
The BB Hospice Program
In the spring of 2015, we started to receive multiple requests for elderly, un-adoptable dogs in shelters. Although our rescue programs are adoption-based, we could not let these senior and terminally-ill animals live out their final days in a cold, lonely shelter. We started our hospice rescue program because all animals deserve to feel love... even if it's in their final days.
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Since then, we have rescued hundreds of hospice animals thanks to the love and support of hospice foster homes! Read about our hospice animals below.
Meet our current hospice animals
Click their picture to learn more about their story or to view their wishlist!

Please welcome this sweet goofball Alfred Wrinkleface McWoofins who was recently surrendered for his unique medical needs. At 3 months he has a lot of medical concerns we will be through including an abnormal gait, umbilical hernia and grade 3/6 heart murmur, left side. He is unaware of his unique needs and is just loving being a puppy. We plan to help him in any way and ensure he enjoys every day.

Barney arrived July 2023 from a rescue partner with significant heart murmur, arthritis and much needed dental care. He is living his golden years with comfort, care and lots of love.

Baxter and Geordie recently joined the hospice program when they lost their owner passed away. Things are going pretty well. Georgie is a scaredy-cat dog and loves to sit on the couch and especially likes to snuggle. Baxter is the sweetest dog alive and is low key obsessed with my resident dog. They are finding comfort in their forever hospice home. If you would like to send them some love, please visit their Wishlist!

Meet Bella, a sweet senior pup. Bella started out in our home as a respite foster but was lovingly surrendered to TBB by her owner. Because of her age (12+), being a large breed dog, and having severe arthritis, it was decided to have her join the hospice program versus put her up for adoption.
Bella has 2 senior foster siblings to hang out with now. She enjoys short walks, chilling on the deck or on her comforter, and playing in the leaves with her foster sibs. Occasionally her and her foster sister will gang up on their foster brother to make sure he knows he’s not always in charge. Despite her age and her arthritis, Bella loves life. She loves meeting the neighbors or new people on her
walks, playing with the stuffies, and howling her cheers during the Vikings games. We love having her in our pack!

Bentley is a 12-year-old, wise and polite male terrier mix who came from MACC as part of the 2024 KS95 Bucks for Babes Say Yes Day. He was surrendered by his owner due to a large mass on the back of his neck. The Bond Between Vetting Center tested the mass and, thankfully, determined it is benign. However, due to his age, they decided not to remove it at this time. Bentley has also been diagnosed with anxiety and arthritis, both of which are being successfully managed with medication prescribed by the Vetting Center. Bentley is incredibly sweet, gets along well with other dogs, and ignores cats. He is a very social little guy who loves keeping an eye on his people. He often sits up like a meerkat for treats and belly rubs. Bentley enjoys our daily routine, which includes exploring the backyard in both summer and winter (he’s a snow dog!), trips to the local off-leash dog park to socialize and explore, plenty of quiet time to nap in my bedroom away from the hustle and bustle, and car rides. He simply loves being included in everything I do with my resident dog, Sally.

Betty is regal and calm. She is the picture of poise and refinement. While Betty is fully blind and suffers from seizures, her intense love for people cannot be diminished. No matter what sort of chaos may go on around her, Betty will calmly seek out a person and gently request pets. When it’s time for her walk she quietly goes and waits in the entryway.
The only thing that makes Betty lose her cool is a new day. When she wakes up in the morning she jumps for joy and zooms around the house and yard to celebrate. Then she has her breakfast and quietly lays down near foster mom to enjoy her morning nap.

Meet Buddy, a lovable older pup who's been with his foster family for almost three wonderful years. In true Buddy fashion, he seems to have decided his fosters are his forever home. As a senior black lab mix with dog reactivity, Buddy has faced some challenges, including arthritis, hypothyroidism, LCL surgeries on both hind legs and chronic ear issues that led to total ear canal ablation, leaving him 95% deaf.
Though he’s a bit anxious and prefers the company of humans over other dogs, Buddy still has a playful spirit and enjoys his daily walks, where he’s on the lookout for any stray food scraps. He’s also always quite the cuddle bug—his favorite pastime is getting his head and ears scratched, and he’ll let you know when he wants you to keep going!
Recently, Buddy transitioned to the Hospice program, but he remains blissfully unaware of his status change. With all his walks, hikes, and car rides, he’s active for his age but also relishes time at home, chomping on a bone, destroying a squeaky toy, or taking a cozy nap. Buddy may not have furry friends, but he has an abundance of love to give to the humans in his life. He’s truly living his best life.

Chloe is a 13 year old collie who was an owner surrendered in Fall 2024. She is great with dogs, cats and kids though she prefers the slow speed of all of them whenever possible. She’s very quiet, unless she needs to alert you about a dog walking by, and she has the cutest raspy bark! Her favorite activities are napping, short walks, sniffing around the yard, and closely supervising any kitchen activities. Chloe does have arthritis, and she can do a little bit of stairs, but doesn’t have the balance or strength to go up or down long flights. Chloe takes meds to keep her comfortable, which she takes easily when they’re wrapped in cheese. She is living her golden years enjoying fresh air in the back yard whenever possible and being a part of her forever fospice family activities.

Cole arrived from Missouri in June, 2023 and was placed into our Hospice program to receive comfort care for what was suspected to be a cancerous nasal tumor. Imagine our surprise when the Vet found a rock instead! She removed the rock and proceeded with cleaning his teeth. Post-surgery, Cole got an infection and it was discovered that sneezes kibble and whatever he eats out his nose. How is that possible?? He's been to multiple specialists and undergone countless tests to try and figure out what's going on, but he remains a bit of a medical mystery. Working with our incredible Vet Center, Cole’s condition is managed to the best of our ability to ensure his comfort. Cole has such a positive outlook on life. He is the happiest of boys and loves his prescription food and treats, going for walks, and snuggling with his foster mom and foster siblings.

He arrived from Alabama recently. He has some medical concerns that are being assessed at our vetting center. He is settling in with his forever fospice family and finding comfort and love.

Duncan is a 18 year old hooligan who loves pestering his sister, napping, and begging for treats! Don't tell him that he's technically a senior citizen. Duncan came to us with his sister (Tina) from St Paul Animal Control after his owner was no longer well enough to care for him. We are honored to keep Duncan and Tina together to live out their golden years in comfort.

Etta loves to be outdoors, exploring and sniffing and taking walks. She loves fetch and tug o war with soft toys. She's great on car rides and she seems like she just loves adventure, exploring, and finding new things.

Frank was found abandoned in a ditch near a river... a 12 year old, 11 pound dachshund alone and cold outside. He's old, he had masses that needed to be removed, he's slow, his liver is struggling, he has a cough. But the shelter staff in Arkansas advocated for him and he arrived in August of 24. He immediately settled into MN life with his loving forever fospice family. Medical needs are being addressed, his comfort is top priority and his favorite human lap is always ready to receive him. He will be spending the remainder of his days knowing he is loved, comforted and never left again.

Ginger is estimated to be 15 years wise and the wonky teeth tell the tail of her years. She came up from Alabama and we immediately removed the large Inguinal hernia containing uterine horns and uterine body. The physical and mental weight was lifted. She is scheduled for a dental appointment and is doing great. She is 8 lbs of love and chiattude. She is beginning to show her spicy self, which is really cute.

She came in recently from Arkansas. Her name very much fits her. She only has one tooth but the love for food is strong with her. Unfortunately tests concerning her constant regurgitation and coughing show a lung mass, most consistent with a carcinoma. We are honored to be her forever family and will ensure her remaining days are full of love and lots of food.

Harold loves a good meal, a good treat, a good nap, a good snuggle and a good ‘mark’ (thank goodness for belly bands!) With all the meals, treats and begging, he may soon need a diet. We are working on getting him healthy and giving him love!

At 16 years young, Harry is just the king of gentlemen Poms!  He thoroughly enjoys casual strolls around the neighborhood to smell all the smells and get all the love from the neighborhood kids he can get, and catching up with the neighbor dogs, Stanley and Harvey.  When his social calendar is quiet, he very much enjoys a nap on any surface that is soft and cool - with all that hair, he gets warm!  He will enjoy MN winters for sure!  That being said, he will sit with patience for his daily brushings and fur maintenance but he’s just as eager to be done with those.  :). He brings so much love and light to those who are around him, we are all so lucky to get a chance to meet him!


Jazz is such a handsome, sweet big guy! Jazz likes to spend most of his day napping, looking out the window, getting pets and purring up a storm. He’s an older guy but does enjoy some ‘lazy’ play from time to time (he likes to bat and grab toys but not really running/jumping at them). He’s still processing his recent life changes though and likes to hide sometimes also, but will happily accept any pets you want to give while he’s in a cozy hiding place.

Meet Jojo, a sweet and resilient soul who has truly captured our hearts. After being surrendered by his previous owner at the end of 2023, Jojo found his forever home with us and has been a cherished part of our family ever since. Despite his blindness, deafness, arthritis, tumors, OCD, and Cushing's Disease, Jojo faces each day with a joyful spirit that is absolutely contagious.
Jojo’s love for life shines through as he joins us on camping trips, hikes, and countless adventures outside. His love knows no bounds, and he has even helped welcome two other hospice dogs into our home this year, gently guiding them as they crossed the rainbow bridge. Jojo adores his foster brother, Leo, and the two can often be found sharing a cozy bed. He loves his walks, sniffing everything in sight. Jojo's favorite place to be is right next to us on the couch. His sweetness, courage, and unconditional affection make every day brighter, and we’re so grateful to have him in our lives.

Julia Goolia is the sweetest, most easy going girl. She’s a tiny Chihuahua and barely 7 lbs. Due to her arthritis, she has a very hard time walking so she spends most of her day snuggled up in a pouch, sleeping on my lap while I work. And she loves mealtimes, despite having no teeth!

Justice Petey recently arrived from Arkansas and his bio will be coming soon!

A bonded pair of sweetness, Lucy is the old wise one and Pudgy Lou is her constant companion. They were very much loved by their former owner and we are making sure they continue to feel that love during this difficult life changes.Â

Napoleon is a senior boy from an up North shelter. He is settling in with is forever family. He is getting lots of love and we are working to get some weight back on this sweet boy. Stay tuned for more pupdates about this sweet boy.

e was a recent MACC pull and has terminal Cancer. But he is loving the comfort, care and love in his forever hospice home. He would Love a Teddy Bear to cuddle.
Forever in Our Hearts

























Make a difference for senior and terminal pets in our community through The Bond Between Hospice Program.
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This program relies on hospice foster homes to open their hearts to dogs who will not ever leave. They will not be able to find a wonderful adoptive family, they will not watch their foster dog transform into a healthy pet, they will never say “see you later,” but rather “goodbye.” As you can imagine, it takes a very selfless, compassionate, and strong foster to do this. Essentially, they are taking these dogs in as their own, and loving them fiercely until it is their time to pass.
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Our hospice animals receive extensive vet care and through this effort some of these animals may become adoptable!
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How can I support the hospice program?
A little goes a long way with these amazing animals. Sponsor a hospice animal for a week for $50, two weeks for $100 or a month for $200. We do our absolute best to ensure our hospice fosters cross the rainbow bridge peacefully, and many times this means keeping them at home with their doting foster families. You can provide this comfort by sponsoring an in-home euthanasia for $425. All donations, no matter the size, keep these incredible animals comfortable.
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Please consider donating using the button below, or send cash or checks to our office at 5959 Baker Road, Suite 390, Minnetonka, MN 55345
