"P.S. I have been following your blog for awhile now. I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog. As I'm sure you remember, the 501 (c)(3) process is slightly tedious. I work full-time M-F and have paperwork all day to tend with, so coming home and working all night on some more paperwork is tiring. For a break, I go to your blog and read your blog posts (both heart breaking and happy- such is the nature of our work!) and that gets me back to focusing on the paperwork really quickly. I should finish and mail them this weekend! This is why we are doing this! So, thanks for the inspiration too! : )"
RACHEL DESCRIBES FIRST VISIT TO RLRR:As I sit here sharing my computer desk and chair with my own rescued cats, I think back on our experience with our trip to RLRR. Wednesday November 24th (my birthday!) I gathered supplies of food and litter that was donated by others to bring up with us on our trip. My backseat was filled! Friday afternoon I left to stay at Kathy and Sarah's cabin near Grand Rapids. Saturday morning, Kathy and I woke up early and left.
Karen's directions were great. Karen showed us around her facility which is so nice- the tree branches were completely white and covered in snow. It was beautiful, truly nature at it's finest. We visited the dogs (Kathy really connected with Nikita the injured husky), and got to meet the litter of puppies, Percy and Paxton aka Pac Man (our transports!). We unloaded the food, litter, fleece blankets and puppy coats we made or were donated to us (thank you to Daily Med!) We went into the cat house and worked in there, so of course I was in heaven as I am a self proclaimed cat lady. I don't think I have ever cleaned that many litter boxes or had that much fun in a long time! I almost left with about 4 different cats. : ) 
Kathy worked on organizing, folding, washing and cleaning. We worked together on the dishes waiting in the sink. I swept and she mopped, that cat house was sparkling when we finished! Kathy laughed at me because I didn't notice the tree in the middle of the room until we were leaving. How cool is that! I was way too distracted with the cats. 
We went outside and introduced Percy and Pac to make sure they would get along and they did. We started loading the 6 puppies into the vehicle, 3 into each crate. Percy was nervous about leaving Karen and was apprehensive about going into the travel crate. Pac had some blankets in the back and we secured his leash to the inside of the vehicle. We got the transport papers from Karen and we were off! 
There was a little crying from the pups at first, but they fell asleep quickly. Pac settled right in and looked out the back window at the landscape passing by as if to always remember where he came from. Percy snored in his crate for the entire trip. He was snoring SO loudly, we tried to audio tape him, he's a funny guy and made us laugh. Everyone traveled very well. 
We got to the cabin near Grand Rapids in about 2 & 1/2 hours and unloaded everyone. As you can see from the pictures, these dogs will adjust to indoor living very easily. Pac walked in the cabin door, looked at us and then the couch and then back at us we said "ok, you can jump up", he jumped up, snuggled in and went to sleep. Percy saw Pac on the couch and wanted to do the same thing. They relaxed on the couch. 
The pups were in their own roon in the cabin. I laid down puppy pads (puppies are great at going to the bathroom as I found out later!) and played with some toys with them. It was amazing how quickly their personalities became apparent to me. There was one black puppy that I called "the spokesman of the group", the alpha- this one was the first to greet me at the door while the other 5 were laying in an adorable "puppy pile" on the comfortable blankets we laid down for them. There was also a rust colored pup with white paws that I called "six" because I would count the puppies to make sure they were all accounted for in the room. 1-2-3-4-5.. where's 6? This one was who would hide under the bed and whimper, the shy one of the group. They carried little toys around in their mouths and were just typical puppy adorableness.
We made it through the night about as well as anyone with a cabin full of dogs could. They adjusted well and everyone was ok with each other being there and sharing a common space. (Kathy and Sarah had their dog Juneau (also a Red Lake Rosie rescue success story!) at the cabin too. This brought the grand total to 9 dogs and 3 humans. Everyone was toasty warm and comfortable. What an adventure!
We woke up early on Sunday morning (11/28) to pack me and the dogs up (this part of the trip was my solo adventure with the dogs- Kathy and Sarah were staying at the cabin for a few more days). Everyone fit great. I still can't believe I fit 8 dogs in my car. We had 3 pups in a crate again and Percy in the back seat. (Total of 3 crates) and Pac was in the front of the car with me (I have a bench seat so he laid down and slept for a good portion of the trip). Percy was snoring away as usual in the first few minutes, the puppies were thinking "ok I remember this- I just relax and sleep" and Pac snuggled in next to me with his head on my lap and off we were again!! Going to meet their fosters for a new life! 
I didn't cry the entire weekend (I was so proud of myself!) until we were all in the car on the way home to the metro (the 8 dogs and I). It must have been a weird coincidence or.. something, because the song "Low Rider" by War came on. While listening to the catchy tune, I was thinking about me and these 8 dogs and how fitting it was because my vehicle certainly was a low rider with all these dogs! It must have been exhaustion because I found that hilarious and laughed until I cried. Pac looked at me like "Are you ok? There is surely something wrong with this girl." 
I am always amazed at how much animals have given me and how much they are capable of giving. The older I get, the more I learn about myself, the more I realize life is just not life without animals. It really isn't. I learned and grew so much on this trip. Karen, thank you for having us and for showing us what you are continuing to accomplish for the Red Lake Nation (and the metro). You are so inspiring for us. Thank you also to Kathy, Sarah and Juneau for being so accomodating to me and the 8 dogs at the cabin. It was a great way to break up the long drive and it really was the best adventure I have been on in a long time! It was the perfect way to spend my birthday/thanksgiving week. We have so much to be thankful for -- our animals!-Rachel
