Adopted Dog Monday!

Adorable Dachshund mix Jenga came to us from Sioux City, Iowa Animal Control where she was taken along with her identical sister.  They had been in a home that was far too filthy for the puppies to live healthy lives there.

I had the pleasure of meeting the transport that brought Jenga to Pet Haven.  Although a little shy, she was happy to snuggle up on my lap at once.

None of us in the Dog Division were surprised when Jenga's fosters wanted to adopt her after a few days in their home.  So now Jessica and Jack are members of the Foster Failure Club.  (Insider jargon: 'foster failure' means that you tried to foster a dog but ended up adopting her. Some kinds of failure are good.)

Adoption Event Tomorrow .. Saturday, 3/20

Small Dogs: Calhoun Chuck & Don's, 3246 West Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN.

Medium & large dogs will be at the Richfield Petco at 66th and Lyndale.

Hours for both events are 10 am to noon. For a list of all of our adoptable dogs click here.

We hope to see you there!

Action Needed: Including Pets in Orders for Protection

IMMEDIATE ACTION ALERT!

On Wednesday, March 10, the Crime Victims/Criminal Records Division Committee voted to approve a bill that would authorize courts to include pets and companion animals in orders for protection. Reps will be asked to vote on this today!

Please take a moment to call YOUR rep listed below and leave a message with his or her aide that you'd like them to support HF1396 Domestic abuse; courts authorized to include pets and companion animals in protective orders!

Read more about this on the MPR website where Lara Peterson (of A Rotta Love) shares first hand how she comes home to the lifeless body of her 5 month old cat in a trash bag. Lara testified before legislators this week to support the bill.

Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection also has additional information on their website.

Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee Members:

Joe Mullery 651-296-4262 rep.joe.mullery@house.mn 58-A (Minneapolis)
Gail Kulick Jackson 651-296-6746 rep.gailkulick.jackson@house.mn 16-A (Princeton, Milaca, etc.)
Steve Drazkowski 651-296-2273 rep.steve.drazkowski@house.mn 28-B (Goodview, St. Charles, etc)
Tony Cornish 651-296-4240 rep.tony.cornish@house.mn 24-B (Lake Crystal, Wells, etc.)
Debra Hilstrom 651-296-3709 rep.debra.hilstrom@house.mn 46-B (Brooklyn Park/Center)
Kory Kath 651-296-5368 rep.kory.kath@house.mn 26-A (Waseca, Owatonna, etc.)
Sheldon Johnson 651-296-4201 rep.sheldon.johnson@house.mn 67-B (St. Paul)
Tim Kelly 651-296-8635 rep.tim.kelly@house.mn 28-A (Red Wing, Lake City, Cannon Falls, etc)
Paul Kohls 651-296-4282 rep.paul.kohls@house.mn 34-A (Chaska, Waconia, Victoria, etc.)
Dave Olin 651-296-9635 rep.dave.olin@house.mn 1-A (NW cities in State)
Michael Paymar- bill author 651-296-4199 rep.michael.paymar@house.mn 64-B (St. Paul)
Sandra Masin 651-296-3533 rep.sandra.masin@house.mn 38-A (Eagan, Burnsville)
Ron Shimanski, R 651-296-1534 rep.ron.shimanski@house.mn 18-A (Hutchinson, Glencoe, etc.)
John Lesch, DFL 651-296-4224 rep.john.lesch@house.mn 66-A (St. Paul)
Bruce Anderson 651-296-5063 rep.bruce.anderson@house.mn 19-A (Monticello, Buffalo, Maple Lake)
Karla Bigham 651-296-4342 rep.karla.bigham@house.mn 57-A (Cottage Grove, S. St. Paul, St. Paul Park, etc.)

Please contact your representative - you can find him/her by going to: http://www.gis.leg.mn/mapserver/districts/

If your rep is listed above please leave a message of support for this piece of legislation being heard in committee. If you know anyone who may live in the areas listed above please encourage them to make a quick 1 minute call in support of HF1396!

Help pets in need by a simple click

Thanks to founder Kim Carrier of The Pet Project there is a non-profit now whose mission is to helps people keep their pets by providing pet food and basic supplies to those who are struggling.

After being featured in the Star Tribune about the work she is doing she got a phone call from Cargill. Nutrena (owned by Cargill) makes the premium pet food Loyall. After reading the article on The Pet Project and how Kim is working to stock food shelves with pet food (as they are very much a part of the family) they donated a truck load of pet food (worth approximately $10,000!)!. They have agreed to donate another truckload of pet food if the following youtube video is viewed 10,000 times by April 30th. Please consider watching the video and pass the link around to all those you know.

Thanks Kim! Thanks Cargill/Nutrena! And Thanks to all for what you do on behalf of animals and their guardians who love them.

Super Banjo!

Saving his backyard from squirrels...it's a bird, it's a plane, it's Super Banjo!

Banjo was in our adoption program from July, 2008 until May, 2009, when he was adopted by Michelle and Chris.   Cute as the dickens, and a Beagle to boot, he was with us all those months because he was, well, I have to say it:  he is crabby.  Banjo had a lot of love to give, but his sometimes-aggression made him the kind of dog most people don't want to work with.  Luckily for him, Michelle and Chris were willing to put in the work necessary to help Banjo . Working with a trainer and attending obedience classes, plus a lot of love and fun, have made this a very happy placement.  Here is the update we got from Michelle:


Banjo, Chris and I are all settling in very nicely to our new house.  We put up a fence in the backyard shortly after moving in so Banjo can run around chasing squirrels and whatever else comes wandering into our yard.  He's an excellent tracker and will throw up a howl whenever he's on a good trail.  During the summer and fall, Banjo would run around in the backyard for hours and refuse to come inside - there was important work to be done!  It turns out winter is his time to relax and snuggle up under a blanket since he gets cold pretty quickly outside.  His paws seem to get cold very quickly in the snow, so I'm knitting him some booties.  We'll see if he will actually wear them! 

He's constantly making us laugh with his general craziness and goofy manner, which is where he got his nickname of Crazypants.  He love to play chase and tug of war, and goes nuts over the flashlight.  He plays so hard that it's hard to believe he close to nine years old!  

It hasn't all been laughs: we've had some aggression-related issues with Banjo, but we've gotten help from one of Banjo's former trainers and have gone through a dog aggression course.  We've definitely made good progress and continue to do so.

I am grateful Pet Haven helped us find Banjo.  I can only hope we've given him as much laughter and joy as he's given us.

Jane Goodall coming to Minnesota!

So what does Jane Goodall have to do with rescuing and re-homing dogs and cats? I'll get to that in a moment .... but some background for those who aren't familiar with Dr. Goodall. In 1960, at the age of 26 she ventured into the world of wild chimpanzees and won the trust of these shy creatures. Her work has led her to be described as one of the 10 most influential women in history. The Boston Globe wrote: “Being with Jane Goodall is like a walk with Gandhi.” She has also been called “The Einstein of behavioral science” by The Los Angeles Times. Dr. Goodall's life is sometimes exhausting, but always driven by purpose. She is determined to use her time working to save chimpanzees and to empower people -- young and old -- to do what they can for a better world. One of the programs she initiated through the Jane Goodall Institute was a program for youth called Roots & Shoots, a global environmental and humanitarian youth program that not only motivates young people to learn about pertinent issues facing our communities, but helps them design, lead and implement their own projects as a means of solving them.

Jane Goodall has inspired people - young and old to get involved. She has developed programs to get youth involved and to create leaders following a sustainable model. She continues to hold out a vision for the world that there is hope. Her reasons for hope are: 1) humans are beginning understand and face up to the problems that threaten us and the survival of life on Earth as we know it, 2) indomitable nature of the human spirit, 3) the incredible resilience of nature, and 4) the tremendous energy, enthusiasm and commitment of young people around the world. There is so much we can learn from this great leader. For me personally, I have been inspired, motivated and guided by leaders such as Gandhi and Jane Goodall. They lead with love and compassion. From her website she says "Let’s have faith in ourselves, in our intellect, in our staunch spirit and in our young people. And let’s do the work that needs to be done, with love and compassion."

So what does Jane Goodall have to do with rescuing and dogs and cats? In my humble opinion, Jane Goodall is a kind of leader so many of us can learn from ... in a world where there can be so much divisiveness she encourages us to “develop respect for all living things and try to replace impatience and intolerance with understanding, compassion—and above all—love.”

On April 19th she will be coming to Minnesota to speak. This is an opportunity of a life time. For more information and to purchase tickets click here. I will be there and I hope to see you there too.

Marilou
President, Pet Haven Inc of Minnesota

Kayleigh: Move-in ready dog!

Kayleigh is a beautiful black lab mix about 5 years old. She has a little gray on her chin that makes her look a bit older than she actually is. You see Kayleigh has had a hard life. Not being spayed till just recently no telling how many litters of puppies she has had. And Kayleigh was scheduled for euthanasia at the Bemidji animal control when she was rescued and brought to the loving care of Karen Good of Red Lake Rosie's Rescue. She is currently available for adoption.

Kayleigh is a move in ready dog. She gets along great with other dogs. She is housetrained and can be left with free roam of the house while you are away. Eager to please, Kayleigh would be happier if someone was around home with her at least part of the day a few days a week. Kayleigh is just learning how to play .... she is learning what toys are and is going through a time of exploration and curiosity.

She is currently being fostered at Rescue Buddy Boarding. As much as she loves it there she would love to find a forever home .... could you be the one?

If you are interested in adopting Kayleigh please click here to read more about her.