Previous Animal Updates: March 18, 2009
Mari works quiet miracles
Editor's note: Home for Life volunteer Linda Kosfeld writes about Mari, a female Border Collie-Husky-Labrador Retriever mix. Linda and Mari often work together in our Sit*Stay*Heal program. At right, Mari greets a patient at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center.
Mari successfully completed the Home for Life® Renaissance Program and is now a registered Therapy Dog. That is how I got to know Mari. As a volunteer with Home for Life's Sit*Stay*Heal program, I take Mari to visit patients in the senior and adolescent mental health units at Fairview-Riverside Hospital. Mari's gentle expression and quiet demeanor make her very approachable by the patients she visits. She sits quietly while elderly patients pet her head, and is calm and solid as a rock when young adolescents get down on the floor to give her a big hug.
In both the senior and adolescent units there have been memorable experiences. One of the most touching involved a young girl, about 12, who had just been admitted. She was totally withdrawn and not speaking, and seemed to have given up on the world. The staff knew that she was fond of dogs and brought her to meet the therapy dogs. She tentatively asked if she could touch Mari and we encouraged her to sit down with the dog. The girl began to touch and pet Mari, and talk very softly to her. Although we gently tried to communicate with the girl, the only thing she wanted in her world at that time was Mari. Two weeks later when we visited, the girl was still there, but was much improved. She was talking and interacting with other people, and was thrilled to see Mari again.
The patients, especially the men, in the senior unit seem to relate to Mari because she reminds them of dogs from their pasts. Mari will often spontaneously offer her paw when meeting one of these people, which makes them feel very special.
When Mari is "working" she does not expect or ask for attention from the people she visits; she is there to give and be whatever a person needs at that time. I know that she always makes me feel better!
Bark! Who goes there?
In our last installment, we promised to profile more of the lovable redheads who dwell at the sanctuary. Below, we present Hawk, a four year-old red firecracker of a Min Pin who protects the residents of the Feline Leukemia facility.
Hawk enjoys some lap time while remaining alert to potential security issues. In the background, Jade looks to him for reassurance.
Hawk, who did not have a name when surrendered to Home for Life®, came to us through a donor who is a social worker. Hawk's former family were her clients, and in the course of multiple visits to the home, she witnessed much maltreatment of the little dog. Hawk was locked in a dark closet for several hours a day; at other times he was kept in the cold unheated garage. This neglect affected the high-strung puppy, and he was quite defensive and fear aggressive when he first arrived at the sanctuary.
But Hawk is a strong and intelligent dog. To his credit, after a few short weeks at Home for Life®, he realized that he would be treated with kindness and respect here.
For a time, Hawk lived in the small-dog apartment. However, as a newcomer, he experienced some bullying from the "in crowd." We decided that he needed a more serene environment after the trauma of his earlier home. As a descendent of the Doberman, a working breed, Hawk also needed a job to do.
That's when Hawk packed his bags and moved down the road to our Feline Leukemia building, where he found not only a safe harbor, but also his true calling. As a member of a small group of diminutive dogs who have no need to jockey for position, Hawk found his place as the ever-watchful guard of the leukemia-positive cats. The other dogs, mostly older and laid back, are happy to delegate this duty to Hawk.
Any new person entering the cattery will be thoroughly "vetted" by Hawk before gaining full access to the facility and its precious inhabitants. Once Hawk has examined and cleared the visitor, the cats and other dogs know it is safe to approach. Hawk takes his job seriously and the other dogs and cats depend on his street smarts for protection.
In the summer, Hawk loves the huge outdoor cat run and expends his considerable energy charging outside to run the perimeter and monitor all activity on the south end of the sanctuary.
During the winter, with tour season suspended until spring, Hawk takes some much-deserved rest. He can be found at any time under a pile of blankets on the futon with several cat friends clustered around him. Calling his name brings the whole pile of covers to life. Hawk emerges from the mountain of bedding and loves nothing more than to share a cuddle and some lap time, with his feline and canine charges nearby.
Spirit: the last word on redheads, for now
Spirit is a small male Doberman whose horribly mangled ears (a home cropping job gone wrong) and broken body reveal the hard life he led before coming to HFL. Spirit came to us through the Doberman rescue in Texas. He was found at a truck stop, abandoned with broken legs and pelvis, having been struck by a car. He weighed only 35 pounds. A passing trucker noticed Spirit lying there, and on his return trip saw the dog again in the spot, despite the pouring rain, obviously unable to move. The trucker rescued Spirit and took him to a vet. The dog, who was not expected to live, pulled through nonetheless. His incredible will to survive led to his eventual name — Spirit.
Because of the orthopedic problems that would likely result in future arthritis, and Spirit's propensity for eating socks, soft toys and leashes, the rescue asked Home for Life® to provide Spirit with a home and the specialized care he would require as he aged.
At Home for Life, Spirit lives with Autumn, a female black-and-tan Doberman. The duo reside in a beautiful townhouse complete with a couch, a futon, piped-in music, climate control, and a large attached run. Spirit and Autumn proudly keep their townhouse immaculately clean, and it is the first one visitors see upon approaching the townhouse area.
Spirit, in the foreground, with his constant companion Autumn.
Spirit and Autumn are keenly aware of their role as sentinels, and dutifully signal the other townhouse dogs of approaching tours, treat dispensation, meals, or exercise programs.
Despite his orthopedic injuries, Spirit is determined to enjoy life to the fullest. Thanks to the hydrotherapy he received from K9 Hydrotherapy of St. Louis Park, Spirit built more muscle to support his skeleton. With some rimadyl, he can enjoy exercising in our big field or fenced meadows.
Like Hawk, Spirit is very protective of his domain. He is not interested in sharing his property with any other dogs except Autumn! He enjoys meeting new people but, perhaps because of his condition, he has gotten more self-protective as he ages. When the day is done, Spirit is just happy to retire with his girl and enjoy the comforts of the home that his indomitable spirit brought him.