We love our pets! Whether they greet us with exuberance or totally ignore us, we love them. We’ve asked some Maple Grove residents to tell us about their two- and four-legged friends. These animals have found loving homes, and these owners have found lovable—and sometimes comic—companions.
When her husband Cody was deployed for 22 months to Iraq, Laura Westphall, new to Maple Grove, needed something to take her mind off worrying—so she became the director of Happy Tails Rescue in 2005.
The Westphalls have a veritable zoo of animals: four dogs (Chinese crested, bloodhound, springer, and pit bull), six chickens, two mini horses, a lizard, a few barn cats (who were too under socialized to be adopted) and a betta fish. Along with additional foster animals, it’s a full house.
Since returning from his deployment, Cody helps with vaccinations and micro-chipping, as well as walking dogs and repairing the havoc they wreak with chewing and digging. The Westphalls even have a “cat room” just for foster kittens. However, their most unusual pets are five parrots.
Laura: Two macaws came from a couple [who were] retiring and buying a cabin up north. They are a green-winged macaw named Picasso and a blue and gold macaw named Jewel.
Picasso was always my baby. One day he decided he didn’t like me, so he switched “his person.” My husband enjoys having an animal that chooses him.
Jewel is my flier. If I try and leave the room she is in, she will fly to me. She is also my ground bird. She likes to wander around on the floor and will walk up the stairs looking for me. She also calls my name: “Laura!”
My military macaw came from a couple with a new dog that wanted to eat it. His name is Major. He loves to cuddle and says, “I love you.” He doesn’t know he can fly, so he uses a ladder to get on and off the bird tree. He loves to go for car rides and walks. He loves Dairy Queen.
Squeakers is a Senegal parrot who runs the household. He will chase down the big birds and dogs. He has a total case of “little bird” syndrome. He loves to tell everyone, “Hi, I’m Squeakers.” He likes to hop around, visit the other bird cages and steal food. He also enjoys hanging upside down.
Kiwi is a Quaker Cody bought from a pet store in 2007. My husband knew I had always wanted a bird. The owner told him what great pets Quakers make. [In reality, Quakers aren’t particularly friendly]. Kiwi lets my husband handle him occasionally—but he loves to bite people. He is very territorial and does not leave his home.
His cage is always open, and he sits on top most of the time. He will only talk when he thinks no one is around. I often hear him in the morning before I get up. He and Squeakers have become good friends, and Squeakers will fly to his cage at least once a day to hang out.
Best Christmas Gift
“About four years ago, Cody's parents gave us a half a cow...an odd gift, but it was awesome. We had beef all year. It was our most memorable Christmas gift.”
Lisa Booth is the founder and director of Good Karma Animal Rescue of Minnesota. She started the rescue early in 2013 with an important focus on quality of care and making a careful match between an animal and a forever family. Finishing up its second year, the rescue has saved about 350 dogs.
Lisa: I have three dogs. Napoleon is a Jack Russell terrier I've had for nine years, since he was a baby. Napoleon has a quirky ability to hold a conversation with you, “rowr-ing” and sharing his thoughts on the world.
Bella is a 6-year-old Chihuahua mix that I've had for three years. She was a foster dog who came to us extremely damaged. It took her two weeks to let us pick her up. For three months, I carried her around in a baby sling to desensitize her to sounds and people. She came to us hiding under tables and terrified of life. Bella will never be a "normal" or playful dog. We adopted her because we knew she needed us. She's very quirky and odd, and we accept her and love her exactly as she is.
Finally, what can I say about Cass? Cass is our clown. Cass is a 5-year-old minpin. She arrived at our home as a foster dog, extremely pregnant. She delivered six beautiful puppies just 11 hours after she got to our house. She has an amazing ability to pogo-jump 5 feet in the air. She insists on being carried around much of the time. She is our resident foster-puppy babysitter. When we foster puppies, it's Cass who plays with them and teaches them the ropes. Oh, and she also insists on sitting in the driver's seat with her paws on the steering wheel when in the car.
Best Christmas Gift
“My dad gave me a dollhouse when I was 7 or 8 years old. It had electricity, so the interior lights, chandelier and front porch lit up. It was made by a company called Lisa, so it had my name on the front!”
Ben Shoults was named this year to the all-metro football team. He’s in his senior year at Maple Grove Senior High and has committed to attending Harvard, playing football, and studying biology and chemistry with plans to continue on to pre-med.
Ben: Our dog is named Mya. She is a diverse mix of many breeds, and we are unsure what she is specifically. We have had her for about two years.
The first time we left her in her kennel for a couple of hours, we expected her to be nonchalant or even a little nervous when we got back. When we let her out, we were taken aback by how excited she was that we were home. She was jumping all over us and running all over the house. It was awesome to know how much she loved us and we hadn't even had her for two weeks. Over the past few years, her love for us has never dwindled, and that is what I love about her the most.
We got Mya from a local shelter as a rescue. Before we adopted her, she was badly mistreated and never stayed with the same family for more than a month. We wanted to change that for her, so we took her into our home with open arms, and my family and I have been so lucky to have a dog like Mya.
My favorite activity to do with Mya is to snuggle! She is very cuddly, and it always makes me happy when I get home knowing that she'll be cuddling next to me.
Best Christmas Gift
“The most memorable Christmas present I ever received was a fishing trip to Devils Lake, North Dakota, with my brother and dad. It was awesome to spend quality time with them. We ended up catching over a hundred walleye and had an amazing time.”
Ava Licht attends Maple Grove Junior High, dances at Rince Nua Irish Dance and skis with the Maple Grove Crimson Nordic Ski team.
Ava: Chappie is a 10-year-old Bichon Frisé. We got her when I was 4 years old. My great aunt Diane had a Bichon, [who was also] named Chappie. After visiting at a family reunion, my grandma Barb and great aunt Diane picked out [a new puppy] and surprised me. I named her after the other Chappie. My Chappie’s brothers went home with another family member and are named Harley and Scooter.
Chappie is very smart and well-behaved. She knows many tricks—how to shake and roll over. But one of my favorites is that she often gives hugs—but she only gives them to me. She’s very sweet and loves to cuddle. She sleeps with me and often steals the pillow by wrapping herself around my head, or snuggles right in next to me. She’s really only been naughty once, when she and my cat Chloe worked together to get into a cupboard.
Best Christmas Gift
“The most memorable Christmas present I’ve received was last year, when I got tickets to New York City so I could compete in National Dance Championships. There was a big snow storm, so we spent time in the snow in Central Park, went to the Serendipity ice cream shop, saw the Plaza Hotel and also visited Mood, the fabric store featured in Project Runway.”
@
Good Karma Animal Rescue
9510 Glacier Lane
763.688.4692
lisabooth826@gmail.com
Happy Tails
PO Box 2485
612.588.0188
happy@tailsrescue.org
