Important updates about Rosegate RHDC

     It has already been more than two years since Rosegate received 501(c)3 nonprofit status.
In those couple of years we have had quite the learning path with experiences and reality check.
Since we are not a regular rescue, this means that we do not just take in any dog and cat.
We follow strict considerations for what animals are allow to be here and co-habitat with the already established residents.

     We have also discovered that this region has little issue with people abandoning their senior dogs.
All the local shelters here are rarely full and those are usually young. It may be country living or a pervasive attitude with hunting dogs but It seems that people are caring and responsible with their dogs. That farm life has given rise to a feline problem though. Little cared for barn cats that quickly overpopulate their colonies. In an old time attitude to constantly have a cat population to hunt rodents they avoid any selective spaying or neutering.

     We had some semi-feral barn cats wander into our life and they were suffering from multiple parasitic infestations. These adventurous foundlings that came to us on their own accord were young but we could not turn them around.

     Soon or later we will have to consider either changing the name from Rosegate Retirement Home for Dogs and Cats to something more representative of the environment we produce for those in our care. Not just a new name but re-brand our character and mission. We could also just dissolve this organization officially as a business but keep doing what we have been.

     The name is too long. We are not providing a home for just senior animals and there are not many senior street dogs out here. A final consideration is that we do not wish to feel pressured by peoples thoughts on how we should be going about this project. We will probably always have family dog(s) but we will not going to specialize or focusing solely on that aspect. Me, personally, I would love to rescue only orange cats. They seem to hold a special spot in my heart. :)

     Rosie, Crosby and GiGi taught us some important lessons and tested our patience.
Through their love we came to realize that we can not fulfill all the ways these lost dogs need to be whole again. Yes we tried with all our hearts and that is why saved and spent lots of money and resources for the creation of Rosegate.

     As we get older it seems our resource or energy will lessen and thus we are considering a closure of the organization. Another option is to simply down scale and remove any business side of Rosegate. We will always be providing a home to those we can and keeping a private or personal social media page for those who have become friends of Rosegate. To those that will come, purr and conquer their way into our hearts, our door is always open.

     To those kind souls who have become our friends of furry critter, thank you and please stay.
We will continue to update the situation and keep the purr love flowing.

R.I.P Dear GiGi

Rest in Peace now dear GiGi.
Unfortunately we had to help her cross the Rainbow Bridge.

GiGi came to us three years ago from Grant County Humane Society, Elbow Lake, Minnesota.
She had Lyme disease but she was a happy doggie.
We had good times together and she loved all the cats here too. Her favorite things was rolling in the fresh grass or fresh fluffy snow. We loved our walks together and I loved her soothing snoring when she was sleeping.

Unfortunately, about two weeks ago she started to have accidents in the house, mostly on her bed during the night. She would be asleep and just poop. She seemed to get lost in the yard and disoriented. She also did not like to go out in the dark early mornings anymore. Soon after we suspected that her eyes sight had gotten worse. She still felt safe walking close near me. The cats knew that something was wrong.

Suddenly, two days ago she stopped eating and drinking. She refused her medicine and even her favorite treats. A day later she was not able to stand up nor walk.

We had to come to a hard decision to take her to the vet on May 4th, 2020. Around 11:45 AM she passed quickly and peacefully. As GiGi crossed over the Bridge she stole a piece our hearts. 

Crosby's Story

Crosby was our daughter Susan's dog but he often visited us here in the countryside. Susan adopted him from a pound in the state of Washington. The poor thing had an emotional disorder (Separation Anxiety) so sometimes he was destroying things in their apartment and not just objects but even the carpets. Barking all the time without rest when he was alone and generally driving himself to such stressful states it was unhealthy for him too.
There was times when she was ready to find a new home for him but it never happened because somehow they bonded as kindred spirits. So he stayed with her and she always hoped he would mellow with time.
When Susan ended the relationship with her boyfriend, we asked her to move closer to us. We felt she needed a big change and a new place with family near her would do nicely. She was a bit apprehensive but took the leap of faith and even went back to school for a new career path. She bought a small house and started her online college for 2 years. Crosby and her loved to visit us on our peaceful property out on the country, where Crosby was happy and free running like a puppy again. At the time we had Rosie and they became good puppy friends.

Since they lived seven miles away from us, they would visit frequently. As we grew close and had the opportunity to notice that Crosby's hearing and eyesight was getting weak. Soon after that he started pacing incessantly until he got tired and fell into sleep. His anxiety which had lessened as the years went by started to come back. Not separation but something else. Then his joints were creaking more and more as stiffness set on. Arthritis was surely present too. His happy running got slower in the big yard.

Susan took him to the vet and they said he was just getting older. He started to drink a lot of water and was having accidents in the house. The poor old puppy was just wearing out. One morning she had that feeling and sent me a text message saying; Mom, I think it's time. She sent me a video how Crosby walked around and around in tight circles. His doggie dementia had gotten much worse in a short space of time. She made an appointment for Crosby's peaceful passing.

Half of his ashes placed near Rosie's and Tommy's grave and for all the memories how much he loved running around here in the countryside. He has been released from his long years of friendship and service to Suzie and his family. He is at peace eternal and awaits all his fur and human family to run and bounce with joy.

Who's a good boy? Crosby is.

Augustina's Story

It was a busy August day. We had a big garden work day, I was working on the riding mower while my husband worked the push mower and weed wacker. After the yard looked clean and neat, we planned to watch a movie or two. It was about six in the evening. I saw the cats had been watching something quietly in the yard from their cat tower and then I heard a meow under our window. I went to the window and I saw this tiny black kitten. She came under the kitchen windows and she looked up at me, crying. Her age could not have been any older than six weeks. She must have been hungry because she was demanding help or food from a strange place.
I went outside and at first she was scared, but then easily came to me. My husband came out too and he already hugged her and kissing her. He always does this without knowing or caring if the cats is sick or not (He says he wants to make them feel part of the family without stigmatizing them.) I bought her a can of cat food and the poor thing ate like she had never seen food before.
She was purring and eating at the same time.

We kept her in the isolation room and the next few days took her to the vet. She was only one and a half pounds! The boys adopted her right away after she was released from isolation and spoiled her rotten. They trained her to steal food from the other girls and they groomed her like they were her real parents. She sucked up the love like a black hole.

We called her Augustina, since she found us in August. I often joke about her name is longer than her. She is a healthy and independent young lady now. Little Auggie has been spayed and she is here to stay. She came, she purred and she conquered. She is nine months old as of today and her brothers are still grooming her like a baby. Every evening she come between us on the sofa to watch movies with us and she especially loves horror movies. It must be the black cat in her. Auggie is the little princess of the palace and the kingdom is all hers.

Heartworms are deadly!

Ever wonder what a heartworm positive dogs heart can look like? 

This is why we are so adamant about heartworm prevention, especially in the spring and summer months when the mosquitos are out. A heart like this cannot function properly. Heartworms are deadly!

Heartworm disease is a serious disease that results in severe lung disease, heart failure, other organ damage, and death in pets, mainly dogs, cats, and ferrets. It is caused by a parasitic worm called Dirofilaria immitis.The worms are spread through the bite of a mosquito.  The dog is the definitive host, meaning that the worms mature into adults, mate, and produce offspring while living inside a dog.  The mosquito is the intermediate host, meaning that the worms live inside a mosquito for a short transition period in order to become infective (able to cause heartworm disease).  The worms are called “heartworms” because the adults live in the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels of an infected animal.    

In the United States, heartworm disease is most common along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from the Gulf of Mexico to New Jersey and along the Mississippi River and its major tributaries, but it has been reported in dogs in all 50 states. 

The Heartworm Life Cycle in Dogs

In an infected dog, adult female heartworms release their offspring, called microfilariae, into the dog’s bloodstream.  When a mosquito bites the infected dog, the mosquito becomes infected with the microfilariae.  Over the next 10 to 14 days and under the right environmental conditions, the microfilariae become infective larvae while living inside the mosquito.  Microfilariae must pass through a mosquito to become infective larvae.  When the infected mosquito bites another dog, the mosquito spreads the infective larvae to the dog through the bite wound.  In the newly infected dog, it takes about 6 to 7 months for the infective larvae to mature into adult heartworms.  The adult heartworms mate and the females release their offspring into the dog’s bloodstream, completing the life cycle. 

Heartworm disease is not contagious, meaning that a dog cannot catch the disease from being near an infected dog.  Heartworm disease is only spread through the bite of a mosquito.

Inside a dog, a heartworm lifespan is 5 to 7 years.  Adult heartworms look like strands of cooked spaghetti, with males reaching about 4 to 6 inches in length and females reaching about 10 to 12 inches in length.  The number of worms living inside an infected dog is called the worm burden.  The average worm burden in dogs is 15 worms, but that number can range from 1 to 250 worms. 

Can Cats Get Heartworm Disease?
Is Heartworm Disease Different in Cats?

Cats can also get heartworms after being bitten by an infected mosquito, although they are not as susceptible to infection as dogs.  A cat is not a natural host of heartworms because the worms do not thrive as well inside a cat’s body.  Both indoor and outdoor cats are at risk for heartworm disease.

Heartworm disease in cats is a bit different than in dogs.  Heartworms in cats do not live as long (average lifespan is only 2 to 4 years) or grow as long, and fewer of them mature into adults.  Worm burdens are lower in cats than dogs. Usually a cat has only one or two worms. However, due to its relatively small body size, a cat with only a few worms is still considered to be heavily infected.

In cats, it takes 7 to 8 months for infective larvae to mature into adult heartworms and produce microfilariae.  This is about one month longer than in dogs.  The presence of microfilariae in a cat’s bloodstream is uncommon.  Only 20 percent of cats with heartworm disease have microfilariae in the bloodstream, compared to 80 to 90 percent of dogs with heartworm disease.  Also, the presence of microfilariae in the bloodstream is inconsistent and short-lived in cats.   

It is harder to detect heartworm infections in cats than in dogs. Veterinarians generally use two types of blood tests in combination to check a cat for heartworms.  However, negative test results do not rule out heartworm infection, and positive test results may or may not mean that there is an active heartworm infection.  A veterinarian uses the results of both blood tests, along with the cat’s symptoms and the results of other tests such as x-rays and an ultrasound of the heart, to determine if a cat has heartworm disease.

Again, Prevention is the Best Treatment!

Several products are FDA-approved to prevent heartworms in cats.  There are both topical and oral products for cats, and all are given monthly and require a veterinarian’s prescription. Some heartworm preventives contain other ingredients that are effective against certain intestinal worms (such as roundworms and hookworms) and other parasites (such as fleas, ticks, and ear mites).

Again, year-round prevention is best!  Talk to your cat’s veterinarian to decide which preventive is best for your cats.

My Giving Story 2019 - Quality over Quantity

Well, we did not won, but we will keep trying. ;)

Ever since our senior dog Rosie passed, we had our eyes on the neighbors property that has three suitable buildings on two acres so as to create Rosegate Retirement Home for Dogs and Cats. We had been excited about creating something good and big enough that it would give a home for a couple dozen dogs and many more cats.

We saved our money, opened up some donation pages, got the 501(c)3 status and even an old friend told us that she will help us out with a big chunk of money which didn't happened either. Only the owner of that property, an old farmer who didn't seem like he cared anything about this dream. We tried to get closer by being friendly with him and see if he had any interest but he was only going to talk about farming; corn, soy and spraying said crops. Some complaining about the industry and equipment but no other topics held his considerations. :(

With all these false hopes, the dream was shattered and slipping away. Well, at least the big part of it. Maybe he will never sell his property to us or he could live longer than us but there's no time to waste. So we decided to stop dreaming and start doing. that would mean a much more limited space but one paw in front of the other is our motto. We installed a full perimeter fence on our own three acres of property.

Not only do we have to make sure that all the animals can get along due to the Rosegate model of "comfy couches and not cages" but we also have to share our living space with them and thus, keep our own sanity. :) This has unfortunately led to refusing a few potential residents due to this reason. Thus we keep it small and give them a quality of life instead of hoarding them like merchandise in a warehouse.

We are still hoping that we can inspire some people to do likewise and every home helps those wayward furry friends to find a home. If they have some property and the desire to give senior pets a forever home, that is all that is required. Big or small, dreams will fill the vessel they are dreamt in... and helping those in need is a precious feeling that expands beyond those limits.

As silly as it seems, we also have a more distant dream, that If enough funds would come our way we could still be able to create a physical facility working with The Humane Society for both Big Stone County and Swift County. I guess that one breaks the vessel but this is the way of dreams.

Mr. Mau's Story

In August 2018 I was gardening in the pollinator garden, digging a hole for a new flowering shrub. I got a few minutes break and was stretching my back when I felt sad again about Tommy. He was my best Ginger cat who had lost his battle with cancer just a little more than a year ago. I looked up at the sky and was asking out loud; "Where are you Tommy?" Since I have always believed in signs of a Spirit, I was hoping that one day I would get a message from him. As soon as I was ready to continue to dig a little deeper I heard a gentle meow.

I could not believed what I was seeing and had to blink. There was a skinny white-ginger cat just a few feet away, continuing this gentle greeting. At first he was shy but that only lasted for few minutes. He came closer to me, rubbed himself against my legs and looked into my eyes with a happy little hope. It was immediately obvious that he was a mature male cat.

My excitement grew and I went towards the house to let my husband know we had a new arrival. I asked him to bring out a can of cat food as I kept asking the kitty; Where you came from? Who are you? He answered: Mau. I asked him is that your name Mau? He said Mau. haha. That sounded silly but for me it was such a gentle and loving introduction.
Mr. Mau finished two cans of food in the first five to ten minutes.

Hubby stayed outside with us and he already adopted Mau. He held him, hugged him and kissed him. That was the moment I saw some worms just "jump" out from his little butt. I gave him dewormer immediately as well as sending my husband to our local vet to get something a bit more extensive since I had seen at least two or three different kinds of worms in him. The poor thing was so infested with parasitic worms that his anus and surrounding area was swollen.

We let Mau get used to us before attempting to bring him inside. We kept the garage door open for him at night time as well as the truck windows. We caught him sleeping inside of the truck many times, especially during heavy rain and storms.

One morning I saw him eating rodents and then a roadside squirrel. I told myself THAT's IT! No more disgusting food for him. I was upset that his continued wild diet would negate the dewormer and keep him in a cycle of infestation and then dewormer medicines. Since he was so nice and kind he let me to trim his claws and took him inside the shower. I gave him shower and we provided him an isolation room upstairs.
In the meanwhile we scheduled an appointment with the vet and started a Fundraiser for him. Through the kind donations of his new fans, more than enough for his first veterinary appointment and neuter operation was achieved. Mr. Mau was isolated for four weeks until he was cleared from worms, parasites and ear mites. Don't worry that we left him all alone. Hubby stayed with him all that time and they made friends.
I took him outside with a harness so he was easier to adjust to his new life. It did not take too long for him to get used to the clean, warm house with food, treats and other pets. He easily made friends with Kahili, the only other male cat here. They have became best buddies, but Mr. Mau is such a gentle cat, that he friends with all the pets here.

One year after we rescued him, a tiny black kitten (Augustina) found us as well. Mr. Mau loved this tiny kitten as well and they became friends. One day I caught Mau and Augustina on the window bed looking outside and he had one paw hugging her. Probably he was just telling the story to her of how he had arrived here and was now fat and happy and that she had come to the right house.

Lucy's Story

     Lucy was an 8th Anniversary gift from my husband in 2014. She was born in a barn in Benson, Minnesota, amongst two other siblings. One white, one black and little fuzzy grey Lucy. Rosegate did not yet exist but we had our three original rescue pets who already where seniors. Two cats and a dog; CeeCee, Tommy and Rosie. I thought it was a bad idea to bring a kitten home amongst these furry retirees. She needed a home and was way too cute so we accepted her in with open arms and melting hearts. She was tiny and her fur looked more silverish blue then just gray. We though she looked like a Russian Blue breed which would be astonishing due to breeders protocol. She definitely was full of energy and was a troublemaker so she might just be. 

     A few days after she was living with us, we almost took her to a cat rescue place, since she was constantly was bothering the older pets and we anguished at our stupidity. We had been too naive and did not realized that Tommy was so very sick already with cancer and he was very irritated with the kitten. He even sprayed in a show of dominance and territorial marking twice upon Lucy's arrival. Somehow we went through the hardest kitten time with her but she was so cute and she loved Rosie the old dog. She always slept with her and she even tried to get milk from her when she first got here. The morning when Rosie got sick, Lucy was softening her chest and snuggled up with her. That was their last time together because old Rosie dog died. Lucy lost her first true friend at the young age of one and we feel it was a tough time for all of us. 

     Even though Lucy was missing her doggie friend, we took a break after Rosie's passing and held off bringing another dog in. Unfortunately, Lucy got bored and was bugging the other two cats. Tommy's condition worsened and as Lucy grow older and more serious, she loved comforting Tommy. Snuggled with him and keeping him warm. Tommy had no choice but accepting the little love bug. Lucy was three years old when she lost her second fur friend Tommy. 

The next morning I found her curled up and sleeping alone on Tommy's blanket. 

     That broke my heart to see so I laid beside her and tried to comfort her. I could tell she was annoyed and she then left me. I felt she was blaming me for the passing of Rosie and Tommy. Lucy was never the same after she lost her two best friends. Now only CeeCee and her were left and with the house so very quiet, we decided to get a kitten for Lucy. That is how we adopted Kāhili, the little Ginger Cat from New Ulm Humane Society, MN. 

    These two had great times together and the little kitten kept Lucy busy and exercised. It helped her back away from her depression. 

Lucy always has been an active cat and since she was 6 months old we took her outside with her harness to walk and smell nature, otherwise she would drives us crazy with her never ending curiosity and boredom. She was pretty trustworthy around the age of three to go outside alone and whenever we called her name, she came back running to us. 

     At the time we had a new senior dog GiGi and sometimes we went for a walk, all three of us in a little parade fashion. It was fun and Lucy behaved nice. Although we saw her killing snakes, a ground squirrel and a bird. She never ate them, because she was not allowed. Then one day she did not came back. It was end of Summer. She was not answering when we called her name. Her disappearance made us more and more nervous and and then racked with guilt and fear. We were looking for her for days on end and losing hope. The neighbor farmer had about 900 acres of cornfield and Lucy must have been lost in there. I connected with my animal communicator group on Facebook in an attempt to do everything we could. Unfortunately they were unable to come to a unified conclusion and all were telling us different stories with clues we were to decipher as to her whereabouts. We followed all leeds blindly but with no positive answer or outcome.We were calling her and walking into the cornfield like a search and rescue party. Driving around the blocks aimlessly, making noises with her food bowls. We went outside at night time with flashlights feeling wretched with ourselves thinking she could be alive and scared or worse. Slogging through flooded drainage ditches and poking into buries drain pipes and decaying old barns. Examining roadkills like forensic detectives judging teeth and fur just to be sure she had not gotten into an accident. One day we moved her litter box outside near the wood area close to the corn fields, since we heard that could help her to find her way back home.... Nothing but broken hearted despair with the ever growing thought that we had failed her and she was not coming home. 

     One morning GiGi and I took a walk and I kept calling Lucy out of mechanical desperation and finally I heard a scared and meek meow. I did not believe it at first until a second scared and pathetic meow came. I was so happy but still scared too since I could not see her and had to be holding her for assurance that she made it home. I called my husband and he located her in the field. He had a dickens of a time getting her to come to him and she even wrenched herself free from him. He had to grab her again and hold her in a bear hug until they got back inside. The poor thing was so frightened and scared that she was almost wild from her ordeal. 

     In those four days we had thunderstorms complete with winds and lighting. The corn was dry and muffled sounds but for its rustling leaves in all directions. The corn would have brought out many other wild critters too and some of them would have been happy to prey on little Lucy. 

     Since then she does not go too far, from the door and likes the assurance of her strict supervision. Lucy has become very smart and now she has settled down nicely as a house cat. She will be six years old this summer of 2020. 

LuciFur the beautiful Benson Russian Blue barn cat, born in the summer 2014 that needed a home and all she got was us and some other fur friends... and one hell of a lifetime adventure story to tell about the devil and the dry corn field. She tells that story to every new kitten and they look at her in amazement and wonder. :)