Oscar finds a home

I found Oscar while doing my daily searches on Petfinder.com for animals in need. His sweet face caught my attention and his story stole my heart. I shared Oscar's plight with some friends who share my dismay and disgust when people give up lifelong pets when the pets get old.

My friend Kathy and her husband Dan take a special interest in senior cats and agreed that Oscar should come to live with them. They had extended discussions with the shelter, but everything seemed like a good match so Kathy and I got in the car and drove the 600 miles roundtrip to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and back to get him. It was a long drive, but the fall colors were beautiful and it was worth every minute to bring that sweet cat to a new home.

A big Thank You to the Oshkosh Humane Society that has recently made a committment to not euthanize animals due to lack of space; most organizations don't make an effort for senior cats.



FROM PETFINDER.COM:
How cute am I?

My name is Oscar - I'm a senior citizen looking for a nice, quiet place to retire.

I was surrendered to the shelter after living with my family for 15 years. Could you imagine being torn from your home and the only family you had ever known? I don't understand why I'm here - so excuse me if I act shy when you first meet me. The staff is working to bring me out of my shell...and slowly but surely, it's working.

If you are lonely and looking for a quiet, gentle companion, please stop in and get to know me.

Oshkosh Area Humane Society
Oshkosh, WI

Second Chance

I just heard from RAGOM (Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota) that they will be able to bring this dog into their foster system to find a new home. He is such a handsome dog and has been so badly treated until now. I will watch for updates.

FROM PETFINDER.COM:
Chance is about 2 years old. This dog lives up to his name...Chance! He was found dumped out in the county...injured and abandoned. He was taken to a local Veterinary clinic as a stray.

Apparently his previous owners tried to do a "home" neuter on him by banding his testicles....unfortunately this is not the proper way to neuter a dog...he was in severe pain and had a horrible infection. The Veterinary clinic took him in and treated him medically and preformed surgery on him. This was one lucky boy!! (Thank You Waverly Vet Clinic!)

Chance is a very nice boy.....but has a ton of energy and may need some work with leash manners. Chance is good with children. He will need to meet any current dog residents living in the home before adoption....he can be a bit bossy with some other dogs.

If you can offer this boy a 2nd chance at life please apply to adopt this boy...he is starting to get a bit stir crazy in the shelter...please consider offering this dog a home and a CHANCE!!

Chance is neutered and up to date on all of his vaccinations including his rabies. He has a microchip and has been wormed and heartworm checked. He has been started on a flea and tick prevention program.

Cedar Bend Humane Society
Waterloo, IA

Bandit is having a great summer

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks??

Bandit, the white-faced senior golden retriever that Friends of Flicka is sponsoring at RAGOM is learning all kinds of new things at his foster home and having a blast. He's not likely to win a "Dock Dogs" competition for longest leap, but it's clear from his photo that he is having fun.

Read more about Bandit at the RAGOM website posting dedicated to him.

Another HFL update on Megan & Piper

A note and photos from Home for Life Sanctuary regarding the dogs we sponsor.

Thank you for your sponsorship of Megan and Piper.

This month we present photos taken by Butch McCartney, a professional photographer here in the Twin Cities. Please see his website at www.photographybymccartney.com to see more photos of the HFL animals, read his blog and see other great photos exhibiting Butch's range and talent. We have enlisted Butch as well as several other professional photographers to help us with the sponsor photos each month. We hope you enjoy the photos and also the difference in their creative styles capturing the personality of the HFL animals.

MEGANBy now we hope you have received the spring newsletter. Please let us know if you are missing your copy or if you would like an extra copy to share with a friend. The "Virtual" Home for Life webcams will be operational soon. The high speed and powerful internet access and connection is a bit elusive in the rural area where HFL is located so we are in the process of working out the technical difficulties to get the system operating consistently to make viewing available.

PIPER
Tour season at HFL has commenced and we hope to see many of you this summer for a visit at the sanctuary. Our tours are scheduled each Wednesday and Saturday at 1:30 pm; please call or e-mail to make an appointment for a visit. Don’t forget about our open house that is scheduled this summer for Saturday, August 22. We are combining the open house with the Ride for Their Lives Motorcycle Run and Memorial Garden event so there will be something for everyone that day.

Sincerely,

Lisa LaVerdiere
Executive Director

Home For Life update on Megan & Piper

Friends of Flicka sponsors two golden retrievers, Megan and Piper, at Home for Life. We recently received an update from the organization and photos of the dogs enjoying life!

MEGAN
Dear Friends of Flicka:

Thank you for your generous sponsorship of Megan and Piper. We appreciate your loyal support especially during these challenging times. Attached is a recent photo we hope you will enjoy!

Our volunteer photographers will start next month so please enjoy another round of candid photos taken by me and the staff. We want to continue to send regular updates and current pictures as often as possible as we recognize how appreciated they are by our sponsors.

PIPER
With the advent of spring, Home for Life will be celebrating the new season with several festive events:

Sunday, April 26, 2009: HFL's 4th Annual Tiramisu for Tails at 10:00 am at Interlachen Country Club in Edina (http://www.homeforlife.org/pdfs/T4T_invite2009.pdf). This eagerly anticipated and fast-paced morning features a champagne brunch, tasting tables of delectable confections of local vendors, a silent auction with one of a kind items, great getaways and a fun-filled program highlighted by the traditional dog parade, led by the students of the Renaissance Program and the HFL dogs they have trained. Tickets are just $75 per person.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009, Pink Elephant Cocktail hour sponsored by Vita.mn and La Belle Vie, 6:00 – 9:00 pm. Hosted by Johnny Michales of La Belle Vie and Alexis McKinnis, columnist of Vita.mn. Complimentary cocktails concocted by La Belle Vie mixology wiz and urban legend Johnny Michales plus hors d'oevres served in La Belle Vie's elegant lounge. Tickets are just $30 with all proceeds benefitting Home for Life. An appearance by HFL representative animals naturally. http://vita.mn/event_detail.php?event_id=72584.
Saturday, June 6, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. Hope Community Church, 707 10th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55415.
Sapphire Chamber Consort, a non-profit consortium of professional chamber ensembles, will present a free recital on Saturday, June 6, 2009 at Hope Community Church in Minneapolis. This family-friendly, fun and inspiring performance will feature music that is creatively tied to animals and pets. A free will offering will be collected to benefit Home for Life®. Hope to see you there!
Also, Home for Life and our Pet Peace Corps Program, the Senior Outreach Project, will be featured on KSTP Channel 5's Twin Cities Live! airing the week of April 13. For those of you who may not be able to catch the show and for our out of town supporters, the segment will be available for viewing on Channel 5's Twin Cities Live website.

Sincerely,

Lisa LaVerdiere
Executive Director

Rest in Peace, Soldier

Just wanted to let you know that Soldier passed onto doggie heaven this morning/overnight. When we woke up he had passed on in his sleep. I must say I was rather relieved because we have been discussing euthanizia due to his difficulty in even getting up and walking lately and I was having a very hard time knowing when to make that decision. We gave him a proper burial this morning in our pet cemetary and there were many tears present. He was special and will be missed greatly. One of our personal dogs had really connected with Soldier and used to sleep him, and he seemed very sad this morning.

Thank you for all of your support, it means so much to us and to Soldier. I know he is up in doggy heaven smiling down on us and I am sure he is glad to longer be in pain.

Thanks again for everything.

Amanda Johnson
Rural Iowa Animal Rescue

Soldier struggles

Just wanted to give you an update on Soldier. We have had a few tough decisions to make over the past couple weeks, and have decided to not allow Soldier to be adopted out. He will live the rest of his life with us.

His hip displaysia has gotten worse and the vet felt that at his age he would not make it through the surgery, so he is on a pain killer for that. We ordered some tests for him to see what was making him so sluggish and he has liver disease. He is on cortecosteroids (sorry if the spelling is incorrect) and an antibiotic to help fight the liver disease. I should have seen the signs of liver disease in him earlier, but he did not get real sluggish until the last couple of weeks.

He continues to live in the house and we have set up an area that he now uses to go potty if he has to. It has a plastic sheeting underneath it and he seems to understand to go potty there when needed. We have started giving him some gatorade and pedialyte daily to help keep him hydrated.

He is a sweet boy and we did not want him to have the stress of moving homes throughout this so we decided to just keep him with us for the rest of his life. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he fights this disease.

Thank you so much for your support!

Amanda Johnson
Rural Iowa Animal Rescue
Rowley, Iowa 52329

Update on Megan & Piper sponsored at Home for Life

MEGAN
Dear Friends of Flicka,
Thank you for your sponsorship of Megan and Piper at Home for Life. Enclosed are recent photos we hope you will enjoy.

Thank you for your patience as we restructure the sponsorship program. We are trying again to get letters with photos out to you once every 4-6 weeks. Staffing turnover and shortages at HFL, plus two major special events this fall have made keeping up with photos a challenge in recent months when we had to refocus on the basics and give our primary attention to keeping the sanctuary's animals safe, warm, fed, exercised and well. We apologize for not being able to send current photos and thank you for your loyal support during what has been a very trying time for HFL. However, we believe that the changes in our staff have been for the best and we look forward to 2009 with a renewed investment in our mission and dedication to the work of the sanctuary. Several talented volunteer photographers have signed on to help us with the sponsorship program and are committed to helping us keep up with the photos of the animals each month. We are excited to be able to share their work and interest in helping the sanctuary and our animals with you. However, this month, you will all have to bear with us as I took the photos with my 35 mm camera. We hope you still enjoy the pictures!

Happy New Year from Home for Life!
Sincerely,
Lisa LaVerdiere Executive Director

PIPER

Bruce has been adopted

Bruce was the senior dog I found in St. Cloud whose time was nearly up at the pound. RAGOM had missed him because he was listed as a yellow lab instead of a golden retriever. We were lucky to save him and now he has found his home. Read his whole story on the RAGOM website.

Keeping Soldier Warm!

NOTE FROM SOLDIER'S FOSTER MOM:
A big thank you to everyone who made it possible for Soldier to get his coats! He stays so much warmer on them! I attached a couple pictures of him in his outside coat! The velcro wouldn't stick when it was below zero temperatures so we were safety pinning it, but now that the temperatures have warmed up it works great! He continues to show signs of hip displaysia despite being in the warmth of the house, so we will be making a vet trip tomorrow to see if there is something else I can do to help him out with this. He is a sweet dog and deserves so much better than what he had before coming to the rescue. Thanks again everyone for your help! It is GREATLY appreciated!