Lacy
My wife and I have always been grateful for the work at MNBR and we have adopted 4 great dogs from the rescue. Sadly, Lacy passed last week. She had a sudden loss of mobility and strength in her hind legs last week and it progressed very quickly and she was in pain. She loved to cuddle and could jump in bed and be sound asleep in a span of what seemed like 30 seconds. She liked to look at the toads, grabbed your arm when the pets stopped, never stopped being a charmer. I am glad we were able to adopt her and brother Dallas and enjoyed her company these last three years.

Layla
Layla (formerly Lexi) was adopted by the Buckner family in late 2011. She brought her family much joy every day since. They had to say goodbye to her to soon and their hearts are broken, but they are so greatful for the time they had and the memories they all shared with her.

Layla
Layla, who was loved by the Homme family, passed away on January 27, 2019. "She was a wonderful addition to our family. We will miss her silliness, wiggle butt, and yes her gas passing skills. Our camping trips may never be the same. We know Layla is not hurting anymore and is finally can be herself. One day we will play again. "

Layla
MNBR Sends our condolences to the Davis Family. We adopted Layla (fka Keesha) in May 2018. We have had rescue dogs but none that came from a puppy mill. I believe she had spent almost 2 years in the mill. She had been through a lot. After driving 4+ hours to pick her up, it was quite clear she was going to need a lot of patience. She was so scared, she would not even get out of the transporter’s car. I crawled in the backseat and tried to coax her out but finally had to pick her up and carry her out and into our car. She started out as far away from me in the back seat as she could get but then she came over and laid curled in a tight ball next to me. In the last hour of the drive, she finally felt comfortable enough to lay her head on my leg. She would not take treats from me until about the last 30 minutes of the ride. Then when she finally starting eating one, I cried and gave her the whole bag. When we got home, we had placed our other boxer, Sheba, in another room and got Layla into her crate. Then we began the slow introduction with Sheba. It went really well with them and Sheba became like a mother to her. Even with Sheba there, Layla was still very timid. She was afraid of men much to the sadness of my husband. But with time and patience she warmed up to him. Layla found she was most comfortable in the same spot on the couch and it quickly became her spot. She did not want to eat out of a bowl. Every morning and afternoon, I would hand feed her. We gave her a mixture of dry and canned food to help fatten her up. Over time, she would slowly start to eat from the bowl and I no longer had to feed her but I had to be the only one in the room with her when she ate. She did not want to go outside so we had to buy lots of potty pads (got the washable kind). We had to pick her up and carry her outside and then she would stand so close she was practically hugging my leg. Through the coldest winter and the rainiest days, I went out with her morning and afternoon and praised her loudly every time she went potty (I’m sure the neighbors thought I was nuts). Noises and sudden movements of any kind terrified her. We always reassured her that she was ok and we would never let anything happen to her. It took a long time but she became a totally different dog and no one would ever guess everything she went through and how much she had grown. She had much more confidence. She started eating in the same room as Sheba and our newest boxer, Gunner. She would go outside to potty on her own. She would even bark at the UPS man when he made deliveries and she loved to play with both Sheba and Gunner and tried to get the most recent elder dog Benny to play. Oh and she loved treats (especially eggs)! She would get so excited at treat time that she would run and leap onto the couch into her spot! She would still is scared of thunder and rain or strange sudden noises and was timid around strangers. My husband and I were amazed every day at how far she had come. She continued to surprise us every day and she had become the most smiliest dog we have ever had (out of 7 dogs total). She even learned to sit on command. Her last few minutes were spent getting Benny to play with her and run in the snow. She came in and and collapsed in Jason's arms. We think her heart was damaged from her early years of neglect plus all the stress from her getting scared from noises caught up and her heart gave out too soon at 5 years too young. She was an amazing girl who loved to snuggle and play. Every morning she would wake us with her thumping tail and then immediately go into play mode with her siblings. We will miss her helicopter tail and her full body happy butt wag dance. She had the most amazingly beautiful and contagious smile. We love our most happiest little doggo.

Levi (Lucky Las Vegas Levi)
MNBR is sad to announce that Levi has passed to the Rainbow Bridge. He was a fun story to watch as he made his way to Minnesota and into the hearts and home of the Kvale family, where he would live his best life. While there he enjoyed boat rides, riding to work with dad, playing with the kids, running on open land, snuggling with his fur sister and most of all...being loved till the very end!!! Some words from his family: As we are packing to get ready for our first camping trip of the season, Mister Levi has been on my mind like crazy. Going camping was on his bucket list, we were so excited to bring him to the Black Hills with us. This guy stole my heart the day we met him. He was part of the family before he came home. Levi fit in with everyone and stole the hearts of all our family members. He had numerous medical issues, we knew it would take time and he would never fully be better. The time we had was precious with him. Levi taught me so much in the short two months we had him. He taught me to look at life as a blessing. Each day is truly a gift. I know we all say it but do you actually believe it? I do because of him. I am thankful for his foster mom, finding him in Vegas. The placement team girls with tagging him, and welcoming him to MNBR. All of his transport angels that helped get him here. The vet with the patients they had with him and our family. Lastly my family for standing behind me with all the decisions made. Especially welcoming him with open arms and loving him like there own. I know he felt loved and knew what life was all about when he left this earth. We ALL will miss him forever Love the Kvale family