and he was happy to foster Jake. I said to Tom, "You were truly my last hope. I would've completely understood if you couldn't but I just had to try. I just need some time to get him checked out and further evaluated by a vet. By saying yes to Jake you have essentially saved his life." Last night was a flurry of phone calls to ensure that Jake would no longer be euthanized, that he got in to see a vet (thank you to Dr. Vicki of Act V Rescue & Rehabilitation, for squeezing Jake in this morning) and that I had everything all lined up for Jake on his next stop .... Lucky Dog Pet Lodge!

There isn't confirmation that what Jake had was really a seizure on 8/3 on the adoption floor at AHS. He's been great since then, and last night and today has just been super! He stopped by the Pet Haven medium/large dog adoption event today after his vet visit to meet a few of the other dogs and did great at the adoption event with the other dogs, adults and kids. At Lucky Dog Pet Lodge he acclimated very quickly to the other dogs and within 10-15 minutes was romping around with them and getting much needed exercise after being in a shelter environment and a kennel for 3 weeks. The staff at Lucky Dog Pet Lodge have already fallen in love with him. They say he's a really smart boy. If you are interested in learning more about Jake contact me at marilou@pethavenmn.org. He will not be available for adoption until August 30th.

Today the night skies will be less one bright star ... it's not yet Jake's time and he will continue to shine down on earth .... this amazing spirit is touching the hearts of so many. Despite all the neglect and abuse he endured up at Leech Lake reservation (his body still carries scars from many old wounds) you wouldn't know it by how sweet, gentle and kind he is ....

Thank you Lucky Dog Pet Lodge for partnering with Pet Haven and for giving this boy another chance. Thank you for making today a beautiful day .... tears that fall today, are simply tears of joy .... Thank you for giving Jake another chance!

For more photos of Jake click here.

Jake goes for a walk with us
right outside Lucky Dog Pet Lodge

Adoption Event tomorrow, Saturday, 8/20

Beau

Pet Haven adoptable dogs will be hanging out on Saturday between 11 am and 1 pm in hopes that you will stop by to say hi, and maybe even consider filling out an application to bring them home forever???

Medium/Large dogs will be at:
Richfield Petco
710 West 66th Street
Richfield, MN
For directions click here.

Small dogs will be at:
Calhoun Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlet
3246 West Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN
For directions click here.

If you are interested in learning more about fostering feel free to stop by the adoption event to talk with one of our volunteers to learn more.

Gigi

Jessie ... famous Pet Haven website dog hanging in there!

Jessie in March, 2011

If you take a look at the Pet Haven website (www.pethavenMN.org) you will see on the top banner a gorgeous chocolate lab. Her name is Jessie. She was adopted in 1997 by Nancy and Tom when she was just 1 year old. Nancy and Tom are heavily involved in the animal rescue/welfare efforts in Minnesota and give up so much of their hearts, resource and time to help abandoned, abused and neglected animals. They are involved with Pet Haven, Red Lake Rosie's Rescue, and helping the dogs and cats from the Beltrami Humane Society and rescuing dogs from Leech Lake Reservation. This morning I received an update from Nancy on sweet Jessie, aka Jess-a-roonie-be-bomp :)

She's hanging in there, but she's fading ... what we do know is that she was blessed in a million ways to have landed in the home of Nancy and Tom. Please keep Jess-a-roonie-be-bomp in your thoughts and prayers:

"Little Jessie is fading away.  I wish she looked as healthy now as she does in that recent photo of her in her winter jacket.  She promised me that she would make it to summer because this is her favorite time of the year, and now she is certainly stretching her time out.  But sadly she is skin and bones, and gave up on dog chow a couple months ago.  We offer her quite a menu to pick from each day and will feed her whatever she wishes:  pot pies, pork roast, beef roast au jus, baked chicken, venison formula of canned dog chow, rabbit formula of dog chow.....sometimes she gets what we call "doggie derves" (a spin off of the "hor d' oeuvre") where we dip high protein puppy biscuits into drippings for her.  But her most favorite snack is the 'nilla wafers.  Even with this menu she continues to lose weight....we suspect a cancer.  Her tail still wiggles altho plastered to her cute little rear end and she always greets us and the other dogs every morning.  She lets me gently rub her neck and ears, she still likes it when I grab her and give her a "raspberry!" on her neck.  She has doggie dementia so paces quite a bit, will only take the freshest and coldest of water in her dish, and always wants everyone to be in bed by 10:30.  She is a nut and we cannot tell you how grateful we have been all these years to have had her in our lives since her adoption from Pet Haven in 1997 at age 1.   There are tons of incredible moments we have shared and equally as many photos.  The day we say goodbye to her is something we cannot prepare for, but in the meantime we enjoy every second we can with her.  We are grateful to have found her at Pet Haven."

Thank you Nancy and Tom for all you have done for Jessie ... and for all you continue to do for animals in need.

Bear is adopted!

Bear was adopted to a family who lost their 6 yr old pomeranian about six months ago. Appears that Bear won the heart of his new human siblings ... somehow, we suspect the feeling was very mutual :)

Bear has a big back yard to run around in and lots of doggy neighbors to play with ....

Congrats Bear ... and Congrats to Bear's new family!!

Prince reunited with his brother

Prince (formerly Buster) as a puppy with his
brother Tuxedo (formerly Romeo)

In the summer of 2010 Pet Haven took in 3 springer/beagle puppies. They all went into foster homes and were adopted out. In July of 2011 Prince was returned to Pet Haven for some territorial guarding and barking. He is also shy and fearful around men and needs a family willing to work with him on some of his issues. He attended one of our adoption events and his photo was posted on our facebook fan page. The adopter of Prince's brother, Tuxedo noticed him on our facebook fan page and inquired about him .... well, suffice to say that this story has an incredibly happy ending .... maybe it was fate that Prince was to be returned to Pet Haven so that he could be reunited with his brother Tuxedo. Tuxedo and his dad go on runs together ... maybe Prince will become a runner too!

We got the following update from the home of the happy brothers, Prince and Tux!

"After my email last week things have been going very well with Prince. I think he's feeling more comfortable and safe around us. He's getting into more things around the house, so we watch him closely to let him know what's okay and what isn't. He's doing really well with learning the rules of the house.

We've been walking everyday, sometimes twice a day, and he is doing so much better on his walks. When we see another dog I bring him close, if he starts to get really anxious and out of control  I pull off to the side and make him sit while the other dog passes us, we haven't had any more near fights. When people walk past us he barely even flinches, I still bring him in nice and close to me just in case he gets nervous.

He is feeling a bit more comfortable with our neighbor kids who come over to play. I make him stay away when they first come in the house, if needed I'll put his gentle leader on to calm him down. A couple of times I just got it out and when he saw it he went and laid down on his blanket. Then I just have the kids go and play and when he's ready he'll go and sniff them and then go about his business.

Prince the cuddlier

He doesn't do as well with grownups, men mostly, coming in the house, he gets very scared and growls, so we always have his gentle leader on when an adult man comes over or will put him in his kennel. We'll be working on that.

We found out he very afraid of brooms and big sticks, so I have him leave the room I'm sweeping.

We went to our first training together last night and he did well in class, we've been practicing at home. He did both his anxious barking and growling at a couple of the other dogs as well as hiding behind me and being a bit fearful at times. The trainer saw everything before I even asked her about his fearfulness, after talking with her we will be going to the dog-to-dog aggression class this fall with him and possibly the dog-to-human one as well. She let me know she feels confident he can over come his condition, that made me feel good...she gave me some great ideas for helping in the mean time, we'll keep on working.

He's got such a great personality, him and Tux are very similar in the way they play and behave, but Prince is such a cuddlier and a little more reserved than Tux. We are having lots of fun with him. He has kind of learned how to play tug of war with Tux, he holds on to the other end of the rope toy and then lays on his belly while Tux pulls him across the floor, it's really funny and we all have to stop and watch no matter what we're doing."


Thanks to Melissa and family for welcoming Prince into your home and for working with this sweet boy. He couldn't have ended up in a better home than with you ... and what a bonus to be back with his brother after a year! Some things are just meant to be :)


And many thanks to Josh and Andrea for fostering Prince when he came back. If you or anyone you know would like to learn more about fostering with Pet Haven email us at volunteer@pethavenmn.org. 

Toby: The Loveable Lapdog!

Toby is a three and a half year old Pekingese/Papillon mix. He’s a handsome guy and he knows it! This guy may be a loveable little lapdog but he also doubles as guard dog. He enjoys cuddling with his person, going for walks, and carrying his favorite toy with him everywhere. He is on alert though and will keep watch over the house while you’re gone since he’s house trained and can be left on his own. Once you come home he will jump for joy and grab his toy to celebrate your arrival. He is a bit of a goofball and is good with traveling, kids, and other dogs once he’s gotten to know them. He also loves to run to burn off energy and at the end of the day would be happy to pass out on his dog bed. He is a loyal guy and loves people but doesn’t care much for felines.  

Toby needs a family that will keep set boundaries for him and not just spoil him rotten; as hard as that is! Otherwise, in typical lapdog fashion he will assume the role of pack leader in the house. He needs his forever family to be able to introduce him to other dogs and people slowly so he has time to warm up to them. He does have experience living with other dogs in his foster home that were around his size. Toby is also a whiz with the tricks and knows how to sit, stay, lie down, jump, and shake. He can sit and put his paws out looking like he’s begging too. How could you say no to that handsome face? Toby’s forever home will be lucky to have such a loyal new member.

For more info on Toby email us at dogs@pethavenMN.org. 

Kirby the love bug!

Kirby is a Pomeranian and around twelve years young. He wants everyone to know he’s still got a lot of life and love left to give! They call him the Love Bug because he loves giving kisses and affection and is devoted to his person. He enjoys hanging outside and walking the perimeter of the yard while chatting with the neighbor dog. He also loves walks and a scratch behind the ear. He warms up quickly to new environments and enjoys following his foster mom around the house during the day. He passes out at night on the floor next to her. He is overjoyed when his person is home from work and lets them know they’re the most important thing in his world. Another bonus, his foster mom says he doesn’t shed that much!

Kirby gets along with other dogs and currently lives with a Chihuahua. He doesn’t care for other pups near his food so as long as he’s fed separately all is well. He lives with cats but much to their dismay finds entertainment by annoying them with a bark or chase. He is also great at traveling and doesn’t mind being picked up or held. According to his volunteer driver for event days, “He's just too good.  I hope we find someone that knows he has 5-6 years of love in him. I find that senior dogs are really the best companions.  I adopted one myself.” Hopefully, Kirby’s forever family will realize he’s got lots of spunk left in him and come meet this Love Bug soon!

Mikey ... Home at last!

Last August Mike (now known as Mikey) was returned to Pet Haven. Poor Mikey was terrified of everything. He needed to be in a foster home that would be patient and willing to work with a scared, gentle soul .... Not long after he came in he lucked out and ended up in the home of experienced fosters Merry and Aaron who had 2 dogs of their own: Jack (a gorgeous german shepherd) and Geordie (a big black lab mix ... and yes, just as gorgeous!). Both Jack and Geordie were adopted from Pet Haven. Mikey not only had experienced fosters ... he had 2 canine foster brothers to play with and learn from, a loving human 'foster brother' to snuggle up with, and feline 'siblings' to visit in laundry baskets and other hiding places.

For a year, Mikey's fosters continued to bring Mikey to adoption events. This poor boy continued to be overlooked. Only a handful of applications came in for him. He was scared to death at adoption events and didn't 'show' well as he would drool nervously. It didn't matter though, his fosters continued to love him, work with him and treat him like one of their own and it was clear that Mikey was continuing to improve and gain confidence. Mikey was so fortunate that his fosters could see the gem he really was beneath the shaking, drooling, barking and other ways he would display his fear and terror.

Geordie (front), Mikey and Jack

About a month ago, Merry and Aaron lost their beautiful Jack to spleen cancer. Merry and Aaron were down to 2 dogs in their household ... Geordie and foster dog Mikey. Then this past Saturday, Mikey's wish came true .... he was officially adopted by his foster family. Little did he know that he has been home all along. The bright star of Jack shining from up above has given Mikey the greatest gift of all ... a forever place in the home and hearts of Merry and Aaron and their son "I". Thank you Merry, Aaron, and 'I' for all you have done for Mikey this past year ... and for all you have done for all the foster dogs.  They currently are fostering Justice, another big black lab mix ... it appears Justice has a home visit scheduled for this week. Paws crossed for Justice!!

I asked Merry to share an update on Mikey for the blog ...

I would love to tell you about Mikey. He is a sweet, affectionate dog who loves to cuddle. When we sit on the floor with him, he leans his head against our chest and absorbs all the snuggles and pets he can get. When we're working at a desk or computer, he comes up and whips his head under an arm, asking for pets. He also wraps his head and neck around a forearm so we'll pet his chin and his chest. He is still an anxious guy, but his safe places are either the upstairs bathroom, downstairs bathroom, or his kennel. One way to Mikey's heart is with pastrami and if we have some kind of treatment we need to do, we feed him bits of pastrami while we do it and he's OK with the whole procedure. We have a calming music playlist for when he and Geordie need to be home alone in their kennels, and he has music we play at night when he sleeps in his kennel. We've offered to let him sleep in our room like the other dogs, but he prefers his kennel. Some things that other dogs do - like sit on the couch or bed with their family - is an act of bravery for Mikey. We're always so happy when he feels brave enough to join us in the kitchen when we're fixing dinner. He loves playing with balls and will bounce the balls and play with them by himself, but also loves to have us chase him and throw the balls for him. When Jack died, it usually would have taken a long time for us to decide to get another dog. But Mikey had already been part of our family and had nestled himself in our hearts. He and Geordie had a rough start together but they've developed a rhythm and understanding of one another and are friends now. From the outside, Mikey might seem like a difficult dog, but we've all figured out a rhythm that works for him and for us. He is such a sweet, brave spirit and we feel so honored and happy to have him be a permanant member of our family. 

Thank you!

Merry

Snuggle time on the couch

Jack and Mikey pay the kitty a visit
in the laundry room

Photos from 8/6 Medium/Large Dog adoption event

Justice ... she would make an
excellent READ therapy dog!

It was a busy day at the Richfield Petco for the medium/large dogs of Pet Haven!!! At the event today Smiley and Stuart Little made their adoption event debut!! Justice, Tug and Phoenix were also there to show the ropes for the newbies.

Stuart Little has a home visit scheduled next weekend ... he was busy showing off all the tricks that foster mom taught him, including "sit', "down". Good boy Stuart!! :) Then there was Smiley, who won the hearts of so many ... how often do you find a calm, mellow 9-10 mth old lab mix?? And then our angelic Justice .. She was busy giving lots of kisses, mentoring Stuart, napping in the middle of the floor and being read stories to - a great application came in for her and looks like a home visit is going to be scheduled!! Good luck to Justice and Stuart Little on their home visits this coming week! We'll keep you posted.

And our sweet Tug the beagle also had lots of interest. Stay tuned ... hopefully we'll be reporting a home visit for him too ... maybe even an adoption!! :) Then there's Phoenix!! His foster mom continues to do amazing work with this boy.

We also get to report two adoptions today ... Mikey the black lab mix who has been in foster care for a year now was officially adopted today!!!  and J.D. the St. Bernard was also adopted. No photos of them today because they will have their own special posts to celebrate their adoptions in the not too distant future.

Smiley

Stuart Little

Tug

Phoenix

Dog Adoption Tomorrow (Saturday)

Russell

Pet Haven adoptable dogs will be waiting and hoping to see you tomorrow (Saturday) at our dog adoption event from 11 AM - 1 PM. 


Small dogs will be at ...

Wayzata Chuck & Don's
1147 Wayzata Blvd E
For directions, click here.

Medium/Large dogs will be at ....

Richfield Petco
710 West 66th Street
Richfield, MN
For directions click here.

If you plan to stop by the Richfield Petco to visit our medium/large dogs be sure to also say hi to our adoptable cats .... Pet Haven cats will also be there .... cats will be by the main entrance and the pups will be by grooming.

Check out our website, www.pethavenMN.org, for all of our adoptable dogs and cats.

Beau

Adopted Dog Update: Duchess

L to R: Cosmo (in the back), Duchess and Bart

We love updates from our adopters and in this case we are very fortunate that by getting an update on one of our pups, Duchess, we are actually getting an update on two of our pups as her sibling, Bart, was also adopted from Pet Haven. Of course, they both love Cosmo who is hiding in the back of the photo :)

Here is an update on Duchess from his new mom:

"Duchess has been with us for about four months now and is doing very well. The biggest thing that has happened is well..she's BIG.  She's grown four inches wider across her back (that's how much we've adjusted her harness) and gained 10 pounds of pure muscle.  However, if Bart gets in the way she can still just walk under him to get where she wants. Also, we're pretty sure she's part kangaroo. Instead of running around the backyard, she hops off all four feet. Never seen anything like it. She can hop on her hind legs, and even hopped the fence into the neighbor's yard (5 feet) from a sitting position although thank goodness she's only done that once.  We're thinking of loaning her out to the circus.

Duchess loves to play with her big brothers and since she's such a tank, she can pretty much hold her own. She loves to play with the pug who lives on one side of us, and the doberman who lives on the other side, Zander.  She finished obedience school and was the star of the class, unlike her brother Bart who really didn't care if he did anything right (he just wants the treats).  Bart tore his CCL this year, so he's been sidelined a bit but he watches Cosmo and Duchess play and seems to enjoy it. He's healing and should be back in good form soon.

Bart learned pretty early on not to mess with Duchess...he tried to steal her rawhide and she bit him in the butt, which offended him to no end.  Other than that things have been going smoothly with the pack other than little adjustments here and there. And everywhere we walk, we get comments about how they all "match". "

Read more about Duchess when we posted about her shortly after she was adopted:

http://pethavendogs.blogspot.com/2011/05/red-lake-rosies-adopted-dog-monday.html

And if you'd like to read more about Bart (who was nicknamed, 'Bart the dumpster dog') check out the following blog:

http://pethavendogs.blogspot.com/2009/09/adopted-dog-update-bart-dumpster-dog.html

If you have adopted a dog from Pet Haven we would love to hear from you. Email us at editor@pethavenmn.org. 

Justice makes her debut at the dog adoption event!

Justice

We had a very busy day at the adoption event on Saturday at the Richfield Petco! Many thanks to everyone who came out to say hi to our adoptable pups.

Justice (on left) made her debut at the adoption event on Saturday. She is an approximately 3 year old black lab/rottie mix with lots of love to give. Justice is good with dogs, cats and kids .. she also enjoys swimming. Justice's foster dad says she paddles hard with her front paws resulting in LOTS of splashing ... so although her swimming technique may not be the best, she wants you to know that she LOVES life and she really doesn't care how crazy she looks like in the water :)

Justice is a gentle giant ... while at the adoption event on Saturday she quietly approached passerbys and let them rub her head and sat and posed for her photos to be taken ... if you're looking for a new addition to your family Justice wants you to know that you don't have to look any further ... to learn more about Justice check out her bio on petfinder.

For more photos from Saturday's adoption event ... and great photos of our other dogs (JD, Charlie, Beau, Toby, Phoenix, Deuce, Kirby, and Russell;) check out the Flickr Pet Haven site.

Charlie gets some lovin'