Please visit the site that was created in an attempt to recover some of the costs incurred due to several of our recent animals

Over half the households in America include an animal companion. Yet behind this immense love of animals lies an equally immense tragedy: each year, community animal shelters take in six to eight million lost and unwanted dogs, cats and caged pets who face an uncertain fate. Millions of healthy, adoptable pets languish and die in our animal shelters every year. Please watch this video and look into the eyes of these animals and let their stories give you a riveting and unforgettable glimpse into this nation's homeless tragedy.

Light a Candle for Henry

UPDATE from Henry's Foster Mom and Dad (02/01/07-morning):

This is the message that Henry's foster mom and dad wrote for his candle: "Henry, I promise if you get thru this that you will never be without a home again. Despite what you've been thru you are so gentle & kind - you can teach us all a thing or two." They have adopted him! Thank-you for all or your support over these past few weeks. Henry is now home!

UPDATE from Henry's Foster Mom and Dad (01/30/07-evening):

Henry is doing great and as you can tell by his picture...knows he is loved and has finally found his forever HOME!

UPDATE from Henry's Foster Mom and Dad (01/25/07-morning):

Henry is doing well -- I worked from home yesterday and hung out with him -- he slept most of the day -- when there was a thud or strange noise, that bark of his is music to my ears. I was doing some tiling at my house last night and working on the refrigerator that decided to break yesterday (great week for money in this foster household) and he was by me the whole night. I had to make him settle down a couple times because he was feeling good enough to go into the laundry room, steal a sock, and throw it around and chase after it. If you would have seen him Sunday night compared to yesterday, you'd swear it was a different dog. He slept in bed with us last night. He's got lots of meds. One huge probably nickel sized pill once a day, this fluorescent yellow liquid 3 times a day which he hates and another pink liquid once a day - those three for 10 days and then 14 days of doxycycline. So far, so good!

UPDATE from Henry's Foster Mom and Dad (01/23/07-morning):

Got a call this morning - he had a transfusion last night and is doing good today -- so well infact that they, moved him out of ICU and into the dog ward (not as much attention there, but the student that we've been talking to says that there's no shortage of people wanting to take a break from their work load and spend some time with him). He has won the hearts of the whole U of M small animal hospital. We are bringing him home tonight!!! He is not out of the clear yet. He will need to be on a couple of medicines for 10 days or so. One of them is quite expensive. The vet guessed that the one alone would be over $500 for a 10 day supply. He's well worth it!

UPDATE from Henry's Foster Mom and Dad (01/22/07-evening):

Thank you so much for your positive thoughts and prayers for Henry. They worked! We went to visit Henry in the ICU and got some good news from the doctors. The results of the bone marrow test came back that he has a parasite in his blood. The parasite is very uncommon in MN (the doctor had only seen it twice) and is commonly found in fighting dogs. So, he probably got it from being bitten by so many dogs in his past. There is new, though rather expensive, treatment for this parasite that has been found to completely take care of it, so we are going to try it and hopefully he will be back to healthy in a few weeks. He will have one more night at the U of MN and then we can bring him home to slowly recuperate. Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers. It helped us through a difficult time to know so many others were thinking of us and obviously it helped Henry!

UPDATE from Henry's Foster Mom and Dad (01/22/07-afternoon):

Talked to the vet this morning and Henry has a little more energy today. I guess on his way to go outside today, he ran to the spot where we hung out with him yesterday and was looking for us. Of course that almost brought us both to tears again today. They are checking his bone marrow today and hopefully will have some answers for us this afternoon

Henry's Story (01/20/07):

Henry is a foster dog that we pulled from impound. He's a little French Bulldog of some type and he's got scars on his body that probably tell the story of being in a fight ring, but because of his size, we figure he was probably the bait. He's the sweetest little dog and he's being fostered by two wonderful people. He was doing great, got neutered and vaccinated and then started having seizures. He got put on phenobarbitol and things were going good and then something happened and his little body went lethargic and he was vomiting. He was rushed into the U of M Vet Hospital Saturday while our group was at adoption days and he stayed the night. Sunday, as swollen and sick as he was, when his foster dad came to see him, he mustered enough energy to acknowledge him and in true devoted dog fashion, showed him he wasn't ready to give up yet. He's staying another night so they can take some bone marrow and see if he has cancer or an infectious disease that can be treated.

The reason I'm sending this is so you can say just a little prayer tonight and through the day tomorrow to help Henry and his foster parents through this and know they are not alone. You can do this by clicking on the following link and lighting a candle. Thank-you.

Light a Candle

Who We Are

ADOPTION DAYS

SANTA PICS
THANK YOU to our volunteers who came and helped for Santa Pics. Thank you to all the people who came to have their pictures taken of their pets, and thank you to Petsmart for welcoming us again to their store! It was a huge success and as always we had a WONDERFUL time.

We are hoping to be adding more locations for adoption days, please keep watch for updates, we might be coming to a location near you!

Watch for this year’s schedule

FOSTERS NEEDED TO HELP US HELP THEM
What fostering is all about, in a foster’s own words

Fostering an animal is not about me volunteering my time to provide shelter and food and love to an animal. It is about the trust and love that a dog or a cat that has been abused, abandoned or strayed can give you after all it has been through. I've only been a foster parent for about 4 months now and each and every foster animal I've received has it's own special story and place in my heart.

My first foster was the absolutely perfectly behaved dog - if all fosters were like that - who wouldn't want to foster! He was a stray that no one claimed.

People have this preconceived notion that stray animals can be vicious and are abandoned for a reason. As foster parents, we never know the entire story behind why an animal shows up with little to no history of where he/she came from. Some foster animals may be in our care because they wandered too far from home and got lost and their owner didn't claim them, others may have been surrendered by their owners for many different reasons, some could have been dumped off in the middle of nowhere and yet others might have been rescued from an abusive situation. I don't see it as us giving an animal a second chance, I see it as the animal giving humans a second chance. They weren't the ones that failed us in the first place, we failed them. It is absolutely amazing how an animal can be brought into new surroundings and accept everything as is, while trusting these unfamiliar faces, when it takes humans so much longer to trust and adapt.

The reward that I see in fostering an animal is watching it grow emotionally and physically under your care. The skittish cat that curls up beside you purring as loud as a motor. The too skinny dog finally has a beautiful shiny coat and its ribs and backbone no longer show through. The dog that was too scared to enter a house incase it would be scolded finally runs to the door to be let in and out with its tail wagging - no longer worried about being punished. The dog that can finally go into a deep (snoring) sleep with humans in the room and not have to worry about always being attentive in case it has to run and hide. The dog that will not cower when you raise your hand to pet it. The dog that greets you when you come home with a tail that is wagging so much it might fall off and you are overflooded with kisses and "I ruff you's" before you can get one foot in the door!

People ask me how I can give them up after I've cared for them. It's never easy giving up a foster animal, but when the animal is matched with the perfect family that can give it all the love, care and attention it deserves, that is the final reward and the perfect ending to your role as that animal's foster parent. Seeing the family just as happy as the animal is when they are united, gives you a satisfied and content feeling that you can go home and say, "Ok, let's go bring home the next new addition to the family".

> Here's Molly's story on being a foster "sister":

"My mom and I take care of animals that need a home to stay until they can find their forever home. This fostering thing isn't all that odd to me as I was once a foster animal myself until my mom came along and took me home and showered me with lots of love, hugs, kisses, toys and all the treats a dog could every want! I know the feeling of what it is like to not know where you are or where you are going so my job is to make my new foster "sibling" as comfortable as possible and lead the way showing him or her the "rules" of the house. Of course, I also show them the "things you can get away with" stuff so we form a team pretty quickly! It's fun to have a playmate also because all I had before were 4 cats that I lived with and they weren't up for doing all the "dog" activities! When my foster sibling finds his or her forever home, I'm a little sad as my playmate will be leaving, but I know that they deserve a home and family that they can call their own and I look forward to the next foster sibling that my mom will be bringing home so I can teach them all the cool things that dogs can do when they are in a family that really loves them."

A happy ending for a foster

"Sunny has found his forever family!!!

I've had him since the beginning of February with no calls on him and last week, within 24 hours, two families called on him.

It is very interesting the way Sunny acted that morning with the first family. We met at a dog park that had two other men there and Sunny was all over them, but he wanted absolutely nothing to do with the guy of the family that wanted to adopt him. He played with their dog and chased it all around, but as soon as he would get near to the guy and the guy would reach out to pet him, Sunny ducked and was gone. I actually had to grab his collar and bring him over, but he just didn't want to be there. The family said they would think about. The guy was the one that wanted Sunny. When I saw the initial meeting with Sunny and the next family, he was the Sunny I knew and was all over the guy and I knew that it was a perfect match! Ironcally, the first family called me back later that afternoon and wanted Sunny!"

People often ask me about fostering and how I can give up the dogs but I reply to them that when the foster dog finally finds the perfect family for his forever home, it is all worth it.

This family emailed to say:

"We are going to keep his name Sunny we like it, it seems to fit him. He is doing pretty well. He really seems to like his new house and yard. He has a little anxiety. If you get up and leave the room he is on you and follows you every where. My kids love him and he seems to love them. We have an appointment for him at the vet on Wednesday. They said they would give him a free exam even though they were not on the list. We think we were meant to find each other.

Saying Goodbye to a dear friend, Phantom

Today I had to say good-bye to Phantom, who I fostered for eight months. With his beautiful, sleek black fur and strong, broad jaw, I knew that he must have been gorgeous in his youth. Unfortunately, Phantom's family chose to put him outside, declawed and ill, when it was no longer convenient to care for him. He came to me with a urinary tract infection and dull, flaky fur, untrusting of humans and not willing to venture beyond the edge of the walk-in closet where he had a comfy padded bench in front of a window to himself. It took the better part of a month to gain his trust. His infection cleared, but he continued to lose weight, and the vet found liver problems, which gradually worsened and led to kidney malfunction. Despite his problems, he enjoyed basking in the sun on the screen porch, napping on the cat tree, and snuggling close to my feet on his special pillow in my office.

If Phantom could talk, I feel that he would have this to say:

I am not disposable. Please adopt your pet as a lifelong companion and take into consideration that we may live 20 years or more, needing medical care and TLC towards the twilight of our lives. We give you our unconditional trust and love, please don't discard us.

Since I can speak, this is what I have to say:

Animals are living beings. Life iis sacred and to be honored as such. Regardless of our religious background, we each need to realize that we are, literally, the hands of God on this earth. In the era of megastores and disposable goods, it is so easy to just give and forget, thinking someone else will take care of the details. Caring for the companion animals we have voluntarily assumed responsibility for is a task that is many time joyful, but at times very hard. May we always let compassion, rather than convenience, be our guide and take the time to physically contribute our time and caring. In eight short months, Phantom left an imprint on my heart that I will never forget. I am honored to have been his caretaker.

Please consider becoming a foster parent, adopting an animal in need of a forever home, and contributing to their care today. Humans are responsible for pet overpopulation and it should not be the animals that suffer for our lack of foresight. Life is not disposable and convenience should never take precedence over compassion.

Sheryl Hogg

Our Featured Pet:

ROXY!

Roxy needs a family! Roxy lives with a multiple animal home and gets along with EVERYONE. Roxy is a german shepherd, black lab cross. She is a young girl, full of energy who would love to come and be your friend for life!

Also, please visit Black Pearl Dogs.
This is a site about black dogs who are left behind and overlooked -
just like our ROXY!!! Click here to see our Happy Tails!

Adopting a friend

Remember we are A NON-PROFIT 501(c)3 organization which means your adoption fee IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE!

REMEMBER ALL DOGS AND CATS MUST REMAIN INDOORS UNLESS SPECIFIED DIFFERENTLY IN THEIR DESCRIPTIONS.
We believe the animals have a better quality of life indoors rather than outdoors BUT we also realize there are times when animals must be kept outdoors. In these type cases we MAKE a notation in their description.

Dogs are heartworm/lymes tested, brought up to date on vaccines, altered, and some are microchipped. We do treat for internal and external parasites also.

Cats are feline leukemia/fiv tested, brought up to date on vaccines, altered, and some are microchipped. We do treat for internal and external parasites also.

Typical Adoption Fees:

cats/kittens 0-6yrs 99.00

cats 7+ yrs 50.00

dogs/puppies 0-6yrs 199.00

dogs 7+ 50.00

CURRENT FUNDRAISERS

www.thedogperk.com

Serving people who care about dogs!

Please visit their website and check out their merchandise. A certain percent of your purchase is donated to Pleading Paws Pet Rescue

www.petsfund.com

Please visit www.cashforcritters.com to recycle your cartridges. This not only helps save our environment but it’s also a great way to help our four legged friends

We give two paws up for our generous donors

Rin Tin Inn They are located right off Hwy. 169 in Elk River (763)441-8102.
www.rintininnkennels.com They are always making room for us when we need dog boarding. When a dog doesn't have a foster home to go into Rin Tin Inn will always help us by taking them in and keeping them until the foster home comes in. It's so nice because we never know when one will open up but Rin Tin Inn is great and let's us stay. :) We are SO grateful to them. Please visit their site or better yet visit in person, it’s a very nice atmosphere.

DONATING

We use Patented Kuranda Dog Beds because they are durable, chew proof and easy to clean. If you would like to donate a bed to us, click here.

OUR VETS

Forest Lake Vet Clinic
Forest Lake, MN
651-464-2752

All Pets Vet
Zimmerman, MN
763-856-VETS (763-856-8387)
www.allpetsvethospital.com

Princeton Vet Clinic
Princeton, Mn
763-389-2440

Central Bird and Animal Hospital
www.centralbirdanimal.com

www.brookviewanimal.com
Brookview Animal Hospital 7926 Olson Memorial Highway Golden Valley, MN 55427 phone 763-546-2323 fax 952-545-3383

Northern Lights
10617 University Ave NE Blaine, Mn 763-754-2381

Come Visit Us!