Gracie
Gracie (2009-July 2023) Gracie came to us as a rescue pup, and was she ever a spitfire! It took us awhile to understand what she was trying to tell us: I need daily dog park outings, and I need consistency and structure in my schedule. As a mix of border collie and husky, Gracie was brilliant and stubborn and loved to be busy. She was the best herding dog ever, always aware of where each of us was in the house and always with a strong instinct to herd us into the same room, where she could then relax and be at ease. Gracie loved to run. She always knew that when she jumped into the car we were going to the Dog Park. Oh, how she loved to run free there. Some called her the Queen of the Dog Park because of her bossy-pants behaviors- she did seem to take charge when activity got out of line. Gracie’s energy seemed never-ending: she loved a good tug-of-war. She had a brief career in skijoring, honoring her husky ancestry in her love of winter and snow and cold. In her younger days, she loved to jump, leaping to the high bounce of her squeaky ball. She loved her morning walks, that daily ritual of new scents and surprising creature visitations (squirrels, chipmunks, bunnies, raccoons, deer, turkeys, coyote, fox). Oh, how Gracie loved food. She scouted out specific Little Free Libraries, not because they might have a preferred book to take home, but because these LFL’s also had treats. Oh happy day: treats. She loved our mail deliverer Bruce because of what he always had in his pockets: treats. She would sit so prettily, all aquiver with expectation, and quite happily crunch whatever she was given. Gracie tore apart her favorite stuffed animals, removing all the stuffing carefully, and played with the flattened carcasses with joy. Her very favorite, Tiger, ended up in multiple pieces but a good portion of his body still survives, and will be buried with Gracie’s ashes. Gracie was a talker, not shy about vocalizing her wants and needs. She could tell time- specifically, an hour before mealtime, she would begin the vocalizations and nudges toward being fed. She knew when someone was due home and vigilantly kept watch for their arrival. Gracie loved us completely without question or hesitation. In return, we loved her completely, and created a safe home for her, companioning her as best we could through scary fireworks and thunderstorms, and giving her all our attention and oodles of TLC. Gracie filled our home with her presence, and we miss her terribly.

Riley
Thank you for giving us this experience. We’ll be back soon for another sweetie! Yesterday morning was such a sad time for us as we had to say goodbye to our sweet pup, Riley. There was no other choice as he was suffering so much, but we are still heartbroken. Here's his story: When we adopted Riley from Midwest Animal Rescue Services (MARS) in MN in 2014, the staff and his foster of 5 months told us: • He is very food-motivated. • He's a little shy, but very sweet. • He was picked up from the streets in Missouri. They did not tell us: • He was the best dog EVER: totally loving, laid back, • That he was food-OBSESSED (LOL). • That he would frequently remind us of the need for a belly rub by showing his WHOLE belly! • That he would run our house by his schedule, which was created by anything you did ONCE...it became part of the schedule. • That he would never bark at other animals, just always at people he didn't know. • That he would rarely bark at all. • That he would never bother anything that wasn't his or given to him...really! NEVER chewed on anything in our house or bothered a plate of food unless you gave it to him. • That his favorite place in the whole world would be on the boat with his people. Didn't care much for water or being in it, but was obsessed with going on the boat. We had to spell the word to avoid unneeded excitement and he could smell sunscreen from behind two doors. • That we would love him so hard and miss him so much. Run, play, and eat lots of cheese and peanut butter, sweet boy...you gave us more than we could ever give you.

Satchmo
In January 2013, my husband and I were ready to bring a new dog into our family, after the passing of our dog a few years earlier. We knew of MARS from a wonderful experience my sister and brother-in-law had and knew we wanted to work with them. We were matched with Dawn. I am not sure if Dawn is still there but she was very patient with us. We knew the type of dog we wanted and although excited were willing to wait until the right one came along. We did several visits at foster homes and they did not seem to fit our family. In May, Dawn emailed and said she thought she had the perfect dog for us. He was coming from Illinois and was a 3 year old fluffy Pomerian and American Eskimo mix. We jumped on the opportunity to foster this dog without hesitation. We fell in love the moment we met him and named him Satchmo. Satchmo has been on many adventures with my husband and I, spent a lot of time in the car, taking long walks (as long as it was not hot out), and playing in the snow. Three years later we welcomed our daughter to the family and he was a very protective big brother. They had a special relationship, despite her pulling out clumps of his hair when she was little, he never got upset with her. In January 2022, we found out he had an enlarged heart and atrial fibrillation. We started a course of regimented medication to assist with his heart rate and breathing. About two weeks ago, his health started to decline rapidly. After a few sleepless nights and tough days of him coughing constantly because he couldn't breathe, we made the very tough choice to put him to sleep yesterday. We know he is not suffering anymore and we are heartbroken. However, to MARS and the ever so patient Dawn, we are so grateful. Satchmo was loved beyond words and will be missed everyday.,

Riley
While associated with MARS for two years, I fostered 1 cat and 22 dogs. Riley was the worst. He was called Tobey back then – a 2-year old Norwegian Elkhound. He was such a naughty boy, who bounced around between caretakers who quickly grew intolerant of his antics. He came to my house because I had a reputation of taking difficult dogs. I had no kids or other pets to distract from the rehabilitation process. Riley had been rejected by no less than 5 residences/facilities before he got to me. He chewed stuff, chased cats, barked, jumped up on people, ran away, got into dog fights, dug holes, pulled on the leash, etc. Add to that his brute strength and uncooperativeness and he was simply unbearable. Within a week, I looked into his eyes and he returned the favor with a gaze that seemed almost human, that I realized that he was going to stay with me forever. It took time, but he became a great dog. He was gentle with people, kids, dogs and cats…he didn’t chew, bark, chase, pull or fight. He did still run out of the yard whenever he had the chance, but would always come home 20 minutes later, huffing and puffing. Riley gave great hugs (by that I mean that he let me hug him) and would have made a terrific support animal if given the job. He would stand still and “brace” to help an older person get out of their chair. The kids in our family adored him and he would let them climb all over him. He was easy to take on a walk or a trip to the lake. He preferred to wade in the water, but didn’t swim. Riley made sure that the critters and the deer knew that he had the area covered. He was also (thankfully) a great mouser. He made a good snuggle buddy, although he was over 70 pounds. And he never failed to greet me at the door with a smile and a wag – hanging on my every word. During the 10 years I was lucky enough to share my life with him, he still made a habit of gazing into my eyes. He died of cancer at age 12 – I miss him every day. Katie T.

Skipper
Skipper enjoyed his TV which for him was looking out the big window in our living room and watching everything go by our house; and if there was a dog or human passing by he would bark at it. Skipper loved chewing on his bones and dental treats, and whenever he knew he was about to get one his eyes would get all big, which allowed for the whites of his eyes to become visible. Skipper enjoyed getting his exercise like long walks, playing fetch with his green or yellow ball, and chasing squirrels, rabbits or geese. Skipper loved to lick toast and egg crumbs off of plates on Saturday mornings. Skipper liked to observe what went on in the kitchen whenever mom was making salmon or anything with chicken in it, and did so in a polite way. Skipper also loved to sit next to his dad and fall asleep while listening to him play classical guitar. Skipper is missed by all that knew him, may he rest in peace. I hope to see you again, you are the best friend anyone could ask for. Rest in peace..