Happy Tails
Do you remember Dakota?
Jun 2nd
Dakota was an owner surrender when she came to Pet Haven at about 3 yrs. of age. The surrendering owner didn’t disclose her reactivity to other dogs, counter surfing, and fabric chewing habits and she was a challenge in her foster home. The fosters worked with Canine Coach and brought Dakota around and made the decision to adopt her!
About 10 years have passed and she has ‘retired’ in AZ with her owners who report that she continues to be a full-of-energy girl who needs lots of stimulation and excitement in her life.
Just thought I’d update you on Dakota. She loves it here in Tucson! Lizards to chase and dogs next door she’s able to play with. She became ill last summer, with much coughing, and I feared it was “valley fever”, a local fungal infection. Turned out, ironically, to be blastomycosis, which she must have brought with her from MN. The best meds were impossibly expensive, but the same stuff they use for valley fever seems to have worked on the blasto.
The house came with a pool, and I took her in a few times last year, shortly after we arrived, so that if she happened to wind up in the pool somehow she would know how to get out. She didn’t like it. This year she has overcome her fear and will swim willingly! We’re waiting to see if she will ever go in by herself to cool off.
She’s 11 now, and showing no signs yet of slowing down. We’re proud of her. She’s become such a good dog. She’s still a bit iffy with other dogs– an altercation with a Shepherd twice her size in the hardware store comes to mind, though in fairness, they surprised one another at a corner– but that’s her only failing and is much less an issue than it was. We’re so glad she came into our lives, in spite of the early trials she put us through.
Ed & Edith
Aren’t we all a lot alike? Dogs, cats and people. We rescued, we adopted, we trained and then we do our best to correct or lessen behaviors, we gain trust, we appreciate what the cat or dog brings to our relationship and we love each other.
All of us, human and companion animals, need to be appreciated for what we have to offer. Ed, Edith and Dakota were there for each other in the past and have enjoyed many years together, appreciating the loving bond between them more and more as time goes on.
A new home, a new life
Mar 21st
Reyn, formerly known as Renault, is loving life in his new home and all of his welcoming family!
Despite appearances, he is really a bird dog at heart.
Recently, this message came from his new owner:
I thought I’d share this story about Reyn and what he did yesterday on our walk in the woods. He and I have been at our lake home for two weeks, enjoying lots of walks. Yesterday when I took Reyn on a walk in the woods behind our house he sniffed out a grouse that was completely buried in the snow to stay warm. Reyn is a true hunter and still makes me wonder if he fended for himself for a period of time. He hones in on smells like nothing I’ve ever seen in a small domestic dog. Yesterday he stopped, put his head back sniffing the air and then dove head first into the snow. Seconds later a grouse popped up and Reyn lunged for him. I immediately pulled back on his leash but he still managed to pluck two tail feathers from the bird. The only other dog I’ve ever had that hunted like Reyn is my dog Bandit that was half toy collie and half red fox. I’ve never had a domestic house dog like Reyn. Right now he’s laying in front of the patio door, in the sun, watching the squirrels eating sunflower seeds under the bird feeder. He’s a great dog and I love him so much.
I hope all’s well with you!
Sincerely,
Adam
Wheezy – home at last
Feb 7th
Sometimes you have to leave the area you were raised in and move to a new location to find happieness and your forever home. That’s just what happened to Wheezy. After a long stay in rescue in IA, she came to the Twin Cities to continue her search – and was successful. Not only does she have a home that is understanding of her shy nature and is helping her work through some insecurities, she has a job!
Here’s an update from her adoptive mom, written to her foster mom.
Good evening Lisa,
I just wanted to let you know how Wheezy has been settling in during her first few months here. She’s definitely my shadow and worries when I’m out of sight, but I think she’s making progress. She no longer needs me to sit on the floor with her when she eats; I can actually be in the next room (though she does come to check on me), and instead of doing her business and then immediately coming to whatever window I’m near and staring in, she’s discovered that it’s OK to stay out for a while and investigate all the good smells in the yard. 
Wheezy comes to work with me and has been a big hit there. While men and various random things make her nervous, I think it’s good experience for her. I often say we have the best customers in the world: people who feed the birds tend to be a kind-hearted bunch, and the majority, like our staff, are also big pet lovers. Our Fed-Ex guy has learned to approach slowly and crouch down so as not to be threatening. He brings her treats. Wheezy’s getting a lot of exposure to the good folks in life, and she always has the option to hang out in the office if she wants a quiet retreat.
Wheezy enjoys running with me several times a week. Together we have recently graduated to 4.8 miles. I stop at regular intervals so Wheezy can roll in the snow, which she loves. She looks pretty cute in her safety vest and collar light: a serious canine athlete. We have also completed PetCo’s level one training class and have signed up for level two. Wheezy loves doggy school and seems to catch on pretty quickly. She won the sit/stay contest twice, though mostly by default, I think, as she’s so calm and really doesn’t know what else to do…
All in all, she’s adjusting quite well, and we’re having a good time together. Thanks again for fostering her! The photo is of her at work. We made her a name tag that says “in training.”
Sincerely,
Martha
Truly a Happy Tail!
December adoptions can be slow
Dec 13th
Traditionally, adoption rates slack off in Dec. and often prior to Thanksgiving. Adopters are busy, they are planning events and arranging meetings with family and friends. Making a lifetime commitment to a new pet is, understandably, not at the top of the ‘to-do’ list!
Recently these 3 canines found their forever homes and we all celebrate. Fosters, other volunteers and most especially, the dog and his or her new owner!
Humphrey
Marvin
Foxy
Congratulations one and all!
If you are still looking for that perfect companion, check out the cat and dog pictures and bios.
Ella finds a forever home
Aug 25th
Ella came to the Animal Humane Society in a cruelty case. She is judged to be 10 yrs. old and is in the very early stages of kidney disease. It isn’t a problem for her now, except that she can’t concentrate her urine, but it will progress.
She’s a cute girl – and will be even prettier once all of her matted-to-the-skin, long hair is removed. The worst mats have been shaved off. Now her new mom, a Pet Haven foster with a fondness for older cats, is working on combing out the rest, removing more dead hair and getting rid of her dandruff. Skin doesn’t like to have hair matted down tight to it. A bath is in her future too. By the holiday season she will have regrown much of her coat and she will look at least like a medium haired lady.
Ella will be having a dental too – she has one broken canine and at least one more that will be removed but since her back teeth are encased in tartar it is hard to tell how many will be pulled until she is sedated. Most cats are not cooperative at ‘opening wide’ so the dentist can do a thorough check!
So far her mom has found her to be a confident, comfortable lady.
She may be deaf. When she is sleeping, if you touch her, she startles. Mom has started tapping her feet when she is a little ways away so she senses she is there and wakes up on her own.
Pet Haven has taken other difficult to place cats and dogs from AHS when they are able to. Some companion animals do not deal well in a shelter or are not very adoptable for one reason or another. Few adopters are looking for the very shy who would benefit from a one on one experience in a home before they find their forever home or for those who come in with a shortened life span.
Working together, we can find homes for more of these cats and dogs and bunnies who really need the unusual adopter – one who is willing to have and love a pet for 6 months or 4 years. We hold special memories in our hearts for the ones we adopt or foster, sometimes for a long period of time and others more briefly.
Ella is going to create all sorts of special memories as her mom gets to know her.
Happy tails and ‘grins’ all around
Aug 22nd
Pumpkin is a wonderful example of collaboration. She was taken from a hoarder by the Animal Humane Society in the last year. Many of the dogs were well enough socialized to be able to go up for adoption through their shelters but a few were not and a plea went out to rescue partners to find foster homes to advance their socialization.
Pumpkin is probably a spaniel-pappillion mix. She spent a number of months in a Pet Haven foster home before finding a home of her own where she has settled in and is truly a shining example of what all of us who do rescue are working towards.
This is what her adopters recently had to say about her and how she has fit into their lives.
Sally,
We just wanted to thank you for rehabilitating Pumpkin into the happy little dog she is today. She has become a welcome member of our family and is really enjoying her new home.
Steph and Pumpkin have become best friends and Pumpkin rarely leaves her side. She will follow her around the house and wants to “help” Steph with everything she does, from folding laundry to making the bed. (When I say “help” I mean lay on top of things.) Last week she even went with Steph to visit the daycare where Steph works as part of their “Pets” theme for the month. The students loved her and Pumpkin behaved very well. We tell children to pet her on the brown spot on her back , and this prevents them from petting her in a way that makes her too uncomfortable. Pumpkin also enjoyed going up north with us to Steph’s cabin. She loved playing in the big open areas and even started following around other members of the family and looking for handouts during meals.
She is starting to learn a few new tricks. She’s doing really well at “sit”, “down” and “high five” (what most dog know as “shake”) and is even learning to put her head down on command. She still needs to work on “stay”, because, once again, it’s hard for her to be more than 5 feet from Steph. Pumpkin loves to go on walks with Steph and is now flying up and down the stairs of our apartment building. Her walking condition doesn’t seem to bother her and most times is virtually unnoticeable. Pumpkin becomes very excited when Steph comes home from work but is starting to learn that she doesn’t get attention until she sits and calms down. I can understand the excitement of someone coming home can conflict with the need to sit and be calm. Tango, my parent’s dog, has the same problem.
As for her relationship with me, she is slowly becoming more comfortable. She’s still a little shy of me at times, but has come a long way since we first got her. She will take treats from me and listen to some basic commands but is reluctant to go on walks with me and sometimes will shy away when I walk towards her. From what we can gather, this issue is connected to men in general rather than me specifically. At the cabin, Pumpkin became more comfortable with Steph’s mom and sister, but not with her dad or brother. We’re confident that she will become accustomed to me eventually, especially since we’ve already seen some improvement. She’s a smart dog and I think she will learn this “trick” as well.
We’re looking forward to many happy years with our new pet and you can bet that Pumpkin is loving life much more than she did in Bemidji. Thank you for the patience and compassion you gave Pumpkin. You helped us find the dog we were looking for.
Sincerely,
David and Stephanie Surine
Home at last
Jul 31st
Bella has long wondered why her foster mom and dad didn’t realize that she was REALLY at home already – with THEM?
They’ve loved her for along time, worked hard with her on her quirks and continue to, take her for walks, give her lots of love and know her favorite toys and games. Finally she convinced them and Bella is happy to say she is HOME at last -
Way to go Bella! and Leslie and Danny, too.
Chloe – happy pooch and family
Jun 4th
Our fosters and other volunteers love to hear how a cat or dog is settling into its new home. Here’s a recent update:
Chloe has been everything that we were hoping she would be and more! I have attached a couple of photos, but I can tell you that even our cats have adopted her, too.
She has met our vet, because we were concerned about her spay area, but it turned out to be a little irritation. Our vet actually thinks she could lose 5 lbs., so we are monitoring her food a bit.
We love to walk her, and she loves running with Anne to Lake Harriet!
She is getting used to our house, and seems comfortable walking on wood and ceramic floors now. Our bathroom tub faucets squeak when they are turned on/off, and Chloe will whine and run upstairs concerned about something. We don’t know what she is doing, but maybe she thinks an animal is squeaking.
All in all, she is a very nice addition to our house, and we thank you. If you would like to see her, just let us know, and we will meet with you.
Have a nice weekend!
Spike is adopted!
Apr 23rd
Some adopters have a special fondness for the older dogs (and cats) who are looking for a new home.
Spike came to Pet Haven as a mellow, just middle aged fellow, who gets along well with people and other animals. He caught the attention of Ruth and he is well settled into his new home.
Ruth enjoys walking with a dog and has a large yard that he can be out in to play and enjoy the weather too.
Spike has a new name too – Mike. He has some fusion in his spinal cord but has no restrictions at this time. Mike and Ruth have family over often and he will enjoy meeting all of his extended family – and make lots of new friends along the way.
Cranberry
Apr 19th
Cranberry came to Plymouth Heights Pet Hospital in the fall of 2010. She was taken from impound where she had been sitting for months and would probably die there. She was older, she obviously had health problems and she had been put out on the streets to live on her own.
Cranberry had hardly any fur, we could tell she was a brown tabby and should have medium length hair but that was about it. She would be able to live out the rest of her days at the clinic. Expectations were not high that she would have much time to enjoy her new home or that staff would learn much about her personality.
Diagnostics were begun. She had very severe lung disease. Medications and treatments began. Oral meds, inhalers, nebulizing and she tolerated all of these things well. Cran was a little girl, underweight, but she began to fill out. She finally began to grow hair. Treatment continued.
Soon there was personality showing! Cut my claws? Oh, I don’t think so! (But it was done anyway.) Have a bath? You have got to be kidding! (That happened too.) Sit on your lap? Sure, and I’ll give you a love bite too! Cranberry loved to boss the animals around who came in for the day. She wasn’t afraid of another cat or dog and marched right up to them so a close eye had to be kept on her. She graduated to coming out into the reception area occasionally and sitting on the counter to greet clients and beg for treats that she knew were kept in a drawer just for her.
Last week, it became obvious she was struggling. She was depressed, not eating, not enjoying lap time. Antibiotics were given in hopes she had just contracted a cold and she would pull through once again but it was not to be. Her lung disease was no longer treatable.
Cranberry was euthanized with her loving family around her. She had lived with them for the last 18 months and she knew she had a home that would always stick by her and love her. Miss you, Cranberry!
