The Bond Between Hospice Program

11/14/2025

11/06/2025

Next time you walk your dog - slow down
For them, it's not just a walk - it's their way of exploring the world.

A simple reminder that brings tears to our eyes as we share the recent passing of our sweet Justice Petey. For most dogs a simple daily walk may be a necessity to expend energy and a habit for humans but for our sweet Justice his walks with many friends were so very much more. Justice Petey came to our rescue from El Dorado, Arkansas in Jan of 2025. He had severe HW and was not able to play or even walk outside without passing out if he walked far, got excited or stood up quickly. The shelter advocated for him due to his amazing goofy personality but wasn't sure if he would even make it through his HW treatments. We said yes to taking him in under our hospice program not knowing if the damage to his sweet loving pitty heart was too severe but we were willing to try ensuring he was in a fospice home and not a shelter. When his forever foster first saw his picture, she immediately wanted to give him the loving comfortable last chapter, very much aware that we had many unknowns about Justices care. Justice Petey arrived with his long list of medical concerns and our dedicated team at the Bond Between Vetting Center along with his fospice mom created an amazing care plan that always focused on his Quality of life. Each vetting visit, heartworm treatment and check up had Justice walking in the doors with his wiggle butt and happy pitty smile and his amazing fospice mom quickly in tow. Literally, in tow. Each month he gained strength, energy and the ability to go farther than the back door and right back in. He still had his fainting moments but they were less as less as his fospice mom advocated for a raised food and water bowl so he did not have to eat while laying down. He got a unique but amazing No Pull Dog Harness and Leash Set that minimized any pressure on his neck while walking. Truly a lifesaver for him and anyone on the end of that leash. And with the loving support of a few close by volunteers, Justice got many more walks in around his loved neighborhood. And if you ever saw this 60lb boy carrying around one of his favorite toys on a walk, you certainly would have stopped and cheered him on. His walk radius was not wide but each step was truly a gift for a sweet boy that just last year could not walk more than 10 feet before being exhausted from Severe HW.

His heart was certainly damaged but each month Justice Petey was able to feel better. He came to a few Hospice playdates and LOVED meeting other dogs and eating pup cups. And he loved a few staycations with foster friends. Recently he was having difficulty keeping things down, inappetence and was declining quickly. Unfortunately a mass in his abdomen metastasized to his lungs was found. He was able to go home with supportive care and peacefully pass surrounded by loving hands with the assistance of MNPets. Please keep his fospice mom in your thoughts for her house feels too quiet and empty without her giant goofball. In her words, a few memories about Justy:

JP always needed a stuffed animal in his mouth during walks 😄. Brought a lot of smiles from people walking past and even driving!!!! He dropped them when sniffing trees etc and neighbors knew we’d collect them later. As his medical and physical needs were met, his emotional needs came to the forefront and he cuddled as close as possible for as long as possible. Walking, cuddling, and laying in the sun brought calm to his anxiety. JP loved playing with his 2 yo sister. She’s missing his play! He even made friends with our senior cat. His love filled the house ❤️.

Thank you to the amazing The Bond Between Veterinary Center, his loving temp foster , volunteers who walked Justice and his forever fospice mom for Justice had an amazing 10+ months. He never knew he was different, didnt wallow in what he couldnt do but certainly enjoyed every moment, every adventure knowing he was loved. He lived life to the fullest each day he could like there was no tomorrow. No regrets, just Love.

10/31/2025

It is with broken hearts we share the recent passing of Cole. He came to our hospice program as a stray from the Ozarks in Missori June of 2023 with a very concerning mass in his nasal cavity. He instantly settled into his loving fospice home unknown what time they may have. The trust he had for his fospice mom was clear as they navigated the many appointments, medical puzzles and treatments that continued to unfold through the years. And there was nothing better than watching him enjoy the life he had with his fospice family unaware of his differences. His estimated 4+ years of age was certainly reflected in his happy bouncy prance and joy for his back yard but his body was not as strong as his heart. He was closely monitored by our amazing vetting team and received wonderful comfort grooms at Mavericks with extra care to avoid his face with the blower. He was a frequent visitor at all the hospice playdates, loved his pupcups, went on a cross country adventure and LOVED his back yard. He felt love, comfort and peace, never knowing he was any different. Please keep everyone in your thoughts for his absence is deeply missed, his happiness was inspiring and his life mattered.

From his loving forever Mom
Run free Cole
It’s hard to believe I have to write this, but Cole didn’t make it. He fought really hard, but last night his little body started shutting down and MN Pets helped him cross over this morning.
He was always so strong and energetic, it’s devastating that he’s no longer with me, but I have to remember that Cole always was my broken little boy. He just wasn’t built right and his regurgitation issue meant a constant, antibiotic-resistant infection in his nose. It “shouldn’t” be surprising that when an infection took hold, it moved fast and hard.
I had the honor and privilege of knowing and loving Cole for 858 days. That’s about 850 more than I expected when he first showed up and could barely breathe or eat. It was a long journey to get him stabilized, but once he was, he thrived (for Cole). He loved every moment of life and approached each and every situation with enthusiasm and his special charm. He was hilariously awkward and loved when he could make me laugh.
He had this way of coming at you with his mouth wide open, like he loved you so much he could gobble you up.
His goal in life every single day was to be the best boy. And he was. Cole never had an accident in the house. Never chewed up my stuff. Never bit anyone (even when they deserved it). He was the one dog I could trust in any situation. It might get awkward, in fact it’d probly get awkward, but he was always doing his very best.
Though we haven’t had our regular morning cuddle sessions for a few days, I’m dreading tomorrow when he won’t come racing over from breakfast and leap onto the couch into his spot behind (and sometimes over) my legs for his face massage and cuddle.
I so sad that it’s over. But so happy that it happened.
Rest easy, Cole. I’ll meet you at the bridge.

10/28/2025

All of our hospice animals are seen at The Bond Between Veterinary Center for their palliative care plans. Today Granny dressed up in her Halloween outfit to spread some happiness at her check up. She is always wearing a sweater or jacket so dress up doesn’t faze her. Granny exam went wonderful, she has gained weight and still blissfully unaware of her hospice status.

Thank you to this amazing vet center team for everyday waking up and making a difference in our hospice animals lives.

10/22/2025

Knowing our time is limited makes every moment with our animals more precious.

And with the heaviest of hearts we share the recent passing of sweet Etta James. Etta came into rescue in 2023 from a shelter in KY. She had a very concerning mass that thankfully our amazing vetting center was able to remove. The relief in her eyes was evident after her surgery not just of the physical weight of the mass but the emotional comfort she felt as she settled into her loving fospice forever home. She had a beautiful end of life photo session with the amazing Sarah Beth Photography and surpised us all with her ability to keep her comfort maintained with mobility and pain management through the Vetting Center for her large frame. She loved life and MN. And with the most loving difficult decision her fospice family was able to help her peacefully pass with the help of Lap of Love in her forever home as comfort and sparkle in her eye was fading quickly.

The loving words her family shared with us certainly speaks to the impact that Etta had on their lives:

Remembering our lovely Etta - the smiles, the silly nap poses, the side eye - the love she brought to our lives. When we met, she had a large tumor and we thought she had only weeks left. But she gave us 2 and a half years of love, laughs, and stinky breath. Our hearts are broken but we are better for having known her. I hope she knows how good a girl she was. She was such a beautiful and gentle soul, and we are missing her so much, but we're grateful to have had her in our lives. Thank you for making that possible.

You were loved Etta

10/06/2025

Our hearts ache to share the recent passing of Tbone. He came to rescue from a shelter in the south back in January. From the first pictures of him at the shelter to green grass, there is no doubt his last chapter was about giving him peace of mind. He had alot of hidden mobility pain but with the amazing support of our Vetting Center and his fospice family was finding comfort and peace. Tbone was an old dog with his deep houndatude leading him on many wonderful walks, adventures and restful naps in the green grass this summer with his fospice family. And on his last day, he had one last adventure with windows down in the car, turbo sniffing and so many treats.

He was a good dog and his absence is certainly mourned by all.

10/01/2025

We are coming up on a year since our sweet spunky Obie has joined our Hospice program. He came from our local Minneapolis Animal Care and Control mid october of last year due to a large mass that needed further evaluation. As suspected, it was not the news we were hoping but Obie has had amazing care and monitoring. He is a spunky boy who still loves his treats and this was evident in a recent small photo session with the generous Sarah Beth Photography . Sarah Beth has been specializing in end-of-life pet photography since 2010. Please visit more of her priceless moments captured for so many amazing pet families here as they celebrate joy sessions https://sarahbethphotography.com/joy-sessions/ We are so grateful to share these sweet pictures she captured of Obie and his forever fospice mom.

Obie has an appointment at our Bond Between Vetting center to help with his palliative care plan with some recent changing in his mass. So please keep Obie and his loving forever fospice mom in your thoughts as they work to ensure his comfort.

09/30/2025

With loving hearts we share the passing of sweet Grampie

09/25/2025

It is with loving hearts that we share the recent passing of our sweet and spunky Ruby. She came to rescue as an Owner surrender back in 2023 with some medical concerns. Her cancer diagnosis didn't scare her forever foster and Rubys comfort was closely monitored by our dedicated team at the Bond Between Vetting Center.

Ruby was blissfully unaware of her hospice prognosis and many that saw Ruby did not see what was truly brewing inside. She had her end of life photo session with the amazing Sarah Beth Photography back in 2023 and was quite the professional model showing she was very very smart. Her very strong Schnauzertude was a constant drive to go, do, see, go, and go some more. Thankfully her fospice mom understood the breed's need for mental stimulation, challenges and adventures. Ruby had many enrichment toys, puzzles, training, field trips and daily walks no matter rain or shine. But the walks slowed and the distance became very short recently which was a big Quality of life measurement her amazing fospice mom had for she did not truly see what was happening inside. Her comfort both mentally and physically was our focus as her medical conditions were causing discomfort that was not able to be managed. We thank everyone for the amazing support they provided both for Ruby and her forever foster in her palliative care journey. And she pass peacefully surrounded by love in her forever home with the assistance from MNPets.

Please keep her fospice mom in your thoughts for who would have thought the spunky Schnauzer who had a life expectancy of 6 months could have defied so many expectations and teach us all about how to enjoy living so much that you dont even remember they are dying.

09/24/2025

Facing a sudden change and concern for their comfort is especially hard when losing a beloved animal. Many of our fosters do not start out fostering a hospice animal but end up being a forever fospice family due to medical concerns and further assessment once an animal arrives to our rescue. Jojo was a sweet senior boy who came into our rescue back in 2023 as an owner surrendered. He did have some medical concerns including cushings but was settling in with his foster family as he was a senior adoptable with medical needs. In December 24, he moved to our hospice program and his fospice family continued to love him as their own. Jojo did not know of any status change and only felt love in his forever family. Recently on a daily walk he hurt his leg and our vetting center was able to confirm that he broke his femur. Unfortunately xrays showed bone cancer that was advanced. His loving family was able to bring him home with comfort meds, a splint and give his best furriend of 2 years a chance to say goodbye. As they processed this sudden change, their focus on Jojos comfort, his family made the difficult decision to help him pass at home with the loving support of MN Pets within the next few days. And they had one request… was it possible that the rescue may have an intake that was happening so we could capture a few pictures of Jojo for he has been a constant addition to their yearly calendar.

This simple yet powerful request of one last picture is not something we are always able to provide due to busy intakes, long transports and volunteers time. The stars were certainly aligned and our Saturday morning intake was a very small. Our intake manager was able to cover things as our generous volunteer photographer Amanda was able to capture some pictures of the whole family. This was as much for our fospice family as it was for giving Jojos one last special trip to the office. He loved adventures and car trips so the frequent vet visits was never a stresser for him. This last outing was with the whole family where moments captured were truly priceless. And it was a bittersweet circle for our volunteer photographer Amanda, when she looked back “at her files, I realized I had also done Jojo's admission photos, it feels very special to have been part of both moments.”

And it was a beautiful broken hearts that the following day, his loving family said goodbye to Jojo after his very full day of cuddles, watermelon and love. Please keep his fospice family in your hearts for his absence is certainly missed by all.

We thank everyone who fosters, volunteers, donates and supports for you never know what each day will bring.

09/19/2025

Please give a loving welcome to Grampie who joined the hospice program last week. He is settled into his loving Fospice home and is going to his hospice assessment appointment today at our vetting center to figure out his palliative care plan. Thank you to everyone who advocates for the seniors in the shelters and help them find rescue.

09/10/2025

Dont count out the Hospice crew for participating in The Bond Between The Fast and Furriest 5K this coming Saturday, September 13, 2025
Location: Thomas Beach, Lake Bde Maka Ska
Race Start: 9:00 AM

Granny is laced up and practicing her laser focus on the treats at the end of the finish line as she raised fund to help provide support for our hospice animals. She will actually be riding in style in a stroller with fans blowing, cooling beds and treats all along the route. Please come cheer us all on and consider donating to the Hospice teams goal https://raceroster.com/events/2025/101018/the-bond-between-fast-and-the-furriest-5k9/pledge/team/840343