Fundraiser on Sat., March 29

There is a fundraiser for Red Lake Rosie's Rescue and Chicken Run Rescue THIS Saturday, March 29 from 2-6pm At the Animal Rights Coalition - ARC (612-822-6161) and the Fast & Furless Vegan Boutique (shared space)2615 E. Franklin Ave, Minneapolis
Coming from the north - Take I-94 toward Mpls, take Riverside Avenue exit 235A, Sharp left onto Riverside (.01 mi), Right onto South 27th Ave (.01 mi), Right onto East Franklin. Street parking available.

Help celebrate the Grand Opening of the new ARC office and shop at the Fast and Furless Vegan Boutique. Enjoy a vegan dessert buffet and a silent auction with all proceeds benefiting Red Lake Rosie's Rescue and Chicken Run Rescue. Bidding begins at 4:00 and ends at 5:00 pm. Get some great items and help support RLRR!

Opening info at www.animalrightscoalition.com Some of the auction items include: animal themed art by local artists, cookbooks, tee-shirts, cruelty-free cleaning products and body lotions/bath items, gift cards from Ecopolitan, Kowalski's and Caribou Coffee, cat and dog items, vegan shoes, handbags and totes.

If you have any questions, please contact Charlotte Cozzetto cozzetto27@gmail.com at ARC.

Lynn Mecum

Morris

Morris was rescued from an abandoned house. The people moved out and left him behind. He turned out to be the Red Lake Rosie mascot cat for 2 years. He was such a wonderful cat to have around.

One day Dr. M visited the shelter and was doing volunteer work, and he met Morris and fell in love with him. He made no mention at the time, but he later asked if Morris was up for adoption. After thinking a moment, I knew Morris had been here too long and that with Dr. M he would have the forever home he deserved. Well--Dr. M came back and took Morris with him where he enjoys a great life with 2 other cats.

We miss Morris at the shelter, but are so happy to know he is in safe hands with Dr. M. Thank you for adopting Morris, the greatest cat in the whole wide world.

Here's what Dr. M has to say:
Hi Karen. Hope all is going well. Just a few more photos of
Morris (his doggie "friend" is a St. Bernard-Mastiff cross that lives
next door . . . seems to like Morris, and comes over to visit).
Morris is doing well, and the other cats accept him. He's such
a wonderful companion !!

Ginny

Ginny and Mishkwa were surrendered as a homeless dogs at the RAVS Clinic in August 2007 (Humane Society of U.S., Rural Area Vets spay/neuter clinic at Red Lake).

At the point we got them, there were so many dogs that were surrendered, we were not sure what we could do with them. The owner said if we did not take them they would have to be shot.

Thankfully, a wonderful vet student took Ginny and Red Lake Rosie's Rescue was able to take Mishkwa and both animals found wonderful homes.

Ginny now lives in St. Paul with Claudia. She was an ambassador dog for Lake Rosie at the Pet Expo 2008. We are so thankful to Claudia for taking care of her and giving her such a good home!

Claudia says that "Ginny has added so much to our lives. Thank you!"

Foxie Moxie

Here's a good ending, for Foxie, now Moxie found on an old reservation logging road. She had a broken nose and was starving. We believe she was dumped on that road. She was rescued and turned in to Polly of Red Lake Rosie's Rescue who cared for her and then sent her to the shelter.
She went to Pet Haven and was adopted out to her forever home
Thank you to transporter and to Pet Haven for helping Foxie get her new home and a new life.

Moxie in her new forever home. As you see she likes to take ALL the toys out of the basket!

Pearl (aka Elsa)

Dear Friends: It is always a blessing to see the transformation of an animal we have helped. It makes it so worthwhile to have the good, happy ending stories like the one about Pearl, now known as Elsa.

Pearl was rescued by Polly and Nokomis, who brought her to the shelter last summer with a litter of 4 puppies. She was in very poor shape. The story was that she had been homeless in the Little Rock area for a couple of years and had been raising litters and trying to feed herself. Well in the process she had been shot more than once in the abdomen with a shotgun.

When she came, she really was not trusting humans. She was vetted and found out she was heartworm positive, had lymes, anaplasmosis and the RAVS vet would NOT spay her at the time of the August clinic due to her poor condition.

Thankfully she went to Animal Ark and got treated for heartworm and lymes, anaplasmosis and was spayed. She has been adopted to a loving home,. And just look at her before and after picture!! Amazing what we are seeing. Thank you all so much for helping play a part in rescuing Pearl and others like her!! Karen Good

Kenosha and Keena

Poor miserable puppies!

Kenosha and Keena were almost dead when Karen got them -- full of fleas, mange, rickets, and starving. They were at Red Lake Rosie’s for 6 weeks before they went to Dino and it is a miracle they survived!! Thank you- This is one of the most miraculous rescues this fall. Doesn’t it make you feel like it is all worthwhile?? Peace- Karen

Buddy finds a home!

Buddy is making a fresh start in a new home with a new name, Judd.

A couple with a 5-year-old son adopted Judd and the woman has been updating the original foster caregiver almost every day!

The fostercaregiver wanted Karen to know:

Honestly, had it not been for the fact that I could just TELL that this was the best new family for this dog- I never could have let him go!! It was one of the hardest things for me as I really fell hard for this boy! But he sure is in great hands now- and that makes me know it was the right thing to do.

Here is the latest update from Buddy/Judd's new home:

Juddy has a HUGE appetite! After much experimentation I found the trick! He likes dry kibble with canned dog food mixed with some warm water (so it's like gravy) poured on top. He's gobbling down his food now and he's even taking treats from my hand when I hold them out. He used to only do it if I cupped my hand underneath his mouth, but now he takes it, albeit gingerly, right from my hand and munches it up right there, ready for the next one. I'm so happy!

I've also noticed he's more playful. I am going to have to take him to a dog park. He wants to run and romp around with Hilda, but they're always on leashes so it's hard. I want him to run around and have fun before he gets on his heartworm meds.

He also has a bladder made of iron. I take them out every 4 to 5 hours at the longest and Oswald would always take the opportunity to pee even if he didn't really have to go. Judd Bug will just choose not to go if he doesn't really have to and then the next time or even the time afer that, it's like a fire hose.

He also likes to lick snow and will try to eat dry grass (like the tall ornamental grasses). I wonder if that's what he survived on before being rescued.

His back is healing up nicely. Only one little scab that still looks a bit tender towards the base of his tail. I've been putting some tea tree oil on it regularly and it's getting better. The big one looks really great.

Judd Bug is much less like velcro these days. As long as he knows where I am, he's okay. If he hears me get up from another room and walk then he has to know where I'm going. When I leave to pick up Morgan he waits by the windows by the front door and watches for me to return. When I pull up in the driveway, his head pops right up to the window and when I get through the interior garage door, he's sitting, patiently waiting right on the other side of the door.

He's such a good dog and so, so sweet. In case you ever worry, I do appreciate him immensely.

G-puppies & a Special Thanks to those who transport

Karen rescued these pups (Gabby, Gwen & Gus) and two other dogs from a home where they had been abandoned. Unfortunately one other pup was found dead and frozen solid. Karen recounted:


We removed, Honey the mother and her 3 surviving pups, and Cindy Lou. Cindy Lou went to the vet and was spayed and got all shots. She was adopted to a loving home through Pet Haven.

The foster home for the puppies reports:

All three arrived safe and sound. Their papers state that they are Shepard cross puppies – go figure. All the dogs that came down from Red Lake said that. They are said to be 10 weeks old and about 15 lbs. Their papers also indicated they were abandoned when the people living in the house moved out and simply left them behind.

Very sweet puppies – great personality! They are little piglets eat everything in sight and drink water constantly. Many puddles and piles so far but we’ll work on that. They all take on Moose and Gracie. I think Moose must just look like a tree to climb or something to these small ones.

And, an UPDATE from the foster home to Karen:

Thought you'd like to see the payoff for some of your hard work.... I hope you feel a little ray of sunshine knowing if it were not for your hard work, and the wonderful drivers, these guys wouldn't be so happily snuggled on the kitchen floor.
Be sure to see the pictures of the puppy pile... I love them. Maybe you can pass it along to the drivers for us, along with our thanks?

Reflections on a Weekend at Red Lake

Lynn,

Here are a few pictures from last weekend. I had a wonderful weekend worked hard, ate well, and thoroughly enjoyed meeting Kevin and Karen and working with Tanya and Mike. Karen is a very gracious, hospitable, humble person. It would be so easy for Karen to get angry that the animals are in this terrible living situation on the reservation, but she seems determined to do what she can with the resources and help she has. She doesn't seem to "expect" anything, just graciously accepts help when it's offered. It's certainly an overwhelming situation, but I'm reminded of the starfish analogy --

"An old man walked up a short littered with thousands of starfish, beached and dying after a storm. A young man was picking them up and flinging them back into the ocean. "Why do you Bother?" the old man scoffed. "You're not saving enough to make a difference."

The young man picked up another starfish and sent it spinning back to the water. "Made a difference to that one," he said."

And that is what Karen and Red Lake Rosie's is doing. They are saving who they can. Because we can't help all doesn't mean we shouldn't help who we can.

Twyla

Sharae Then

On my first trip to Red Lake, almost a year ago, my friend, M and I came home with a injured bald eagle and one tiny, motherless, homeless, adorable kitten. I teased the kitten that if she didn't behave she would be a snack for her traveling companion, but, of course, instead she came out of the kennel and made the trip on my lap. We named her Sharae Maria after Karen's young helper at the rescue, Sharae, and the daughter of our hosts in Bemidji, Maria.

The eagle had been found by a Native fisherman and he brought it to Karen. M and I delivered it to the Raptor Center, but unfortunately it was too badly injured to recover and had to be euthanized.

Sharae was the only surviving kitten after her mother and siblings died. I first saw her in a kennel in the living room of a Red Lake volunteer with dogs running all around. I took one look and said I would take her back with me. For months we worried about her health and her small stature. Was her belly too round? Were her legs too short? Was she a dwarf kitten??

Sharae Maria, joined my household for a while, but before long she moved over to my friend S's house when I had to go out of town for a weekend. Sharae kind of moved into hearts and home over there and hasn't returned to my house. I'll post an update on her!

Long-suffering Buddy

I had the opportunity to meet Buddy when I visited Red Lake in February.

Karen had heard about this injured dog for a couple of weeks. She tried to convince the family to get medical attention for him, but ultimately they turned him in to the rescue. Poor Buddy was severely malnourished, as you can see, and had a substantial wound on his back which his owners were unable to explain. When Karen took him to the vet, it was discovered that there were several pieces of glass in the wound.

By the time I saw him, it was a couple of weeks after these photos were taken and he had put on good weight. He was much bigger than I expected from the photo; he is probably a St. Bernard/Boxer mix. He sat very stoically in his outdoor kennel at the rescue. He wasn't running around and barking like the other dogs; he just followed us with his sad kind eyes. What a sweet dog!

I didn't bring Buddy down to the Twin Cities myself, but a transport later the same day did. I will try to get an update on him.

Condolences to Karen Good

Karen Good's father, Bert Good, passed away over the weekend. He will be buried at Fort Snelling in St. Paul. She is making arrangements for someone to take care of the animals so that she can get away. You can write to Karen at:
Karen Good
RR #1, P.O. Box 56,
Trail, MN 56684

Bert Good, 87, of rural Trail, MN died on Sunday, March 9, 2008 at the Red Lake Hospital in Red Lake, MN.

Funeral service will be at 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, March 13, 2008 at Nazareth Lutheran Church, Trail, MN with Reverend Joseph Abrahamson officiating. Burial will be Friday 1:45 PM, Gathering Area 2, at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, MN.

Visitation will be from 5:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. on at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, MN with 8:30 P.M. Prayer Service on Wednesday evening. Visitation will also be held for one hour prior to the funeral service on Thursday.

Bert Orben David Good “Makwa,” (Indian Name Bear) was born September 17, 1920 at Neptune, Minnesota along the Red Lake River at his family’s home, the son of Gaywanemequot “Wayne” and Hilma (Mostrom) Good. He is an enrolled member of the Red Lake Nation. He attended school at the Red Lake Government Boarding School, and the Little Oak Country School. Bert served his country in the US Army during WW II in the European, African, and Middle Eastern Campaigns. During this time in the US Army he earned 6 medals including the Bronze Star (Battle of the Bulge), Good Conduct, American Campaign, European-African-Middle Eastern Campain, World War II Victory, and Honorable Service WW II. He served under General Patton in the “Lucky 7th” Hell on Wheels Seventh Armored Division, 31st Battalian in C Company as a tank commander.

Bert was united in marriage to Irene June Hanson on September 15, 1947. To this union 12 children were born.

Bert spent his life as a logger, hunter, trapper, and farmer along the Red Lake River, the land he loved. He was a skilled storyteller, recalling each incident with great detail. He was well known and respected by many people. He was a very patriotic man.

Family condolences may be sent to www.johnsonfuneralservice.com

Newsletter February 2008

February 2008 Red Lake Rosie’s Rescue Newsletter

January 2008 Statistics
16 dogs and 4 cats rescued, sheltered and placed
17 neuter/spays
2 major medical
2 quill removals

Twin Cities Pet Expo
It was our first time at the Expo and it was very exciting and worthwhile! Our friendly RLRR volunteers, happy ambassador dogs, DVD, photos, brochures, t-shirts and dog & cat treats drew people to our corner booth. We raised $460 in t-shirt & treat sales and $271 in donations for a $731 profit. We collected a lot of high quality dog and cat food from vendors at the end of the Expo for RLRR. And we had 23 people sign up to receive the RLRR Newsletter, several of whom are interested in volunteering and transporting!

Several people told us they had adopted a Red Lake dog or cat through rescues and shelters that partnership with RLRR. Hearing comments like these is what it is all about!

1) We feel so good that we adopted a dog that had such a hard life – living outside with no shelter, scavenging for food and water. He truly appreciates every little thing we do for him.

2) I have never had such a wonderful loving dog.

3) When our eyes first met and I held Katie with her sparse fur and a raged ear and she cuddled in my arms, I knew that I had to get to know her better. After half an hour, we adopted each other. My life has never been so fulfilled!

4) I can’t imagine that he lived at the dump like many dogs do. No one cared if he lived or died until RLRR rescued him. As a foster, I had to coax him into the house with food and then he didn’t know how to walk on a floor. I’ll never forget how he stood frozen with his eyes wide open. I dribbled bits of food in a path that lead to the living room carpet. His body seemed to melt as he walked on something soft for the first time. It didn’t take him long to curl up into a plush doggie bed and start dreaming of a better life which happened a month later when he was adopted into his forever loving home.

5) My Red Lake dog took coaxing by her owners to surrender her. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into but after reading his terrible abusive story, I had to take him. It seems like he can’t do enough to show us his love and appreciation. Our hearts are one.

6) I tell everyone that I am the proud parent of a Red Lake cat. One of my friends also adopted one. When I got Pearl home, she hid for several days and then came out a little more each day. With TLC and patience, she now sits on my lap as soon as I sit down. She loves it when I hum to her.

7) I had never heard of Red Lake dogs until I read about them on the Pet Haven website. Thank you Red Lake Rosie’s for rescuing them and Pet Haven for fostering them. Max is an older needy dog and is such a sweetheart. We took him to obedience school. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks! (RLRR has several wonderful rescues & shelters that we work with).

Thanks to our amazing volunteers and ambassador dogs who worked the RLRR booth: Diane Dunker, Tanya Hobbs, Idelle Day, Debra Stockhill, Colleen Meyers, Tanya Koester-Radmann, Daisy Bowman, Nathan Streit, Rory Welles, Laurie Seebart & her beautiful Red Lake dog Kaycee, Claudia Wielgorecki, daughters Ann & Ellen Fisher and their sweet RL dog Ginny, Kay Freitag and her precious RL dog Minnie. Thanks to Barbara Bowman for making RLRR information sheets. And thanks to Benay Rosenthal and Laurie Seebart for making home-made all natural yummy dog and cat treats! Laurie drove 6 hours to help.

March Meeting
1) Tuesday, March 4 at Perkins Restaurant, Midway area 6:30pm (we tried to choose a central location).

2) Topics: Pet Expo follow-up, garage sale, fundraising (share your ideas), animal clinics, humane education on the reservation.

3) RLRR T-shirts in S, M & L ($20) & home-made dog biscuits ($2) for sale. Profits to RLRR.

4) More meeting details forthcoming in email from Denise Luke.

Volunteer Opportunities

1) ** Take up supplies and transport animals to the Cities March 9th weekend. **

2) Work on the garage sale fundraising committee. Sale will be in April or May.

Spring Garage Sale

It’s time to start early spring house cleaning and collecting quality items from friends and family for the 3rd annual RLRR fundraising garage sale. We need well cared for household & domestics, sports, art & crafts, toys, furniture, electronics, yard & garden, movies & music, books, pet and clothes – all in good shape please. More details in March newsletter. This has turned into a big fundraiser for us!

Needs

1) Heavy duty stainless steel bowls & pails of all sizes (easily sanitized and chew proof)

2) Monetary donations for kennels, shelter supplies, milk replacement, bedding, vet supplies and medical. DOUBLE your donation with matching donations from your work.

Make out donations to Red Lake Rosie Rescue Inc, and send to Karen Good. CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. RLRR is 501c3.



Tom and Nancy O’Sullivan inspired visits to RLRR

We have never met such a compassionate person as Karen Good. She adores each animal that needs her tender touch and she takes pride in healing their beaten down bodies and their lost spirits. The first time we visited Karen's shelter and saw what she was doing for these poor sweet souls, we had tears in our eyes on our drive home that day. We were used to the Twin Cities and how pampered pets were (including our own), and how we always had access to the best of the best.....the best vets, groomers, pet stores, huge money-making fundraisers. It isn't like that in the Red Lake community. So many animals suffer at the hands of their owners and are discarded by them in a blink of an eye. The children suffer in Red Lake....the animals suffer as well. How do you educate people about animals when they cannot take care of their children?

We believe Karen is on the right track, providing humane education at health fairs, going door to door offering food and information about being responsible pet owners, holding free animal clinics with humane information and making sure as many dogs and cats are spayed and neutered as possible. If Karen can spread the word in her community and recruit others who feel strongly about her mission, this will have a positive impact.

Karen is a guardian angel for the animals in every sense of the word. We feel so blessed to have met her and to be a part of her circle of friends who want to help her with her mission. We are inspired to help her and have been back many times.

Jackson (Tavish) Got Adopted – Part 2

Tavish’s family stopped at the Pet Expo booth to thank us for rescuing him (thank you Karen Good). All 4 family members adore him and say he is so loving just like nothing terrible ever happened to him. He had suffered a brutal beating to his head and face resulting in complete teeth loss on one side

Thank You’s

1) Crystal Berntson, Benay Rosenthal (drove 11 hours to help) and Dee Dee Welles for taking supplies and transporting animals in January.

2) Denise Luke and Dee Dee Welles for fostering.

3) All the compassionate rescues, shelters and fosters who so lovingly take Red Lake cats and dogs to be adopted.

4) Everyone who has adopted and welcomed RL animals into their family.

5) Denise Luke for scheduling our meetings and Mary Ann Cameron for taking minutes.



Where to Stay when going to Karen’s - RLRR

1) Karen’s house (next to the shelter). She has a spare bedroom (single bed) and room on the living room floor for air mattresses and sleeping bags. Karen lives in the peaceful country on the west end of the reservation. Cross the street and you are out of the reservation. She & Kevin love to have company.

2) Piper's Inn, Clearbrook (20 miles from Karen’s). www.pipersinn.com

877-776-2323; 218-776-2323. Corporate rate: $39 (1 person), $50 (2 people).

3) Hotels in Bemidji. 60 miles from Karen’s.

Contact Lynn if you would like to help, have a RLRR story to share, have information for our newsletters (such as thank you’s), know someone who would like to foster or adopt or if have any questions.

Lynn Mecum
Stillwater, MN
RLRR Support Team Coordinator
lmecum4@msn.com

Karen Good
Red Lake Rosie Rescue, Inc.
RR #1, Box 56
Trail, MN 56684
keg@gvtel.com

www.redlakerosies.piczo.com (check out website)