Thanksgiving Safety Reminders

As we approach a day full of food indulgence, remember to keep your pooch away from these common food items:

Turkey Skin:  High food foods can be hazardous to health.  Add that turkey skin will hold marinade, spices, butter and oils that can be hard to digest.  High fat foods can lead to vomiting, abdominal pain or pancreatitis.

Cooked bones:  Cooked turkey and ham bones are NOT safe for a dog.  Once cooked, bones can easily splinter in your dog’s throat or digestive tract.  Be sure to dispose of bones carefully so they are safely away from your very tempted dog.

Onions & Garlic:  Sulfides found in onion and garlic are toxic to dogs and can lead to anemia.

Alcohol:  Any alcohol, but particularly the hops in beer, can be toxic to dogs.

Nuts:  Specifically walnuts and macadamia nuts, which can cause a toxic reaction, gastric problems, or neurological symptoms.

Grapes & Raisins: The grape family can cause serious and sometimes fatal kidney problems for dogs.

Nutmeg:  Used to spice up your sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie, nutmeg can cause seizures and central nervous system problems ….Your pooch will prefer just plain sweet potatoes and pumpkin, which ARE safe for dogs.

Chocolate, Dough & Batter:  We all know chocolate is a big NO, but dough can rise in your dog’s stomach, causing bloating and severe pain.  Dough and batter also likely contains raw eggs – like humans, dogs are susceptible to salmonella. 

Should your dog get into something they shouldn’t, be sure that you have an emergency vet’s contact information on-hand.  You can also call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.

Non-food tips also include making sure your pets are wearing proper identification in case they dart out the door when guests arrive and to have a safe, quiet area in your home set up in case your dog gets a little overwhelmed by the extra activities and guests.

Have a Happy and SAFE Holiday, from your friends at United Doberman Rescue and Canine Castaways of MN!

Double your donation $$$ dollars on Give to the Max Day November 16th!

Donate on November 16th!
https://givemn.org/organization/canine-castaways-of-minnesota

Your dollars will be matched by a generous donor, Dollar for Dollar, NO $$$ LIMIT!

Believe in miracles!

At 23 pounds, Mischka was near deaths door when found on the streets of New Dehli, India. Thanks to the wonderful people of Kannan Animal Welfare, KAW, who took her off the streets or she would have surely died. She flew to Minnesota thanks to many wonderful rescue angels!

No ones dog.
Mischka today! Beautiful girl!
She is still looking for her forever home, but even though shes no ones dog, she is loved by many! 

Little Molly had suddenly found herself homeless because of divorce. With UDR she found a new family to love her forever!

Phinn, aka Finnigan! Once a shelter dog.....
Thanks the heavens daily for finding his family through UDR!

Prada is looking for her happy ever after.
Already a young mother, her past family decided to keep one of her puppies and dump her on Craigslist. Since coming into rescue she has been found to be hypothyroid and positive for Lymes disease, both of which UDR is treating. We have also had her spayed so she never has to be a mother again!

Belle traveled from Texas to find love
and boy, oh boy, did she!!
 She is adopted and loved!

Bentley had a tough go of it when he arrived at UDR, winter of 2016. Very underweight, wormy and sickly. The vet bills of $650, to get him feeling well, far exceeded the money UDR had in the checking account to pay his vet bills and expenses. Thank goodness for credit cards and our volunteers!

Gina, aka, Ms. Happy feet 
("Yes, I was naughty and living life on the edge. I ran away from home, well it was just that one time, gee, thank goodness my microchip helped me find my way back to my adoptive family!!!")
She was surrendered to UDR, fostered and adopted all in Washington State. 
One day Gina got lost, needed help, and help we did!
She is now safe, with a much higher fence, and happily adopted! 

Gracie was loved by a family who could no longer afford to care for her. She has now been adopted and now lives in Iowa with her wonderful mom.

Henry found a wonderful family
to love him forever through UDR!

Luke was just a baby when he arrived. He has found love!

Pablo came from a Kansas shelter. If only he could tell us his story. The shelter shared he hid in the back of his kennel run when people came to see him, he would not eat, and he was terrified of men. Through the patience of a wonderful UDR foster, he blossomed with confidence and has since been adopted by a perfect family who loves him like no other has ever before!!

Ria came to UDR from Colorado.
She was found to have a significantly large, untreated hernia when taken in. UDR fixed the hernia when she was spayed. Ria has since been adopted! 

Ricky is a beautiful Doberman boy. As many Dobermans are, he is smart, busy, prey driven, but had zero personal boundaries when it came to your space and expectations, plus he was BOSSY! It was clear the people who had him before had no idea how to lead a Doberman, so he became a master of his people. Yikes! Through UDR, he has since found a skillful master who has shown Ricky what is expected for him to be a "good" boy! No more bossy boy here!!! 

Rogue came from a shelter in California, her past may have been one of a breeding girl, making money for the person who owned her. She has since been adopted and is very much loved!

This little Doberman mix, Rudy, aka Rudolph, came from Red Lake Rosies Rescue in Northern Minnesota. He has been adopted by a loving family who adores him!!!

Ms. Ruger.
 Bounced from home to home, she finally found the last home she will ever be at thanks to UDR and her wonderful adoptive family!

RIP little man Tuco
This little guy was a special needs Doberman.
He had a propensity to eat things he should not. He did find his happy ever after home with UDR but we suspect his life was difficult from the get go and Sadly Tuco died at the vets office, very suddenly, from unknown causes.  

He-Man....Sparta 
Came from a rescue in Iowa, who had him for over 2 months with no interest by anyone to adopt him. He is now available for adoption in Minnesota. We promised Sparta, as we promise all our homeless animals, we will find you a forever home that will love you forever.
 Could you be his family?

Consider donating today and making a difference for dog just like these and many more to come!
Help us make their stories a happy one.

United Doberman Rescue and Canine Castaways of Minnesota is a 501C3, all volunteer, foster home based, not for profit animal rescue, dedicated to the Doberman breed, Doberman mixes and others. We work with other rescues, locally and world wide, to make a difference for the homeless. Please consider donating, fostering or volunteering to help us with our mission of making a difference in their lives! Thank you!!!

Alumni Pupdate - Blaze

Blaze’s story is one of paths colliding – One handsome Doberman looking for a new home and a former Doberman-owing couple looking to reunite with a beloved breed. 

 

Handsome Blaze

Blaze’s adopters were looking for a foster-to-adopt situation for a rescued Doberman.  Luckily Blaze’s adopters didn’t have to look far to find UDR, and they were a match made in heaven for our program.  This family has owned rescued 16+ pets - INCREDIBLE, am I right?!

Blaze came to UDR from New Mexico with his 3 sisters when their previous owner passed away, and the family felt unable to care for the siblings.  Upon arrival, each of the siblings went to individual foster homes, which left Blaze absolutely lost and scared.  Luckily he was welcomed by an existing rescue pack of 3 French Brittanys and a Wire Fox Terrier in his foster home. 

Blaze in transport with his 3 sisters from NM

With love, patience, and comfort in his new pack, it didn’t take Blaze long to be on the way to becoming a family member, and adding his fosters into our Foster Fail community!  Although all their rescues have been very special, Blaze brought something back to their lives that had been missing since their first Doberman passed away. 

Blaze and his rescue pack

Per Blaze’s Mom, a Doberman is “strength, security, unconditional love, compassion, athleticism, and did I say unconditional love?!!”  They are thrilled to be reunited with a breed close to their heart, and encourage others to research, research, research to see if the breed is right for you too!

Loving that Adopted Life!

Thank you to Blaze’s adopters for taking in an unsure and overwhelmed boy, and giving him a Forever Family.  And an even bigger THANK YOU for continuing to work with UDR as an absolutely amazing foster home for our program dogs!

So how much is that new dog going cost me?

Adopting a homeless animal is a rewarding act of kindness. There is no such thing as a "free pet". Many expenses go into pet ownership. Some people with heartfelt, good intentions, fail to consider the second half: providing a good home with a good quality life, which comes from how well you love and treat them. A dedicated, financial commitment plays an important role in providing this high quality life for your new pal. Unfortunately many animals in shelters and rescues today were surrendered not because of behavior issues, a common misconception, but more often because their owners could not afford them. Before bringing that new friend home it is wise to consider the financial cost of owning a pet. 

No, I'm not really free if you consider
how much $$$$ it will really take to
provide me with a quality life!

The moment a pet arrives in your home it will want food! Choosing a premium dog food should be high on your list of priorities. A great resource to determine the quality of food you choose to give is Dog Food Advisor  a good non-biased website to get dog food reviews. Then there is the toys to keep them entertained, crates or baby gates to keep them safe, leashes, training tools, collars, bowls, beds, blankets, dog tags and jackets to name some of the immediate needs to give your new pet a quality life. 

BRRR!!! Cold winters require warm
 jackets ( cost $50 bucks)
for short haired dogs like Izzy!

High Quality Grandma Lucy's Artisan dehydrated
 dogfood ($70 bucks a 10 pound bag) gets 4.5 stars from Dogfood advisor!

Will love for good quality food!

You gonna eat that?

Medical expenses are by far the highest financial cost in owning a pet. Your pet will need yearly vet check ups, vaccines, medications such as heart worm and flea preventatives, dental cleaning among a few of the routine reasons to visit your vet. Then there are the unexpected illness's and injuries that can affect the pocket book. Planning for these events is mandatory as a pet owner. Your pet will get sick at some time and it is your commitment as a responsible pet owner to make sure you are able to provide the right kind of care when this occurs. We recommended that you invest in a pet insurance, or ensure you have a savings account set aside to pay for these unexpected vet bills which could run into the thousands if your vet visit means going to an emergency vet or needing a surgeon to repair something on your pet. 

Willows double knee surgery cost thousands.
Her owners had not planned on this expense.

Another financial area people over look is time and training. To providing a wonderful quality of life for both your pet and you, training and your time should be mandatory! Having an unruly, obnoxious, anxiety ridden, destructive pet in the home is stressful for the entire house, including the pet, plus reflects on the amount time you have invested in your pet. Formal obedience classes, along with doggy daycare if you work full-time, should be a mandatory consideration for every new pet owner. Some dogs who end up in shelters and rescues are there because they were not given the time or training, learned bad behaviors plus had no willing leader to learn from. These pet owners failed their pets then decide they no longer want them, surrendering them to shelters or rescues to fix and in many cases, fix they do! Puppies need to be started in a social class or doggy daycare to be well adjusted, anxiety free, adult dogs. Teens and adult dogs need a fair and trusting leader to guide them on proper dog behavior and manners. You must have the time and money to invest in training and 
socializing.

Good sit!

Your home and yard may need to be dog proofed or updated to keep your pet happy and healthy. Fencing a yard is the best way to keep your pet safe from getting hurt, lost or stolen when outdoors doing their business, and cost options vary widely depending on the type of fencing you go with. Every pet owner knows indoor potty accidents can happen with the most well trained dog. Should your pet have an accident on, or even chew up your new carpet or sofa, there will be cost to clean or repair these items. If you are a renter you may not be able to rent with some breeds of dogs due to breed restrictions or insurance reasons. As a renter you may be able to find suitable pet housing but the rent may be increased with a pet in tow!

I am safe inside the fence
says adoptable boy Cole!

A-HA captors, I see an escape route!

Check out this calculator on the lifetime expenses of owning a FREE pet! 

Result of my Free pet:$3545.00

This is the total first-year cost of owning this pet.

Medical: $320

Grooming: $0

Food: $480

Equipment: $1,445

Logistics: $1,300

YIKES!