Northwest Minnesota Aussie Rescue

To ensure that every Australian Shepherd has a second chance at finding a forever home that will provide a warm and loving environment.

Northwest Minnesota Aussie Rescue has found homes for over 700 dogs in the last 10 years; 163 in the last year alone.  Our dogs come from owner surrenders, strays found with no collar or microchip, shelters, abusive homes, and breeder surrenders.  Some are happy-go-lucky puppies and others have been abused or are puppy mill survivors.  Many of these dogs would otherwise be destroyed.  Most of our dogs are Australian Shepherds or Aussie mixes, but have also found a niche with Corgis.  Our adopters come from all over Minnesota as well as surrounding states.  Adopters have come from as far away as Texas and New York.

We take these dogs and give them the veterinary care they need, followed by what they need most - love and attention with one of the volunteer foster families in our organization.  Our foster families care for these dogs - often with their own dogs - until their personalities are known and they are well socialized.  Some are adoptable in a short time while others need more care before going to their forever home.  And we have a few dogs that are not adoptable; they live out their lives in a sanctuary home.

Not only do we help find loving homes for dogs in need, we offer constructive advice to families thinking about surrendering their dogs and give them tips on how to make their homes a successful Aussie home.  And we are there for our adoption families throughout the lives of our dogs with the advice and support they might need.

While our foster homes and other volunteers are not compensated for their efforts, our food and veterinary expenses are significant.  We keep our adoption fees low to make sure a loving home, and not a high income, is the primary determinant.  As a result, our adoption fees do not fully cover the out-of-pocket costs we have to properly care for our Aussies.  

At our rescue, we see many dogs who have faced difficult, sometimes heartbreaking circumstances.  DeeOgee is one such dog.

DeeOgee is a survivor!  This 8 year old mini Aussie’s owner passed away a couple of years ago and he ended up with family members. He had a great life then; he lived in the house and went with his family everywhere.  Then his world turned upside down when his owner sadly passed and other family members took him in. But the family members tossed this little boy outside, either on a chain or sometimes he was loose. They didn't care about him at all, only occasionally putting out food and water. He lived finding whatever shelter he could from the weather. Finally, he ended up being picked up by Animal Control and the family members did not want to reclaim him.  So NWMAR was asked to help him.  He is such a sweet boy!  He gives kisses, gets along well with other dogs, he is using a doggy door and doing really well with that.  This poor little guy lost his beloved person and for the last couple of years has lived a very sad and neglected life.   Now he has the chance for a fresh start.  We are looking for a great forever home for DeeOgee; a home he deserves.

Unfortunately, there are so many more dogs out there like DeeOgee — dogs who need love, care, and the chance to heal. Dogs like Black Jack and Butters.  And dogs like Capp - who need a very special someone to help them adjust to a new life.  This is only possible with the generous support of people like you. 

Through the generosity of our veterinary partners, we get a discount on our vet procedures.  We leverage food donations from Chewy, Greater Good, and others.  So your donation goes directly to supporting our rescue dogs.  $10 can provide a Bordetella vaccine, $25 can provide high quality food for a month, and $200 can cover our cost for a spay/neuter.  Any amount can go far in providing care for our dogs until they find their forever home.  

All of us at Northwest Minnesota Aussie Rescue are volunteers; we have no paid staff.  We take great pleasure in see how both the dogs and the adopters benefit from giving rescue dog a safe, loving, forever home.  While most of our adopters come from Minnesota and eastern North Dakota, we have had adopter travel here from as far as New York, Texas and Tennessee.

Please take a moment to watch our video below.  And please consider a contribution to our food and veterinary fund to help provide the medical care many of our dogs require.  Thank you.