A Closer Look at Animal Rescues: Where Lost Pets Go
Pets Under Police Security (PUPS) in Maple Grove is the first step to safety for many lost and stray animals in our area.
PUPS collects animals found by police throughout the northwest suburbs.
Now, for the first time, PUPS is sharing the names of the rescues that help bring hundreds of lost pets home.
The group recovered more than 1,000 animals in 2024, according to Cassandra Boser, animal containment coordinator at PUPS. The group’s main goal is to bring pets home to their original families. Otherwise, they go to rescue.
Now more than ever, pets aren’t being claimed by the place they came from.
“We’ve unfortunately just had fewer owners calling looking for their pets,” Boser said.
PUPS can only hold 20 cats and 20 dogs at a time. It also only has space for a few small animals at a time.
PUPS cannot do adoptions — so that’s where rescue partners come in.
Cassandra Boser, PUPS animal containment coordinator, stands among the kennels of cats at the Maple Grove facility.
Numbers Revealed
Some of those rescue partners assist with vaccinations, testing animals to see how they play with others. But primarily, these rescues take in animals to eventually be adopted.
PUPS released the final rescue numbers on its MG Impound Dogs Facebook page for the first time on Jan. 6. It featured the name of each rescue and how many animals each took. Boser said many people have asked for those names throughout the last year.
She said she hopes it encourages more people to foster.
“The more communication, the more information that gets out there, the better chance we have of getting animals out of here quickly, and into rescue that don’t end up going back home,” Boser said.
Boser said that of the animals PUPS takes in, 58 percent of them go to Minnesota shelters. She said 37 percent go back home.
Of the rescues, Ruff Start Rescue took in the most cats. Heading Home K9 took the most dogs. Every shelter listed is local to Minnesota. Boser said most of them are foster-based.
“Looking at the numbers, without them helping us, we would’ve had a lot more dogs,” Boser said.
Helping at Home
Heading Home K9 is a foster-based rescue. It has a network of 30 foster homes in the suburbs. Natalie Miller is one of the rescue’s founding members.
“You know, it’s helping the community. We should always help the community first,” Miller said.
Miller’s cat companion, Frank, was what she calls a ‘foster fail.’ She meant to foster, but ended up adopting him.
She also has two PUPS-sourced foster dogs — Mutley Crew and Rookie. She said she enjoys fostering to see the transformation animals can make with a little love.
“Rookie was super scared, skittish little dog when we first pulled him,” Miller said. “Watching his personality blossom was a reward in itself.”
It’s the small contributions of shelters like these that put pets in loving homes close to home.
There are many other impounds throughout Minnesota. Each one transfers pets to a number of different rescues.
Natalie Miller’s adopted cat Frank, who came from PUPS, slept soundly in her arm during the interview.
