Rosie

Last week I visited the Havenwood Care Center in Bemidji to see if the original Rosie was still there, and sure enough she was! She is pictured with Kathy, Activities Director who had adopted Rosie in
1999 as a therapy dog from the Beltrami Humane Society. I had rescued and surrendered her there a few weeks prior to Kathy finding her and seeing her great personality and potential.

She has been a faithful friend to residents for the past 9 years.
The residents love her, and she has a great life being pampered, and Kathy admits, "she gets lots of treats"!

Thank you Kathy and all the residents for taking such good care of her.

Sincerely, Karen Good and RLRR

She'll always be Joanna to us

I received a note directly from the pup we came to know at Red Lake as Joanna. She was Angel in foster care, but arrived at her new home with the name of Lily. That could change again, but we hope her happiness never will.

Dear Foster Mom,

Just wanted to let you know I'm really happy in my new home. My new parents took me to visit Grandma & Grandpa. I guess they'll be my babysitters. We went to Petsmart and Chuck & Don's where we bought some new toys and puppy food. I got to play with some other dogs & puppies. All the people were extra nice to me.

When we arrived at my new home, I got to run all the way down the driveway. I'm starting to feel at home. I have a dog bed in every room, but the kitchen is my favorite.

This weekend I got to chase some chickens. You'd have been proud of me, I had my hackles up all along my back. Boy, you should have seen those chickens run. They didn't come back until after dark. I also tried to play with my new cat, Libby. I can't figure out why she doesn't want to play with me, but I'll keep trying. She justs hisses and makes weird noises.

I had to take a bath on Sunday with a special shampoo because some fleas were biting me. Mom caught one of the black specks in my white fur. She called the Vet and got some Frontline for puppies to stop them from biting me.

This week I am learning how to be a "working dog". I get to ride in the pick-up to work each morning. Then I sleep in my bed in the backseat until lunchtime. We go for a walk and get a drink, then I sleep some more until quitting time. After the ride home, I'm full of energy to run down the driveway again.

My folks are talking about changing my name because Lily is too close to Libby and they get the two mixed up. They're waiting to see my true personality before they make a final decision. I'll keep you posted.

Here's a picture of me with one of my new toys... a leftover blanket binding from my human cousin's baby blanket. As you can see, I'm having fun.

Thanks for taking such good care of me!
Lily/Angel/Joanna

Ginger and Bridgette

In Memory of Bridgette:

Bridgette and Ginger came to the RAVS clinic as strays from the Group Home in Redby. Both too ill to be spayed, they came to the shelter to recuperate from starvation, mange, and in Bridgette's case, to be treated for heartworm.

It soon became apparent that the two gals were inseparable. They preferred to be together in the same kennel and Ginger enjoyed grooming Bridgette. Barbara and I began to think they may be mother/daughter.

I am sad to say that Bridgette crossed the rainbow bridge last week possibly as a result of her heartworm treatment. She improved greatly the first month, was spayed, and then got her heartworm treatment. She began to have organ failure. She was an older dog and, perhaps with the advanced stage of her disease, she did not survive.

During her stay, she loved her food, and treats and was very affectionate, and we are sad that she left us.

On the positive side, she is the only animal that was lost in a group of very sick animals that came after the clinic was over. All others are well, and many have been placed. Ginger remains here to recuperate a while longer and soon will find a real home she deserves.

Karen Good and RLRR

Ode learns some manners

Note from M. at Pet Haven where Ode is in foster care:
Just thought I'd share with you some photos of Ode from our recent training session with Maureen (of Canine Coach).
I absolutely love this sweet girl!! :)

Now it would be hard to deny that this is one funny-looking dog, but she sure is a happy girl now!

Hauling straw bales for winter

It gets VERY cold in Red Lake in the winter, but the people and the animals need to stay warm. Straw bales are piled up around the buildings and kennels and thick straw bedding is also used for warmth in the kennels. Every fall the bales must be purchased, hauled and distributed around the rescue. This task has been accomplished and I received a report.

Denise:
Here are a couple photos for you. September 28th we hauled 252 bales of straw for Red Lake Rosie's Rescue. The team consisted of Carolyn, Tom, Nancy, and, of course, Karen . We managed to move all 252 bales safely without losing a single bale in our slow 12 mile hike back to Karen's place. Karen is pretty much an expert at stacking straw and the rest of us city folk watched in awe as we were taught 'how to.' It was a fun day, lots of laughing and giggling, and our political debate talks helped re-energize us when we started to slow down. Now the dogs and puppies will stay warm during the winter season.

Nancy

Mindy finds a foster home!

DeeDee and I drove through beautiful autumn colors up to Red Lake this past weekend. We helped Karen and other volunteers with chores on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, we drove a dozen or so dogs and puppies back to the Twin Cities to three different area rescue organizations. Mindy was one of those lucky pups. All the dogs were so good for the long drive and I think Mindy was excited to be a city girl!

Mindy has recovered and is ready for a home!

I met Mindy at the RAVS clinic at Red Lake in July. She was a pup nearly grown with her mother and her mother's three tiny new pups. All were in absolutely terrible condition. Mindy and her mom in particular had severe mange and were itching themselves raw. They were starved. I must admit I could hardly look at them or imagine how hard their lives had been, but I got a happy update from Karen today:

Mindy has been at the Red Lake Rosie's shelter since the animal clinic. She came in too ill and malnourished to be spayed and has recuperated here at the shelter. She is a wonderful dog, and has gotten back all of her hair, no longer itches, and enjoys life very much. She loves her kennel and feels very secure having a bowl of food and water which she carefully watches over. She likes to socialize with other dogs and people, too.

In 8 short weeks, she is now spayed and has had her shots and is ready to look for her forever home. Since she is a black dog and has had such a sad history, we want to make sure she goes to a foster home and gets all the tender loving care she needs. Mindy is only about 40 pounds and will always be smaller.
Isn't it amazing what food, water, antiparasitics, and a little love will do for an animal?! She looked like one of the most hopeless cases when she came, and now she is a real beauty!

Thank you all for supporting Mindy.

Karen and RLRR