The Story of Marian and Shadow

Marian is a woman we met through one of our long-time Home for Life® volunteers. She is a giving person who helped the mother of our volunteer for over five years through HER volunteer work with Family Means, located in Stillwater, MN.

After all her years of helping others, the time came when Marian needed help: her husband had passed away, and she had to sell her home prior to moving to assisted living. Marian was not able to take her long time companion, Shadow, a 14-year old Miniature Pinscher, with her. The two gentle, senior ladies were now alone in the world, and about to be separated from each other—and from all they had known.

The senior dog rescues Marian had contacted about Shadow were either unable to help or never called her back. But, in truth, Marian didn't want to send Shadow, her friend and comrade, to a shelter or rescue, where she might be offered for adoption (or not) and may find a home (or not) at her advanced age. Marion was concerned she'd lose track of Shadow, never to see her again and worse yet, not know what became of her loyal friend. The "not knowing" was what was so heart wrenching ...

When there's a need, Home For Life® Steps Up

How many animals like Shadow and the people who love them are invisible in our society—and in the animal rescue world as it currently operates—in need of help but unlikely to find it?

As a sanctuary, standing at the end of the funnel so to speak, we at Home for Life® know that very often, it is not the dogs and cats with the dramatic stories, traumatic backgrounds or disabilities who make for a sensational photo on social media - that need sanctuary. These animals are often skillfully marketed and compassionate people respond.

The assumption is that the " regular" animals like Shadow—good dogs without anything obviously "wrong" with them—will of course be able to find homes. But it is precisely these cats and dogs who are turning up in need of help from Home for Life®, and not only the pets but the people like Marian who love them.

What happens to the pets of people like Marian, who cannot find help with shelters or animal rescues focused on adoption? What do you think happens to dogs and cats who have reached their expiration date, who have been recycled thru rescue, been "rehabilitated" yet lose their home, their appeal, and are rejected from organizations and shelters focused on adoption?

Turned in to animal controls or shelters for euthanasia or quietly put down in veterinarian offices, these "regular" animals are invisible to animal welfare and are not finding help with animal rescues and shelters as they currently exist.

Helping Shadow, Helping Marian

Shadow needed a place to go, and Marian was eager to have her come to Home for Life®. Marian knew that here, she'd be able to continue visiting her long-time companion.

These are the type of situations that inspire us to raise donations. Marian doesn't have extra funds and needed our help to make sure Shadow would be safe and cared for. She wanted peace of mind as she moved to the next phase of her life.

Early this spring, Cathy, our Home for Life® volunteer brought Marian and Shadow out to the sanctuary so Marian could see where Shadow might live. The visit went really well, especially considering that Shadow had been an "only dog" during her years with Marian. After she said her goodbyes to Shadow, and entrusted us with her precious dog, Marian sent us this email: "I was amazed how well Shadow adapted, how alert and happy she was outside with her new playmates. She just needed to be among her own kind at this stage of her life. Thank goodness for Home for Life! Thank YOU for accepting my Shadow!"

It is not always obvious that animal sanctuaries can help people as often as the animals we care for and shelter. As a care for life sanctuary, our animals are home for life, and this consistency and stability also provides peace of mind and reassurance to former owners who know where their beloved family members are.

Often, people like Marian are forced to surrender their dogs and cats. Money issues, failing health, death of a spouse, a move to a safer setting where the pet may not be able to join them are all circumstances that may result in a person having to surrender a beloved pet. In these situations, sanctuaries like Home for Life can play a unique and vital role in helping to preserve the animal-human bond, even when a dog or cat can no longer stay in their home.

Home for Life® provides a bridge between owners and their Pets.

Since 1997, when Home for Life® was founded, we have cared for retired police K9s, retired seeing eye dogs, and the much-loved pets of people struggling with serious health challenges, or moves to assisted living facilities or nursing homes. In all these cases, Home for Life® has been able to provide an ongoing link that has preserved the relationship between these beloved working animals and pets and their guardians who have the opportunity to visit regularly therefore, preserving this precious bond.

Care for life sanctuaries are in a unique position—like none other in animal welfare—to maintain the bonds between animals and their owners. Sanctuary saves lives, not only of the animals we help, but also the people who love them.

Home for Life® was created to help at risk cats and dogs through responsive, cost effective and replicable model programs which are designed to react swiftly to the ever-changing landscape of unwanted animals who cannot find help through conventional solutions offered by animal shelters and rescues. Home for Life® has given little Shadow a new home with new experiences: for the first time in her life she has dog friends, and her new social life seems to keep her on her toes!

Shadow previously lived alone as an only dog, and although she loved Marian, perhaps she was a bit lonely. The other Home for Life® dogs, her new friends, keep her young and active, and keep her mind stimulated. Fun in our fenced meadows and grooming sessions are part of her regular routine. Shadow loves to be outside in all seasons and the freedom of going outdoors any time she wants through a dog door.

Shadow's story illustrates that sanctuaries have an important role to play in preserving the human-animal bond. The peace of mind Marian has knowing Shadow is safe and loved have helped them both transition to a new phase of their lives with honor and grace.

Sanctuary Saves Lives

As so many animals like Shadow seem invisible in animal rescue, so are their human counterparts in our society. These are the very people Home for Life® strives to reach out to through our innovative community outreach programs known as Peace Creatures®. So many vulnerable people of our communities—the impoverished elderly in Medicaid funded nursing homes, the incarcerated, children and families affected by domestic violence, hospitalized children and injured veterans undergoing long term treatment for chronic and serous medical conditions, and those suffering from mental illness—are forgotten by our society. They are populations who could most benefit from the solace and joy provided by pet therapy yet don't often receive this service. It is these gaps that Home for Life® strives to fill in through our community service work provided by the Peace Creatures® programs. That is the job of Home for Life®—to reach those that are forgotten and overlooked but who are so deserving of help, whether they are dogs and cats or people.

Save A Life Today

Whether restoring the faith of a humble elderly woman who gave all her life and now needed help for her beloved elderly dog at a time of difficult transition, or impacting the vulnerable through our pet therapy programs which reach over 5000 at risk children and adults in our community, your gift today will help us make a difference.

With your help, it will be possible for us to reach out to people like Marian at critical times of their life, and as we hope to relieve the profound isolation of their lives, demonstrate the power of connection and compassion and restore their sense of worth and well being!.

There's never been a better time to be part of creating a new alternative for special animals like Shadow and for the people who love them like Marian!

P.S.

We lost Shadow just before completing this post, due to a combination of heart and kidney failure. She was almost 15! She was in great health until just a week or so before she passed - a good long life, and died peacefully, on her own, with our staff and her friends around her.

We thought of pulling this story about Marian and her Shadow after Shadow passed away, but then decided to go ahead with publishing it , because the post is a tribute to her, and to them both and the loving bond they had, and the small role Home for Life® played in their journey.

Rest in peace sweet Shadow - we hope your story will inspire people to help us make it possible for Home for Life to reach out more dogs and cats like you who need our help.

Historic preservation!

Sanctuary conserves loving bond of senior dog & his 91 year old owner

It is not always obvious that animal sanctuaries can help people as often as the animals we care for and shelter. As a care for life sanctuary, our animals are home for life, and this consistency and stability also provides peace of mind and reassurance to former owners who know where their beloved family members are. Many times, these individuals have been forced by circumstance to surrender their dogs and cats- situations like money issues, failing health, death of a spouse, a move to a safer setting where the pet may not be able to join them- all are circumstances that may result in a pet owner having to surrender a beloved pet. In such situations, sanctuaries can play a unique and vital role in helping to preserve the animal-human bond, even when a dog or cat can no longer stay in their home.
Since 1997, when Home for Life was founded, we have cared for retired police K9s, retired seeing eye dogs, and the much loved pets of people struggling with serious health challenges, or compelled moves to assisted living facilities or nursing homes. In all these situations, Home for Life has been able to provide the bridge, an ongoing link that has preserved the connection and relationship between these beloved working animals and pets and their guardians who have the opportunity to visit regularly and therefore preserve this precious bond. Care for life sanctuaries are in a unique position- like none other in animal welfare- to maintain the bonds between animals and their owners. Sanctuary saves lives, not only of the animals we help, but also for the people who love them, #sanctuarysaveslives.
Read the story below of Tupper, a 13 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who found a new home at our sanctuary, allowing him to maintain his treasured relationship with his longtime owner, Rich, age 91. Also featured is the story of Cedric, a smooth coat Collie, who came to Home for Life after his owner was diagnosed with cancer. Not only were his owners able to visit Cedric at Home for Life but they had much joy in Cedric's renaissance as a therapy dog visiting children struggling with serious and chronic illnesses and receiving treatment at Masonic Children's Hospital, at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
There's a new face at Home for Life, and what a face!
Tupper is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who came to Home For Life at 12 years of age. He joined our sanctuary community last July, when his 91 year old owner, Rich, had to enter assisted living. The separation was tough for both Rich and Tupper. Tupper had been a beloved companion to both Rich and his wife from early puppyhood, and he had become Rich's best friend—The two guys kept each other company during the difficult time after Rich’s wife passed away; they took comfort in the daily routine of walks, meals, and quiet hours together, reading and watching TV. Tupper was very attached to Rich. As aa shy dog, unaccustomed to meeting new people at his home, much less going to new places, he would run and hide whenever Rich's adult children came to visit their dad. He had lived a somewhat isolated canine life, first as an only dog, with Rich and his wife, then as a sole companion to Rich. Over the years, Tupper developed into an eccentric, but endearing curmudgeon, set in his familiar ways.
Life shifts for Rich.... and Tupper.
When Rich reached 90 years of age, his family made the difficult decision to move him to assisted living where he could have steady care and attention. Though necessary, the transition was painful and difficult for Rich. All the more so because of the uncertainty about Tupper’s future. Rich's family tried their best, but they were unable to find a place for Rich that would accept dogs-. They were forced to separate Rich from his dog, but they hoped at least they could save Tupper's life. Again, despite every effort, Rich's family struck out—no shelter or foster organizations were willing to take Tupper. The reason? At age 12, his prospects for ever finding a new home were slim. The many shelters and rescues Rich’s family contacted said they didn’t think they could find anyone interested in adopting Tupper. The sad reality was that Tupper was not very desirable, and these organizations were hesitant to open their doors to him..
Our society views companion animals almost like standard consumer goods. Different styles of dogs go in and out of fashion, and the market responds. Shelters and rescues were created to find new homes for animals, and they are unavoidably pressed into market considerations when they screen an animal. It’s no surprise that they are more willing to make room for an animal they can quickly re-home than for one who might be trickier to adopt. But where does that leave dogs and cats like Tupper, who may be old, shy, and set in their ways? If the prospects are dim for adopting them out, then rescues and shelters will never be a lifesaving option for them.
After 12 years as the beloved pet of a single owner, Tupper was facing a cold world, with nowhere to turn.....
Rich was facing the heartbreak of leaving house, and also losing the one constant link he had left to that home.
Everything Old is New Again.....

With the date fast approaching when Rich would move to assisted living, his family learned about Home for Life. Rich’s daughter contacted us in the Spring of 2015. At first, we referred her back to rescue and shelters, assuming that, as a purebred Cavalier, Tupper might be adoptable. But the family had struck already been turned away by these and other organizations. Rich and Tupper had nowhere else to turn.
Tupper's story illustrates that saving the lives of millions of homeless animals requires a multi-faceted approach. Long term strategies such as spaying and neutering will reduce the numbers of animals needing homes. Aggressive adoption efforts showcasing and publicizing pets (even ones that in the past might have been challenging to place) will find homes for those animals who can adjust to a new home.
Despite these strategies, there will always be animals- like Tupper- whose age and temperament make them poor candidates for adoption. There will be dogs and cats whose spirits have been broken after several adoptions and rejections…until they are unable to bond with a new human family. How can those of us working to improve animal welfare ever hope to end the horrors and waste of euthanasia without a safe landing place for dogs and cats like Tupper? Market forces measure an animal’s value for the sake of adoption, but we must measure the value of the animal’s life for its own sake.
Home for Life was created to serve as a permanent home to animals like Tupper. Most organizations work with animals who can succeed in the homes of people adopting them. Adopters decide whether those relationships are successful or not. Home For Life operates outside the adoption market. We provide another chance—the "door number three"—for animals who are passed by for adoption but who can still live a quality life. Our only measure of success is the animal’s health and happiness.
This "Third Door®" long-term animal sanctuary is an innovative and compassionate option where animals benefit from the company of a canine or feline family, and of our devoted full time staff. They enjoy fresh air, exercise, group play time, and regular grooming. They receive first rate medical attention in a stable, loving, and safe environment.
Tupper's family wanted to have him come to Home for Life is so Rich would be able to visit him once he has settled into the assisted living facility. His children pledged to bring him out for frequent visits to spend time with his beloved dog which would ease the transition and lift everyone's spirits. Both Tupper and Rich could look to the future with hope and confidence because their bond would be honored and protected by Rich's family and by Home for Life.
Home is Where the Heart Is
In the early summer of 2015, Rich moved into his new home at the assisted living facility in Andover, MN a suburb of Minneapolis, and Tupper came to Home For Life. Since coming to the sanctuary, Tupper has been diagnosed with the beginning stages of Cushings Disease and dry eye but otherwise is doing great for a dog of nearly 13 years! Although it was a very sad parting for the two friends, everyone was cheered by the fact that Rich and Tupper can still visit one another, and that Rich and his family know where Tupper is and can to follow his transition and progress in his new home at the sanctuary.

It has turned out to be easier on everyone for Tupper to visit Rich at his new place at the assisted living facility, saving his kids and him such a long trek to Star Prairie WI, where Home For Life Animal Sanctuary is located. Thanks to HFL volunteer Cheryl, we have managed to get Tupper over to visit Rich about every 3-4 weeks. The connection that Rich and Tupper share has maintained. It was that bond that represented home for Rich, and it has meant all the difference that Tupper is still a part of his life. Tupper will always be a part of his life and his heart.
Aged to perfection
Having Rich, his best friend and longtime owner still a part of his life, has given Tupper the stability and confidence to embrace the transition to Home for Life.
Home for Life has given Tupper a new home with new experiences: for the first time in his life he has dog friends, and even some friends who are cats! Tupper previously lived alone as an only dog, and although he loved Rich, Tupper was often lonely. His new friends keep him young and active, and keep his mind stimulated. At our 2015 Fall Gala, Tupper took part in Home Life's annual dog parade…with Rich! Car rides and grooming sessions are also part of his regular routine, as well as going outside for walks—Tupper loves to play outside in all seasons.
Tupper's story illustrates that sanctuaries have an important role to play in preserving the human-animal bond, even when difficult circumstances make it impossible for a pet to stay in their adoptive home. Tupper's regular visits with Rich have helped them both transition to a new phase of their lives with honor and grace.
The heartwarming story of Tupper and Rich epitomizes the power of animal sanctuaries and what they can do to help people and pets!
P.S. Watch this short video about another senior Home for Life dog whose move to our sanctuary helped him preserve his relationship with his family. Cedric, a Smooth Coat Collie, lost his home after his owner developed cancer and had to move. Luckily, his move to Home For Life meant that he would not lose contact with his family. They visit him regularly, and are happy to see the direction Cedric’s life has taken. The good-natured collie took on a new role at Home For Life as a therapy dog, visiting hospitalized kids at Masonic Children's Hospital: 

Consider the Source

Star at Home for Life May 2011

Where do Home for Life's animals come from? From all over the world and from nearly every state in the country. Their geographic derivation is straightforward but only part of the answer.

According to Wikipedia's an animal sanctuary " is a facility where animals are brought to live and be protected for the rest of their lives. Unlike animal shelters, sanctuaries do not seek to place animals with individuals or groups, instead maintaining each animal until his or her natural death ... The mission of sanctuaries is to be a safe haven,where animals receive the best care the sanctuary can provide".
A sanctuary will often be the last resort and only chance that animal will have to avoid an untimely death by euthanasia. Animals who are unlikely candidates for adoption- the old, disabled, medically or behaviorally challenged- have little hope for life anywhere else but a sanctuary. Dogs and cats in one of the four categories above can be offered to sanctuaries from a variety of sources- private parties, veterinarians, shelters, foster and rescue organizations, animal control facilities, and breed rescue groups. Some of Home for Life's animals arrived via abandonment- tied to the front gate, thrown over our fence,left in boxes on the driveway. Most of the animals who come to Home for Life have had at least one home, and most have had two or three and some as many as five or six adoptive homes before coming to the sanctuary.

The best things in life are never free, and this is true for sanctuaries which will offer the only opportunity for life for the animals surrendered to them. Home for Life's cost of care for the average animal at the sanctuary is $202.00 per month: this amount covers food, veterinary care, grooming, staff salaries, utilities, and many additional costs to keep the sanctuary running and care for the animals. Any person or organziation who wants to surrender an animal to Home for Life is asked to fill out our simple application so we can evaluate whether this dog or cat truly has no other option. In our application we ask the surrendering party to contribute to the animal's cost of care through sponsoring the animal. An amount of $100/month is suggested- less than half of what it costs us to care for the animal at Home for Life. There is space on our form to explain if sponsorship at this amount is not possible, and to suggest a different amount. If sponsorship of the animal is out of the question then, we ask for the best one time donation the surrendering party can make. In other words, we will negotiate,but we will not take an animal for free. We believe that the service we offer of lifetime care for special needs animals is valuable. We need to be able to pay our staff a living wage in order to retain quality people, to pay our vendors and maintain our facility. We believe people value what they pay for and that includes care for animals and saving their lives.

Saving animal lives requires a multi-faceted approach. Spay and neuter strategies avoid the births of unwanted animals, aggressive adoption and marketing strategies will find homes for many others. But for those animals already born,who may not be ideal adoption candidates, "the third door®" * offered by sanctuaries such as Home for Life provides a viable lifesaving alternative. Historically, animals entering a shelter have had two ways to leave: door #1 via adoption and door #2 via euthanasia. Sanctuaries offer a lifesaving, life affirming third option for animals who may not be able to be adopted but for whom euthanasia is not a good choice either. The problem is that that sanctuaries and "the third door" option they provide have not been embraced by the animal welfare community . Because of this lack of recognition, sanctuaries struggle for legitimacy and for the financial support which makes their work possible.

Sanctuaries have been discredited in the press and by national animal welfare organizations who have equated them with pathological hoarding situations. Many sanctuaries begin with the best of intentions but because of lack of funding, become unable to care for the animals. One issue is that organziations need to decide if they are a sanctuary or a shelter: sanctuaries offer lifetime care for animals while shelters are temporary living arrangements where the goal is to see animals adopted. Animals at a facility permanently need different accomodations made for them and different care and committment then animals for whom an organization is a temporary waystation.

There is a huge cost associated with lifetime care for animals with special needs. Sanctuaries cannot rely on the income generated from adoption fees. Animals offered to sanctuaries as a last resort often are accompanied by an ultimatum: take the animal - at no charge- or it will have to be put down, put to sleep (killed). It is not hard to understand how sanctuaries who are founded with the mission to help the most desperate of unwanted animals get into trouble; when told that that the animal offered for placement will be killed if not taken, that the sanctuary is the last resort, the sanctuary stretches one more time, to help just one more, in order to save the animal's life.

A few weeks ago, Home for Life received a magazine from one of the very wealthy, national animal welfare organizations which raises money nationwide.(no idea how we ended up on the mailing list). The cover story was all about the horrors of animal hoarding, and the example cited in the article involved an animal sanctuary where this national organization had intervened to take the dogs and cats from the facility due to the neglectful conditions in which they were being kept.The article discussed how, sadly, the sanctuary may have started with good intentions about helping unwanted animals, but soon became overwhelmed and financially unable to provide for their charges on even the most rudimentary level.

Just a few years ago, this same national organization, rich and endowed beyond the wildest dreams of most animal rescue groups, had called Home for Life. They requested help and sanctuary placement for a one year old paraplegic pitbull at their shelter. Paraplegic animals are incredibly difficult to care for well, to insure they reach their potential for a quality life and that they stay healthy. The monthly cost of a paraplegic animal easily exceeds our average monthly cost of $202. 00 a month due to the amount of staff time and veterinary care devoted to them . We explained this to national organization representative and sent national organization an application- the same application we send to anyone wanting Home for Life to take an animal.(we have had the same application for 12 years and have not increased our suggested donation and sponsorship amount in that timeframe ). National organization got back to us in due course, stating that they would not contribute to Home for Life for taking the paraplegic pitbull and for her lifetime care with us- because they were a non profit charity. Home for Life projected 10 or more years of care for the lifetime of this special need, high maintenance dog,that we would have to subsidize - while national organization took the credit for saving the dog's life. * *




Star, above, is a deaf, elderly english setter, estimated to be age 10. She was found alone and cold on a blustery March day this year by Sheriffs in Marble , Minnesota, far north of the Twin Cities. She had no collar or tags, but she did have several mammary tumors, including one the size of a baseball on her inner thigh. She was unspayed- of course. The Sheriffs brought her to the Star of the North Shelter in Coleraine MN In late April,2011 Home for Life received an email from a shelter volunteer who was fostering the setter. She has stepped up to help the dog when the shelter to decide to close due a dirth of funding (Read that story here).The volunteer asked for help on behalf of her charge- veterinary care and permanent placement as she was unable to keep the dog. Home for Life's Emergency Medical Care Fund paid to have her spayed and the tumors removed( all were benign thankfully). It had been out of the question given the shelter's circumstances to pay for the surgery for the dog, and we knew this would be the case when we offered to help. She did convalesce after surgery at the home of the foster in Northern Minnesota, and in late May joined Home for Life as a permanent resident of the sanctuary. We thought that was the end of it and were glad we were able to help the shelter with at least one of their dogs-who among those in animal rescue would not have comiserated with the heartbreak of having to close the doors and the struggle and challenges of survival in this economy? She was named Star in honor of the Star of the North shelter who took her in when she was abandoned even though they were fighting for survival.

To our surprise, about a month after Star came to Home for Life, we received a thank you note from their board and a check for $100- unasked for and unexpected- from this organziation stuggling to survive.

Their note read:


"With Warmest Appreciation"

Dear Home for Life:
May all the kindness you give to others always come back to you.Thank you.
Our deepest gratitude for helping our Star.

Sincerely

Star of the North Humane Society Board of Directors.

I was so moved by this card and that this shelter, facing closure, still somehow found the money for a contribution to acknowledge and support the work of Home for Life. Their contribution, a fraction of what we had spent to help Star, still conveyed that they recognized and valued the life saving service sanctuaries like Home for Life provide. For that recognitions and validation of our mission,we are very grateful.

*The Third Door® is a registered trademark of the Animal Sanctuary of St. Croix Valley dba Home for Life.

** the paraplegic pitbull from the national organization was adopted by a dog wheelchair manufactuturer.