Pets face dangers from lawn chemicals
BY MADELINE DOLBY SHOREVIEW PRESS EDITOR
During the warmer months, pets spend more time outside and are more likely to be exposed to harmful chemicals and exposure to these types of chemicals can be potentially harmful to dogs, says an University of Minnesota’s assistant professor.
“There are so many chemicals that might be used on a lawn, even just various classes,” said Ahna Brutlag, senior director of SafetyCall and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “They can all act a little bit differently.”
Dogs tend to be the pets that come into contact the most with harmful lawn pesticides, but other outdoor-loving pets are just as susceptible to negative health outcomes. These negative health outcomes can include vomiting, gastrointestinal problems and even pancreatitis.
“It is very common that we see dogs eat grass and vomit,” Brutlag said. “We really consider it a non-toxic exposure.” Grass is not poisonous to dogs, but it can induce vomiting.
“Where we do get a little more concerned about yard exposures, is toxic plants,” she pointed out. Minnesota has various toxic plants that can cause various levels of sickness. A few of these plants include Day Lilys, Daffodils and Hydrangeas.
Along with toxic plants, pet owners should be aware of fertilizers. A lot of fertilizers are bone, fish and blood meal based, which can be attractive to dogs. If consumed in a large amount, the meal can form a ball, or concretion, in the stomach. The concretion can be difficult for dogs to pass, causing gastrointestinal problems.
“The other thing we can see with big fertilizer ingestions is something called pancreatitis,” said Brutlag. Pancreatitis is usually caused in dogs from consuming high density fat materials, such as meat or bones. This can cause massive inflammation of the pancreas and become painful.
Insecticides also pose a threat to your pets even if applied properly. Organophosphates, found in lawn chemicals such as flower or rose spray, are highly poisonous to animals. Brutlag suggests that if persons wish to use products that contain organophosphates, make sure pets cannot get access to those plants for several days.
BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
Over her nearly five-decade career, Barb Goldberg performed dialysis on a hospital’s first heart transplant patient; took care of a patient with Lassa fever; and performed dialysis on a holocaust survivor.
The Circle Pines resident recently retired after a 49-year career in nursing, 39 of those in dialysis.
“She’s worked in several environments but when I think of all the lives she’s impacted and or saved, it’s kind of remarkable,” said her husband, Dean Goldberg, a retired pharmacist.
Believe it or not, nursing wasn’t the career Barb envisioned for herself. After graduating high school in 1973, she wanted to become a teacher, but those jobs were hard to come by.
“Woman were on the verge of starting to go into other careers … but the main careers were secretary, teacher, nursing. Those were sort of your options,” she recalled. “I picked nursing because it sounded interesting. Teaching is what I really wanted to do, but that is truly what I’ve done in my career of nursing as well.”
Music on the Lake: Next up, Holy Rocka Rollaz
you missed the
If
Music on the Lake It’s Golden concerts in July, don’t fret, there are three performances left. Next up will be the Holy Rocka Rollaz from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8 at Golden Lake Park in Circle Pines. Take an authentic trip back to the 50s with the Holy Rocka Rollaz as they bring back memories and nostalgia with music from the legends like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and Johnny Cash.
CONTRIBUTED
Longtime nurse Barb Goldberg retires after nearly 50 years in healthcare.
NURSING CAREER: Goldberg ‘sees herself saying yes to more opportunities’
FROM PAGE 1
“I went to nursing school and I haven’t looked back. It has been a great career,” she said. “If someone tells me they are considering nursing, I tell them what a great career it is. There is such variety, there are so many different directions you can go now more than ever… If you don’t like a particular area, there are many others to choose from.”
When she graduated, she knew she wanted to work in a hospital, but being a fresh graduate jobs were hard to come by.
After graduation she worked five years in a Robbinsdale residential rehabilitation home and spent the summer of 1980 working in a Hemlocks Easter Seal camp in Connecticut. But her passion was always to work in a hospital and after returning from the East Seal camp she landed a job at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. She worked on the floor for about nine months until she heard about a critical care internship the hospital was offering.
During the three-month internship she was trained in on four units. Upon completion of the internship, she was placed in a critical care float pool. “I wasn’t really thrilled about it, but it was good experience,” she explained.
When her dream job opened up in the medical surgical intensive care unit (ICU), she pounced again. She stayed there for about four years, until the next opportunity presented itself.
“I had two friends I was working with in the ICU that moved over to (dialysis). “I watched and I liked what I saw. I loved procedures and I liked that kind of action,” she explained. “I wasn’t dissatisfied with the ICU, but it was a
new challenge and something I thought I might like.”
Barb and Dean got married in 1986 and had three children together, all 22 months apart.
Dialysis is where she spent three decades of her career. She continued to work at Abbott until the early 90s when a company called Fresenius took over dialysis at Abbott and other Allina hospitals. She would travel around to various hospitals.
“You would go one place one day and another place the next. I didn’t think I was going to like that, but I did,” she said. “Every day was some place different, so it really kept it fresh and interesting. It was something different every day.”
While their children were in school, although Barb didn’t work often, but she would work occasionally to keep up her skills. “I knew I didn’t want to get too far away from not working. I wanted the flexibility to get back to work,” she explained.
Fast forward and after her youngest child graduated from high school, Barb took a job with the Fresenius Twin Cities Acute program, mentoring new nurses about dialysis. That’s where her love of teaching kicked in.
“I would get them oriented to all the ins and outs of in-patient dialysis, which is (very) different from clinic dialysis,” she said.
Once the pandemic hit, Barb was working a lot of hours. “There was always work to do and a need for help,” she explained. “Covid resulted in multisystem organ failure, that’s how they died. It wasn’t just the lungs… it was affecting the heart, brain, how your blood coagulates.”
She explained that she would spend
up to five hours in a room with a covid patient, but “I never once got it from work,” she said, adding that Dean gave it to her at home.
“I’ve been working with noxious organisms my entire life, everything from Hepatitis B to Lassa fever, to pneumonias and I didn’t bring that stuff home,” she recalled. “I think my immune system, after being exposed to that every day, was really good. I was also careful.”
Barb recalls witnessing the “mass exodus” of nurses leaving the field during and after the pandemic due to burn out. “I knew people in every ICU around the cities and they are all gone,” she said.
Even before the pandemic her career had its share of challenges.
“There were some very long days. Dialysis is not shift work,” she explained. “I never knew what time I was going to walk out that door.” Barb recalled one shift where she worked for 21 hours. She also recalled being on call for the 24-7 hospital coverage.
The most rewarding part of the job was forming relationships with her patients.
“Nurses walk in a room, and they have to establish a relationship with the patient in pretty short order … You have to have compassion. You have to help them get to a place where they can get care and get out of there hopefully in a better place.”
One of the highlights of her career, and Dean’s, was their decision to travel to Honduras to provide medical care. In 2009 their daughter was attending Boston University and was planning to travel to Honduras to install water reservoirs.
“Dean was on the phone with her and he looked at me and said ‘do you want to go to Honduras to do medical care?’ and I said sure.”
From 2009 to 2018, the two traveled to Honduras each year for a one-week brigade where they would set up a clinic in a village and provide primary medical care. “We would see anything from urinary tract infections to more serious things,” she explained. “It was crazy, fun and interesting. We went back again and again and again.”
Looking back at her career, a common theme for Barb was just saying “yes” to opportunities that arose. “Say yes to doing things, I said yes a lot,” she said. She also encouraged young nurses to be willing to learn from their elders, and the more-experienced nurses need to willing to teach those who will one-day take their place.
“These are the people that are going to be taking care of me when I need medical care. Why would we want good people to leave the profession and not nurture them and train them and get them to point where they are functioning and good nurses? she said. “We have all been the new kid on the block.”
As for retirement, Barb sees herself saying yes to more opportunities. She said she is not planning to let her license go just yet. This fall, the Goldbergs are planning to travel to Europe. They also plan to travel to California more often to visit their grandchildren.
She also foresees herself staying involved as a volunteer with Bridging Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides furniture and household goods to those in need.
“I’m not a sit-around kind of gal,” she said.
Managing Editor Shannon Granholm can be reached at 651-407-1227 or quadnews@presspubs.com.
Curious Crow Company offers curious collectibles
The Curious Crow Company, a shop specializing in vintage pop culture collectibles, opens it first physical location in Lexington. The store will take over the space that was once Lyke’s Boxing. It is located at 9155 Highway Drive. For more information, go to curiouscrowcompany.com.
Mandy, Derek & Leah
PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED
Goldberg (right) spent three decades as a dialysis nurse.
A close up of the cake given to Goldberg at her retirement party.
TOMMY CHANDLER | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
The Curious Crow Company opens their first physical location in Lexington.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
ONGOING EVENTS:
CENTERVILLE MAIN STREET MARKET
When: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursdays, July 18-Aug. 22
Where: Next to Centerville Elementary, 1721 West View Ave.
Details: Shop among local artisans, pick up produce from a neighborhood farmer, enjoy live music and grab a bite to eat from a food truck before walking to the nearby Bald Eagle Water Ski Show that starts right after the Market. Weekly theme nights.
Contact: facebook.com/CentervilleMainStreetMarket
LEXINGTON FARMERS MARKET
When: 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays
Where: Lexington Municipal Liquor Store front parking lot, 9271 Lake Drive
Details: Vendors selling veggies and fruit, baked goods, Maple syrup, tea and homemade gifts.
Contact: Karen Gregory 612-272-3386 or kgregory244@ gmail.com
CURRENT EVENTS:
MUSIC ON THE LAKE
When: 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8
Where: Golden Lake Park, 67 W. Golden Lake Road., Circle Pines
Details: Free outdoor community concert featuring The Holy Rocka Rollaz. Contact: isd12.ce.eleyo.com
AUTHOR VISIT
When: 10-11:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 9
Where: Lake Country Booksellers, 4766 Washington Square
Details: Visit and book signing with acclaimed White Bear Lake-based children’s book author David LaRochelle.
Contact: facebook.com/people/Lake-CountryBooksellers
SUMMER FORAGING
When: 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Aug. 10
Where: Wargo Nature Center, 7701 Main St., Lino Lakes Details: Hike around the forest, fields and wetlands in search of wild edible plants and mushrooms. Registration information online. Contact: anokacountyparks.com
MOVIE IN THE PARK
When: Dusk, Saturday, Aug. 10
Where: Polar Lakes Park,1280 Hammond Road., White Bear Township
CITY OF CENTERVILLE, MINNESOTA
PUBLIC NOTICE OF ELECTION
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Primary Election will be held in the City of Centerville, Minnesota, on Tuesday, August 13, 2024 at the polling locations listed below for the purpose of voting for candidates of the offices specified below. The polls for said election will be open at 7:00 AM and will remain open until closing at 8:00 PM. The City of Centerville’s polling location, voting hours are as follows: St. Genevieve’s Community Parish Center 6995 Centerville Road Centerville, MN 55038
HOURS: 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
FEDERAL OFFICES
• US Representative District 3, 5, 6 STATE OFFICES
• State Senator District 27, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 39
• State Representative District 17A, 27B, 30B, 31A, 31B, 32A, 32B, 34B, 35A, 35B, 36A, 39A, 39B
Centerville’s polling location: Church of St. Genevieve Parish Community Center, 6995
Details: Bring a lawn chair or banket and bug spray and watch a free family-friendly movie outdoors. “Trolls Band Together” shows. See weather updates on Facebook. Contact: facebook.com/ WhiteBearTownshipMNOfficialSite
CAMPFIRE TALKS WITH A NATURALIST
When: 7-7:45 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10
Where: Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Campground Details: Family-friendly naturalist-led presentation on butterflies. Free.
Contact: anokacountyparks.com
SUMMER LAWN CONCERT
When: 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11
Where: Hanifl Performing Arts Center, 4941 Long Ave.
Details: Enjoy a “genre-bending” musical performance by The OK Factor. Rain or shine; pay-what-you-want admission.
Contact: lakeshoreplayers.com
BIRCHWOOD SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
When: 6-7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11
Where: Tighe-Schmitz Park
Details: Five person Ensemble Aventura performs.
ST. PAUL HIKING CLUB
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13
Where: Ramsey County Beach, 5050 Lake Ave., White Bear Lake
Details: Walk along the lake and downtown neighborhood streets, approximately 3 miles.
Contact: stpaulhike.com
COMMUNITY BRIEF
Watershed district seeks water
quality grant applicants
The Rice Creek Watershed District is searching for homeowners or businesses in Anoka County that would like to do a project such as a rain garden, shoreland plantings and stabilizations or turf lawn conversions.
The water quality grant program offers an opportunity for individuals and organizations to actively participate in improving the water quality within the district. This program funds projects that implement best management practices to address water quality challenges within the watershed.
For more information or to apply, visit www. ricecreek.org/grants/water-quality-grants. Email mnelson@ricecreek.org for questions.
Saturday at 4:30 pm Parish Community Center 6995 Centerville Rd, Centerville Sunday at 8:30 am St. John’s Site 14383 Forest Blvd N, Hugo
Sunday at 10:30 am Parish Community Center 6995 Centerville Rd, Centerville www.stgens.org 651‐429‐7937
and
information
Week of July 28 – August 3 2024 Editor’s
3. First woman to coach Bear boys team. White Bear Press > Sports
4. White Bear Lake Police Reports. White Bear Press > Police Reports
5. ‘Best of’ contest voting commences at the Press. White Bear Press > News
OPINION
Finding happiness here
Ruth Gibson of White Bear Lake sent a letter to me back in 2020 which included an article written by the Reverend Robert Legette Alexander, D.D. He was the third USS Yorktown Protestant chaplain in 1943. The article came from the book Living Day By Day with Dr. “A.”
I had the opportunity to visit by phone recently with Ruth, who is now 99 years of age and still active. Ruth knew A. J. Werlein and his wife, Nancy, who lived in White Bear Lake for many years. A.J. was a Navy pilot in World War II and the USS Yorktown was his carrier.
Reverend Alexander’s article follows:
The story is told of a certain preacher who on one occasion asked all in his congregation who wanted to go to Heaven to stand up. All rose but one man. Then he asked those to stand who wanted to go to hell…nobody rose. The puzzled person then asked the noncooperating brother where he wanted to go. He replied, “Nowhere; I like it here!”
Yes, it is true. The normal Christian likes it here and finds his happiness here. As someone has expressed it, “If he can’t find happiness where he is, he is not likely to find it anywhere.” This is because happiness is the kind of thing a person makes for himself and carries about with him. Happy is the man who is too brave to be victimized by wishful thinking, imaginary troubles, or easy escapes. Happy is the man who has the conviction and the courage to tackle that which is difficult, and to find joy in the struggle. The brave heart is the happy heart, for it fears no man or thing, but finds God and goodness and love and truth in all things everywhere.
So far, I’ve said two things. No. 1. “Happy is the man who knows that he must find happiness where he is.” No. 2. “Happy is the man who is not afraid to tackle that which is difficult.” Now, can you think of some other prime requisites that should be added to traditional evidence to support premise No. 1 and No. 2? Try this on for size, or rather for prime requisite No. 3. Happy is the man who realizes that by the very nature of life you cannot please everybody all the time or at any one time; and knowing this, you will never be upset when you do not. Regardless of your position in life, you must understand that every person isn’t going to like you equally well. Some are going to be jealous of what you have or envious because of your ability. Others will rejoice in your mistakes, your failures, even your sufferings. Others, for no reason at all, will not like you. Yes, happy is the man, and happy will you be, if you can forgive and overlook, refuse to hold grudges, try to get even and hit back. No. 4. Happy is the man who realizes that he must live in this world as it is. When an earthquake threatened, a family sent their small son to safety in an aunt’s home a hundred miles away. After two days they received a telegram saying, “Returning the boy; send earthquake.” Figuratively speaking, there is either a small boy or an earthquake where you live. Changing the place where you live is not the answer. The ultimate secret of quiet, simple, healthy-minded living is to identify yourself with a devotion to life that lifts you above the small petty things that happen to you, a devotion so high that God alone is above you. He’s busy, but you will find that at least he’s quiet. True? True!
Gene Johnson is the interim publisher of Press Publications.
ANew laws in effect, priorities for 2025
s your state senator, I’m honored to represent our community at the legislature. Through the conversations I’ve had at the doors, over the phone, or via email with my friends and neighbors, I’ve fought for our priorities in St. Paul. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish, and I wanted to highlight just a few bills that went into effect on Aug. 1.
One such bill focuses on gun violence prevention and public safety.
I was proud to chief author the bill banning the use of binary triggers and to prevent straw purchases of firearms in Minnesota. We know what can happen when violent criminals are able to access weapons through a straw purchase, and how deadly they can be when they’re dangerously modified.
After months of work and conversations with members of law enforcement, community members, and my colleagues, it is now in effect.
Election season is considered to be from the filing deadline until the day of the election.
• Limited to 350 words.
Letters are free unless endorsing or opposing a candidate, party or question on the ballot.
I’m also proud of two bills that will prevent accidents and keep our kids safe. One bans cell phone cases that look like guns, a commonsense proposal that will prevent deadly accidents. The second bans vapes that look like school supplies, which only served as a way to smuggle these products into our schools.
There’s also a new law that will make everyone’s life easier. My bill requiring subscription or membership-based services to have the option to cancel in one simple click. Instead of a flurry of emails or onerous steps, these cancellations can be done one simple click.
Affordable housing is one of my priorities, and something I hear a lot about from constituents. While we made a historic $1 billion investment in housing in 2023, much of this year’s focus surrounded the “missing middle” housing proposal. This was a broad and ambitious proposal, and it lacked the refinement necessary for my support. While it did not pass this year, many people have reached out to me about another local housing issue.
There has been a lot of discussion about a proposed housing development in Lino Lakes. This is a local control issue, and it is mostly up to the city of Lino
Lakes and its elected officials. My hope is that any proposal is one that wins the support of the community, and that all who call Lino Lakes home, or who want to call it home, can feel welcomed. While the 2025 Legislative Session doesn’t begin until January, I’m talking every day to my constituents about their priorities. I’ve heard again and again about the need for more investment in public safety, mental health resources and school infrastructure needs. These are our shared priorities, and I’ll fight for them next year.
I hope that all of my friends and neighbors across the district enjoy the final weeks of summer, the State Fair and going back to school. If I don’t see you in-person around the district, do not hesitate to reach out to me or my office at 651-296-1253 or via email at sen.heather.gustafson@ mnsenate.gov.
Senator Heather Gustafson represents Centerville, Circle Pines, Lino Lakes, Gem Lake, North Oaks, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, White Bear Township, and Birchwood Village in the State Senate. She is Vice Chair of the Senate Education Finance Committee.
QUAD COMMUNITY PRESS | ELECTION LETTER GUIDELINES
number for verification.
Letter-writers must live, work or have another connection to Press Publications coverage area.
Endorsement/opposition letters will have a $50 fee. Please call 651-407-1200 to arrange payment by credit card or mail a check payable to Press Publications to 4779 Bloom Ave, White Bear Lake, MN, 55110. Endorsement/opposition letters are labeled, “paid letter.”
Submissions must include a full name, address and phone
Letters are meant to express opinions. If letter-writers include facts, they must attribute those facts to a reputable news source.
Due to space limitations, letters that don’t address local issues are not guaranteed publication. Repeat unpaid letters by the same writer about the same subject matter will not be published. Repeat paid endorsement letters will be
published as space permits. Four weeks (or issues) must pass between publication of unpaid letters from the same writer. Exceptions may be made for rebuttal letters at the editor’s discretion.
Submissions containing libelous or derogatory statements will not be published.
• Letters by campaign managers or candidates designed to champion the candidate’s position on a specific issue will be accepted as paid letters.
• Letters reprinted as part of letter-writing campaigns are paid letters.
All letters are subject to editing. We reserve the right to not publish any letter.
• The deadline to submit a letter is 5 p.m. Wednesday the week prior to publication. The last batch of letters to be printed before the Nov. 5 election will be printed in the Oct. 23 issue and must be received by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct.16. To submit a letter, email news@ presspubs.com or mail/deliver it to Press Publications.
About the Town
Gene Johnson
Movers & Shakers
Michelle Koch
Lino Lakes popcorn connoisseur spreads love of popcorn
BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
All you need is white kernels, coconut oil and salt — That’s it.
Lino Lakes resident Kevin McGuigan is a popcorn aficionado spreading his love of popcorn one kernel at a time.
“I love making popcorn. I love the flavor of it,” he said. McGuigan grew up making popcorn for his family. When his parents got married, they received a pan and McGuigan says his mom found an illfitting lid. “The family popcorn pan was born,” he said. “It was only used for popcorn. I learned to make popcorn in, and I still have it today.”
That’s where the logo for his popcorn cart business “Popcorn, Kevin’s Way” comes from. He was inspired to go into the business a couple of years ago while he was working at the railroad.
“I worked in a diesel shop with a bunch of guys, and they all had these cool hobbies, hot rods, motorcycles, guns, fishing, camping ... And I just don’t do any of that stuff,” he explained. “I thought I needed to do something on the side to preoccupy my time when I’m not working.”
He purchased a Whirley Pop Popcorn maker and started making popcorn for the guys at work, and they loved it. He was watching YouTube one day when he stumbled across a video of a guy who had a
hotdog cart business. He said he didn’t love hotdogs enough to go that route, but he thought, ‘Why not popcorn?’
He looked into it and ended up buying an e-bike that looked like a motorcycle from a company out of Texas. He was initially going to purchase his popcorn cart from a company out of Romania, but after delays and a change of design, he decided to buy a cart from a company in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
McGuigan pursued the business part-time until he was furloughed from his railroad job last February. He now pursues his popcorn passion full-time, but due to all the rain this year, he said he might have to get another job.
“If I didn’t get rained out, I think I would be doing pretty good,” he explained.
He brings his cart to car shows, city festivals, farmers markets, county fairs, music festivals, craft fairs and more. People in the Quad area have likely spotted him at local parades and festivals. He also does private events like weddings and graduations.
In addition to the popcorn, McGuigan says he enjoys attending the events and meeting people. “(I love) seeing people’s reaction and having them come back and give me compliments on the popcorn,” he said. “I’m an introvert and this gets me out to events … It gets me outside and to go places.”
If you stop by his popcorn cart, you are likely to hear his popcorn pitch. “Popcorn, Kevin’s Way is made in the truest most natural corn-flavored way. With a time-proven kernel-to-oil ratio at the perfect temperature, the popcorn comes out crisp and tender. Lightly salted, the true corn flavor stands on its own, but adding the decadent flavor of real melted butter will have you stop and appreciate just how good Popcorn, Kevin’s Way is.”
He has yet to venture into other flavors but says in the future he might experiment with various shaker flavors that customers could add. After this summer, he plans to sell his e-bike but keep the cart. “It’s just not practical,” he said, adding that the cart gets too heavy to pull with all his popcorn supplies.
McGuigan’s dream is to purchase another custom-made cart and to add an employee or two. He also hopes to establish a relationship with another business, say a corporate office building, that will allow him to set up his cart once a week year-round.
For more information, or to find out where the little red popcorn cart will be, find Popcorn, Kevin’s Way on Facebook or email him at popcornkevinsway@gmail.com.
Managing Editor Shannon Granholm can be reached at 651-407-1227 or quadnews@presspubs.com.
ads to run ONE TIME, the week beginning 8/4/2024 Metro
• The Allina Health Live Savewr Award was presented to officers, firefighters and first responders who aided in helping an unresponsive person on May 31. Recipients of the award include Officer Rey Hernandez, Officer Seamus Linderholm, Sergeant Nolan Wahlberg, Chief Erik Edwards, firefighter Jeffrey Geiger, firefighter Zach O’Connell,
paramedic Amanda McCarthy and EMT Kay Empey.
• Results have yet to be disclosed regarding the public accessory test on the optical sc an voting equipment at City Hall.
week beginning 8/4/2024 Metro
• The city of Lexington sign near Bill’s Gun Shop & Range requires maintenance due to a flickering light.
• City Administrator Bill Petracek
mentions that the next City Council workshop may be moved to the first meeting in September “for budget purposes.”
The next Lexington City Council meeting will be 7 p.m. Thursday Aug. 15 in council chambers.
Hannah Testa
ads to run ONE TIME, the week beginning 8/4/2024
Upcoming Games
August 6-11 vs. Columbus Clippers August 13-18 vs. Indianapolis Indians
MDAN ads to run ONE TIME, the week
LEXINGTON CITY COUNCIL SNIPPETS
Popcorn, Kevin’s Way is lightly salted and coated with real butter.
PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED
McGuigan attends a festival with his popcorn cart.
Symptoms of insecticide consumption includes increased concretion, such as vomiting and tearing from the eyes. Brutlag says concretion in the lungs can also occur and pet owners might hear their dog wheezing or coughing.
“There is an antidote that we can give dogs in the veterinary clinic,” Brutlag mentioned. “It’s an injection that can dry out those secretions and stop that progress of poisoning from continuing.”
With fertilizer, symptoms include vomiting. If the fertilizer poisoning is progressing towards pancreatitis, Brutlag said one might see a dog standing in a hunched position due to abdominal pain. They also may refuse food.
Brutlag said the most important thing for pet owners to note is if the chemicals are properly applied and owners follow label guidelines, most
CENTERVILLE TIDBITS
• A public hearing is set for August 14 on a moratorium on all developments in the downtown area. The proposed development pause would give time to study current planning guidelines for downtown and to provide time for public discussion on a future vision for the downtown area. After the public hearing, the city will set the parameters of a moratorium. For example, the city could say townhomes could still be developed on Block 7 while the planning documents are under review. The public hearing is set for 6:30 p.m. at Centerville Elementary School, 1721 Westview St.
• The city’s Economic Development Authority’s (EDA) proposed 2025 budget of $56,981 has been approved by the city council. The EDA budget included $41,658 in operating expenses and $15,000 in capital budget.
• The Planning and Zoning Commission submitted a $15,900 budget request to council. The commission uses the money for wages and salaries, payroll taxes, professional services, engineering fees, advertising, ordinance publication hearings, meeting per diem and conferences. The 2024 budget was $12,700. Mayor D. Love says he had never seen a commission budget request before. City administrator Mark Statz said engaged citizens reminded him commissions are required by city code to submit a budget by the end of July. “So, now, it’s on their to-do list,” he said.
• St. Genevieve’s Church will install a new decorative fence along Main Street, after the EDA and City Council approved a $8,137.50 grant application from St. Genevieve’s Church for the upgraded decorative fence.
The application requires at a 50% match of $8,137.50 for the project which will be provided by the city’s Housing
lawn care products are safe and nontoxic.
“The number one, best thing to do is follow label instructions,” said Brutlag. “Number two, keep all of these things out of reach of your dog. The third thing to be aware of is some fertilizers are attractive to dogs.”
Brutlag suggests owners place lawn chemicals and fertilizers on high shelves in the garage or store them in a room with a door to lock pets out.
For more information about keeping your pet healthy and avoiding potential poisonings, go to www.petpoisonhelpline.com/.
Madeline Dolby is the editor of The Shoreview Press. She can be reached at 651-431-1226 or shoreviewnews@presspubs.com.
and Redevelopment Authority. The current chain link fence will be replaced with 210 feet of four-foot black steel ornamental fence from Fence Me In of Hugo. Since the grant money will come from the Main Street Enhancement grant, the fence will be installed only on Main Street.
• The Centennial Fire District is getting a new fire truck and the city approved spending $47,000 to help pay for it. The district lacks adequate funds to fully pay for fund the $548,000 truck so Circle Pines’ contribution would be $53,000. The fire district is cutting back on the number of trucks in its fleet, from four to three.
• Centerville is a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon community and takes part in activities that benefit local veterans. Activities include an annual veterans’ appreciation event, Purple Heart parking spaces at City Hall, a POW/ MIA flag at Laurie LaMotte Park, signs at the entrances to the city. Dorothy Radermacher of the yellow ribbon organization has presented a recognition award to the city for championing the city’s program and working with the organization. For more information about the organization and the ways it serves veterans, visit www.btyrnemetro. org.
• The city will donate $2,000 to the Alexandra House which provides direct services to 1,500—2,000 victims and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. Services provided by Alexandra House are free. Centerville is among the cities that regularly provide donations to Alexandra House. The money will be from the general fund. For more information about Alexandra House, go to www.alexandrahouse.org.
• Residents at 7235 Mill Road may
Tips to reduce risk of chemical exposure:
• Eliminate the use of lawn care chemicals in your yard. If you must treat your lawn, reduce the amount of time that your dog spends outside after the initial application of chemicals.
• Call your local parks and recreation department and ask for a list of chemicals they use, as well as a schedule of treatment applications.
• Give your dog a gentle bath on a regular schedule.
now park an RV/motor home on their property for up to 90 days for family members selling their home and moving to an assisted living facility, following council approval of temporary dwelling permits.
• Council passed a resolution accepting a donation to the city from Mar & Mar Properties, LLC for Kids’ Night at Main Street Market. The $100 donation will sponsor a face painter at the event. State statute allows accepting such donations if they are formally and publicly accepted.
• Early in-person voting is underway for the state partisan primary election Aug. 12. Citizens may vote early inperson Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. via direct balloting at City Hall or at the Anoka County Elections Office.
Special hours during the final weekend are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10 and from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 12.
Primary Election Day is Aug. 13 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Centerville’s polling place, located at Genevieve’s Community Parish Center (Fellowship Hall), 6995 Centerville Road. Offices on
WEEKLY WAG
• Use a cleansing wipe to wipe down your dog after outdoor activities. Lab lovers, here is the
girl for you. Meet Chrispita, or Pita for short. Pita is a playful, affectionate, smart young girl who loves to snuggle with her
the ballot include U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative for District 6. During primary voting, all voters must vote only within one political party. Absentee voting for the state general election will run from Sept. 20 until Oct. 17. In-person early voting will run from Oct. 18 until Nov. 1.
• Election filings for municipal elections, are now open until Aug. 13. Filings are accepted at City Hall Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesday, Aug. 13 from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Offices up for election: mayor, two-year term; two, four-year council members seats and one, two-term council member special election seat. There is a fee for filing. The filing form, Affidavit of Candidacy, is available on the Secretary of State’s Office website, www.sos.state. mn.us and must be notarized. Interested persons should stop at City Hall to obtain a packet.
The next city council meeting will be 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 14 at City Hall, 1880 Main St. Loretta Harding
people when she isn’t busy playing with her toys or playing with her foster brother. She is a one-year-old Labrador Retriever mix and weighs about 50 pounds. Her foster describes Pita as a super silly, super sweet and overall amazing dog. Pita is social with other dogs and friendly to people.
She is house trained, and leash trained.
She knows her basic commands and would do well in a formal training program. Pita is also crate trained,
but she prefers to be with her people, even at night she likes to sleep at the foot of the bed. She is lovable and eager to please, and she is anxiously awaiting a loving forever family and home. Chrispita arrived at Ruff Start Rescue from Texas as part of the Lone Star to North Star Program. If you are interested in learning more about Chrispita or adopting her, please fill out an application at www. ruffstartrescue.org.
The Lino Lakes Police Department report the following incidents:
• An officer responded to a report of suspicious activity July 23 outside of a resident in the 7800 block of Lake Drive. The officer determined there were no problems.
• An officer responded to a report of an alarm at a business in the 200 block of Apollo Drive July 23. The officer spoke with staff on site and determined the alarm was accidentally activated.
• An officer received a report July 23 regarding possible financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. The officer investigated and determined no crime had been committed.
• An officer took a phone call July 23 regarding a runaway juvenile in the 1000 block of Blac Duck Court. The officer documented the incident, and the juvenile was entered as a runaway. The juvenile was later located and returned home.
• An officer stopped a vehicle July 23 in the 1100 block of Birch Street for a moving violation. The driver was suspected of being impaired and was arrested for several offenses.
• An officer conducted a traffic stop July 23 in the 6500 block of Otter Lak Road for speeding. The driver was ultimately charged with possessing a fake or altered Minnesota driver’s license.
• An officer received a report July 24 regarding a possible neglect of a vulnerable adult in the 700 block of Town Center Parkway. The officer investigated and determined there was insufficient evidence to believe a crime had occurred.
• An officer took a phone call July 24 regarding a missing adult male. The male was entered as missing. An investigation revealed he was in west-central Minnesota and was taken to a nearby hospital. His family was able to reunite with him.
• An officer received information July 24 of a vehicle that regularly exceeded the speed limit and drove carelessly during morning rush hour in in the 1200 block of Ash Street. An officer monitored the area during the timeframe provided and the suspect was located driving at a very high speed and illegal passing. The vehicle was stopped, and the driver was cited for numerous violations.
• Officers and rescue personnel from fire division responded to a local lake July 24 in the 7300 block of Main Street on a call of a collision of two personal watercrafts. One operator was transported to a hospital.
• An officer took possession of a bicycle July 25 found in the 400 block of Lois Lane. The officer entered it into property at the police department for safekeeping.
• An officer and firefighters responded to a report of a grill on fire July 25 in the 400 block of Lonesome Pine Trail. The fire was extinguished and there were no injuries.
• An officer responded to a report of a theft July 26 in the 7600 block of Village Drive. The officer identified a suspect. The suspect was then issued a citation by mail.
• An officer checked a residency in the 600 block of Apollo Drive July 26 regarding an ongoing barking dog. The disturbance was located, and the owner was issued a warning.
• An officer responded to a reported scam July 27 in the 7700 block of Country Lane. The officer determined there was an attempted identity theft. The victim was not out of any money and there was no available suspect information.
• Officers responded to a business parking lot in the 700 block of Apollo Drive July 27 for a report of a suspicious person and vehicle with no license
plates. Officer contacted two people involved, but the officer had no reason to believe a crime had been committed. The two individuals were informed they could not drive the vehicle without registration.
• An officer took report of a dog bite July 27 in the 800 block of Fox Road. The investigation is ongoing.
• An officer took a report of a property damage accident July 28 in the 7700 block of 20th Avenue. The person responsible left the scene. The incident is under investigation.
• An officer took a trespassing complaint report July 29 in the 6400 block of Fox Road. The officer spoke with the wife of the person named in the complaint and notified her of the complaint. The complainant didn’t want to pursue further action.
• A community service officer located spray paint on a city sign and trash cans July 29 in the 6500 block of Pheasant Run South. The area was checked for additional damage and public works was notified for cleaning. The investigation is ongoing.
• Officers were dispatched July 29 to a report of a hit and run in the 7200 block of Black Lake Drive. The suspect was located and cited for careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
The Centennial Lakes Police Department reports the following incidents:
• Officers took a report of a stolen vehicle July 24 in the 6800 block of Mallard Way in Circle Pines.
• An individual turned in a found wallet July 24 to the Centennial Lakes Police in the 0 block of West Golden Lake Road. A community service officer processed the property and notified the owner of where to pick it up.
• Police took a report of a burglary July 24 in the 1600 block of Hunters Ridge Lane in Centerville.
• Officers responded to the intersection of Lake Drive and Woodland Road July 25 due to a twovehicle crash.
• Police responded to the 0 block of Hillcrest Lane in Circle Pines July 25 regarding a medical emergency. The patient was transported to the hospital by EMS.
• Police responded July 26 to a verbal domestic in the 1900 block of 73rd Street in Centerville. Police mediated the issue. One of the involved parties left.
• Police responded July 26 on a report of a dog bite in the 200 block of Little John Drive in Circle Pines.
• Officers were flagged down July 27 in the 1700
block of Main Street in Centerville for a two-car accident. Officers took information for a report and facilitated the exchange of information between the drivers.
• Officers received a call July 26 in the 9400 block of Griggs Avenue in Lexington on a possible violation of a harassment restraining order. All clear.
• The Lino Lakes police department stopped a vehicle July 29 in the 1800 block of Main Street in Centerville. The driver of the vehicle was cited for multiple offenses and had a warrant.
• Officers responded to a suspicious activity report July 30 in the 1900 block of Main Street in Centerville. No further information.
Madeline Dolby
PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEF
At 4:03 am. Wednesday July 31, Lino Lakes police and fire divisions were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash in the 6100 block of Centerville Road.
Upon arrival, officers met with the driver of the vehicle who had gone off the east side of the roadway while northbound and struck a power pole, causing the pole to break and the broken portion to hang, suspended by the lines. The adult male driver of the vehicle was the only occupant at the time of the crash, and he was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
The cause of the crash was investigated, and no criminal charges are pending. Centerville Road was closed, and traffic diverted due to the safety risk caused by low-hanging utility lines.
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Local gaming store helps players be the very best
BY LOGAN GION CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Three American regional championships, a second place at nationals, two former Top 32 world placements and two current Top 32 European rankings—all within five years. Four of the best Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) players on the continent regularly level up their skills at GameRelated, just east of Marcus Oakdale Theater.
Given all the badges of honor, one might be surprised that Pokémon wasn’t in the cards when co-owners Sea Cha and Tony Lee opened GameRelated with “Lee’s Magic: The Gathering” collection as their first products. “We didn’t know what was gonna happen,” Cha said. “That level of ignorance allowed me to proceed!” Just nine months after opening, the COVID lockdown hit.
Cha views the pandemic as a double-edge boost to GameRelated’s business. “Fate, and the right people helped,” she said. Before COVID, a small group of regulars had already been playing Pokémon TCG at the store, among them Stillwater native Braiden Elfert. “Braiden was in here before we opened!”
noted co-owner Tony Lee. “We were still setting up the walls … When you’re traveling the circuit, you have to be on the lookout for new places.”
Lee is referring to the Pokémon Championship Series, in which TCG players must earn enough points to receive an invite to the World Tournament.
“Every year, they tell you how many points and how to get them,” Elfert said. “There’s local, regional … international gives the most points.” COVID, though, put that on pause.
“It was a unique situation,” Cha remembers.
“There were no challenges, and people needed to stay conditioned. Nobody opened,” Lee added. “Sea had my back. We figured, we just gotta live. We can’t be deterred … We took into account people’s safety concerns and used effective measures to help deter.”
Giving Pokémon players a center where they could focus their energy during COVID proved super-effective. In 2022, Elfert won the regional tournament in Milwaukee in a nailbiting showdown.
“I asked myself, ‘What could beat everything?’” Elfert remembers. “What do the general masses play? What’s the perceived
top deck? I try to have a few answers for those (questions).”
With a decade of experience, Elfert also notes that times are different now because of social media.
“It’s more collaborative … there’s less variance, which ups player expression.”
While some Pokémon cards are worth more money than a Cerulean City bike, Elfert gets the most value out of “the friends, community, and people,” he jokes. “Sea rallies us all.”
GameRelated’s floor has homespun touches no corporate franchise could replicate: A vending machine that possibly dispenses super-rare cards, enormous houseplants with viridian and celadon leaves next to lavender and cinnabar geodes, a French bulldog named Tron.
“He’s our mascot,” Cha chuckles. “With him, now I know what having a real Pokémon is like!”
GameRelated is located at 5685 Geneva Ave. N. in Oakdale. You can also interact with them on Facebook at GameRelatedMN.
Blaine native appointed to University Board of Trustees
Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan have appointed Julie Jeppson, from Blaine, to the Mentally Ill and Dangerous Civil Commitment Reform Task Force. It was established to evaluate current statutes related to mentally ill and dangerous civil commitments and develop recommendations to optimize the use of stateoperated mental health resources and increase equitable access and outcomes for patients. She will serve on the board till January 2027.
SPORTS
Cougar town team wins playoff series to qualify for state
BY BRUCE STRAND SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR
The Centennial town baseball team qualified for the state tournament by winning a best-of-three playoff series over the weekend, after finishing the regular season with a 14-14 record.
The Cougars swept the Anoka Bucs, winning 8-2 on Friday evening and 11-1 on Sunday, in the Metro Minny League playoffs. The league has four slots in the state Class A/B tournament and the Cougars earned one of them. The tournament will be held over three weekends starting Aug. 16-18 at Jordan, Belle Plaine, Green Isle and Shakopee.
In the regular season, the Cougars were 6-8 in the Metro Minny, tying for fifth place among eight teams. Champlin Park placed first by five games with a 13-1 record.
This is the team’s seventh year of existence, managed all along
by Joe Cyzewski, who started the team. They are currently 16-14, and had their first winning season last year, 13-10.
The roster of 26 players are mostly Centennial and Blaine graduates who grew up together playing in the Complete Game club based in Lino Lakes. Most are playing college baseball.
In the 8-2 win over Anoka, Michael Murray belted a solo homer, and Vinny Wry had a single, walk, hit-bypitch, two runs, and two RBI’s. Both are Centennial graduates. Winning pitcher was Hans Christensen V, a Blaine graduate, who threw seven innings, allowing two runs, striking out five.
In the 11-1 win, Ethan Pettis pitched a complete game and went 3-for-4 with two doubles, knocking in three runs. Jackson Koenig was 3-for-4 with three RBI’s, and Damon Thoemke 3-for-4 with two RBI’s. All three are Blaine graduates.
In the regular season, Sam Kilber (Maple Grove) hit .314 in 26 games and led with 21 runs, 15 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Aiden Lieser (Centennial 2024) hit .355 with five RBI’s in eight games leaving to join his college team, Nebraska. Ryan Burley (Blaine) hit .349 in 10 games.
Pettis hit .297 with 10 runs in 19 games. Bryson Mohs (Forest Lake) hit .287 in 25 games with 14 runs and 16 walks. Wry (who also plays for St. Mary’s) hit .263 with nine runs in 12 games. Hitting two each of the team’s seven homers were Joe Beckman and Garrett Stauffacher, both from Blaine. Stauffacher has 15 RBI’s. Christensen and Pettis each have a 4-1 record after their playoff wins. Christensen’s earned-run-average is 2.46 and Pettis’s is 3.60. Eric Charest (Blaine) has pitched the most innings, 53.7, posting a 3-3 record and 3.20 earned run average. Caden Klebba (Centennial) is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA and two saves in 26.7 innings.
North metro native sets for second Olympic Games
BY BRUCE STRAND SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR
Lara Dallman-Weiss, a Shoreview native and former Mounds View athlete, is competing at the Olympic Games for a second time as we speak.
The 35-year-old Miami resident will team up with Boston native Stu McNay, 42, in the new mixed two-person dinghy 470 class. This is the first Olympics with a mixed gender sailing category. In 2020, Dallman-Weiss teamed with Nikole Barnes of Florida; they placed 12th in two-person dinghy.
Dallman-Weiss and McNay, a former Yale sailor who’s been in four previous Olympics, won the U.S. Olympic trials in Miami in April. They qualified their boat for the Olympics by placing 26th in a world meet in Spain.
Sailing at the Paris Olympics will take place in Marseille on the southern coast of France. It will conclude on Thursday, Aug. 8.
Dallman-Weiss started sailing at age 6 on White Bear Lake, as the youngest member of a Shoreview family passionate about the sport. Her parents are Sue Dallman and John Weiss. While learning how to race, she also helped her father officiate events on White Bear Lake.
At Mounds View, Dallman-Weiss competed in basketball, track, cross country and dance team. She was set to attend a Wisconsin college on a track scholarship, but she changed her mind and attended Eckerd College in Florida instead. There, she shifted her focus to sailing as her lone sport.
Eckerd “changed my life completely and sent me down the Olympic sailing path,” she said in a recent interview on the website of a sponsor, Vaurmet, whose eyewear she uses while sailing.
She also stated: “I’ve always wanted to be a professional athlete and I know that when I’m training and competing, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
Another compelling interest for Dallman-Weiss is Sailors for the Sea, a group dedicated to protecting the oceans. In an interview on that group’s website, she said it started with Planet Earth documentaries.
“The videos I’ve seen with animals near death because of a human action or object, have affected me to my core,” she said.
Specifically, she added, “I worry about the invasive species that change ecosystems, the dying corals and sonic pollution. I don’t like the rate at which our oceans are heating up and the many toxins humans create and dump. Education and accurate information are vital so we can all make choices that can help the oceans.”
Interviewed about sailing by MPR News, she noted, “My teammate sits on the side of the boat and I’m on a trapeze. So, I hang off the side of the boat (in a harness). It is so fun. It’s extremely physical and you’re working to your highest heart rate most of the 45-minute race, and you’re also reading the wind, making decisions based on the weather.”
MPR mentioned that sailing is sometimes perceived as an elitist sport for the wealthy. Dallman-Weiss responded: “I am rich in
Cougars hold youth camp
The Centennial football team held its annual youth football camp Monday and Tuesday with over 200 elementary students in grades 2-5 attending. The scheduled third portion of the camp was rained out on Wednesday. Cougar coach Mike Diggins was director, and varsity players volunteered to run the camp’s stations including Luke Metcalf and Merhawi Zeresenay in the photo. Two Cougar players and two kids smiled for the camera above.
experiences. I am certainly privileged in that I was able to grow up sailing, but by no means do my parents pay for my sailing or my Olympic sailing. I very much had to fundraise and work side jobs and do anything I could to make this work.”
Dallman-Weiss has worked as a drone pilot, copywriter and photographer. She credits her grandfather, Howard Dallman, who was a pilot in both Vietnam and World War II as her inspiration.
BRUCE STRAND |
CONTRIBUTED
Hans Christensen leads the Cougars pitching staff with a 4-1 record.
CONTRIBUTED
Lara Dallman-Weiss smiles in her United States sailing vest. She is competing at the Paris Olympics this week.
Area husky rescue has ‘lifelong commitment’ to its dogs
BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
Huskies can be escape artists, diggers, runners, anxious and stubborn, but one Minnesota dog rescue has stepped up to make sure they find the right home and don’t end up in shelters.
“We are a breed-specific rescue and take on a breed others may see as difficult or hard to manage,” said Julie Maset, event coordinator for Adopt A Husky Minnesota. We focus on taking in purebred huskies from local shelters or owner surrenders as we have found many end up in shelters as strays. We are small but mighty.”
Amanda Paulson, president of the Adopt A Huskie board, says huskies have traits that often frustrate owners and cause them to give up.
“So many people like the breed because of their looks but they don’t realize the maintenance with grooming, escaping, digging,” she explained. “They are opportunists, any chance they get they will run, and by the time you’re inside getting your keys to go find them there a mile away.”
Paulson first began volunteering with Adopt A Husky, Inc. (based out of Illinois) back in 2003 after she saw a flyer at a dog park saying the rescue needed volunteers and foster homes.
Her first dog was a husky, and she just so happened to have a 1-year-old husky at the time. “I could see there was a need,” she recalled.
Fast forward to 2018 and a group of volunteers in Minnesota was growing. Paulson led the Minnesota chapter of the rescue into creating its own entity.
Over the years, well over 150 Siberian huskies have been through Paulson’s doors. “I have had a revolving door of foster dogs throughout the years,” she said.
The Blaine resident currently owns a 3-year-old female husky named Nori. “Her litter came into the rescue and at the time I had a 14-year-old male, but I wasn’t planning to add another one at that time, but it was love at first sight,” she recalled. “I was a foster failure.” She is also fostering a soon-to-be 3-year-old named Teddy. Teddy was returned to rescue after being adopted out to a home in Minneapolis. “The busy environment of the city was stressful on him, and he
has some separation anxiety,” Paulson explained.
Thanks to Prozac, Teddy is doing great and much calmer.
Maset has been with the rescue for seven years. She discovered the rescue after she found out about a “Husky Huddle” group on Facebook. “I met some other volunteers who talked about the rescue with such passion that I thought I’d check it out. And I’m glad I did,” she said.
Maset’s pack includes Abby, an 8-yearold German shepherd/husky mix, and Stacey, a 6-year-old cattle dog/husky mix. She also lives with her sister Carolyn’s dog Ruby, an almost 2-year-old golden retriever.
The Masets have fostered 33 dogs so far, eight of those through Adopt A Husky Minnesota. They are also involved in the Retrieve a Golden of the Midwest.
“The first foster I took was a girl named Moon. She was a retired sled dog that was so friendly and got along great with other dogs,” Maset said. “When she first came to my home, she wasn’t crate trained but after watching the crating and habits of my dogs, she started to learn the routine and by the time she found her forever family, she was 100% crate trained.”
“We also fostered a one-eyed husky we named Willie, one-eyed Willie. He was a hit when we had a booth at the Renaissance Fair and loved the attention,” she said. “He had his quirks, but with the support of (the rescue), we were able to work through them and find
IF YOU GO:
When: 7th annual Woo Woo Pawlooza
Where: Lakefront Park, 5000 Kop Parkway SE, Prior Lake
Details: Join Adopt A Husky Minnesota for its largest fundraiser of the year. The event will begin with a hike, silent auction, raffle, wine pull and various vendors. Attendees who register will receive a limited addition T-shirt and lunch. For more information, visit www. adoptahuskyminnesota.org/ event/woo-woo-pawlooza. Contact: 612-986-2244 or info@ aahmn.org
his home.”
Adopt A Husky Minnesota has approximately 120 volunteers and about 25 of those are very active, according to Paulson. Currently, the rescue has approximately 10 foster homes. The rescue is urgently in need of both volunteers and fosters.
Paulson explained it has become difficult to “man” all the events the rescue has a booth. The rescue also relies on volunteers for transporting dogs, completing home visits and helping to vet adoption applications.
“It seems to be a statewide thing with all rescues, not just us,” Paulson explained. “Everybody’s struggling, donations are down, adoptions are down, volunteerism is down. It’s kind of like the perfect storm.”
Maset added, “We need foster homes urgently. There are so many huskies in Minnesota shelters that aren’t being claimed by their owners.”
All Adopt A Husky Minnesota dogs are placed in foster homes until they are adopted, because the organization does not have a building or homebase. The rescue not only provides food, collars and leashes, but also crates and any necessary medical care. When dogs come into rescue, they are microchipped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated and tested for things like heartworm. If necessary, dental work and even orthopedic work can be done.
“We have a lifetime commitment to our dogs,” Paulson said. “We take great pride in the vet care we provide our dogs. We don’t cut corners, which can happen sometimes.”
Maset said she has met some “pretty amazing” people through the rescue.
After her sister’s dog Moe passed away, the group came together and sent them a plaque with his picture on it along with some wind chimes in his honor. So why a husky? Although they can have some negative traits, as does any breed, they also have a lot of positive ones.
“They like to be with their family. They are a great companion,” Paulson said. The breed is great for people who have an active lifestyle and are seeking “adventure buddies.” Paulson added they are often good with children and described them as comedians.
For more information about Adopt A Husky Minnesota, visit www. adoptahuskyminnesota.org.
Managing Editor Shannon Granholm can be reached at 651-407-1227 or quadnews@presspubs.com.
