Pet Haven hosts animal welfare leadership seminar

Reposted from the Animal Welfare Leadership blog:


Saturday morning at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park, more than 50 people from 12 different animal welfare organizations came together to discuss Leadership. There are so many of us working tirelessly to rescue and rehome dogs and cats. So many of us share the vision of a day when there will no longer be a need for us to euthanize healthy, adoptable dogs and cats. We as a community must come together to address the pet over population problem. Every year 6- 8 million animals are surrendered to shelters. Every year 4 million are euthanized for lack of homes ... that's one animal every 8 seconds (source: HSUS).

It was exciting to see leaders from so many organizations come together. This was a kick off session to simply determine if there was an interest. The response was overwhelming. The first half of the session focused on leadership development which I led/facilitated. We spent some time reflecting on what leadership means to us and also what our dream is for a better world for animals and humans. Some wonderful ideas were provided which I will share soon once I compile them. I then provided an overview of various leadership frameworks.

During the second half of the session we had 4 guest speakers: Kathie Johnson (Director of Animal Services, Animal Humane Society) talked about the Pet Overpopulation in Minnesota; Dr. Kim Culbertson (of Animal Humane Society and Minnesota Spay Neuter Assistance Project) talked about HVHQSN - High Volume High Quality Spay Neuter; Nancy Minion (Second Chance Animal Rescue) provided an update on the puppy and kitten mill legislation in Minnesota; and Rachel Anderson and Lara Peterson (A Rotta Love Plus) presented on Pitbull 101 and also shared about the education/outreach work they are doing on behalf of pitbulls.

I've decided to start this blog as a quick way for us to remain connected and to help spread the word so we as a community can come together to work towards our shared vision of a home for all healthy, adoptable animals.

Many, many thanks to those of you that came yesterday and for our invited speakers. I am truly, truly excited about the collaboration. Ongoing sessions will be developed and plan to stay tuned for when our next leadership gathering will take place in 2010!

From "Leading from within":

- Leaders find and Listen to their Inner Voice
- Leaders Listen and Attend to Others
- Leaders Cultivate an Organization's Creative Imagination
- Leaders Evoke Conversations that Matter
- Leaders Foster Renewal
- Leaders Tell Stories and Inspire Shared Vision


Let's all stand together and be a stronger voice for both humans and animals!

With gratitude for all who dedicate so much of their hearts, time and resources,
Marilou Chanrasmi
President, Pet Haven of Minnesota


P.S. Groups represented at our kick off session were: Pet Haven, Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota (RAGOM), A Rotta Love Plus (ARLP), Animal Humane Society, Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlet, Animal Folks MN, Voters for Animals, Second Chance, Minnesota Spay Neuter Project, Minnesota Spay Neuter Assistance Project, Red Lake Rosie's Rescue, Beltrami Humane Society.

Leadership illustration by John S Dykes.

Update on Koda: Another Happy Ending for a Pet Haven Dog

Koda is a Dalamation/Lab who was returned to Pet Haven in May after four years.   He was another casualty of a difficult economy.  His guardian was having to work so much that poor Koda spent most of his day alone.    In November, his new family came along to adopt him.  Here is a brief update from his dad.  Tucker is Koda's canine brother.


Koda is doing very well.  He has a lot of energy though usually he and
Tucker run around throughout the house and tire each other out.
(Aside from) a run-in with a farm cat in Iowa, he is very healthy and
energetic (he learned that cats have claws).

He is very good with the kids and has taken to sleeping on my
3-year-old daughter's bed.  He is a very good guard dog though he gets
particularly wound up when it comes to large, white trucks.


Koda also gets an a occasional ride in a small  airplane for a weekend at the family cabin.   


We at Pet Haven are always thrilled to learn that one of our dogs is living the good life!

Santa Photos with your Pet

On Saturday from 11 AM - 4 PM you can have a photo taken of your pet with Santa at the Richfield Petco.

Cost: $8.95 + tax, of which $5 will be donated to Pet Haven!
Location:
Richfield Petco
710 West 66th
Richfield, Minnesota
(66th and Lyndale)

How about taking a trip out to Richfield on Saturday with your furry friend and letting your pup show you just how cute s/he is :) And at the same time, you could support homeless dogs and cats!

Photo borrowed from Flickr :)

Once in Love With Amy

Always in love with Amy.... there's an old song that begins this way.  If you're old enough, you might be singing it when you meet this cute white miniature Poodle.   Even if you don't remember the song, you will still enjoy meeting Miss Amy.

Amy is seven years old -- just hitting the prime of her life.  She is a girl who would be perfectly happy being your one-and-only dog.   (She asked me to tell you that other dogs are just an annoyance.)

If you have a warm lap and would like to share it with Amy, please let us know at dogs@pethavenmn.org.

Amy thanks you!!


 

Adoption Day tomorrow!

Please join us at the Eden Prairie Petco store (8020 Glen Lane) as we have an Adoption Event there on Saturday, December 5 from 10 a.m. - noon.

Many of our dogs will be there.  It's a great opportunity to meet them (and us).  If you're looking to add a new member to your family before the holidays get too hectic,  now would be a good time for that.

The perfect holiday gift!

A Share Card is the perfect gift to give in place of a material item. It lets the recipient know that you are thinking of them, honors them, and helps a non-profit orgainization fulfill its mission. When you purchase a Share Card, you receive the Share Card itself which gives information about the organization as well as the efforts the Share Card donation supports. In addition, you will receive a greeting card featuring a piece of artwork from one of the artists of Partnership Resources, Inc. The Share Card and greeting card can either be mailed to you or directly to someone else as a gift.

You can purchase a share card for Pet Haven online by clicking here.

Pet Haven along with A Rotta Love Pluswill be the featured non-profits on Friday, 12/4 and Saturday, 12/5. Be sure to stop by and say hi.

For more info, visit the Twice the Gift website.

Meet Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a recent surrender to Pet Haven.  It was a reluctant and very sad surrender.  The only reason Cinnamon needed to find a new home is that the children in her home developed some severe allergies to their beautiful girl.  Below is a letter from the couple who offered Cinnamon respite foster care over the Thanksgiving weekend.   Cinnamon is staying at Auntie Ruth's until we can find her a regular foster home.   If you are interested in meeting this nice family dog, please email us at dogs@pethavenmn.org.

Cinnamon is a friendly, eager to please Chesapeake Bay Retriever mix.  She adores people and is very affectionate, but not kissy.  She came from a house with several children and so is comfortable with high-energy households, but she’s just fine at taking an afternoon nap with you, too.  She wants to be a part of your life.  She’s simply a very good dog with a cute doggy smile.

Cinnamon is a very polite young lady; she will walk on a loose leash (unless there is a rabbit nearby), will gently take treats out of your hand, and can be separated from a toy, rawhide, or her food bowl with no fuss or discussion.  She can’t be persuaded to climb on the couch, but would love you to join her on the floor once in a while and just lay with her head in your lap for hours.  She is happy lying on a cool part of the floor with you in sight.  She’ll leave the kitchen at meal times if you just point your finger at her bed.  She is housetrained.  She is not interested in open toilets, food on the kitchen counter, open bags of dog food or treats on a chair, loose socks, or dirty dishtowels.

Cinny would be best in a house with a yard, because she is somewhat curious and likes to walk around.  Like many retrievers, she will play fetch with a tennis ball until exhaustion (yours).  She will either wait for you to take the ball from her, or if you’re too slow, she’ll toss it back to you!  She is usually more interested in a ball than in food or treats.  Cinnamon is not comfortable in a kennel. She doesn’t fight, but she’ll whine piteously.  Whining and standing by the door is her signal when she needs to go outside, too.

If you’re looking for a dog that is young enough to play, go for a jog or hike with you, and old enough to be disciplined and stable, Cinny is your girl.