September events

By Terry Libro, MWCR President/Events Chair

The Minnesota Wisconsin Collie Rescue has been busy this September participating in a number of community events to raise awareness of our rescue and showcase our beautiful collies.

Emily & Laddie Gibson

Responsible Dog Ownership Day was held in Lake Elmo, Minn. on September 10.  Numerous breed clubs and rescues participated in this event which promotes informed and responsible ownership of dogs.  Various events, including rally and cart demonstrations, showcased dogs, and youth from a local 4-H club provided lunch for the crowd.  Barb Gibson with Laddie and Emily happily represented MWCR and charmed everyone.

The following Saturday, MWCR participated in the Bark Park event held in Brooklyn Park, Minn.  Rescues and vendors set up booths next to the beautiful dog park so dogs had the chance to play with other dogs as well as visit the booths.  Chris Norman, her son KJ, and their dogs Brett and Rodgers along with Marian Ridge and Keeper were ambassadors for MWCR.  No one could resist our gorgeous dogs.

Other events included the Walk/Run Fur Fun, Sept. 24 in Shakopee, Minn. and the Love My Pet Fair, Sept. 25 in Coon Rapids, Minn. You can view more pictures here.

Events like these give attendees the opportunity to learn more about MWCR, play with our lovable collies, and gain a greater understanding of the work that rescues do.  Plus, MWCR enhances its reputation as an outstanding rescue with organizers always heartily welcome]ing us back to future events.  Thank you to our volunteers and collie ambassadors!

A Tail-Wagging Affair

Get Ready for Give to the Max Day by celebrating your MWCR Superstar collie

It’s that time of the year again … the annual Give to the Max Day Minnesota fundraising event will be held this year on November 17, 2016.  This is typically the biggest fundraiser for MWCR as well as hundreds of other non-profits in the Midwest.

In preparation for this year’s event, we are announcing a Photo Contest to celebrate all the wonderful qualities of our adopted MWCR collies.

MWCR thinks that all its adopted collies are super special.  But there are some that have that extra something that make them stand out even more and turn heads wherever they go.

Is your collie one of these “superstars”?  Does he/she have a special skill or look?  Has he/she overcome even more odds to excel at something like agility, herding, modeling J, tracking … ?  We want to know about your superstar collies.  As part of the 2016 Give to the Max Day campaign we are launching the MWCR Collie Superstar campaign.

Submit a high quality image of your collie demonstrating that special something that makes him/her a SUPERSTAR and he/she could be chosen to star in our Give to the Max fundraising campaigns.

Here are the details:

• Submit your photo to mylinda.collie@yahoo.com no later than October 19^th.  Include your collie’s name, your name, and your contact details.
• Submit a caption for your photo (1-3 sentences) that describes why your collie is a superstar.
• The main star of the photo should be an adopted MWCR collie, but other pets can accompany the adoptee in the photo.
• The winner will be selected by the MWCR Board of Directors based on the criteria of photogenicity, creativity, and general superstar quality.
• The picture should only contain the actual image … no adding props or graphics digitally.
• The winner will be announced at the 2016 Annual Dinner and will receive either a $25 Petsmart gift card or $25 Amazon gift card (winner’s choice).
• By submitting your photos, you are giving MWCR the right to use the photos and captions in its advertising and marketing materials including on social media and emails.

Please contact MyLinda Anderson (Barke) at mylinda.collie@yahoo.com with any questions.  GOOD LUCK!

MWCR member, Robin Kashuba and her shelties get some ink

The Hutchinson Leader has published a story about Robin Kashuba and two of her therapy dogs, Skyler and Olaf.

To read the article click here.

Rainbow Bridge: Jake

With a heavy heart we are sharing the sad news that we helped our beloved Jake cross the Rainbow Bridge this past Saturday.  After seeming a little bit “off” he showed symptoms of refusing to eat, vomiting and lethargy.  A multitude of tests completed during three vet visits in four days provided answers only to what he didn’t have although an enlarged liver and lymph nodes were cause for concern.  Friday night he took a noticeable turn for the worse.  Jake valiantly survived long term treatment for blastomycosis a year and a half ago that claimed the life of his MWCR brother Mac.  Although he lost vision in one eye as a result of the illness his sweet disposition remained unaffected.  Earlier this year he welcomed the role of big brother to MWCR puppy Nick (f.k.a. Dash).  He did his best to mentor the little “wild child” who had come into his life often probably showing Nick more patience than was deserved while he was jumped on, chewed and barked at.  We are mourning the loss of this truly special member of our family.

Kathy, Mike & Nick

Rainbow Bridge: Sophie

Sophie, a senior collie adopted in 2014 passed away overnight after declining health the past few weeks.

MWCR Annual Dinner & Fundraiser

Please join us for fun, camaraderie, education, and inspiration on Saturday, November 5, from 3 – 6 p.m. at MWCR’s Annual Dinner Meeting and Fundraiser at the Wayzata American Legion located at 949 Wayzata Blvd. E. in Wayzata, Minnesota.

This is your chance to meet and hear from our guest speaker, KC Willis, president and founder of LightShine Canine – a Rez Dog Rescue, a 501(c)(3) group dedicated to making sustainable changes for the animals  and people of the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations of South Dakota.  KC is a dynamic speaker who will share her stories of running an organization that rescues stray and surrendered dogs from the reservations, provides basic veterinary care, and transfers the dogs to affiliate rescues, such as MWCR, which foster and adopt the dogs.  LightShine Canine rescues over 200 dogs per month, yes that is over 2400 dogs per year!  LightShine Canine relies on monetary donations and supply donations to continue their life-saving work.  Tickets to MWCR’s Annual Dinner are $25 per person or $20 with the donation of a dessert to share or a tax-deductible monetary or supply donation to LightShine Canine.

Supplies that LightShine Canine would greatly appreciate include steel dog bowls, collars, leashes, quality flea and tick medication such as FrontLine, towels, blankets (no comforters),  puppy pads, and dry dog food with smaller size pieces.  We’ll have a box set up for supply donations as well as a donation jar for LightShine.

We’ll have a silent auction with drop off of items for the silent auction starting at 2 p.m. on November 5.  Kitty Hilk will have her popular and high-quality Gray Gable Farm items, such as jam, bath products, gift baskets, and doggie treats available for sale.  Kitty generously donates the proceeds from her sales to MWCR.  If you’d like to preorder any items, please email Kitty at graygables44@aol.com before the Dinner so she can make and set aside the items for you.  Kitty’s products sell fast!  And, of course, we’ll have a delicious meal with traditional and vegetarian lasagna, a brief business meeting with updates, gift bags for all, a free table where attendees can share and take a variety of items, and door prizes.

The Events/Fundraising Committee is planning another great dinner on Saturday, November 5.  Preregistration is strongly encouraged so we can order the correct amount of food and ensure seating for all.  The registration link will be available shortly on MWCR’s website – www.mwcr.org, or you can email Terry at tlibro@hotmail.com or call at 952-432-0200.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on November 5 for an enjoyable and inspirational afternoon and evening.