Tail Waggers of the Month

Meet Gizmo and Shooter

Bloomington Tail Wagger

Gizmo has been part of our Bloomington pack since we opened our second location two years ago. This frisky little Havenese poodle mix loves getting lots of attention from the staff during his visits.

When five-year-old Gizmo isn’t at Wagging Tails, he loves spending time with his owner Deb, human brother Caleb, and sister Molly – even though she’s a cat.

Gizmo loves sitting in laps and really knows how to charm people. In fact, when you try giving him a treat, he’ll start going around and around in circles to show his delight!

Congratulations, Gizmo!

Eagan Tail Wagger

Seven-year-old Shooter has been coming to our Eagan location for nearly a year, and his tail never stops wagging when he’s playing with all his doggy friends and the staff.

This Labrador retriever mix has earned the nickname Houdini. When his owners Adam and Janine rescued him, they learned he’d destroyed six kennels in six months. After bringing him home, they learned Shooter could escape from a plastic kennel through the power of chewing in less than 10 minutes. Since then, he’s destroyed two more plastic kennels, a wire kennel, a homemade kennel made from 2x4s, and cleared six-foot fences. And his problem-solving abilities were also no match for the expensive metal kennel Adam and Janine tried either; Shooter figured out how to pull the welded sidebars from the kennel so he can use his brute strength to push through the door.

In addition to being an escape artist, Shooter is also a great family dog. He’s also happy to see everyone until you ring the doorbell, which kicks him into guard dog mode. At that point Shooter starts howling and barking and won’t stop until you open the door so he can greet everyone personally.

When Shooter isn’t masterminding escape plans and protecting his family, he enjoys hunting, especially finding and chasing birds in fields. His dogged focus once compelled him to leap a 30-foot bank in pursuit of a bird that landed in the water. Adam and Janine were never so worried about him, but then they found Shooter still in hot pursuit of the bird! This spectacular feat has become a story of legend that still comes up in conversations today.

What’s the best part of having Shooter in their lives? “His love for being with and doing all things with the family, no matter what the activity,” Adam and Janine said. Adam and Janine also said that Shooter lost his older brother Trigger in 2018. It sounds as though Shooter may be a big brother soon, but don’t tell him because he doesn’t know yet!

Congratulations, Shooter!