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Minnesota Now with Cathy Wurzer
Cathy Wurzer and Alex Cheng

An animal rescue tries to keep pets with families before they're surrendered

A woman holds a dog.
Rachel Mairose at the yearly Bone Appetit Gala hosted by Secondhand Hounds in September 2021.
Courtesy of Tara Sloane

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During quarantine, we all heard about folks getting pandemic pets — puppies, kitties, bunnies and more. But that wave of new pet owners in 2020 turned into a wave of pet surrenders in 2021, as some families found they didn’t want their animals or couldn’t afford to keep them.

Rachel Mairose has been rescuing pets for years, but now she is turning her attention to finding ways to keep pets and families together. Mairose is the founder and executive director of Secondhand Hounds, a pet rescue and adoption agency based in Minnetonka, Minn.

Secondhand Hounds recently merged with People & Pets Together, a food shelf for pets, and with support from Chuck & Don’s pet supply store, they’ve opened a new pet wellness center in Minneapolis. Mairose joined host Cathy Wurzer with more on the effort.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.