Author: Maia

Our story started on January 3rd, 2016 with a sweet little Puggle that was so sick we didn’t believe she’d make it through the weekend – 2 1/2 years later we can’t believe we’re standing beside this same dog, Holly, and announcing she is CURED of mammary cancer and no longer a Lukas Project hospice dog!!

Holly’s June 18th surgery to remove the left side of her mammary channel was her second and final surgery, and we’re thrilled to say our vets were able to remove all the cancer from her body! She was a real champ this time around and was mobile and feeling good right after her surgery! We were thrilled because her first surgery really knocked her out for about a week, but we knew in order for Holly to have another 7+ years of life we had to go through with the final surgery – it was her only chance at a full and healthy, cancer-free life.

Holly continues to thrive – she loves walks, couch snuggles, and treats! She’s a happy gal with 2 amazing foster parents, Marie and Marlon, that we cannot thank enough for caring for Holly and loving her like she was one of their own since January 2016.

And the good news doesn’t stop there, because Holly’s foster parents are going to be her forever parents and will be adopting her as soon as she’s fully healed! We can’t believe that this 2 1/2 year journey, with so many ups and downs with her health, has such a happy ending! We can finally say that Holly will have many, many years of a spoiled and comfy life ahead of her with her soon to be forever family!

Holly’s surgeries cost nearly $3000, and we’ve managed to raise $1410 of that $3k, leaving us with $1590 to raise to cover all her care. It’s no small amount, but you can help and donate ANY amount -assuring Pet Project Rescue can take on additional difficult animal cases, and give every dog and cat a fighting chance at a long and healthy life!

Holly is an incredibly special dog that has been a part of our hospice foster program, The Lukas Project, since January 3rd, 2016! When we took Holly in she was on death’s door – she had untreated diabetes, blind in both eyes due to diabetic induced cataracts, pancreatic failure and mammary cancer.

It was not believed that she would make it through the night, but despite the odds she rebounded, her pancreas healed, one cataract dissolved to the point that she can partially see, and her diabetes stabilized. Her cancerous tumor was removed, but came back quickly – this is unfortunately common with mammary cancer. It was determined at that time by her vets that her cancer was terminal. She entered our hospice program and has spent the last 2 years being loved and spoiled by her foster parents, Marie and Marlon.

Fast forward to January 2018 and a serendipitous conversation had at one of our Mexico spay and neuter clinics. While chatting with a local rescuer she mentioned her dog had mammary cancer and that her vet opted to do a double mastectomy and that she was now cured of cancer! Immediately I thought of Holly and took note that I had to contact our vet in Minneapolis and see if this was an option for Holly – could a simple conversation in passing be the answer we had been searching for entire time? Could it be possible that after two years we could cure her cancer!?!

We approached Holly’s vet with this idea, and after research and many conversations we decided we had to give it a chance if it meant she could live a long and full, cancer-free life, but first we had to know if the cancer spread.

Holly spent a full day at the vet getting complete blood work ups to assure all her levels were normal and her organs were functioning as they should – the results showed she was still in great health! Next we had to complete a number of x-rays to assure the cancer had not spread – especially to the lungs, which is most common with mammary cancer. And the good news is that the cancer had NOT SPREAD AT ALL!! We were over the moon! Holly is officially a candidate for double mastectomy surgery!

While this surgery is not commonly done in the US, it is the only option to assure Holly can have a long and healthy life free of cancer. Holly had dozens of tumors along both her left and right mammary channel, and simply removing the tumors would mean they would just grow back. The cancer has not spread yet, but it is likely that given more time it would so we have to act now and take this aggressive approach to cure her of cancer!

At just 8 years old we can give Holly another decade of life and a chance at a loving, forever home for the first time in her life! The surgery is costly and we are actively seeking emergency grant support, but with her first surgery fast approaching on April 23rd we have to raise funds quickly!

Surgery cost breakdown:

Pre-surgery blood work and x-rays: $450.19

April 23rd Surgery (left mammary channel removal): $1389.30

June Surgery (right mammary channel removal): $888.30 – $1389.30 (range is due to additional testing and medication)

Total: Range of $2727.79 to $3228.79

We need to raise $1840 by April 22nd to cover her first surgery and start the journey to cure Holly of cancer! We hope to have your support in our mission to save Holly’s life!!

We have 3 easy ways you can choose from to support Holly and PPR!!

1. Become a monthly donor & have your donation matched dollar-for-dollar by Dogs Of A Good Society!
2. Purchase a ticket to our April 29th 10th Annual Fundraiser!
3. Make a one-time donation to Holly’s vet care!

We feel honored to be able to provide Holly with a second chance in life and cure her of this terrible cancer! We hope to have your support as we venture into this exciting new chapter guaranteeing Holly the success story she so deserves!

Thank you on behalf of Holly and all of us at Pet Project Rescue!

We have big plans for 2018, and to get there we need your support! You’ve still got time to make an impact with end of year giving through December 31st – it’s an opportunity to support our life-saving programs and get your last-minute 2017 tax deduction! This year we expanded our programs to offer additional assistance to animals and their families most in need in our community – but that has meant a considerable increase in expenses. Our 2017 costs have exceeded our donations, which means we need your support more than ever.

Our programs are on track to serve more than 500 animals in 2017, which is 158% increase from 2016! We’re striving to end companion animal homelessness and unnecessary euthanasia of animals in our local shelters, as well as ending the cycle of animals born to a life of suffering on the streets.

We’re very proud of our growth and can’t wait to strive for even bigger goals in 2018 through our spay/neuter clinics, barn cat placement, Trap-Neuter-Return, hospice foster care, and vet care support. Give the gift of life with a donation of any size today!

Your gift helped make Penny’s success story possible!

In January 2017, Pet Project Rescue launched our free spay/neuter clinics in Cristo Rey, a remote, jungle area on the edge Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Penny was one of our first patients, and just a few months later while out promoting our clinic to local residence, a volunteer found Penny seriously injured in a cardboard box on the side of the road.

Penny had been hit by a car, and because her former owners had planned to go out of town they put her in a box and abandon her on the side of the road, per the neighbor’s account. Our volunteer found her in time and rushed her to our partner clinic in Playa where she had emergency surgery to repair her leg and chest wounds. She spent the next few weeks recovering in our partner clinic, battling infection and gaining the strength to walk again.

She made great strides thanks to care she received from our partner vet at Coco’s Animal Welfare. We all fell in love with this low-riding pup, and it was imperative that after everything she went through that she finds a home that could meet all her needs. We knew finding the right home in Playa may take time and a lot of work, but after two failed adoption placements we feared we may never find the right forever home for her in Playa– and that’s when a Canadian rescue reached out to help Penny!

Help us make 2018 the year we save lives, spay/neuter and provide care for more animals than every before with your 2017 donation!

Community cats, they live among us from cities to farms, even if we can’t always see them. According to Ally Cat Allies, “Cats living outdoors is nothing new. For most of their natural history, cats have lived outside alongside people. Evidence shows cats began living near people over 10,000 years ago, before the pyramids were built! It wasn’t until very recently, with the invention of kitty litter in the 1940s, that so many cats began living indoors only. Community cats are truly at home outdoors, just as countless cats have been for thousands of years.”

Know the facts! While community cats can do a good job of keeping rodent populations managed, reliable science shows they have little impact on wildlife populations, and given they have lived among us for over 10,000 years they have always been a part of our ecosystem – the real danger is not the cats, but the impact humans have on habitat!

These community cats may not like to snuggle in our laps, like their indoor cousins, but it doesn’t mean they don’t deserve our support and compassion. While there is a common misconception that outdoor cats are unhealthy, studies have shown these cats are just as healthy as indoor cats and often live just as long. There are many ways we can assure these outdoor kitties have a great quality of life!

So what can you do? Support our Barn Cat and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs! Our MN based TNR program humanely traps community cats, brings them to a vet to be spay/neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, and ear tipped (universal sign that a cat went through a TNR program). The cats are then released to their original location to continue living with their community – now healthier, reducing the risk of the spread of disease, as well as the stresses of breeding.

Our TNR program helps our communities by eliminating nuisance behaviors like yowling, fighting, and spraying of un-neutered male cats, reduces and stabilizes community cat populations, saves tax-payers’ dollars, reduced the burden on local shelters and rescues, and provides a humane and collaborative way to address concerns and coexist with cats. (source Alley Cat Allies)

Want to support Pet Project Rescue’s efforts to support community cats in the Twin Cities? Join us from November 30th to December 3rd for our Barn Cat Program online auction on Facebook!

We’re excited to let you know that we have launched our 2017 PPR Holiday Decor Fundraiser, which will run now through November 1st. Click here to order!

This fundraiser assures we can continue to care for our hospice and special needs foster animals, as well as provide free vet care and spay/neuter services for dogs and cats from MN to Mexico.

Your support is greatly appreciated, and we ask that you consider sharing our fundraiser with family, friends, and co-workers who may want to support our work by purchasing holiday decor!

This year our fundraiser will be entirely online, which means you don’t have to deal with any pick-up scheduling!! All orders will be delivered right to the door of all purchasers! It’s easy, convenient, and all prices include shipping, plus every item ordered comes with a free hanger (normally $3/ea) AND a tree will be planted for each item ordered!!

We choose to continue to work with a company that allows us to help animals and the environment, and Mickman’s also supports living wages for their employees, is 100% locally made, 100% recyclable and compostable packaging and products, and uses only renewable resources!

We hope to have your support this year for our 2017 Holiday Decor Fundraiser!

We are beyond blessed to have a MATCHING GIFT from Dogs Of a Good Society through April 30th for all NEW or increased MONTHLY DONORS! You can double your impact and forever change lives for the better with as little as $5 a month. We’ve reached $275 of $500 match with just 4 days to go!!

2017 has brought Pet Project Rescue new and exciting ventures that are making it possible for us to serve 5X the number of animals each month! With this wonderful growth comes a greater need for donor support and we are so excited that Dogs of A Good Society has stepped up to match $500 in new (or increased) monthly donors, but we must reach $500 in monthly donors by April 30^th to get our match!

We are so grateful for each and every one of our supporters, and we could use your help as we work to help other animals in need by becoming a $5 monthly donor! It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s hugely helpful to keep PPR programs going.

What does your $5 do?

• Cure an animal of life threatening parasites
• Monthly treatment for painful mange
• Prevent deadly diseases with vaccinations
• By reaching our match PPR can FULLY fund our monthly Mexico spay/neuter-vet clinics ongoing!

Our Mexico clinics will spay/neuter (s/n) and provide vet care for 650 animals annually, preventing THOUSANDS of animals being born to the streets each year, all of which would have needed rescue! Your $5/month donation will end the cycle of suffering, but without you we will not be able to continue this life-saving work.

Signing up is just a click away on our secure site. Your donation will be auto-deducted each month, making it easy for you! By signing up now your $5 donation will become $10!

Monthly donors also make it possible for PPR to do so much more!

•  Rescue terminally ill shelter animals and foster them in our hospice program, the Lukas Project
• Spay/neuter community street cats in the Twin Cities
•  Rescue feral shelter cats and place them in loving barn homes
•   Provide free vet care for clinic animals in need from MN to Mexico through our Hero Fund

Your $5 will save hundreds of lives and prevent thousands of animals from needless suffering, but we need your support by April 30^th to continue to care for the neediest of animals!

We’ve got more good news! Spring is in the air and we can’t wait to celebrate on April 30^th at Bauhaus Brew Labs from 12-4p for our 9^th Annual Fundraiser for the animals!!

Get your ticket in advance and save $5 plus you get FREE beer, soda, and coffee, as well as free chair massages, delicious food truck eats, silent auction goodies, Sarah Beth Photography’s 1^st ever Cuba exhibit, and so much more!! Claim your spot before it’s sold out!

Kids under 10 are free, and dogs are welcome on the patio. We’d LOVE to see all our PPR alums there!

We all have the power to be a hero for an animal in need, and now Pet Project Rescue’s Hero Fund makes becoming a hero easy! With the start of our spay/neuter clinics in the Cristo Rey neighborhood of Playa del Carmen, Mexico quickly made us realize that we had the opportunity to not only end the cycle of animals being born to the streets, but also vastly improve their quality of life through vet treatments for painful conditions like mange, parasites, communicable diseases, wounds, infections, and even broken bones.

Most of the animals that come to out clinics have never been to a vet, and while they all have homes their owners live in poverty and struggle just to keep food on the table. This is where Pet Project Rescue can help with FREE vet care via donor support to our Hero Fund!

You too can become a hero for a dog or cat in need with as little as $5 a month! The Hero Fund provides life-saving vet care, far beyond spay/neuter, for dogs and cats from MN to Mexico that come through our clinics. Whether it is a community cat in Minneapolis or an owned dog in Mexico, we want to provide the best care possible to help these animals live a quality life.

Since the creation of the Hero Fund in January 2017 we have been able to cure 4 dogs of severe mange, repair an embedded collar and provide shelter, harnesses and a clean environment for a family of 3 dogs, vaccinate and de-parasite 67 animals that were also spayed/neutered, fully vet and place 2 homeless and malnourished dogs in foster care in Playa, Mexico, and rescue, vet, and find homes for 4 abandoned cats right here in Minnesota! That’s after just 2 months of running this new program!

We know with our abilities to provide on-going follow up care for the animals we serve we can help many, many more dogs and cats throughout 2017 and far beyond with your support!

How can you help? We have exhausted ALL our donation to the Hero Fund by providing vet care to many animals over the last two months. The need is high, and we do not want to ever turn away an animal that we can help! More than ever we need the support of the public, but that support can come in any amount. As little as $5 a month, or a one time donation of $15 or $20 can provide a month of life-saving medication for a dog or cat! Becoming a hero for an animal in need is just a click away. A small step on your part can mean huge things for a sick animal. Become a HERO today!

This beautiful Boxer is just one of the many dogs and cats we will help throughout 2017 with donations to the Hero Fund. We first noticed this dog chained up and clearly in pain. We asked the owner if we could help, and she told us she had been cleaning his wound and trying to care for him, but without any money she could not bring him to a vet. She agreed that we could treat him and neuter him, as well as the 2 other dogs in the family. His neck would was surgically repaired and we fitted him with a nice new harness so his wound would heal properly. All 3 dogs got longer tie outs, new dog houses to protect them from the sun, wind and rain, and we also educated the owner on the importance of daily walks. We are happy to report all 3 dogs are doing well!

We hope that you will join us on this important journey to end the cycle of suffering for animals from MN to Mexico, and become the hero we know you already are by supporting our Hero Fund!

Thank  you to our long-time volunteer and Pet Project Rescue board member, Jenny Bennett, for writing up this great account on her experience in Mexico at our on-going 2017 spay and neuter clinic!

Most Minnesotans who venture to Mexico in January are on vacation. They head south to escape winter, lounge on the beach, drink cerveza, and soak in the sun. Not Project Rescue founder, Maia Rumpho. She travels to Playa del Carmen, Mexico each January to wake-up before the sun, wander neighborhoods most tourists never visit, and look for animals in need. She is partnering with Coco’s Animal Welfare (established by Laura Raikes) to execute Pet Project Rescue’s (PPR) mission to reduce the homeless-animal population by providing spay/neuter services and other life-improving veterinary care. This January, I had the opportunity to join her to see this mission in action.

The sun wasn’t up yet when we piled into the big blue Coco’s Animal Welfare van with Uli Vidal, a man whose job title I’m not sure how to describe. Part community liaison, part dog whisperer, part fearless champion for animal welfare, he’s certainly more than a transport driver for Coco’s. Nonetheless, he was our guide for the morning as we made our way to the Cristo Rey neighborhood about 20 minutes outside of Playa del Carmen’s center. The stacks of dog crates rattled in the back as the van bumped along the dirt roads of the jungle. It was evident we were no longer in a tourist area of Mexico.

The van pulled into the Cristo Rey neighborhood just as the sun was beginning to peek through the trees. Uli pulled out his clipboard and reviewed the list of dogs we would be picking up for the day’s spay/neuter clinic sponsored by PPR. Uli and Maia had visited the neighborhood on a previous day to talk with families, educate them on the importance of spay/neuter, and offer this clinic as a free resource. We expected to be picking up a little over a dozen dogs for the day’s clinic, but we were off to a bit of a disappointing start. The first house we visited had changed their mind. No dogs picked up there today, but Uli would try again another day. The decision to spay/neuter pets is an uncertain one for many Mexicans so patience and persistence is necessary. At the second house, we were greeted by Milo, a shaggy white dog, and his family. Two young girls hugged Milo and brought him to the van. Their father retrieved a second dog from the roof of their home. This small Chihuahua had been afflicted with a skin condition, so he carried it gently with a plastic bag. Uli placed both dogs in kennel in the back of the van and labeled each crate with the names of the dogs. Maia and I smiled as the father lovingly insisted that the dogs be labeled with their first AND last names. “Milo Balboa” and “Chico Balboa,” he said. These dogs are cherished family pets and the family is grateful they will get the veterinary care they need thanks to PPR and Coco’s.

Onward we went, house after house in this small, but dense rural neighborhood. The crates are quickly filling up in the back as more and more dogs are picked up for transport to the clinic. A few of our pick-ups were unplanned; Uli will go to any length to get animals the care they deserve. Whenever we saw a dog wander out of the jungle or along the side of the road, Uli rolled down his window and began talking with neighbor after neighbor until he found the owner and secured permission to provide spay/neuter services. We picked up at least 2 unplanned dogs this way, made room in the van, and persisted on.

We were almost done with our pick-ups and beginning to make our way back to Coco’s clinic when Maia and I witnessed Uli’s fearlessness and compassion for animals first hand. He pulled the van over at a construction site at the edge of the neighborhood after seeing a dog in need. It’s somewhat common practice in Mexico to chain up a fierce looking dog outside of a construction site as a method of security and protection. At this site, a large bull terrier had been chained up. He did have a water dish and someone had put a t-shirt on him to protect him from the daytime sun and the nighttime cool, but he was in danger. The chain around his neck had become restricted to only a few inches when he had tried to escape the fencing around the site. Uli noticed this and took action. From the safety of the van, Maia and I watched as Uli approached the snarling, fearfully aggressive dog. Uli was calm and gentle, reassuring the dog the entire time. He managed to free the chain, calm the dog, and coax him back inside the fence of the construction site (after the dog humorously stopped to lift his leg on the side of the building). Uli then secured the bottom of the fence in the hope that the dog wouldn’t become trapped again. I’m sure Uli will be returning frequently to check on this dog. As I mentioned before, he truly is a FEARLESS champion for all animals, even those not scheduled to come to the clinic.

We made one last pick up of 4 dogs that had been cared for at an area business, then made the return trip to Coco’s Animal Welfare Clinic in Playa. The staff was busy preparing for the arrival of the 16 dogs we picked up in Cristo Rey today.  We parked the van at the side door and crate-by-crate, transferred the dogs to the lobby of Coco’s. Staff immediately attended to the dogs, compassionately talking to each one and calling them by name as they cared for them. It’s evident they do their work for the love of the animals. Within a short time, all animals were assessed, transferred to kennels, and preparations for their veterinary care had begun. This is where our work for the morning ended as the dogs were now in the loving and capable hands of Coco’s. Thanks to funding from PPR, each dog will be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and provided with any needed medications. By the evening, Uli will be making the return trip to Cristo Rey to reunite all of these animals with their loving homes.

Thank you to Pet Project Rescue and Coco’s Animal Welfare for allowing me to see first hand the incredible ways you are improving the lives of animals. In my day-to-day life in Minnesota, I rarely come across animals suffering or in need of veterinary care. We are fortunate to have many resources for animal care in our area. Seeing these needs in Cristo Rey further illuminated the importance of international partnerships for animal welfare, like the collaboration between PPR and Coco’s. It doesn’t take much to make a difference. For example, the little puppy we picked up today with the skin condition (as well as 3 other dogs) will be treated for this life threatening condition with a medication that costs only $15. That’s all it takes to save a life…$15! I am happy to work with an organization whose supporters step up immediately to help in any amount they can. Within an hour, PPR had reached out to donors and had already received funding to help these dogs and so many more. In the end, animal welfare still feels like an overwhelming challenge but it’s reassuring to see people, like those with Pet Project Rescue and Coco’s, committed to doing anything they can, day after day, to better the lives of animals.