What do Valentines

and Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue

have in common here in North Dakota?

Glad you asked

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HAPPENINGS AT HEADQUARTERS

A brief glimpse into the life of Keith before TMAR

Our man who has a heart for animals

My love for animals started with my parents.

I remember old videos of me crawling around the floor with dogs.

We always had dogs.

When I was around 7 years old my parents rescued a cat with a broken jaw. They took it to a vet, and had to wire the jaw. We had to give him liquid food.

My first dog, Beulah, was a rescue from a job site my dad was working on. She learned how to climb the scaffold ladders so she could be close to my dad, who eventually took her home.

There were lots of little rescues as a kid, like the hawk with the injured wing that I would go and hand feed. One day I went out to the enclosure and saw he had a mouse that he had caught. That was when we knew he was good to be released.

After leaving Illinois, I lived in Northern Minnesota for awhile. I think that’s when the rescue mentality started. My ex-wife and I rescued a few dogs, a bird or two, a half dozen horses, some squirrels and raccoons as well.

I found some pictures when we did wildlife rehabbing in Minnesota.

Thank you Keith for staying the course.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Answer is…… (DRUM ROLL PLEASE)

For those not in the North Dakota / Minnesota area, what exactly is Giving Hearts Day?

As part of a continual improvement program at Fargo, North Dakota-based Dakota Medical Foundation (DMF), Giving Hearts Day arose in 2008 as a simple but unique fundraising concept: Around Valentine’s Day, ask people to show affection to not only people they love but charities, too.

In the decade-plus since, the event has gone on to become one of the longest-running and most successful giving days in the country, providing a platform for North Dakota and northwest Minnesota charities to raise $195 million.

Last year Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue received two Backyard and Beyond Awards through Giving Hearts Day: one for having the most donors from the most US states and the other for having the most donors from the most Minnesota cities. Great job everyone!

Watch Keith talk about Giving Hearts Day 2024

Much more going on in February.

Another cold month filled with lots of warm hearts

February 13 three events:

Meet and Greet PetSmart

2450 S Columbia Rd Grand Forks, ND 5:30pm - 7:30pm

Kissing Booth at SCHEELS Home and Hardware

3202 13th Ave S, Fargo ND 8:00am - 7:00pm

Grab a Drink and Snack

Bully Brew Coffee

321 Demers Ave, East Grand Forks 6:00am - 4:00pm

February  22 two events:

“Cat”urday Meet and Greet PetSmart

Cat Exclusive

1630 13th Ave E, West Fargo, ND 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Meet and Great Pet Supplies Plus

Dog Exclusive

1500 13th Ave E, West Fargo, ND 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Last but not least

Lots of events to choose from.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

FEATURED ANIMALS

HOW TO ADOPT  

Our rescue is volunteer-based. We rely heavily on our fosters. Most of our animals are adopted out of foster homes.  Currently most of our fosters are in the Fargo and Grand Forks area of North Dakota.

We highly encourage you to apply NOW

so you can be pre-approved for future TMAR animals!

FEATURED VOLUNTEER

We have new fosters joining us.  Welcome to our family! Thank you for stepping up and opening your hearts and home to a TMAR dog.

Meet Maddie and Justin.

Maddie: During the Rescue the Rescue Campaign, TMAR’s videos started popping up on my Facebook. I started to watch the videos nightly and fell in love with how “boots on the ground” they were with rescuing dogs.

We have always had a special place in our hearts for shelter pups as our own dog (and center of our universe) came from a shelter during COVID and we have always wanted to give back to the dog rescue community. When we saw TMAR needed fosters in Fargo we knew we needed to apply as it would be the best way for our family to help this organization that we fell in love with.

Dustin: During the winter being unemployed from construction, I have a lot of time on my hands. I always see information about animals in our community in need. With the time, the means, and my wife’s suggestion, it felt like the perfect opportunity to help.

Maddie: The most rewarding aspect of fostering is seeing, first hand, a line in the Foster Manual come true in front of your eyes:

“For every animal you take in, we can bring another one in from the elements. You caring for one, immediately saves two”

That line lives with me every day I look at Mamma in our home and watch the intake videos on TMAR’s Facebook of more dogs coming in from the cold North Dakota weather. It makes me want to agree to foster 10 dogs at a time!

The most challenging (besides not being able to foster all the dogs at the same time) is definitely the first couple of days when they are transitioning to your home. All you want is to give them all the food, toys, snuggles, and love in the world, but you have to give the dog time to be willing to accept it. That transition piece is tough to work through.

Dustin: Currently, the most rewarding part is knowing I’m providing a good home for a dog that otherwise wouldn’t have one. I look forward to watching that dog go to their forever home and knowing I helped play a role in it.

The most challenging aspect is getting a new dog to adapt to an environment that they are not used to and watching them transition through that process slowly.

Dustin at home with Mamma and Banjo

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Volunteer can mean many things to many people.  

How passionate and creative are you?

Visit our Website

Or message our TMAR Facebook page and ask how you can help.

MMERCHANDISE

Your purchase today

helps save lives like these

TMAR operates in an underserved community where veterinary access is sparse and local animals are in desperate need of a helping hand. We work hand in hand with our community to save thousands of animals each year. We are nothing without our community, our volunteers and our supporters.

Every dollar you donate will go towards providing vaccinations, mange and flea and tick treatments, paying for vet bills, gas for transports, food for the animals, and our biggest goal, a shelter. ​​You can donate financially:

Watch for our March TMARTAILS.

We have some fun facts coming your way

#RESCUEMATTERS