Updated 2015 Leech Lake Legacy Calendar of Events

Leech Lake Reservation:

Spay/Neuter Clinics, Wellness Clinics, and Surrender Events are usually held in Cass Lake on Leech Lake Reservation.  We will work with you to arrange transport for your pets to our spay/neuter clinics from remote communities on Leech Lake Reservation.  Call us at 1-866-LEGACY-3 (1-866-534-2293) to make transport arrangements.

- Apr. 10 Animal Care Education Session held at Leech Lake Tribal College. For more info click here.
- Jun. 24 3rd Annual Lagers for Legacy. For more info and to purchase tickets click here.

White Earth Reservation:

Location of our May and October clinics: TBD [Clinics at White Earth are a collaborative effort of WE R Furr Feline Rescue, Red Lake Rosie's Rescue, Leech Lake Legacy and the Native America Humane Society]

Watch our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LeechLakeLegacy for clinic location details.

Animal Care Education Session - April 10, 2015

Leech Lake Legacy, in collaboration with the Leech Lake Tribal College, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Leech Lake Tribal Police and the University of Minnesota SIRVS group will be hosting two animal care education sessions on Friday, April 10, 2015 at the Leech Lake Tribal College (Drum Room) in Cass Lake.

A more detailed agenda is below along with additional information on our presenters, Dr. Larissa Minicucci and Eva Reinicke of the University of Minnesota SIRVS (Student Initiative for Reservation Veterinary Services) Group.

Agenda:

April 10th, 2015

Two sessions:
2 - 4 pm (geared for students) and
6 - 8 pm (for community members/general public)

The 6 pm-8 pm presentation will not include the veterinary career options portion of the lecture. More emphasis will be placed on basic animal care and first aid. 

Veterinary Careers (30 minutes)
Steps to becoming a veterinarian
-undergraduate requirements
-VetFAST program through University of Minnesota
-work experience
-GRE and GPA requirements
-Veterinary Schools in the US and abroad
-veterinary school scholarships
Career options in veterinary medicine
-small animal medicine
-large animal medicine
-public health
-research
-pathology
-etc

Basic Animal Care (30 minutes)
-Animal housing
-Pet nutrition
-veterinary care for pets

Pet First Aid (30 minutes)
-what is a pet emergency?
-first aid supplies
-how to handle an injured pet
-basic pet first aid procedures
-pets and disasters

Dog body language and bite prevention (30 minutes)
- properly training and socializing pets
-how to read dog body language
- teaching children how to be around pets
- community approaches to dog bite prevention

Special Guests:
Before and after the session meet Leech Lake dogs currently in training to be service dogs for veterans with Patriot Assistance Dogs and learn more about Patriot Assistance Dogs and what it takes to become a service dog.

Ember (a stray from Onigum) is now in training
to be come a service dog for veterans with
Patriot Assistance Dogs.
Ember will be a special guest on 4/10.

Bios of our presenters:

Larissa Minicucci DVM, MPH, CPH

Dr. Minicucci received her undergraduate degree in animal bioscience from Penn State University in 1996. She went on to complete her degree as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Cornell university in 2000. In 2004 she graduated with a Masters of Public Heath in epidemiology from the University of Minnesota. She is also a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine.

Currently she teaches at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and directs the dual degree program for DVM/MPH students. Her clinical interests include community-based practice opportunities in population and preventative medicine. She has been the faculty advisor for the club Student Initiative for Reservation Veterinary Services (SIRVS) since the club was founded in 2009 and has facilitated the growth of the club from six original members to over one third of the veterinary student body. Her dedication and passion for teaching students and providing care to animals on Leech Lake, White Earth and Lower Sioux reservations has helped provide veterinary care to thousands of animals and touched many student lives.

Eva Reinicke 

Eva Reinicke received her bachelor of arts degree in environmental education from Earlham College in 2007. She worked as an outdoor educator, wilderness trip leader and veterinary assistant until her acceptance to the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. She anticipates graduating with a DVM in 2016. She has been involved in providing veterinary services on reservations since starting veterinary school. Currently she is the president for Student Initiative for Reservation Veterinary Services and organizes four to five companion animal wellness and spay/neuter clinics during each school year. This summer she interned with Rural Veterinary Experience Teaching and Service (RVETS) providing veterinary care for horses, mules and donkeys on Pine Ridge, Fort Berthold, Cheyenne River and Standing Rock reservations. She also participated in wellness and spay/neuter programs through Rural Area Veterinary Service (RAVS) in Turtle Mountain and Cheyenne River communities. She is committed to finding sustainable ways of providing veterinary care on reservations throughout Minnesota and the Dakotas.

Spay/neuter services for District 1 Residents of Leech Lake Reservation

Attention District 1 residents of Leech Lake Reservation (Ball Club, Deer River, Inger, S. Lake and Winnie Dam): Leech Lake Legacy/LLL will be hosting a low-cost spay/neuter clinic in Cass Lake next weekend. In order to service more remote communities, LLL will provide transport service from S. Lake to Cass Lake on 3/20. We will be at the S. Lake Community Center on Friday, 3/20 from 9 am - 11 am. Pre-registration is required. Please contact LLL at 612.437.9073 or leechlakelegacy@gmail.com by Tuesday, March 17th to pre-register. Animals will be transported to Cass Lake on 3/20 for surgery and returned to S. Lake on Saturday, 3/21. We will also accept surrenders on 3/20 at S. Lake Community Center between 9 am and 11 am. miigwech.

Partnership with Kids in Need Foundation and Yoobi brings school supplies to Leech Lake Reservation

In the fall of 2014 a new partnership formed through connections we had with our partner the Animal Humane Society. We were put in contact with Jeanne Mock, Director of National Accounts for Kids in Need Foundation. One connection, and conversation, led to another ...

... and it wasn't long before it became apparent that there was a real need for school supplies for schools on Leech Lake Reservation. We were asked if we had a contact on Leech Lake Reservation, and would there be a way for us to get the school supplies to the schools up at Leech Lake Reservation. Leech Lake Legacy believes in collaboration, in partnership and in building bridges. Helping the children and teachers of Leech Lake Reservation was a natural extension of our belief in the importance of community. The very beginnings of Leech Lake Legacy involved helping the animals .... through our relationships and friendships with residents, tribal leaders and band members of Leech Lake Reservation, we have learned that everything we do MUST be about community. And community is about people AND animals.

We soon learned of the partnership Kids in Need Foundation had with a organization, Yoobi and their Yoobi Classroom Packs. The classroom packs contain the most fundamental tools needed for learning and creativity and each pack contains supplies for a classroom of 30.

This week, my vehicle is packed to the brim with 25 Yoobi Classroom Packs. We will get the packs up to Leech Lake Reservation and into the hands of teachers at Cass Lake Elementary and the King School. And yes, more packs will be on their way up in the not too distant future.

A heartfelt thanks to Kids in Need Foundation and to Yoobi for providing teachers and students on Leech Lake Indian Reservation with much needed school supplies.

miigwech,
Marilou
President/Co-Founder, Leech Lake Legacy

WHAT IS YOOBI????

YOOBI tells who they are and what they do in their own words . . .

Yoobi, pronounced “you-be,” is a new colorful and vibrant school supply brand that makes learning fun while also giving back. We create and sell supplies for the school, home or office, and for every item you buy directly from us or one of our retail partners, we donate a Yoobi item to a classroom in need right here in the U.S. Our goal is to perk up the school supply aisle, and help solve a big problem along the way. Yoobi is a for-profit company with giving integrated into its core mission.

Our goal is to one day provide free school supplies to all classrooms that lack access to basic learning tools. Yoobi was founded on the belief that: (1) access to fundamental school supplies should be within reach of all kids, no matter what ZIP code they come from, (2) teachers should not have to spend money out of their own pockets in order to provide those supplies, and (3) each and every one of us can make a difference.

For every Yoobi item you purchase, one Yoobi item (based on classroom need) is contributed to a Yoobi Classroom Pack, which is donated through one of our donation partners to a classroom in need right here in the U.S. Donated items may include pencils, glue sticks, erasers, rulers, folders, crayons, colored pencils or other items. “One for you, one for me” is what kids say on the playground and at snack time. It’s how they learn to share, and play fair. Now they can make those choices as consumers, picking out some practical Yoobi goodies with you by their side.

Our founder, Ido Leffler, came up with the “Yoobi” idea after a trip down the school supply aisle with his two daughters. He noticed that the wall of products felt like it hadn’t been updated since he was in junior high. He found himself wondering; what if the school supply aisle grabbed kids interest like the toy aisle? Plus, Ido has visited dozens of public schools and found the classrooms to be either institutionally austere, or colorful wonderlands covered in kids’ art. In the wonderlands, he’d learned that many of the teachers had paid for supplies out of their own pockets: a real problem we need to solve. Ido thought, why not develop a line of cool school supplies that engage kids, while helping others?

Ido was thinking of a way to get people excited about what we were about to embark on, and kept going back to the notion of inspiring people to be whoever they want to be…he thought, You be the difference. You be great. You be awesome! You be YOU. Yoobi! What better name for a cute, nation-changing toucan? Yoobi’s goal is to inspire kids to be whomever and whatever they want to be, and give them the tools they need to do it.

We love working with our non-profit partners! We have partnered with the Kids In Need Foundation to ensure that our school supplies reach the classrooms demonstrating the greatest need. Kids In Need Foundation is in its twentieth year of providing free school supplies to 4.2 million children and 120,000 teachers annually through a network of 34 Resource Centers across the U.S. 

Lesley Walton and Jeanne Mock of Kids in Need Foundation
pack my car with Classroom Packs!

2016 Leech Lake Legacy Calendar Fundraiser - Purchase an Honorarium and/or Memorial

In 2016, we will be launching the inaugural Leech Lake Legacy Calendar.  In order to help us fund the printing of the calendars (which then means all sales from the calendars will be $$$ that can go towards the animals!) we will be offering supporters an opportunity to purchase a Honorarium or Memorial for a donation of $25 or more. Only one Honorarium/Memorial per day. If you are interested in honoring or remembering a loved one (human or pet), please email Marilou at mchanrasmi@gmail.com to confirm that the date you are requesting is still available.

Certain days are special to each of us and the important people, pets, and events in our lives. What better way to honor and remember them than by purchasing a calendar Honorarium or Memorial AND supporting reservation animals!

Each Memorial/Honorarium slot will be the requested name plus 6-7 special words.

All submissions and payment must be received by July 5, 2015.

Payment can be made by Paypal on our website at:

http://www.leechlakelegacy.org/donate.html
 
or by check, please make checks payable and include contact info (name, address, email address):

Leech Lake Legacy
PO Box 385454
Bloomington, MN 55438

Dates already taken will be listed below. We will continue to update this list.

2016 LLL Calendars will be available for sale by October, 2015. 

Dates already reserved:

January 6
February 9, 18, 25, 26
March 7
April 20
May 7, 31
June 28
July 12
August 2, 5, 22, 25, 30
September 22
October 11
November 2, 8, 27
December 14, 19, 24, 29

March 20-21, 2015 Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic & Surrender Event

Leech Lake Legacy will be hosting a spay/neuter and wellness clinic and Surrender Event on March 20-21, 2015.

Please note our new location: Boys & Girls Club in Cass Lake.

We are also taking pre-registrations (25 animals can be pre-registered for each day of the clinic). Contact LLL starting Monday, March 9th at 9 AM at 612.437.9073 or leechlakelegacy@gmail.com.

Leech Lake elders may pre-register at any time.

A heartfelt thanks to Pet Haven Inc of Minnesota, Pause 4 Paws, A Kinder World Foundation and the Terri Neumann Memorial for making this clinic possible.

We are also grateful to the Leech Lake Tribal Police for partnering with us for all our events at Leech Lake.

God Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise

Saturday, February 21, 2015
5:00 a.m. – A screaming alarm wakes me up in an unfamiliar bed and it takes a minute for my groggy brain to remember I am in Cass Lake on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation.  I stumble out of bed and try to focus on making it to the bathroom without tripping over the miscellaneous shoes, bags and other items strewn along my path.  

I make it into the shower without injury and as I stand under the steaming water, I think about the previous evening when I received a late-night call from Dr. Vicki.  She was calling to see if I could help organize transport for a severely burned puppy from Red Lake Reservation that needed to get to Minneapolis as soon as possible.  A few phone calls and emails later and transport was set.  I think again to myself how lucky I am to be involved with such a passionate, dedicated network of animal lovers and send a silent prayer that the injured dog survives the trip.

I am in town with a group of Leech Lake Legacy volunteers to host a Surrender Event at the Tribal Police Headquarters in Cass Lake.  Once a month, we set up at the Tribal Police garages and provide an opportunity for residents of the Reservation to surrender their animals to us.  We take in animals (dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks, etc.) all day on Saturday.  We are able to provide simple services to dogs and cats (de-worming) and also trim nails.  And we provide dog and cat food to pet owners.

Onawa
Surrendered at event

5:30 a.m. - I head outside to start the cargo van and open the hotel door to a face-numbing blast of icy wind.  The thermometer reads 16 below zero but with the wind it feels 20 degrees colder.  The van grumbles and complains but after a bit of coaxing, finally starts up.  I crank the heat on full blast, pull my hat down around my ears and begin the arduous task of scraping the inch of ice from all 11 windows on the van.

5:45 a.m. - I wasn’t scheduled to meet up with the other volunteers until 6:30 a.m. but as I was leaving the facility the night before, I discovered that we were out of toilet paper.  Since I was coordinating the clinic, I figured it was my responsibility to make sure we had enough TP to get us through the day.  I certainly didn't want a mutiny on my hands.  My first stop was Teal’s, the local grocery store.  I left the van running as I pulled into the lot and was thoroughly disappointed when I ran to the door and realized they didn’t open until 6:00.  I jumped back in the van and attempted to keep warm until the store opened.

Oatcake
1 of a litter of 3 puppies surrendered at event

6:15 a.m. – It is still dark when I arrive at the garages.  I fumble with the door lock – my fingers are frozen and don’t work the way I want them to.  I finally get inside and am thankful for the blast of hot air that hits me in the face.  I flip on the lights and hear cars pulling up outside.  The other volunteers have arrived.

Obi
Surrendered at Event

7:59 a.m. – Crates are assembled.  Donated dog and cat food is neatly stacked and ready for distribution.  Pee pads and fluffy blankets line each crate in preparation for a new occupant.  The “Surrender Animals Here” sign is set up outside the door with an arrow pointing to the correct entrance.  The group photo has been snapped.  All of the volunteers have their assignments.  We wait with shivering anticipation for that first surrender.

Our Fantastic Volunteers
Jenny, Wendy, Bill, Teresa, John, Jenna, Melissa
Nancy, Sandra, Jarre, Linda
Trudy is taking the picture

8:02 a.m. – Ozzy drags his owner in the door, wagging his stub of a tail and slobbering with excitement. Ozzy is a big, brindle bulldog mix, all wiggles and happy dances.  His owner is an elderly man who tells me that due to a death in the family, he needs to surrender Ozzy.  As we work on the paperwork together, I can see sadness in his eyes.  I know how difficult this must be for him.  He doesn’t say good-bye – a simple pat on Ozzy’s big head and the owner is gone.  Ozzy stares at the door with a puzzled look on his face – not quite sure what is happening.

Ozzy

12:45 p.m. – Surrenders have been steady all day.  We have taken in a couple litters of puppies, a number of adult dogs and a few cats.  We have trimmed a few nails and handed out a lot of dog food.  A previous surgical client named Chili came in with his owner to have an injured eye looked at.  It’s still really cold outside but thankfully, it hasn't stopped residents from stopping by.  Many of the owners express their gratitude for helping them find a home for their animals.  We see a lot of tears.

Jessie and Jenna

5:00 p.m. – Our photographer, Trudy and her husband, John have finished taking pictures.  The last of the surrendered animals have been fed and tucked in.  The delicious smell of dinner from simmering crockpots is heavy in the air and I announce to the hungry group that it is time to eat.  Diane and Terri have provided us with a fantastic array of edibles – soup and Sloppy Joe’s – fruit, chips and dessert – all of it quickly devoured.

Rocky

10:00 p.m. – We finish walking the last of the dogs.  The dogs, cats, puppies and kittens have all been fed and settled in for the night.  The volunteers who are staying overnight begin to get ready for bed.  I hear a ruckus outside and peek out the door – in the darkness, I see three, 4-legged shadows who scatter from the spilled kibble they were eating.  I step further outside and whistle – hoping without hope that they will realize that I can provide them a warm bed and a good meal.  They disappear into the darkness.  The freezing wind hits me in the face as I turn to go back inside – sending a quick prayer into the night that the three dogs find some shelter tonight.

Jenny

Ora and Orange Blossom

Final numbers for the weekend:

Total number of animals surrendered - 26
Total number of dogs surrendered – 19
Total number of cats surrendered – 7

We will be back again on March 20-21 for a spay/neuter/wellness clinic.  And, as always, we will take in surrendered animals and give out free dog and cat food.  Hope to see you then.