RLRR Metro Support meeting, Tues. Feb. 7, 6:30pm

Hello Everyone,

Our first 2012 Red Lake Rosie’s support group meeting is Tuesday, February 7th at 6:30pm.

We will meet at Turtle Bread (4762 Chicago Av) in Minneapolis.

Bring a friend, as we need some more volunteers!

Let me know if you want to put something on the agenda.

Hope to see you there.

DeeDee

To the Victor go the spoils!

Victor was often a visitor at the Redby neuter/spay clinics sponsored by Red Lake Rosie's Rescue.

He wandered into the October clinic with Vivian, a young girl in the Redby community who often volunteered at the clinics. He was happy to get food and water there.

Victor was a stray in Viv's neighborhood. He was very thin and walked with a limp. Vivian was concerned about him and asked if RLRR would take him, so we did.

Linda happened to be at the shelter when he arrived in the van, and she fell in love. He had been given another name at the clinic, but Linda wanted to give him a powerful name to help him over come the challenges he faced and his name became Victor.

He quickly learned to walk on a leash and was eager to please. He had terrible diarrhea in his first weeks with us and was treated with antibiotics.

Victor had no problems with the shelter dogs, but he was often by himself... a sweet, quiet loner. This was a dog, though, who loved the sound of a friendly voice. Just say his name and he'd give a big smile, doing what Linda calls the "whole body wag".

We all hoped for a rescue to take Victor, but heartworm and his leg injury made him a challenge to place.

When Dr. Melissa of Mn Paws visited she also fell in love with Victor. She promised to do what she could to help him and she did. The good news arrived that Victor could go to a foster home with Mn Paws on January 15th.

It just so happened that Linda and David were planning a visit so Victor rode out with them to his new life. (Linda reported that he was an angel in his crate.)

Tonight it is very cold at the shelter, but Victor is cozy and warm
in his foster home where he is already very much loved. His leg has been x-rayed, revealing a poorly healed fracture. He may or may not have surgery, but he will get the best of care from now on.

Thank you to Vivian, Linda, Dr. Melissa, his foster family and all the supporters who made it possible for Victor, a wounded stray to get a good life.

Sincerely, Karen and RLRR

UPDATE FROM FOSTER HOME:
Hi Linda,

I just wanted to let you know Victor is doing very well here. He is my new appendage and never leaves my side.

I still have not heard from Dr. Dewoskin’s surgeon friend about his leg. He also has heartworm and I am not looking forward to that. I went through it last summer with Balto, a rescue who was adopted by my daughter.

I have taken him out to the woods and he is really happy there. I think he misses that. He does have a cozy warm bed here and friends Lady and Tobie to play with. He and lady the lab wrestle, but Tobie the Dobie is hesitant to join in (odd because he is normally playful) I think he has a respect for Victor’s stray dog scrapper side.

I love Victor and since he needs a special home, it is likely I will keep
him.

He would be tough to adopt out. I like him just fine as he is, and if he cannot have is leg fixed will be happy to help him manage his
disability.

Thanks again for bringing this loving wonderful dog to me.

A~

David & Linda visit and transport

David and Linda visited the RLRR shelter arriving on Friday January 13 and spending THREE days helping take care of cats and dogs. The weather was cold on Friday but warmed up nicely through the weekend.

LINDAWe were busy stripping kennels and dog houses and replenishing with nice clean, dry straw for everyone.

Linda spent time with three semi-feral puppies, Starr, Silver and Saffire who had mange and were malnourished and she made good progress with them. They arrived on Wednesday with their mother, Nokomis (Grandmother) a pure white husky who has mange and sores all over her sides. This little family is tucked in and in the process of healing.

DAVIDDavid took no breaks and spent his time with cats when not busy in the shelter yard.

VICTORIt was espcially a good visit for Linda as she had hoped that Victor, a dog with bad legs, would get help. She had met Victor earlier this fall when weatherizing the kennels, and now she gets to be the one to transport Victor to a foster home with MN Paws under the direction of Dr. Melissa Doeskin. Victor will get the medical care he needs and hopes for a good home.

Three beautiful juvenile cats, Faith, Fern and Fiona went to Pet Haven foster care and Gwen a long haired tortie went to Feline Rescue.

JASMINEJasmine, a very beautiful boxer mix, who had lovely eyes and a personality to match went to All Dog foster care.

Last, but not least, Spike went on to the care of Pet Haven and will never have to suffer again.

Thank you to volunteers, tranporters, rescues that take Red Lake animals, and to all the contributors who send food, supplies, and funds to save these wonderful animals. Without all the help we get we could not do what we do.

Sincerely, Karen and RLRR

Chevy

FROM LAUREN:
Cheveyo, aka Chevy, came down to the Twin Cities from Red Lake Rosie's Rescue in March of 2011.

Chevy had been found at the dump with frostbitten ears and sores on the back of his legs probably due to getting caught in a snare. He's been our foster cat through Pet Haven since then and we absolutely love him. He's a big boy who loves to tumble around with other cats, but he also likes to just hang out on the bed and take cat naps.

Last Sunday morning, Chevy was nowhere to be found when I started feeding the animals for breakfast. This was very unusual as Chevy loves his food. I found him under a dresser and soon discovered that he was unable to put weight on one of his back legs.

He went into the vet where they did X-rays and found that he had broken off part of his femur bone in his hip. He had femoral head surgery on Wednesday and is recovering now. We are so lucky that Pet Haven gives their foster animals all the care that they deserve.

For more information, check out Pet Haven's Cat Blog.

Thanks,
Lauren & Chevy

Loads of litter!

We are so happy to receive a two year's supply of cat litter from the Animal Humane Society (AHS) as arranged by Marilou, the president of MnPAW (Minnesota Partnership for Animal Welfare). It was like winning the Publisher Clearing House Sweepstakes!

With the numbers of cats and the lack of places to send cats this year, we have needed lots of litter. We are going though at least 2 bags of litter per day and that gets very expensive. This is a great blessing for us so we won't have to buy any for a LONG time.

Tom and Nancy once again made the trek to Golden Valley and picked up a truck and trailer load of cat litter on Saturday, January 21st. The load weighed in at 5,000 lbs! Tom, Nancy and Carolyn delivered the load to RLRR on Sunday, January 22nd.

We want to thank AHS, Melissa, Marilou, Jenny, and a special thanks to the O'Sullivans and Carolyn for their continued help in doing all the "tough" work of loading and transporting. Tom's skill at using the forklift helped in the loading process.

Yukon, Jen and Marilou's Act V foster dog from Leech Lake Legacy, did a nice job guarding the mother lode!

Teamwork made the job very easy and it is great to have the litter on site. Thank you all for your great effort.

Dawn at Pennington Humane Society who recently took in the 28 dogs and 2 cats from the Warroad hoarding situation also welcomes the donation of the cat litter as they have many cats to care for there as well. Karen made a delivery of cat litter there this week and Dawn sent back catfood to Red Lake Rosie's Rescue. Working together can help everyone!

FROM NANCY:
Karen wanted me to forward a few photos from a chow and litter delivery today, Jan. 14, 2012. The chow was donated from Pet Haven/Chaska Shed, and the litter from Golden Valley Humane Society (AHS).

NANCY O, ALYSSA, KAREN, CAROLYNWhat would we do without the kindness and generosity of these friends in the cities! We are so grateful to them for keeping an eye on the needs of RLRR.

Tom O was snapping the photos. Linda and David were also part of the team unloading this wonderful delivery from the cities.

Thank you all!

~Nancy O'Sullivan

KAREN SAYS:
Would you please add a big thank you to Eric and the Shed for all the dog, cat and puppy kibble as well as great chews and treats donated by the Shed and delivered by the O'Sullivans and Carolyn May.

We really need food especially this time of the year with so many hungry animals on the reservation!

Thank you, Karen

Nancy & Ryan transport

What a pleasant surprise!

NANCY & FIONAThere were lots of puppies and dogs needing a ride out to make room for more, (as the usual January puppy litters are now needing rescue) when I received a nice e-mail from Nancy that said "Do you need help? Ryan and I would like to come up this week."

RYANWhen they arrived on January 4th, they were loaded down with animal food and supplies as usual. I was just coming from Red Lake with a load of animals that needed to be tucked in.

Ryan helped with the new arrivals while Nancy took care of the cats.

The next morning they left with Anna, Lizzy, Dove, Leo and Luna on board to Tricounty Humane Society and a litter of chihuahua puppies to Twin City Pet Rescue.

Thank you Nancy and Ryan for coming to help Red Lake animals just in the nick of time.

Karen

LIZZY

Buddy: Free at last

JENNIFER WRITES:
"Buddy lived a miserable existence for at least 5 years in a too-small crate 20-plus hours a day in a back room with the door shut. When he was allowed outside he was put on a 5-foot chain. His owner recently came into financial difficulty and is not able to provide food for him. When I got him he was emaciated and had a severe infestation of fleas.

Despite all Buddy has been through he has a wonderful disposition. He is friendly and happy. He gets along with all other animals small and big. He shows no food aggression despite not being fed well the past couple of months. He loves to explore the outdoors and run through the fields.

Buddy is trainable. He knows how to sit. He likes to ride in the car now. He was nervous at first. He has gotten very playful and likes to fetch now too."

Jen

KAREN SAYS:
Red Lake Rosie's Rescue was happy to help by getting Buddy neutered, vaccinated and placed with All Dog Rescue.

With tearful eyes, Jennifer said her goodbyes to Buddy as he left with DeeDee. We are so thankful for Jennifer and all she does to help animals in her area as well as fostering often for Red Lake Rosie's.

She worked on getting Buddy for years, and finally succeeded! We wish him all good things.

Karen

Update on Sully

SULLY'S VISIT TO DOC:
Sully had a great morning! He already has 85% vision in his right eye and that percentage should continue to increase in the next weeks. Getting that cone off felt awfully good, too :-)

Check out those gorgeous eyes as Sully poses for the camera with Doctor Olivera and his assistant.

Crystal

Long Ride to Rescue

It all started in a social setting on Saturday, January 7th when I was approached by Rose, a Red Lake woman who lives in Oklee, a neighboring white small town. We chit chatted for a while and then Rose directed the conversation to "dog talk" which is normal.

She lamented over a puppy she had given to a lady who lives on the Mille Lacs Reservation. The puppy now has a large bulge on the gut and I told her perhaps it was a hernia. I began to ask her about her animals. She shared she has an unspayed small breed dog named Baby Girl. The she asked if I could spay her, and of course I said yes. I shared the vet phone number.

I told her further about the dangers of giving people puppies as they would perhaps not get good care and live a bad life. To put it bluntly, I told her we drag small breeds out of the garbage dump regularly. She shared nothing about having a litter of puppies at home.

Then first thing Monday morning I began to get calls regarding a litter of 5 puppies that needed rescue from Rose's residence in Oklee, so I responded and got the puppies. Rose had already set up an appointment to spay Baby girl so I was off to the vet.

By Tuesday morning Dee Dee had gotten Twin City Pet Rescue committed to taking the litter as well as a ride out Thursday. Tuesday I picked up the now spayed Baby Girl and returned her to Rose in Oklee.

Some people may wonder why RLRR would drive 88 miles 2 days in a row over a litter of puppies and an unspayed dog? The Indian community, you see is not limited to geographical boundaries. Our people live all over the map and they all seem to know about Red Lake Rosie's and call on us.

A wise woman, Joan Lawson, told me once when we first started rescuing puppies back in 2005. She asked "Why don't you spay and neuter to get to the root of the problem?" Well at that time I thought that was an insurmountable task to think we could actually neuter and spay on the level that we could actually change the companion animal population on the reservation, and the more vast Indian community.

Well now I am a believer and together with the team of supporters who also believe and high volume neuter spay clinics and the ongoing use of vouchers at the vet when clinics are not available are making the impossible--possible.

Sincerely, Karen

Earl & Blonde

Many Red Lake community members take the care of their dogs and cats seriously, as is the case with Earl.

Red Lake Rosie's Rescue got a call a week ago from Earl, a Red Lake elder who has a dog which he loves very much named Blonde. Blonde lies the good life indoors with Earl at the outlet, a remote area on the north side of the Red Lake Reservation, the source of the Red Lake River.

Earl is ill and has to go through surgery and was concerned about Blonde, and how would she be cared for during his stay at the hospital.

We had spayed Blonde at the community clinic years ago. Earl continues to bring Blonde in for vaccination boosts and checkups. He feeds her very well -- perhaps too well. She spends her life indoors warm and toasty and has become Earl's #1 companion.

Earl asked if I would take care of her for a week, and I readily agreed as I know how much Blonde means to Earl. He wanted her to be safe until he gets home. We do not board animals, but how could I turn Earl and Blonde away?

Today Earl arrive with Blonde, who is not a happy camper right now, but will be in good hands.

It is so great to know pet guardians who are really taking good care of their pets and love them dearly.

Best wishes and prayers for Earl as he gets the medical help he needs.

Karen

Update on Winter Fundraiser with Matching Funds

Red Lake Rosie's Rescue is so grateful!!! In the last month, we have received just over $20,000 in gifts large and small from our loyal supporters. The amount is more than enough to earn the Matching Funds of $10,000 offered by Friends of Flicka and the Lawson Family Foundation.

The money will allow us to pay our vet bills and costs to maintain the shelter and continue our mission of rescue and education through the winter.

One of the special projects we hope to do is to purchase plexiglass for weatherizing some or all of the dog kennels for next winter. That way they would be warmer, the dogs would be able to see out, and we would not have to do the tarping each fall- we would simply install the plexiglass.

We have ten 2/pod kennels so that would be a project. Each 2/pod would need 6 large sheets of plexiglass.

Eventually we will need re-roof the cathouse as we have some leaks.

We would also like to create a little outdoor cattery with lots of windows and places for cats to enjoy the fresh air -- maybe one about the size of one of our dog kennels with lots of shelving and play area.

Red Lake Rosie's Rescue doesn't have money coming in from adoptions, because almost all of the animals we rescue go to other organizations for care and placement. We foster and adopt out just a few animals each year. This system works very well, but it means we need more help from our supporters throughout the year.

THANK YOU for your donations to the winter fundraiser!!! And, Thank You for all the creative fundraisers and donations throughout the year.

Karen, DeeDee, Denise & Twyla

If you would like to donate using a credit card, click on GiveMN.org on the right side of blog screen or go to our website (www.redlakerosie.org) to use PayPal.

You may also send a check to:
Red Lake Rosie's Rescue
23880 South Good Road
Trail, MN 56684

Red Lake Rosie's Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so your donations ARE tax deductible.

Help needed for animals rescued from hoarders in Warroad

WARROAD, Minn. - Twenty eight dogs and two cats are being housed at the Pennington County Humane Society after they were rescued from the home of alleged dog hoarders in Warroad.

Police Chief Wade Steinbring confirmed to the Warroad Pioneer that the animals had been kept indoors for nearly 3 years, and that the basement of the home occupied by a male owner and his female companion was filled with an estimated two to three feet of feces.

There was also feces on the walls, stairs, countertops, and just about every surface in the home, according to Steinbring.

The animals were rescued from the home on January 10 by humane volunteers, who took them to the Pennington County Humane Society for care and evaulation.

Neighbors were reportedly not aware of the situation because there was no odor, little noise, and they never saw any of the animals outside.

The Warroad City Council met last week to declare the home a public nuisance and health hazard, and ordered board-up operations to begin.

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/957407/391/Dogs-rescued-from-home-of-alleged-Warroad-hoarders

KAREN CONACTED THE DIRECTOR OF PENNINGTON HUMANE SOCIETY:
Some of our Red Lake Rosie's Rescue supporters in the metro have heard about the dilemma and are wondering if you would want to send out any animals to other groups?

Need food, $$ or other help?

So sorry- as it is always when the weather is the worst that these things are exposed! God bless you!

Karen

RESPONSE:
Once it is cleared thru the courts that we can rehome the dogs, we will definitely be looking to other groups to help out with them. They are still very skittish & under-socialized. We are short on kennel help right now & just don't have the time or resources to spend with them to get them comfortable with different situations. In my opinion, most of them will be ok to adopt out if given sufficient independent time with patient people.

It's just not going to happen here.

Thanks again!
Dawn
Please send donations to:

Pennington County Humane Society
15598 U.S. Hwy 59 NE
P.O. Box 64
Thief River Falls, MN 56701

pawstrf@pawstrf.org