How to change a dog sweater into a dog toy in 14 seconds!

Here are three of the sweaters mom knit for Red Lake Rosie's puppies in action. What fun. Thanks mom!!!


I am excited to deliver them all to Karen tomorrow. Mom comes for a month long visit next week. We will for sure have a knitting party. I may even learn to knit. Thanks to the quilters in Nebraska that donated all the fun yarn. Here is what mom has been up to with it.

A step in the right direction

Help for pet owners in abusive situations

For pet owners leaving a domestic abuse situation, Animal Care and Control can provide a no cost five day stay for their pet.

The City Council recently approved a measure that will help pet owners in domestic abuse situations. The Domestic Violence Intervention Initiative involves Animal Care and Controlpartnering with the Minneapolis Police Department to identify victims who are afraid to leave a violent domestic relationship because they have nowhere for their pet to go.

In many cases, crisis shelters do not allow pets. There is also a relationship between domestic abuse and animal abuse. Up to 75 percent of domestic violence victims report their partners threatened or killed family pets. Up to 48 percent of battered women delay leaving abusive situation out of fear for the safety of their animals. The City Council will allow Animal Care and Control to provide temporary (five days or less) no cost kenneling for victims in abusive relationships to support them in leaving a violent relationship.  

Heading Back To Red Lake Rosie's

Along with three other women that I have yet to meet, this Friday I will be heading back to Red Lake Rosie's Rescue for a weekend of fun and hard work. We will be preparing the kennels for the brutal winter that has yet to show up-thank goodness, feeding and walking dogs, and changing litter boxes.

I am excited to catch up with Karen and to meet all the new dogs that have arrived at the shelter. On my last trip I ended up falling in love with an Aussie mix, Dusty, that I soon fostered and rehomed.

If anyone has supplies that need to be returned/delivered to Red Lake please let me know. They can be dropped off by my garage anytime before 9am on Friday. I live in Ne Minneapolis. Email for address. Karen has an overabundance of linens so if you have any of these items please find someone else that can use them.

Karen has had more animals surrendered to the shelter than ever before. If you know anyone who would like to become a foster and save a life please let me know. On Sunday we will be bringing many of these dogs and cats to the cities to start their new lives. Here is a photo of one of the pups that needs help. Can you provide a home for Carley?

Little Details

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote "To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization."

Do you think picking up the poop in the yard is what Harriet is talking about? Because I am really good at that little detail thanks to my dear Buddy. And the fact that I like to be able to walk through the yard freely without looking where I am stepping. Just wondering................

Travel Safely with Your Dog

Many of you will be traveling by car to visit loved ones over the Thanksgiving Day week. Here is a blog entry from the Pet Haven blog that you should read before putting your dog in the car.

Did you know that the safest place for your dog to enjoy a ride with you is in a sturdy plastic crate? In a collision, the hard sides will help protect your dog, even if the crate itself rolls. Dogs have been known to survive a car crash only to escape from a damaged car and be hit on the road by another car. The new Honda Element has a dog friendly version complete with crate and ramp. Wow even car makers are being influenced by our canine pals.

Dogs should never ride in the front seat of a car with airbags. Even an impact at low speed can inflate the airbag, which can injure or even kill your canine friend. I recently heard of a beloved family dog who was mortally injured in just such an accident. If you child can not ride in the front seat why would you allow your best canine friend to sit there.

If you don’t have a crate or have a dog who will not ride in one, you can buy a safety harness that fastens to the car’s seatbelt. While not providing as much protection as a crate, it is a pretty good alternative and will keep the dog in place in a crash. 

Besides protecting your dog in case of an accident, confining your dog to the backseat can help prevent one, too. A dog trying to sit on your lap while you are behind the wheel or burrowing down around your feet is a hazard and it is hard to correct inappropriate behavior while you are traveling on the freeway at 60 m.p.h.

                                                                            

Taking a car ride with your dog can be a lot of fun. Make it a safe time, too.

A Rotta Love Plus comes to the Rescue!

This is a  story about a lovely senior dog, Amora, being rescued to live out her days in a loving foster home. I just love this idea. Thanks ARLP for giving this sweet girl some dignity at last.

 Amora is A Rotta Love Plus first Compassion Hold. What is a compassion hold? A compassion hold is when an “unadoptable” dog (read old, sick, frail) is taken out of animal control, off of death row, and brought into the home of a very special foster. In this home these richly deserving dogs are lavished with love, wonderful food, soft clean bedding and those other creature comforts that make life that much better. They are given the best few weeks any dog can ask for before they are delivered from this earth in the arms of someone who loves them. Every dog should be so lucky.

Paden has a new friend, Gracie.

Paden our Pet Haven foster dog has a new friend visiting Rescue Buddy Boarding this week. Her name is Gracie. She is a husky/border collie mix that is a high energy girl-quite the match for Paden. Gracie has one blue eye and one brown eye-maybe one from each of her breeds.

Both girls are heavy duty players. Tug-O-War is a favorite game and has taken many victims. The pink elephant is now two toys-a head and a body. The dogs do not seem to mind this. In fact they very much enjoy the tiny cow leg and fox tail. My mom just told me someone is selling stuffed toys without stuffing.  Wow who is buying those? I know who is making them. The dogs! Why didn't I think of that?? I certainly have enough toy 'skins' around here. Anyone want to buy one?

Johnson a Purebred English Setter

Johnson is a lovely 6 year old purebred English setter being fostered through Pet Haven. He has a beautiful silky coat that does require some brushing. But Johnson loves to be groomed and welcomes a chance to spend some one on one time with you.

Johnson can be trusted to have free roam of the house while you are at work. He gets along great with other dogs. While a bit shy at first Johnson warms up quickly to be a cuddly couch potato. Here he is sharing the couch with his foster brother Gunnar-a Pet Haven alum.

Please consider Johnson if you are planning on adding a member to your family. He is definitely move-in ready. Please check out his Pet Haven bio.

Riley needs room to run!

Very special dog requires very special home. Riley is a beautiful, sweet, and outgoing

springer/hound mix (we think), between 3-4 yrs old. He has experienced lots of mov

es in his first few years of life -- mostly because of behavior resulting from separation anxiety. Riley's homes up until

now have all been in urban or suburban areas. His instinct to chase squirrels and bunnies

causes lots of incidents of fence jumping (including 6' fences!), and situations

that put him in danger of being hit by a car. Riley's separation anxiety requires that he NOT be kenneled, and that

he NOT be left alone inside a house. He will go to any length to try and get out

to find his "person", including breaking a tooth.

Riley's ideal home: a home with lots of room to run, preferably in the country; a home where he is very loved by his adoptive family; a home where he can be left outside with access to a shelter (i.e. a dog door to the house, a porch, garage, barn, etc. in case of bad weather) when it's not possible to take him along. Riley LOVES the car, and ironically does not mind being left alone in the car for short periods of time while you pick up groceries, run errands, etc. Riley has lived with small children and kittens, and is wonderful and docile around both. He is also very social around other dogs. Everyone who meets Riley falls in love with him -- he is such a loveable guy!

Paden is looking for a new home!

Paden is a one year old Shep/boxer mix that is looking for an active family to call her own. She loves other dogs, has met some cats with success, and would have a blast with some kids to play with. You can find more about her by reading her Pet Haven bio.

Paden was recently a runway star at the Pet Haven fall benefit. She even made it onto Dave Ryan in the Morning show site. Lena was one of the celebrities that joined Paden on the runway.

Paden is a curious girl. At first she was frightened by Walker's bass guitar. She quickly warmed up to it and spent the rest of the evening listening to Walker write a new song.

Honor our Veterans Today and Everyday!

OK now we have the right day for this posting. Three years ago today I was headed to my first art fair after my dad had passed away just 5 days earlier. It was November 11th,Veterans Day. In the drivers seat was a small vase holding three carnations, one red, one white, and one blue to honor my dad's love of the navy. As I looked over at the vase I could feel my dad sitting right next to me. It was comforting to have him present and I am not sure I would have made it through that day if it weren't for his help. This is such a vivid memory it still brings tears to my eyes today.

My dad joined the navy when he was 18. He dutifully served his country through the Korean War. Those were the best and worst days of his life which he did not talk about much till his last months. His navy buddies were his family and he was still grieving their deaths as his own drew near. War is hell and I appreciate all that my dad sacrificed to serve his country.

Through his stories I also learned more about why my dad did not do certain things throughout his life. He did not eat beans or fish because he had eaten too much of them in the navy. He did not swim because he was thrown off the bow of the ship. He did however ski around the lake ONCE just to prove to everyone he could do it. He never even got his hair wet. And dad never got in an airplane again after his last naval flight home.

Everyday when I hang the flag outside my house I take a moment to salute my dad and the men, women, and dogs in our military.

Jake gets a new home.

Our little shy boy, Jake, started his new life this afternoon. He has a mom and a dad, two canine siblings, and two grandkids that live nearby. The dad is retired so Jake will have lots of companionship. Andy has antique cars that he and Susan take to car shows in the summer. Andy is looking forward to Jake going along with them. Can you just see Jake in doggles and a scarf? Jake's new parents adopted Fletcher their golden from Pet Haven 12 years ago. He recently passed away and Susan has been missing having a dog around the house. Andy is an animal communicator so I am looking forward to hearing about the tales Jake can tell him. It is so quiet around here now. Paden really wanted to go with Jake. Buddy is going to have to step up his playtime with her to fill in for Jake. Your turn is coming Paden. For now we wish Jake a wonderful life.

Remembering My Dad

Today marks the third anniversary of my dad's passing over the rainbow bridge to collect his favorite dog, Buster, so they could continue on in the afterlife together. I miss him dearly. He and my mom were married for over 55 years and my mom still lives in the same house they first bought in 1949. Dad loved his family and worked hard to provide for us.

Dad enjoyed camping, hunting, and spending time with his family at the cabin. He loved a good party because he was such a talker. Cabin gatherings on the Missouri River all summer long gave him many opportunities to chat up to 100 friends at a time. I can still feel his presence at every cabin celebration.

Dad was a strong man that needed to be busy. He was a plumber by trade. He fixed cars, built cabins, and remodeled homes. When he would come for a visit I would have to line up projects for him to do. He would start on one right after carrying in the suitcases.

Yes my dad was always working on something and was always ready to help out a friend with a leaky pipe or a broken lawnmower. Unfortunately it was this hard work around a lot of asbestos products that led him to develop a rare but deadly form of lung cancer called mesothelioma. This is a slow growing cancer that can take 40 years to develop symptoms. If you or anyone you know has been exposed to asbestos please seek medical and legal advice.

Vie Leonard Jr: Husband, Dad, Grandpa

The Leonard Legacy will live on in your grandchildren, Melinda, Michelle, Walker, AJ and Cory. Your memory will remain with us forever. We love you.

Tale of Two Cities

Lately I feel like my life has been a 'Tale of Two Cities' living both as an artist and a dog rescuer. That will change next week as Twisted Sister, my jewelry line, will have a last showing at Peggy's Holiday Boutique at the Roseville Oval. This is a wonderful collection of artists' work. There is something for everyone. I am excited to once again be part of this boutique.

Peggy'sHoliday Boutique was formerly Schultz is in Stitches! It features 150 Fine Artists and Craftsmen showing their original work gallery style, for nine days, at theRoseville Skating Center. We spotlight glorious jewelry, clothing, hand-dyed scarves, woven baskets, pottery, dolls, leaded glass, rosemaling, watercolors, pastels, handmade paper, books, cards, silk floral arrangements, seasonal decorations, pillows, and toys. Live music lends a festive atmosphere to enjoy complimentary tea and gourmet samples as you fulfill your holiday shopping experience. Parking is easy and admission is free. Please join us as 5000 customers attend our wonderful holiday sale, now in it’s 32nd year.

Once an artist always an artist so that part of me will not go away. In fact I used to say I would be a paper maker in another lifetime. Well guess what I think that other lifetime is now. However for now I am devoting my time to building Rescue Buddy Boarding & Beyond and to helping homeless dogs. It is a creative way of life to live with dogs and a teenager everyday. I wake up thrilled to greet the day and to see what it has in store for me. The dogs are forever making me laugh. And I am so proud of my son. Life is good.

Pet Haven Fall Benefit

Join us for Pet Haven's 3rd annual Fall Benefit -- Pet Haven's premier fundraiser featuring a full dinner, silent auction and a pet fashion show (dogs AND cats!) presented by Lulu & Luigi. This is such a fun event.

Pet Haven is an all volunteer organization and has been rescuing and rehoming dogs and cats since 1952. All funds raised will support our adoption and spay/neuter programs!

For more info on the Fall Benefit and to purchase tickets visit our website: http://www.pethavenmn.org/fallbenefit/index.php

Karen at Red Lake Rosie's needs help!

Karen Good from Red Lake Rosie's needs our help to prepare the kennels for winter. The kennels are overflowing with homeless dogs and cats. Please let me know if you can help in some way. The following email was sent out as a plea for help:

"Karen needs to get the tarps up on all of the kennels, but she cannot do it alone and with all of her other work. She really needs help to get this done. With the wet weather, the kennels/pens/straw get soaking wet, and the animals aren't protected from the cold winds. Can anyone go up on the weekend after the clinic (11/13-15) and help to put on the tarps?
FYI: Karen is quite overburdened with animals right now and with the spay/neuter clinic coming up, there will be surrenders. The shelter is more than full, so there is no room for surrenders. If any of you know anyone who might be able to foster puppies or a dog, it would really help. Also, with Mike gone, Karen is doing everything alone and teaching, too. She has about 20 puppies and many young adult dogs, several with litters. She also has lots of cats, which are very time-consuming to care for."