I foster dogs.....

.....to make the world a better place one dog at a time.

......to give those that do not speak our language a voice.

.....to experience true hope, no matter what.

.....to bring more joy into my life.

....to see dreams come true for the new families .

If fostering sounds intriguing to you Pet Haven would love to hear from you. We have three dogs that need foster homes right now and two more dogs are coming in soon. All supplies are provided along with vet care. We do the best we can to find the right fit for your home and dog experience. Please contact us at dogs@pethavenmn.org if you are interested in finding out how you can help. Thanks from all the homeless dogs waiting for someone to love them.

Give a Dog a Bone

This caption is funny and oh so true. But is giving a dog real bones a good idea? This just in from Dogster's blog. Thought I would pass it along.

Here are 10 reasons why it’s a bad idea to give your dog a bone:

1.Broken teeth. This may call for expensive veterinary dentistry.
2.Mouth or tongue injuries. These can be very bloody and messy and may require a trip to see your veterinarian.
3.Bone gets looped around your dog’s lower jaw. This can be frightening or painful for your dog and potentially costly to you, as it usually means a trip to see your veterinarian.
4.Bone gets stuck in esophagus, the tube that food travels through to reach the stomach. Your dog may gag, trying to bring the bone back up, and will need to see your veterinarian.
5.Bone gets stuck in windpipe. This may happen if your dog accidentally inhales a small enough piece of bone. This is an emergency because your dog will have trouble breathing. Get your pet to your veterinarian immediately!
6.Bone gets stuck in stomach. It went down just fine, but the bone may be too big to pass out of the stomach and into the intestines. Depending on the bone’s size, your dog may need surgery or upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, a procedure in which your veterinarian uses a long tube with a built-in camera and grabbing tools to try to remove the stuck bone from the stomach.
7.Bone gets stuck in intestines and causes a blockage. It may be time for surgery.
8.Constipation due to bone fragments. Your dog may have a hard time passing the bone fragments because they’re very sharp and they scrape the inside of the large intestine or rectum as they move along. This causes severe pain and may require a visit to your veterinarian.
9.Severe bleeding from the rectum. This is very messy and can be dangerous. It’s time for a trip to see your veterinarian.
10.Peritonitis. This nasty, difficult-to-treat bacterial infection of the abdomen is caused when bone fragments poke holes in your dog’s stomach or intestines. Your dog needs an emergency visit to your veterinarian because peritonitis can kill your dog.

Dog Park Yippeee!!!

Mister and Buddy got a much enjoyed trip to the dog park in Columbia Heights today. It was the most glorious weather for spending time outside with the boys. When Buddy was young we went to this park everyday no matter what the temp was. We have not been as much since taking in the foster dogs. But Buddy remembered where we were going as soon as we turned off Central, whining the whole way to the entrance. Mister was looking at him like "What are you so excited about? I do not even see any squirrels.".

There were plenty of dogs to play with and all were well behaved. I used to know everyone but that was months ago. This park is small so it is best when there are not too many dogs. That is why I prefer to go during the weekday.

The boys ran and ran. And I got my exercise too trying to stay with them. Then Buddy was so tuckered out he had to plop down to get a drink. Even Mister had slowed down some.

When Mister and Buddy were laying down more than playing it was time to go. I wondered how Mister would take leaving. There have been times when people can not get their dogs back on leash. But both dogs listened very well and were patiently waiting at the gate for me to catch up. Good boy Mister. Oh and Buddy too.

SNAP Rolls North

Here is part of the blog post from Red Lake Rosie's Rescue today. To read the entire post click here. Please help reduce the dog and cat population on the Red Lake reservation.

"A three-day spay/neuter clinic is planned for the end of May at Red Lake with the Minnesota Spay Neuter Assistance Program (MN SNAP).

Red Lake Rosie's Rescue received grant money from Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlet's Paw Prints campaign to Pet Haven's Spay/Neuter Initiative that will pay for one day of the clinic and is hoping to raise funds to pay for the additional two days.

The cost for s/n is, on average, $50.00 per animal x 35 animals per day= $1,750
The rabies and distemper vaccinations are an extra $20.00 per animal x 35 = $700.00
Total cost per day is about $2,450.00"

If you can help, and any size donation will help, please go to our website at www.redlakerosie.org to donate with a credit card through PayPal or send a check made out to Red Lake Rosie's Rescue to:

Red Lake Rosie's Rescue
23880 So. Good Road
Trail, MN 56684

Waiting for Breakfast

Bella is enjoying an impromptu visit by Mister. They were waiting for their breakfast this morning. My hand-painted floor cloth makes a great backdrop for dog photos.

Buddy is a bit more animated around meal time. He says, "Don't just sit there sipping coffee. I am done playing with the duck. Where is my kibble?".

Bella is in the house.

Bella is a 6 year old Bloodhound looking for her forever home. She is a joy to have around, putting a smile on my face every time I look at her.

Do you have room for a shrinking violet? Bella came into Pet Haven at a whopping 130lbs. She is now down to 97lbs and counting.

Bella is getting a little weary of trying to find her new family. But she is not giving up hope. Here is her bio and more info on her adoption.

What Easter bunny?

Happy Easter from Rescue Buddy Boarding & Beyond!

Bath Time

Mister is drying off this morning after his bath. Yes I decided to add this perk to Mister's one week stay. Since Mister gets in the bathtub by himself I knew he would be an easy boy to bathe. And he certainly was. Good boy Mister. Now he is all clean and ready to go play with Missy and Ahnung.