News & Events

In 2019, Saturday November 9, Home for Life® will welcome the A-List actress, conservationist and U.N. representative and humanitarian Ashley Judd as our special guest. Ashley was very interested in being part of the Home for Life® gala as she is such an admirer of Dr. Jane Goodall, our 2018 gala guest and like her, loves dogs and works hard for conservation efforts, particularly on behalf of bonobos apes in their native Congo. Ashley also loves and cherishes all animals, and has relied on her beloved dogs for emotional support animals during turbulent times of her life.

Thank you to those of you who gave so generously to help Home for Life meet our $25,000 match challenge.

Since late November, animal welfare organizations throughout Greater Minnesota have come together to find a way to help 30 cats of the Animal Humane Society's Partner Placement list. Cats who land at one of the four humane society locations are evaluated for placement; some who are experiencing shelter stress or who are very shy are not cats the humane society believes they can support on the adoption floors of their shelters, so they offer these cats to partner rescues to try to find the cats help and therefore avoid euthanizing them.

WHAT a week! Wednesday morning last week at Home for Life®: temperature was -34 degrees! Our overnight staff who lives east of us recorded -41 degrees at her house. This is the air temperature - the wind chill is far worse. With 200 animals at our facility, Home for Life® doesn't have the option to close. We are so grateful to our staff who have braved the arctic cold to come to work and take care of dogs and cats, birds and even Goliath our tortoise.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Attention Best Pool Party of the Year 2019 fans:

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Well, our Sunset Swim Party on a Saturday afternoon was such a success that the Town and Country Club members decided that time slot would work better for THEIR event. HOME FOR LIFE'S® Pool Party event is still on, and will be a one day event only, BUT it will be a nearly all day extravaganza and combine the best of both our events from last year!

NEW DETAILS:

Every animal has a story, they say. When people meet a dog or cat at our sanctuary, or see them on social media, their first question is, “What is their story?” With Raha, a senior Anatolian Shepherd mix, no one needs to ask. His story is plain to see: the horror and cruelty he suffered…and his resilience and joy that could not be extinguished

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The Rescue of Raha

It’s hard to remember Raha’s desperate condition on the day we met him just one year ago. Some sadistic people had attempted to blow his head off. They put firecrackers in his mouth, taped his muzzle shut, and then lit the fuse. Miraculously the firecrackers did not explode, but they still did plenty of damage—their intense heat seared away Raha’s gums, cracked his teeth, and even burned into the bones of his face and jaw. His injuries left him unable to open his mouth more than a centimeter. By the time we met him, he was slowly starving to death.

It's become a tradition over the years to welcome photographer Mark Luinenburg out to Home for Life® for each of the four seasons we enjoy at the sanctuary facility located  on 40 picturesque acres on the Apple River in Star Prairie, WI, just 20 minutes northeast of Stillwater, MN on the St Croix River.

Mark was out last week for a fall photo session and to meet some of the new faces at the sanctuary. In this Facebook album are just some of our favorites: it's always so hard to select just a few! https://bit.ly/2T0iGR1

Give to the Max is a state wide day of giving where generous people from across the state of Minnesota come together to support their favorite charities. This year, Home for Life® has a matching grant of $25,000 riding on this 24 hours of giving, and all gifts made that day will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $25,000! We hope the enthusiasm and generosity this day of giving inspires will encourage YOU to make a gift to help the animals of Home for Life®.

The 2018 gala with our guest Dr. Jane Goodall will be hard to ever surpass, but we will try!

In 2019, Saturday November 9, Home for Life® will welcome the A-List actress, conservationist and U.N. representative and humanitarian Ashley Judd as our special guest. Ashley was very interested in being part of the Home for Life® gala as she is such an admirer of Dr. Goodall, and like her, loves dogs and works hard for conservation efforts, particularly on behalf of bonobos apes in their native Congo. Ashley also loves and cherishes all animals, and has relied on her beloved dogs for emotional support animals during turbulent times of her life.

We welcomed Rod & Stephanie Oman of The Imagery back at Home for Life® in October for the fall sponsor photos. They were last at the sanctuary about two years ago, so it was great to see them again, especially since they are so supportive of the Minnesota animal rescue community - from October 15 thru November 4 - they are hosting a rescue donation promotion - $50 gets you and your pet a photo session AND a 5x7 portrait with the $50 donated to Home for Life® or the Minnesota animal rescue of your choice: