Swimming at the Apple River helps our disabled dogs like Kitchee, from Saudi Arabia, recover from past abuse

After a slow start, summer finally arrived at Home for Life� with balmy temperatures and many sunny days. Fortunately severe storms and tornadoes were not a factor this season and once the  weather grew warm, the weather was beautiful.The dogs spent many happy days swimming at the Apple River,keeping cool and exercising in the water where they are buoyant-  especially for our paraplegic dogs and older dogs the water therapy we do with them in the summer  means that they can safely exercise and build strength and endurance without risking injury. See our summer photo album for more fun swimming photos here.

Summer also brought us two new cats, both tiger striped, who though friendly,had somehow become abandoned and were found by rescuers in desperate condition. Cinda, an older medium hair female,was found outside an apartment building in Stillwater, MN, starving  and crying for help. She was spayed and also declawed so obviously had been someone's pet.  A visitor to a resident of the apartment building called Home for Life� for help on Cinda's behalf fearing she would not be able to survive long. In her dire condition, Cinda needed immediate medical help to restore her health as she was skin and bones and missing fur everywhere. Veterinarians who examined Cinda once she was admitted to Home for Life�  found that she   had hyperthyroid,  a common condition in older cats, easily controlled with daily medication. Now that she has received good food and appropriate medical care, Cinda is on the road to recovery. Lost pet ads were scoured and Cinda was screened for a microchip but no one was looking for her. It is clear that someone moved away and left her to sink or swim, unwilling to care for the older cat in need of medical attention.      

Bobcat is a handsome short hair tiger cat who was discovered by a farmer haying in a field in North Branch, MN. Poor Bobcat had been attacked by a dog orcoyote and had many open wounds including a terrible bite on his left front leg which had caused his paw and foreleg to swell to 3 times its normal size.He was not able to walk on the leg and seemed to be in great pain, besides being thin and desperate. The farmer was going to shoot the cat to " put him out of his misery" but his girlfriend intervened and called Home for Life� for advice and help. The couple was unable  to do much on behalf of the cat other than the basics for Bobcat. They had put him in a shed with food and water while they sought help for him, but provided no veterinary attention or other medical care.  After receiving a call  from the farmer who discovered Bobcat, we concluded that the cat's situation was urgent and took him in under our Emergency Medical Care Program. Home for Life's� veterinarians  tried for over a week to save Bobcat's leg which had received most of the trauma from the attack but in the end it was decided to amputate to prevent sepsis which might have caused the infection from his leg to go systemic, resulting in a life threatening emergency.  It was a difficult decision to amputate, because it is so hard for any animal to lose a front leg. Yet once Bobcat's infected limb was removed, his condition rapidly improved. By the time he had his stitches from the amputation removed he had gained weight and was well on his way to full recovery. A friendly cat,it was obvious that he had  been someone's pet before he was discovered so terribly injured in the farm field. Cats who are pets cannot survive for long when left to fend for themselves in rural areas and often become the victims of predator attacks, are hit by cars or end up dying terrible deaths from starvation and dehydration. We are so glad we were able to help Cinda and Bobcat before either met an untimely, cruel death. Home for Life's� Emergency Medical Care Fund makes the difference for desperate animals like Cinda and Bobcat who otherwise would suffer terribly. Instead, with their health restored they will be loved and cared for as part of Home for Life� for as long as they may live. Your contributions to the Emergency Medical Care Fund made it possible for us to help these two special cats. See more photos of Cinda and Bobcat as well as more summer photos  here.

Herb

Our annual Open House, Ride for their Lives motorcycle ride and Memorial Garden event occurred July 30, and we were happy to have a great turnout for this busy event. The Memorial Garden event  is our opportunity to remember and celebrate the lives the Home for Life� animals who have passed on the previous year and to welcome supporters and new friends to meet our dogs and cats  and see our facility. After a brief rain shower which abated the steamy conditions, the weather was perfect. Thank you to our staff, volunteers, the riders and all who were part of our special day,especially Patty and Herb Sam Herb Sam is Spiritual Advisor to the Mille Lac Band of Ojibwe and presides over our Memorial Garden event each year. See more pictures of the Memorial Garden ceremony and the Open House Here