Ruff Start is partnering with Best Friends Animal Society to bring Kiki’s family and other dogs in AR to MN to help with shelter overcrowding and find them families. Kiki’s babies will only be 4 weeks old when they arrive, and the whole family will go straight to a foster home. We can’t wait to meet Kiki and her pups, and help them on their journey to finding a family of their own.

Unfortunately, as is common in the south, Kiki has heartworms. She’ll undergo treatment here in MN at a partner clinic. Due to her size, the cost will be 3-4 times as expensive as an average-sized dog. Between heartworm treatment, food and supplies, and routine vetting for this extra large family, we’re looking at around $10,000 in estimated expenses to care for them while they’re with Ruff Start.

We would greatly appreciate gifts of any amount to help us cover the cost of bringing these cuties into rescue. Donate today and your funds will go directly toward the care of Kiki and her 12 puppies.

Would you like to be a part of their journey? This family is still in need of a foster. Their foster should be able to travel to our partner clinic in St. Cloud for Kiki’s heartworm treatment (three trips total) and promote Kiki’s bedrest if she hasn’t joined a foster to adopt family by then.

Would you like to be a part of their journey? This family is still in need of a foster. Their foster should be able to travel to our partner clinic in St. Cloud for Kiki’s heartworm treatment (three trips total) and promote Kiki’s bedrest if she hasn’t joined a foster to adopt family by then.

A broken bone can’t break her love for life.

At this point, Penny’s leg has been broken for over a month. We had x-rays taken which determined the leg was broken in multiple places and had already started to heal. Our veterinary team, as well as a doctor at a referral clinic, determined that the best course of action was to amputate Penny’s leg. Although she had been using the leg, she had joint damage and couldn’t bear weight on it well. As she continues to grow, the leg would become more of an issue. So, to better her life, Penny underwent surgery last Thursday.

Penny is doing well in her foster home, and we know she’ll get used to being a tri-paw in no time at all. She’s a happy puppy who picks up new skills quickly and loves toys, treats, and playing in the snow.

Rowdy has lived his whole life being obedient and well-trained as an active hunting dog. When he could no longer perform his duties, he was brought to a local vet clinic to be euthanized. Luckily, the vet clinic, that we also work with, knew Rowdy deserved to live out his retirement with a family. They stepped in to ensure that by reaching out to our Ruff Start Rescue intake team. Here is where we need your help – we need a foster commitment for Rowdy.

Rowdy absolutely loves humans. He hasn’t met a man, woman, or child he didn’t want to be next to. He’s a very calm and quiet boy. His hunting background has given him a fantastic nose, which is helpful for smelling out yummy treats. He may try to see what’s good on the counter if no one is looking! He has done well with cat and dog meets, but we recommend very slow introductions as we don’t know his history well. Rowdy didn’t have blankets in his old home, so he gets very excited to have them now! He will steal them to snuggle and chew. He is very responsive to commands and any type of communication.

We would love for Rowdy to join Ruff Start Rescue, and we need a foster to step up for him. His ideal foster home will be patient, promote slow intros, and give him all the love he has been missing.

He is a survivor of a household with domestic violence and so much more. When he was found, his owner had long passed away, and Yuri had been living in a home alone with another dog. Their survival instincts had kicked in – they tore into a bag of dog food to survive. Without water, they were forced to drink from the toilet.

Eventually, their food ran out, and they began to eat couch cushions to fill their starving stomachs. Although it made them feel full, this is extremely dangerous and could have led to blockages. Their days were filled with feelings of abandonment, loneliness, and not knowing if or when someone would ever return.

Their finder took them to the vet, and to her surprise, they were healthy (with a minor ear infection) despite being extremely underfed. The finder continued to care for the dogs in their home, and slowly they began to trust her when they learned she was visiting to feed them, bring them outside, and provide some relief with loving care. An adopter stepped up for Yuri’s companion, and the finder reached out to Ruff Start to help with Yuri. She had been visiting the home twice a day but wanted more for this sweet boy. He was starved for attention and needed a family.

Yuri joined Ruff Start right before the holiday. He has settled into his new temporary home and he is full of love. Yuri has no physical signs of abuse, but he does run and hide if there are loud noises or voices, likely due to the violence in the home. We can’t fix what happened in Yuri’s past, but we can ensure he has everything he deserves in the future. Please make a gift in Yuri’s honor to help with his care and the care of future Ruff Starters.

8-week-old Skye was surrendered to Ruff Start after her canine housemate attacked her, and she suffered head trauma. She is currently receiving medical attention for her neurological status at Blue Pearl. The doctors see improvements, but she is not out of the woods yet.

Skye will need at least 24 hours at the hospital to get the care she needs. Due to the level of critical care, it will cost approximately $2,000-3,000 in the next day. Can you please help us get Skye the care she needs?

Update 12/30: Skye needs a CT to determine the extent of the injuries to her head. The vet is making sure she doesn’t have a skull fracture of a ruptured eardrum and a broken jaw. The good news is that she is starting to walk on all 4 legs and her neurological status is improving. The current estimate of her care is $4,000+. We’ll post a new photo in the comments. Thank you to everyone who has donated to Skye’s care.

Luna Mae was surrendered to Minneapolis Care and Control in November by a friend of her former owner. The friend said Luna and another dog had been abandoned, as their owner left the dogs and never returned. They would need a more permanent living situation and, since they were considered unclaimed, would need animal control’s assistance to place them in the care of an organization or person well-equipped to take on two extra-large dogs.

Luna clocked in at roughly 90lb upon examination, and her age was estimated at 7 years of age. At first glance, it would be appropriate to assume she had given birth multiple times. And it is likely that the dog who was surrendered alongside her, a young pup named Saint, could be her son. When her microchip was scanned, it registered to Romania, raising additional questions about her past that will probably never be answered.

However, while we learned more about Luna’s traits and what type of home would best fit her, we also learned about her medical needs.

While in MACC’s care, they documented several concerns needing addressing once Luna was rescued. Her left eye looked cloudy; she had luxating patellas that produced a grating sound when shifted and significant right hindlimb lameness. Luckily, Luna had no resistance or pain during a standard manipulation of her hip. Still, elbow issues – potentially arthritis – were suspected, as well as the need for a dental cleaning with potential extractions. With these notes, we knew when we took her in that she would need a higher standard of care than most of the animals that entered rescue. However, the extent of her medical future was still largely unknown.

Luna visited one of our partner veterinary clinics, where they spayed her, brought her up to date on her vaccinations, and did radiographs of her pain points. While her surgery went well, her day at the vet revealed the next steps for the sweet pup. The most intensive notes in her report read, among other things, “Recommend bilateral repair of CCL ruptures.”

In human terms, Luna needs a bilateral TPLO. She needs both knees operated on simultaneously to repair their cruciate tears, a costly procedure with a significant recovery time, including extensive therapy. She also needs a dental procedure, another surgery which could not be done at the time of her spay. In all, Luna’s care will total roughly $4,000.

While this is a hefty bill – especially at the end of a long year full of need – we committed to giving Luna stability and love when we chose to bring her into rescue. One look at her droopy face is enough to know she is worth it, and her foster family is determined to see her through her treatment… with your help.

Every donation, big or small, counts for this precious pup who is in need of significant pain relief. Will you give a year-end gift to help us fund Luna’s treatment and make her New Year?