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Daphne receives a rewarding pat from her trainer, a participant in HFL's Renaissance Program at Boys Totem Town.

Daphne gets a pat on the head

Daphne is a 3-year-old spayed female tri-color border collie adopted from a border collie rescue in South Dakota. She lived with a family who kept her in a barn with their livestock, alleging that she was resisting housebreaking.

Daphne's hard start in life shows in her anxiety and lack of confidence. However, since arriving at Home for Life®, she has begun to come out of her shell. She has made many new friends, both canine and human, including best friends and fellow youngsters Sabra, a black and tan young Afghan, and Dodi, a harlequin Great Dane.

Now that Daphne has a place to call her own, her confidence is increasing with her sense of belonging. As a participant in our Renaissance Program, she has acquired obedience skills and continues to work on other training skills that help her build confidence.

Daphne has not displayed any housebreaking issues since making her new home at the sanctuary.

Home for Life® here, there, and everywhere!

No matter how you prefer to connect with Home for Life®, opportunities abound this Spring and Summer.

Volunteer:
If you are interested in working with our animals in an outreach capacity or socializing with them at events, learn how our volunteer programs work at the next Home is Where the Heart Is orientation session on June 8 at the Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul, MN. See the Events page for details.

Visit:
Donors and sponsors are welcome to visit the sanctuary by appointment during summer tour season! Tours are available Wednesdays and Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. beginning May 31.

Others can visit at one of our two open houses this summer:

For more information and reservation/registration information, see the Events page.

Watch:
You can now watch Minnesota Bound's segment about Home for Life® on our Press page.

Read:
If you subscribe to our print newsletter, the Spring 2008 edition is in the mail, if not already in your mailbox. Among other stories, this edition tells the story of Sebastian, the Norwegian Lundehund pictured on this page. Read the newsletter online.

Previous Animal Updates: May 18, 2008

Tales of Tiramisu

Home for Life® and our supporters recently celebrated Spring's arrival at our Tiramisu for Tails event at Interlachen Country Club of Edina. It was a magical day for people and animals alike. Below are a few of the special stories from the event.

Jack Frost comes out of retirement
Jack Frost, a retired therapy cat for a nursing home, came out of retirement for a day to charm the guests. Most of the sanctuary's cats do not feel the need to "see and be seen," so it is rare that our guests get a chance to meet them at events.

Jack Frost on the floor being touched
Jack Frost spent the event in a relaxed state, content to be touched by his many admirers.

Reunions
Two of HFL's dogs, Sebastian and Ian, were reunited with their owners at the event. Ian, an elderly Cocker Spaniel, was reunited with owner Terry Zabel, who was not able to continue caring for Ian after his wife died. After seeing Ian at the event, Terry wrote:

"I appreciate the care that you have given my boy Ian these past 6 months. After seeing him at Interlachen, and looking at the
photos you have sent, I can see I made the best decision for him during an incredibly difficult time."

Sebastian, a rare Norwegian Lundehund, was reunited with his owner and rescuer, who walked with Sebastian in our dog parade.

Ian, held by a volunteer, greets Terry
Terry Zabel (seated), reaches out to his beloved pet Ian, held by volunteer Susan Clemas. More photos: Sebastian and his owner, Lindsay Baylon.

The long and the short of it
Guests were treated to the great variety that exists within the canine species.

tiny dog in a yellow sweater
Little Vera and big Dodi

Home for Life® accepts dogs of every size and shape from both near and far, from the tiny Vera, an elderly diabetic Min Pin from California, to the pony-sized Dodi, a one-year-old harlequin Great Dane from Wisconsin who has epilepsy.

Although all of the dogs on hand enjoyed lots of love and attention from the guests, these two "extremes" seemed to elicit a special delight!

See more photos taken by photographer Mark Luinenberg at the event.

You will have another chance to meet these special animals at next year's Tiramisu for Tails on April 19, 2009 at Interlachen!

Class of Spring 2008

As Home for Life®'s outreach programs grow, it is important to have a contingent of certified therapy dogs at the ready. Each therapy visit leaves the dogs tired out; they give the visits their all.

(The Sit*Stay*Heal program alone visits pediatric oncology, adult critical care, adult and pediatric mental health, long-term care, and transplant patients. Soon, our therapy dogs will also begin visits to the Polytrauma unit of the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Minneapolis.)

Sebastian looking up at his trainer
Sebastian awaits instruction. More photos: Ernie shakes hands.

The newest crop of Home for Life® canines have been training with their cohorts from the Boys Totem Town through our Renaissance Program. These hard-working dogs include:

See more photos of the dogs and their trainers taken by Mark Luinenberg.