2020 pet magazine

2020 PET MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY NEWS JANUARY 23, 2020 Page 33 R oger and Jeannie Bakken lost their beloved Shih Tzu, Gracie, six days short of her twelfth birthday. She had a heart murmur and for eighteen months they did everything they could to make her life comfortable. Jeannie thought it would be a while before she would be ready to welcome another fur baby to their home, but sometimes things don’t work out exactly like you plan. Roger wanted a big dog and Jeannie had a lead from a friend on a rescued English Cream Golden Retriever. Like a Golden Retriever, an English Cream Golden Retriever is intelligent, loving, and loyal. Both breeds are friendly and good-natured, but the English Cream Golden Retriever tends to be more laid back making them attractive to families with young children and elderly. While this home scenario was not the case for the Bakken’s, Jeannie still believed an English Cream Golden Retriever would be a great fit and would fulfill Roger’s desire for a big dog. Finding a family Shih Tsu breeder in Rend Lake, the Bakken’s decided they would send a check after the holidays to secure a puppy in the next litter. With a down payment they were guaranteed first pick. With the two dogs in their sights, the Bakken’s were ready to adopt their fur family. However, when Jeannie checked the rescue website for the English Cream Golden Retriever, a picture of three Shih Tsu puppies was the first thing listed, the check never got sent to the Shih Tsu breeder. Founded by Jean Ann Hert, Ruby’s is an animal shelter and boarding facility. The non- profit rescue works on saving dogs, getting them vetted, and finding forever homes. Adoptable dogs can be found on their Face book page, Petfinder, and website: www. rubysrescueandretreat.org . An adoption fee includes each dog being vetted and receiving dentals. To adopt a potential forever home, one must apply with two personal references and a vet reference. Over 25,000 people follow Hert and her work with rescue dogs. The trio picture with Santa was on Ruby’s Face book page and Jeannie fell in love at first sight. Hert was desperately trying to find someone to adopt all three Shih Tzu’s instead of separating the bonded pups. All that is known about the former owner is that he went into an unexpected coma and his triple dog rescue a triple blessing Roger and Jeannie Bakken on the day they adopted the Trio: Preston, Jasmine and Truman. Continued Bakken’s