Give to the Max 2025!
Give to the Max Day (GTMD) is a 24-hour give-a-thon initiative known as Minnesota’s primary giving holiday. Each year, the event is held with the sole purpose of fundraising for nonprofit organizations and schools making a difference in our home state. This year, GTMD is on Thursday, November 20th.
Small But Mighty
Minnesota Basset Rescue was founded in July of 2017 to rescue, renew, and rehome basset hounds. In the past eight years, our intakes have grown exponentially with annual intakes increasing from only 17 dogs our first (half) year of operations to an astonishing 181 as of mid-November 2025. For a small, primarily single breed rescue, we are incredibly proud of our accomplishments, and also sincerely grateful to the supporters that have allowed us to get where we are today.
Expansion and Diversity
The last few years have offered MNBR additional opportunities to help more than just our namesake, the basset hound. Willing foster homes, generous supporters, and transport networks allowed MNBR to save even more lives and create more families during a time when so many dogs were in need.
In 2025, MNBR has welcomed bassets (153), basset mixes (13), beagles (10), a beagle mix (1) and dachshunds/dachshunds mixes (4) into the MNBR family. Our dogs come from private homes (96), breeders (44), shelters/pounds/found as strays (33), or they are born into our care (8).
When local needs were met and space and funds were available, we were able to rescue dogs from private families, shelters, and breeders in 9 other states including Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin and Mexico. Thankfully, our followers and foster homes are incredibly supportive, and 2025 is going to be yet another incredibly successful year for intakes and adoptions for MNBR. Those are lives saved and families made, all thanks to people like you.
Economic Conditions
In 2025 our intakes consisted primarily of private relinquishments and breeder releases.
During COVID many people chose to purchase or adopt a new companion when they found they were spending more time at home. Breeders ramped up production of puppies to keep up with the explosive new demand. As the demand waned, breeders found themselves with surplus puppies and unneeded adult dogs.
Due to the conditions in these facilities and the lack of record keeping, each adult dog we rescue needs a substantial amount of vet care including all basic vaccinations, deworming, preventatives, blood tests, spay/neuters surgeries, and dentals along with treatments for ear and skin infections. These dogs are often our most expensive cases, with adults costing $1,500-$2,000 in vet care each.
There has also been an increase in private rehomings of dogs since COVID. Many families who adopted or purchased a dog during COVID are going back to work making them feel they no longer have time for a dog, and others are feeling the effects of inflation and struggling to afford the rising costs of dog ownership. These factors have caused a significant increase in intakes across all rescue organizations, and along with the related increase in veterinary costs, many rescues are struggling with space and funding.
100% Volunteer
Minnesota Basset Rescue is an all volunteer, foster-based rescue, but what does that really mean?
MNBR is run 100% by volunteers and has no paid employees. The hours and hours per week spent on managing animal welfare, adoptions, finance, events, volunteers, and marketing are all completed by unpaid volunteers, many of whom work full-time in addition to their volunteer roles. These dedicated volunteers allow us to put wages back where we want them, into caring for our hounds.
While having a brick and mortar location could definitely have its perks, being foster-based provides us with two distinct advantages: we never spend any of our donated funds on rent or a mortgage and our dogs always live in a home, never a kennel.
Our direct program expenses, which include veterinary costs, dog supplies, training, etc., consistently make up 97% of our total expenses every single year!
Rescue. Renew. Rehome.
Since our inception in July of 2017 we have rescued over 780 hounds and received $502,000 in donations to provide those dogs with the medical care they needed while finding them forever homes.
Thank you to those who have donated over the past six years. We truly appreciate the support of our basset-loving community. With your continued support we can continue rescuing, renewing, and rehoming these deserving hounds.
2025 Rescue Summary
Holdover Hounds: 13 (1 puppy and 12 adults)
Due to medical reasons, not finding the right fit, or not being ready for adoption, these hounds were rescued in 2022-2024 but not rehomed in 2024. Ensuring the health and well-being of each dog and matching them with a family that fits their needs and temperament are our top priorities, and sometimes that process takes time.
Intakes: 181 (45 puppies, 125 adults, and 10 seniors)
MNBR takes in dogs from private relinquishments, shelters, pounds, and breeder releases, both in and out of state. We prioritize local dogs but will pull from out of state when there are funds and foster homes available.
Adoptions: 163 (38 puppies, 120 adults, and 5 seniors)
MNBR uses a four-step approval process to find loving homes for each dog in our care; application, interview, veterinary or reference check, and a home visit. We accept applications from within the following areas: all of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin and other applicants within a 6 ½ hour radius of our headquarters in St. Paul, MN.
Health & Welfare Expenses: $194,600
Prior to being matched with their forever family, MNBR ensures each hound is spayed/neutered, properly vaccinated, microchipped, and evaluated for any health or behavioral concerns. Expenses include wellness visits, vaccinations, spay/neuter procedures, dental procedures, surgeries, medications, heartworm treatment, heartworm and flea/tick preventatives, prescription food, boarding, training, transporting and much more.
Adoption Fees: $90,500
MNBR adoption fees range from $300-$700 and are based on age. As our average veterinary cost per dog is $835, MNBR uses donations to help bridge the gap. As a registered 501(c)3, all donations to MNBR are tax deductible and go directly to the care of our dogs.