Una - Finding Beauty in a Broken World*

 How can we find beauty in a broken world? 

Looking away is easy. Hoping things will get better is comforting but hope alone leaves us without a path to act. Real transformation begins when we acknowledge how fragile life is, how quickly it can be destroyed, and how challenging it is to restore.

At Home for Life®, we have witnessed that transformation firsthand in animals like Una. His story shows how compassion and creativity can turn cruelty into renewal.

Una was born a street dog. At just six months old, he was shot in the face in his home country. The gunshot, meant to kill, instead left him with a shattered muzzle, unable to breathe or eat properly. Without urgent help, he faced infection and a slow, painful death.

Before being shot in the face, Una most resembled a lab. With dark humor, we note that people pay thousands of dollars for a pet with the bulldog-like face Una now has, but he paid a far greater price.

In his home country, veterinarians tried to repair his wound with a plastic implant salvaged from a German military hospital. By the time he came to Home for Life® , the implant had failed, and surrounding tissue had become infected.

His sinuses inflamed, and his upper muzzle unsalvageable. Surgery removed much of his muzzle as well as the implant, which had caved in. Una lost many teeth, one nostril, and sight in one eye. He could only eat soft foods and needed help cleaning his face.

Many animals arrive at Home for Life® with permanent disabilities from abuse or accidents. But injuries to the face carry a particular cruelty. The face is the center of expression, connection and identity- for both animals and people. To destroy it is an attempt to erase the very essence of being born with trust and innocence. Una is one of three dogs at our sanctuary who endured such a deliberate assault.

Yet Una’s gentle spirit never wavered. He taught us how to move forward. With hands- on care and ingenuity, we shifted from identifying him as a victim to helping him author a new future. Today he thrives alongside other dogs who have also endured trauma, forming a community bound not by what they have lost, but by the companionship they share.

Una’s story proves that compassion and creativity break the cycle of cruelty and indifference to restore a shattered life. Each act of care sets in motion a future that would never otherwise exist. We have seen dogs and cats, once so frightened that they flinch from a touch, learn to trust again; and animals once disfigured by violence discover a new life filled with peace and joy.

Awareness is the first step. As painful as it is to know Una’s past, more stirring yet is knowing that he was not destroyed by cruelty. His life is evidence that brokenness can give rise to wholeness.

At Home for Life,® we see our sanctuary as a mosaic, where shattered lives are repaired and joined into a greater whole—a healing and joyful community.

Home for Life ® is proud to be an internationally recognized care-for-life sanctuary. In 2019, USA TODAY named us one of the 10 Most Amazing Sanctuaries in the Country. Unlike most shelters and rescues which strive to find homes for every animal, our mission is to provide a true home for those who cannot be placed- dogs and cats with special needs or lifelong care requirements.

We call this vision The Third Door®- an alternative to an undeserved death. For animals who cannot be adopted, we offer a permanent home where their lives are cherished, and their futures are secure. The dream of a home should belong to every dog and cat. At Home for Life®, we make that dream a reality.

Fundamental to changing the world for animals is changing their story. For our cats and dogs, their stories up until the time they have needed us have been marked by loss, often neglect, commonly indifference and misunderstanding and even violence.

So, the most essential part of our mission is to make sure our animals’ stories don’t continue or end the way they began. Rewriting their broken stories is paradigm-shifting because, by the time our cats and dogs have reached us, they have fallen off the grid of the animal welfare matrix and failed its measures of success. Home for Life® defines success in a new way for these forsaken animals and imagines a new story for them.

This fall, our campaign, Sponsor Happiness, with a $50,000 match is underway with a chance to be part of the reimagined story for animals like Una, who had nowhere else to turn when they came to us.

Our sanctuary is where compassion creates beauty from despair. As a supporter of our dogs and cats at Home for Life®, YOU are an integral part of repairing and rewriting their broken stories to design a new idea of success for animal welfare, for the animals that need compassion and understanding the most.

With gratitude,

Lisa

PS be sure to check out the update on the progress of our new building, which will complete the sanctuary prototype, and provide expanded services to animals and the people who love them!

​

*title inspired by the book by Terry Tempest Williams

The Home for Life® Beach Party was a success!

 

We had a great day for the Home for Life® 3rd Annual Beach Party at beautiful White Bear Lake. We had an unseasonably chilly start to the day, but the sky was blue, the sun was warm, and the water was warm. Thank you to our volunteers Bev, TJ, Chris, Bill, Val, Wendy, and Jan for their support and help, Debby Carman of Faux Paw, Laguna Beach, CA, who designed the beach towels, our party favor, and token of esteem for all guests, and all who came out to support Home for Life Sanctuary by attending this event. Don't miss the event video, which captures the festive spirit of the day. See you next year at the Beach!

 it was only 41 degrees when we were setting up for the event!

Happy dog with ball in mouth

Home For Life booth at the event

Happy dog with beach wear

Getting close and personal with a canine friend

Catered lunch on the beach

Cookies are for the DOGS!

These dogs are ready to swim with their vests

Friends on the beach with their pets

See you next year at the Beach!

Building a Humane Future

 

From a floor plan and blue print, the final element of our prototype sanctuary has taken shape, all accomplished to date debt free thanks to the support of generous donors, There is still much to do, but today we celebrate all that has been achieved so far- the septic, and well installed, excavation, exterior walls and roof, all windows and doors, insulation  and rough in of the plumbing, including the floor heat. This building is the last part of our sanctuary prototype, an affordable model that can be exported to any community who sees value in the life saving potential of the innovative Third Door.

All that we accomplish starts with the belief that led to the founding of Home for Life Animal Sanctuary more than 25 years ago- animals who need our help are not a problem to be solved but an untapped treasure. We believe in the significance of every life we care for and that the life of each cat and dog counts.

That perspective is transformative, a premise that creates miracles- from this new building,  to establishing new ground for the most vulnerable animals , to showing what's possible and therefore, creating a safer world for all cats and dogs, to expanding our ability to reach the community through our animals who serve as ambassadors for our mission- and our conviction that all life is valuable.

Especially  in chaotic and overwhelming times or situations creating something new and making it real reinforces that we do have the agency to shape our world and that the most powerful thing we can do is to care.

Our new building is an extension and expression of the values Home for Life embodies- that of compassion and creativity with which we we approach helping animals. Animal rescue  is not often thought of as creative, but our Third Door model calls for it- to stand in the gap when it could go either way for a a vulnerable cat or dog, and because of the power to care, to envision and create a positive outcome.

This new building will amplify our power to care, aligning our values of creativity and compassion with action to do more good for animals and the people who care about them.  

The Cat Who Landed on Her Feet: Rue, the Miracle cat survives being thrown from 12th story balcony to find her home for life!

They call her the miracle cat…now. Yet miracles don’t just happen in an instant.
Rue’s incredible survival required a series of interventions, initiated by Home for
Life® Animal Sanctuary. Our willingness to step up for Rue in the face of several unknowns—the severity of her injuries, the potential cost to help her, and even if
she could recover ever—and our commitment to her long-term welfare created the possibility of a future for this small, battered cat.

 

Monday overwhelm is a familiar feeling at the beginning of a work week, even at a place like Home for Life,® where the work is 24/7. But emergencies never pick a convenient time to show up. On the last Monday in June, first thing in the morning, Minneapolis Animal Care and Control (MACC) sent out an email alert to all of their rescue partners:

 

EMAIL ALERT: “A373539 “Rue” is an ~1 year old, female DSH that was brought to MACC today after being reported as injured. A juvenile at the scene shared that multiple persons witnessed the cat falling from a 12th floor balcony and suspect that she was thrown.

Rue has an obvious right front limb injury—either fractured or luxated at the carpus. It also appears that she has a mandibular fracture and/or luxation as she is unable to close her mouth and has a malocclusion that we are assuming wasn’t present prior. There is a concern for additional injuries due to the height from which she fell, such as ruptured organs.

Rue has a deadline of 4:30 pm TODAY (June 24th) because she is unable to eat or drink on her own, is in pain, and needs additional care that cannot be provided here at MACC. If she is not tagged, she will be humanely euthanized.”

Minneapolis Animal Control alerted their followers on Facebook that “This cat got a last-minute angel and will be leaving the shelter shortly to go to an emergency clinic!” That angel was Home for Life.®

Since Rue was only a year old, we thought there was a good chance several rescue organizations would want to “tag” her. We continued to monitor the case throughout the busy Monday, but by 3:30 pm there were still no offers to take her. We nervously watched the clock and waited until finally, at 4 pm, with only 30 minutes before her deadline, we realized nobody was going to help her. We quickly phoned MACC, then sent a transport to bring Rue immediately to an emergency clinic for the critical care she needed. We couldn’t bear the idea that this little cat should suffer such violence and then just be left to quietly die. There should always be someone in the world who is willing to step up and offer care!

Critical Care

There was no way to be sure of how much we had taken on when we accepted Rue. There was always the chance that the impact of her fall had damaged her internal organs beyond repair. We would have to have her injuries assessed immediately, and even that diagnosis would be costly.

X-rays and ultrasounds revealed that both the radius and ulna of Rue’s right front leg were broken, along with a toe on her left front paw. At the emergency veterinarian’s office these bones were all set to help stabilize them and reduce pain and further trauma. Thankfully, none of the internal organs had ruptured! The vets did find some blood in her urine, and her blood work showed some changes consistent with the extremely traumatic injury.

Rue’s most critical injury was the broken mandible joint on both sides of her jaw—the TMJ. This serious fracture probably occurred when she landed from the fall and banged her head on the pavement with force. Several of her teeth had been broken, as well. We arranged for further consultation with a veterinary surgeon on that Thursday—three days post injury. While she waited, Rue was stable and on three different pain medications as well as a liquid diet through a nasal gastric tube since she could neither open nor close her mouth.

How quick and easy is it to hurt and destroy, and how difficult it is to repair and to heal! We thought about Rue as a kitten and how lovingly her mother cat took care of her. To have her life nearly destroyed so easily and casually was difficult to reconcile. This cat, just barely a year old, was once a trusting, innocent kitten. What a betrayal and complete disregard for the value of life.

What is the remedy for such disregard? The most powerful thing we can do—to care! To take that first step to help with faith that her life was worth saving, despite all
the questions, not knowing what would be required to knit her life back together.
That was the commitment we made when we took Rue from MACC. There is no such thing as an unwanted animal for people who care.

  Left: Rue at vet

  Left: Rue resting after
  receiving life-sustaining care

This little girl is a fighter! And it’s the fighting spirit she needed while healing from her trauma.
In spite of severe injuries to her jaw, she was eating on her own within a few days (along with nutrition supplemented through a feeding tube). She had casts on both front legs but she still
tried to wash her face and even to walk!

#UniversalCatDistributionSystem Brings Rue to Home for Life® where a miraculous treatment occurs

At last, it was time for Rue to see the surgeon. To our surprise, the specialists who examined
her did not think she needed surgery. Yes, her jaw was broken, but it was not shattered. They explained that the extensive musculature of her face was essentially holding her jaw in place. They considered external fixators but then thought of an even more brilliant plan: working with
a human dentist, they could bond Rue’s upper and lower canine teeth on both sides of her jaw, stabilizing her jaw so it could heal. Her mouth would be open enough to permit her to eat and drink, but the bonds would stay in place for at least six weeks while the jaw mended.

On D-day, a veterinary team borrowed the bonding equipment from the human dental office.
That was a genius strategy and another miracle, which we didn’t anticipate, but the benefits
of the minimal trauma the procedure would involve were obvious—Rue had already been
through so much. Though full body x-rays revealed no damage to the internal organs or
skeleton, she was still very sore, even with the medication. We were grateful for the
compassion and outside-the-box thinking of her skilled surgeons.

What a week for Rue! It started so horribly, with rejection, cruelty, and painful traumatic injuries from a 12-story fall.
But in the end, as any cat will, she landed on her feet—she landed at Home for Life,® the one place where she could be assured of finding the help she needed. What a week for Home for Life! The chaos and overwhelm of that Monday morning developed into form and purpose through our efforts to help this little cat. Indeed, our sanctuary exists to be there for dogs and cats like Rue. The universal cat distribution system had made a good match!

Plot Twist

It took nearly a week to ensure Rue had stabilized and begun the healing process. Once we knew she would survive, we did a press release to tell the world about what had happened and the aftermath. We didn’t expect much especially when we learned the police had closed the case and that no charges would be brought for the cruel treatment Rue suffered. To our surprise, the media responded to the injustice involving Rue’s treatment and her story appeared in many local and national outlets, and even reached caring people in Australia, Great Britain, and all over Europe. (See the extensive media coverage here: https://www.homeforlife.org/cat-thrown-12-story-building). An animal rights group, In Defense of Animals, now aware of Rue’s case because of the publicity, put up a reward for the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who hurt her.

While the widespread concern for Rue was uplifting, it was also sobering to realize that it easily could have ended so differently. In those hours before her pending euthanasia—as she waited injured and alone in a cage at animal control—had we not rushed to get her, and had the vets, the emergency team, and the skilled surgical specialists not tried so hard to help her, this little cat would have quietly died. If we had not let the world know about her plight and the cruelty that befell her, it would have been shrugged off, with no one the wiser.

It is always worthwhile to care. The impulse to make a difference and resolve difficulties is contagious. We create the world we want to live in by the actions we take. Home for Life® took that first step to help Rue, and now caring people around the world knew her story and were moved to help her. 

Radical Resilience

Rue has continued to improve. She is now out of the casts, and was overjoyed to have the bonding removed from her teeth. She can open and close her mouth now and use her paws to wash her face. Her right leg is slightly deformed, and she has a small limp, but she is finally able to walk around. After being immobilized for several weeks, her facial muscles are stiff, but they are starting to loosen up with use. She will need to see a dentist eventually to address the broken teeth.

She will have a good 6-8 more weeks of healing before we can get a full picture of what the final outcome will be for her. However, her progress has been nothing short of miraculous, at every step and through every effort and intervention.

The world is unpredictable and often cruel. When animals suffer mistreatment, it is natural for people to feel outrage or despair and helplessness. But the only things we absolutely can control are our responses, our actions. Wherever we put our focus, our energies and actions will follow, and our actions help create the shape of the world and the types of people we will be in that world. In this way, all the people who rallied to help Rue have become more caring and loving people. And through their care, effort, and donations they have made the world a more caring and loving place for all animals.

Rue’s story is dramatic but sadly not unique. Home for Life® sanctuary is populated by animals who have suffered many kinds of cruelty: outright abuse, casual neglect, repeated rejection, years of lonely confinement, and indifference. All these animals were able to finally find healing and a new life at our sanctuary.

Thanks to your support, we were able to respond to save Rue’s life and then restore her health and happiness, and most importantly put a stake in the ground for compassion and kindness, instead of turning away and leaving her to die alone and injured. Our donors made the difference for Rude and assure that we can respond to the next dog or cat who is also in critical need of the help they may find nowhere else but Home for Life.®

Last Save of the Year

 

Last save of 2023: that honor belongs to Seamus, a 2-year-old Border Collie mix.

The first photo is the intake photo from a large well known Minnesota rescue doing high volume adoptions. Like most of the animals this place deals with, Seamus was from a rescue down South, and came up to this state to try his luck to find a loving home. He was adopted by an older guy named Ron and his wife, who lived in a condominium complex.

Seamus was well cared for and well loved by his new family but tragedy struck a few months ago when the wife developed cancer and died not long after. Seamus was a great source of support for Ron during this difficult time.

Being a sensitive and highly intelligent Border Collie mix, Seamus surely felt the stress and grief in the home after Ron's wife died. There were complaints about Seamus' barking from some of Ron's condo neighbors even though there were several other dogs in the building who barked more, according to Ron. Then while riding in the elevator with Ron after his wife had died, Seamus reportedly leaped at a cleaning personnel from the building, grabbing her by the coat sleeve and leaving a bruise. This action was unprecedented behavior from Seamus.

The condo association, already full of individuals intolerant of Seamus' barking, now demanded that Ron either get rid of his dog or find a new place to live. Ron owned his condo but it made little difference if those in control of the association handed down an edict. They apparently would not negotiate or give Seamus another chance. Ron was distraught and felt cornered, his only choices to move or put the 2 year old Seamus to sleep. Ron knew Seamus was undeserving of this fate and especially after all the friendship the dog provided during the sorrowful loss of Ron's wife and the aftermath.

Ron went back to the Minnesota rescue where he had adopted Seamus- but they refused to help or take Seamus back into their care. He tried numerous other Minnesota rescues but was turned down by them all after reporting the incident involving the cleaning person in the elevator.

If organizations who place dogs and cats won't take them back or offer help when the adoption runs into problems, then they are not "rescuing" animals but selling them. And in fact, by not standing behind the animals they are putting into the community, they are falling short of even an appliance store- or even a place like Office Depot, who at least offer warranties of two years or more for the products they sell, To bring animals up to a new state from afar and then abandon them if the dog or cat can't keep their adoptive home is not rescue but selling and with even less of a an assurance for the outcome and future of that dog or cat than an appliance store offers on a washer/ dryer or a refrigerator or an office supply store offers on a fax machine or scanner.

It wasn't just Seamus abandoned in this situation but Ron too, who had already suffered the loss of his wife from cancer and was now feeling abandoned and alone in this predicament, facing having to kill his dog or give up his home. It felt like a desperate choice, a no win choice for him.

In talking with Ron and in reviewing what had happened, it seemed like Seamus' behavior was an outlier and that he was capable of and deserving of forgiveness and another chance, even if it couldn't be at the condo or with Ron, let alone with the organization that had sold him to Ron. We don't say adopt or rescue because abandoning this dog and his heartbroken owner to twist in the wind served neither the dog nor the family who had tried their best and now needed support.

Without any other options for the dog, Home For Life Animal Sanctuary again stepped in to deflect what we viewed as an unfair outcome for such a young, loyal and good dog who had stood by his owner during a heartbreaking time of losing his wife to cancer.

Once again, we called on our friends at Liberty K9 MN who welcomed Seamus about 10 days ago. Ron brought him up to Duluth and signed him over to Home For Life Animal Sanctuary who has taken custody of Seamus. He will spend the next 6 weeks with the team at Liberty K9 MN in their training program where we can get a better idea of what he is like and what he needs to succeed.

Upon arrival, the team at Liberty described a dog very much lacking in confidence. He had no doubt observed and felt the sadness of Ron who had lost his wife, the uncertainty and grief about the future as Ron tried without success to find a safe landing for the dog and faced the possibility of euthanizing his best friend and probably Ron's frustration when he faced losing his home and was unable to find help anywhere.

No doubt Seamus was confused to now have lost both his family members, his home and to now be in a new situation, not knowing what to expect. He had felt the grief, confusion, dread and frustration in his old home but didn't know how to process what he was sensing. Part of his rehabilitation will be to restore his confidence by helping him make sense of his world now, so he knows what to expect what is expected of him and so he can trust the situation and respond appropriately. As you can see from the photos, Seamus has already readily responded to sensible, kind handling and is learning tons and having a great time, especially on the nature walks around the facility!

"Rescued" in animal welfare is not the same as being saved. Look at Seamus: at the age of just over two years he had been "rescued" twice. Those are the rescues we know about. Yet his life was at risk again and he was facing an untimely death at age 2. An organization should model the commitment to and bond with the animals they take under their care that they expect the community to emulate and support. Let's not call it rescue if what is really occurring is selling dogs and if the product turns out to be "defective" then too bad, the dupe who "adopted" the animal is on their own.

Instead of 2024 starting without Seamus, he is now saved and safe with Home For Life Animal Sanctuary. Stay tuned for more heartwarming photos and updates about this good and loyal soul who needed a third chance and found it with us.

UPDATE

Seamus arrived at Home for Life on February 15, and photos were taken at the sanctuary. Seamus is

Home for Life!

All reactions:

366366