FOSTER HOMES NEEDED!

UDR needs fosters!  We get weekly or even daily pleas to help Dobermans in need….but we can only take in as many dogs as we have foster homes for!

Here’s some things to consider:

Don’t want the expense of another dog? No worries-we have you covered on food, supplies (as donated), vet expenses and boarding or temp foster care if you go on vacation!  We just ask you to supply love, structure and occasional transport to our meet & greet events.  As a 501c3, you can hold onto your receipts for anything extra you buy (toys, chews, bedding, etc.) for your role as a foster home as a potential tax write-off.

As a foster home YOU let us know suits your home and lifestyle the best- a puppy, teenager, adult, or senior - male or female! 

Fostering can range from a few weeks to several months.  We are always in need of temporary foster homes as well – typically a week or less in case the existing foster has a trip or vacation.

REALLY like a dog that comes in?  Foster homes have the first option to adopt, and you can join our extensive Foster Fail community.

We often hear “I could never foster a dog, I would get too attached!” The truth is, yes, foster homes DO get attached. But we are saving their life by being the bridge between their old life and their new life. We often times get to see them go from rags to riches. We get to be their savior in a time of desperate need. And seeing our foster dogs in their forever home, is more rewarding than the ‘pain’ of letting them go, and often times we get multiple updates on them.

And ya know tons of WARM, FUZZY FEELINGS knowing you have saved a life….often times TWO lives – the life of your foster dog, and the another dog for the space you have opened up for the overwhelmed shelter or rescue that your foster came from.

If you have any questions – send us an email at: dobermanrescue@hotmail.com

If you’re ready to apply to be a foster home, visit our website for an application at: http://www.uniteddobermanrescue.org/

Here's some of the fun you could be having as a foster home:

We encourage you to Adventure with your foster dog!

 
Join us at fun meet & greet events!

 

You and your own dog can soak up the love!

Adoptable Abbi needs your help!

Did you know February is National Pet Dental Health Month? We bring you Adoptable Abbi’s story to show the importance of maintaining your own pet’s dental health:

Abbi is expected to have lived outdoors for most of her 6 years of life, and because of a potentially scavenging lifestyle and inappropriate diet, her teeth are horribly ground down and cracked.  Frankly, they are some of the worst teeth we have ever seen in rescue.  Once Abbi has fully recovered from heart worm treatment and is safe to undergo anesthesia, she will require extensive and VERY expensive dental surgery.  Though UDR knew of Abbi’s teeth issues, and the likelihood of incurring thousands in vet bills, we have been happy to welcome and help this sweet and gentle girl. 

WHY – Abbi is the epitome of a rescue dog’s spirit overcoming her difficult past - she LOVES humans and attention.  She is currently residing in boarding, and does very well with the other dogs.  Abbi is easy going and obedient – she knows sit, shake and takes treats nicely.  She has been enjoying the ‘good life’ as an indoors dog, and would love a quiet and loving home of her own.

Abbi with her doggy daycare pals and fellow Adoptable Luki

HOW YOU CAN HELP ABBI

-By donating to her care and surgery costs.  Where to send mailed donations and to our online Paypal (note you don’t have to have a Paypal account to use the host) is on our Website  

-By sending her a goodies care package from our Amazon Smile Wishlist

-By completing a foster application for Abbi – we would love for her to recover from her dental surgery in a peaceful and caring foster home.  UDR will pay for all approved vet care and medication costs while Abbi is in foster care.

-By completing an adoption application if you’re looking to permanently add this loving girl to your home 

-By sharing Abbi’s story with anyone else who might be looking for a sweet senior Dobergirl.

Thank you so much to our supporters - You are true heroes for dogs like Abbi!!

Alumni Pupdate - Storm

Storm was part of our Fiesta Litter, which was born into rescue on Valentine’s Day.  Little did we know how apt a name ‘The Fiesta Litter’ was for this gang of 8 pups, as a DNA test showed that Dad was a Chihuahua!  We had a guessing contest for what breed Dad might be, and needless to say no one guessed remotely close...

Storm was adopted in June 2017, and her family tells us it was love at first sight!  She welcomed her new dad with kisses, and then Baby Storm was a surprise for their 5 year old daughter Rylyn….can you even THINK of a better surprise?!?!

Adoption Day - meeting her new family 💖

*We may or may not be tearing up at the sweetness here*

Storm is loved SO much in her Furever Home as she continues to grow up.  Here’s what her family had to say about what she’s been up to since adoption:

Storm is a kind and gentle giant! She loves giving licks, sitting on our lap, and snuggling with Rylyn under a blanket.  She did great in her obedience class, loves her dog park visits, and loves to run around our backyard and check out all the action. Storm is the best new addition to our family and we like to say we are the lucky ones because she is a doll!

Obedience Graduate!

Storm also recently paid it forward by being a Big Sis to two of our Oopsy Puppies - what fun!!  We are so grateful to Storm's family giving 2 more puppies an awesome start to their lives.

  

We want to wish Storm and her Fiesta Litter siblings a very Happy Birthday this week!  Born with no home to call their own, and now all adopted and United by Love – that’s the magic of rescue!

FIVE COLD WEATHER TIPS

Shared by UDR Volunteer, Sara Miller:

As much as I would like to wrap up in a blanket with coffee/hot chocolate and hide indoors through the winter weather, my Doberman Charlie does NOT stop, and I know I'm not alone here...  Here are some tips and some of my personal favorite products we use to avoid winter blues and household crazies:

1 – Dress for the weather.  Minnesota winters are no joke, but most days it’s possible to get out to play or go for a walk if you’re properly equipped.  Like you, your Doberman will appreciate a warm winter jacket.  Protective paw balms, like Musher’s Secret, or even Vaseline can help stave off a little bit of the cold and prevent ice balls from forming in between their pads.

Jacket, Snood and Boots

2 – Beware of salt!  Dobes’ relatively hairless feet are very sensitive to the chemical burn of salted roads and sidewalks.  Protect their feet with booties – Ultra Paws Rugged boots tend to fit Doberman feet well – or make sure that you are washing their feet after they get home to get all the salt off.  Be sure that you are using a dog-safe melting agent on your own sidewalk and deck. 

3 – Indoor fun.  Mental stimulation can be even MORE energy draining than physical activities, and you can do the following right in your own home: 

• Play hide-and-seek – also a great way to reinforce obedience ‘stays’ while you hide.
• Make your dog work for their meals through obedience behaviors or extend meal time by scattering their kibble all across the floor for them to track down.
• Load up interactive toys with treats or daily kibble – I personally love stuffed Kongs (which I freeze for added duration), the Kong Wobbler dispenser, and the Orbee-Tuff ‘Snoop’ dispensing toy from Planet Dog.
• Heavy Duty chews:  I like antlers, water buffalo horns and Benebones for best holding up to my power chewer.

Ready to stuff & freeze Kongs

4 - Sign up for a new class at your local training or obedience center:  Dobermans excel in tricks, rally obedience and nosework classes, which can be trained largely indoors.  Or give a sport like agility or flyball a try!

Obedience Level 2 Graduation with Pupcakes

5 – Field trips.  Bring your dog along to the local pet store to pick out a chew to keep them occupied.  Home Depot and a variety of other stores are dog-friendly too -  Sidewalk Dog keeps a great reference guide of restaurants, breweries, coffee shops and stores that are dog-friendly in Minnesnowda.

Helping at a meet & greet as a breed ambassador

BONUS FIELD TRIPS

You can also plan to join UDR at our upcoming INDOOR events in February: 

Feb 17^th – meet & greet in Urban Tail’s indoor play and training area from noon until 2pm (Uptown Minneapolis - 2106 Lyndale Ave S)

Feb 18^th – pack walk around Rosedale Center (Roseville mall) from 9am to 11am

Playing (ok, begging for treats are the only non-blurry action photos...) at Urban Tails during a UDR meet & greet

....and of course there's nothing wrong with still curling up for naps and snuggles!

Doberman Myths and Facts!

Facts and Myths about Doberman Pinschers

*The Doberman is an American war hero -True! Many times over the Dobermans have served our troupes in many wars over the years given their bravery, loyalty and willingness to protect their masters.

 Dobermans are have been used over the years as police dogs, military dogs and service dogs. One of the first war Dobermans named Kurt served in the 1944 Battle of Guam during WWII. This brave Doberman saved the soldiers, but was killed by an enemy grenade. Kurt became the first dog buried in the United States Marine Corps War Dog Cemetery which you can visit today in Guam. Doberman are the unsung hero's of our armed forces and continue to serve man today. Dobermans were meant to have a job serving man and they do it with great pride and dignity!



*Doberman are one of the top 10 smartest dogs-True! Doberman rank #5 in the top 10 smartest dogs If you have ever owned Doberman you already know this. Dobermans are wicked smart! Dobermans are very willing to learn, easily trainable and really want to do a good job for their masters! Doberman seem to be able to read their people with superior accuracy. While their intelligence is natural it takes a good leader to invest the time to master this intelligence to its full capability!

*A Dobermans brain swells as they get older causing them to go CRAZY and turning on their masters! FALSE!!! False, false, false. We think to ourselves, "no you really didn't just say that comment," but hard to believe, once in a blue moon, this crazy talk is still vocalized! There is NO Scientific way this is possible. Brains don't magically grow in any skull. Brain swelling results from an injury or head trauma, in any dog, and if the animal was so injured that their brain was swelling, there would be no way they could physically carry out such an attack, or be able to function. Most likely they would be unconscious or dead from the swelling, like a human brain injury.

* The Doberman is mixed Breed! TRUE! 

The American Kennel Club history believes the breeds utilized to develop the Doberman may have included the old short haired shepherd, Rottweiler, Black and Tan Terrier and the German Pinscher. There are possibly many other breeds not taken into account. This would explain the variances we might see in the Doberman breed. Mutts through and through, but this is how new breeds are created!

*The Doberman is not a breed for everyone-TRUE! This breed is very active and in your face 24/7. If you like to come home after a long day, sit down and watch TV, this breed is NOT a good choice for you. Dobermans are high energy dogs and need to have energy release options or they can become destructive and annoying. You must be willing to play or walk them every day. Some, such as the teenagers, require much more energy release then others. Doggy daycare is a great option to reduce this energy. A tired Doberman is always a GOOD dog! If you like to go to into the next room or even the bathroom without being followed, this breed is not for you. Dobermans love their humans, have a need to know what you are up to, want to touch you and will follow you where ever you are at every waking moment.

*Doberman's eat children-False! Urban legend again *sigh* Doberman's make great family members. Children and Dobermans can and do co-habitat successfully in many homes. Dobermans can be your kids bed buddies, playmates and best friends!

*We love our Dobermans for all they give back to us!

Alumni Pupdate - Pablo

Pablo’s past was dark and sad, but thanks to many angels he has the brightest future…

Pablo came to UDR via a phone call from a rescue angel running a shelter in Kansas City.  Pablo was surrendered to her shelter with nothing, and was afraid of everyone and everything.  He withdrew to huddle in fear to the back of his kennel run and stopped eating altogether.  The shelter director called UDR for help, fearing for Pablo’s slide into emaciation, and we were happy to take this scared boy in.

                           

Pablo's Before & After Body Condition photos after 2 months in foster care

More angels came to Pablo’s rescue by fostering him locally and providing transport up to Minnesota 3 weeks later.

Like all UDR dogs, Pablo was placed in a loving foster home, who took on the task of rehabilitating him both physically and mentally.  Pablo was deathly afraid of men, and it took 3 long months for Pablo to readily approach his foster dad.  His foster home worked at Pablo’s pace and slowly boosted his confidence and ability to trust. 

               

Pablo's Before & After Body Lanuage:  1st Meet & greet spent clinging to his foster mom versus his last Meet & Greet with UDR spent smiling and playing

After 6.5 months in foster, Pablo met his ultimate angels – his adopters.  By the time Pablo was adopted, you would have never guessed his difficult past – Pablo had become a joyously happy boy who was eager to meet new experiences and people.  Here’s what his new family has to say about him:

We’re the Medvec’s, and this is the story of how Pablo became part of our pack. Our family lost our first dog (Buddy) in a tragic car accident last Summer. During the grieving process, we realized we weren’t ready to be dog-less. We love animals, and our young daughter had grown very attached to her fur-brother. Knowing that we wanted to find another dog, I started doing some research on family-friendly breeds and local rescues that would possible have those breeds. I found Pablo and UDR through PetFinder in late August, and I have to say it was love at first sight! I immediately called my Husband and reached out in hopes that we could start the adoption process. Luckily for us, he was still available and so the process began!

Going into this adoption, we were given fair warning that Pablo had a rough start to life. We were told that it would most likely take him MONTHS to warm up to us, but we were willing to wait. To our surprise, he was snuggling with us the first night he was home. Through trust and bonding, Pablo has happily blended into our family. He’s great with our daughter, great with our 2 cats, and loves every neighbor dog he meets. We keep waiting for a negative trait to emerge, but it hasn’t happened yet! He’s all-around the perfect dog.

Drop-Off with his new Mom!!

Pablo’s favorite hobbies are: going up to the cabin, swimming, running, playing frisbee, playing with other dogs, popping bubbles with his Sister, chewing on his antler, and cuddling!

           

Pablo's new, happy life

Thank you, UDR, for saving Pablo and allowing us to give this sweet boy a home. I can say with confidence that he has a family that loves him and he will forever be taken care of.

Alumni Pupdate - Daisy

Fun fact - Daisy is actually a sibling to last month’s featured Alumni Pupdate, Blaze!  She came into UDR from New Mexico, and was placed into our foster program.  Like Blaze, she had a tough time at first being separated from her siblings for the first time in her life.  Luckily she didn’t have to wait long for her amazing Furever Family to find her!

Always surrounded by friends and love

Adopter Dad Dennis is a rescuer’s dream!!  He has an absolutely incredible house on spacious grounds that leaves room to spare for 8 dogs and 6 cats.  WOW!!  To say their pets are spoiled is an understatement….Their lucky pets were even included in his wedding!  Dennis reached out to UDR looking for a kind girl that would get along with their current pets, and UDR carefully selected Daisy to meet his family's needs.

Daisy is so lucky to have an incredible family and room to play

Lucky for Daisy, she fit the bill perfectly for this large and loving family.  She has fit seamlessly into the pack and is described as being a bit sassy and having a very regal demeanor (though who could blame a girl when she is living the dream?!).  Baby gates can’t hold this athletic girl down from wherever she wants to go in the house, and she loves to play and wrestle with her fur siblings.  This smart girl has even learned to do a balancing act on the back of the sofa if she's in a hurry to get to the other side of the room, and doesn't want to bump into her siblings!   ….but her favorite part of the week is Sunday brunch with her Dad and special cheese popcorn treats!

BRUNCH TIME!

Many thanks to Dennis for such a wonderful pupdate on sweet Daisy!

Congratulations Daisy!!