Haugens Hope for Safety and Security
Donation protected
Hello! Thank you for visiting! I am Lindsey, and I wanted to help the Haugen Family feel safe in their own backyard again. My friend, Angie, is an extraordinary person who at the beginning of the pandemic curated a safe group for local moms online. She helped us navigate something entirely new and scary, building community for moms in very isolating times. She did this while managing her own family’s horrific tragedy, as their new puppy was killed (in their own yard) in front of their 7 year old son, by an unsupervised neighbor dog who breached the fence.
The incident happened in April of 2020, soon after the quarantine had been put into place. The Haugen’s son was playing in their backyard with their new puppy, Aggie, when the neighbor’s aggressive dog flew under the fence, into the Haugen’s yard, and viciously attacked the small puppy while their son watched in horror and fear. The puppy died soon after the violent attack, held in the arms of their 8 year old daughter. Though the neighbor’s two dogs had gotten under the fence once years prior while the kids played, the kids were unharmed and they took some precautions to stake the fence and try to prevent another incident. Unfortunately, in the weeks prior to the Haugen puppy being killed, this particular dog had also attacked another neighbor’s dog and was consistently showing increasingly aggressive behavior that monitoring him should have been a top priority. However, since they did put their aggressive dog down after the attack in the Haugen’s yard, and because the children were traumatized enough, the Haugens opted not to press charges and instead focused on getting counseling for their son and another puppy to fill the void of losing their first love in such awful circumstances.
Living next to the neighbors whose neglect killed your puppy in the middle of a pandemic in front of your child would be hard enough, but the situation took another unfortunate turn when, despite the incredible grace shown by the Haugens, the neighbors opted to get another dog and chose a large known aggressive breed. After the history with their first puppy and trauma for their children, the Haugens requested information on how the neighbors would better secure their property and ensure the safety to prevent any further trauma or incident. The neighbor responded that they have no intention of doing anything else and dismissed any concern the Haugens expressed about the impact on the children created by the mismanagement of their previous aggressive dog. The Haugens are on their own to build a more secure fence structure that will help the kids to feel safe again in their own yard.
These kids, now 8 and 9, lost a huge sense of security when this violent attack happened in front of them where they usually play. To have the neighbor responsible for the tragedy dismisses the impact all of this has had on them has been hard for both children. Our goal with this fundraiser is to show these young kids that there are adults who see how awful and scary this situation is, and who care about their safety - reminding them that there is more good in this world than bad so that can be the focus when they go out to play.
We can show this family our support by helping them raise funds for the new fence, just on the one side where the dog was able to get through. Realizing how unsecure the situation is and that kids are involved, the fencing company has moved other jobs and made the Haugen’s the first priority of the spring, so the kids no longer have to look and see the bigger dog barking at them as they play with their puppy and they can know it is made safely and secure. With even just a little bit of support from enough adults, we can help remind them that adults do understand the trauma they experienced and there are people willing to help, even when the people that should are unwilling.
The incident happened in April of 2020, soon after the quarantine had been put into place. The Haugen’s son was playing in their backyard with their new puppy, Aggie, when the neighbor’s aggressive dog flew under the fence, into the Haugen’s yard, and viciously attacked the small puppy while their son watched in horror and fear. The puppy died soon after the violent attack, held in the arms of their 8 year old daughter. Though the neighbor’s two dogs had gotten under the fence once years prior while the kids played, the kids were unharmed and they took some precautions to stake the fence and try to prevent another incident. Unfortunately, in the weeks prior to the Haugen puppy being killed, this particular dog had also attacked another neighbor’s dog and was consistently showing increasingly aggressive behavior that monitoring him should have been a top priority. However, since they did put their aggressive dog down after the attack in the Haugen’s yard, and because the children were traumatized enough, the Haugens opted not to press charges and instead focused on getting counseling for their son and another puppy to fill the void of losing their first love in such awful circumstances.
Living next to the neighbors whose neglect killed your puppy in the middle of a pandemic in front of your child would be hard enough, but the situation took another unfortunate turn when, despite the incredible grace shown by the Haugens, the neighbors opted to get another dog and chose a large known aggressive breed. After the history with their first puppy and trauma for their children, the Haugens requested information on how the neighbors would better secure their property and ensure the safety to prevent any further trauma or incident. The neighbor responded that they have no intention of doing anything else and dismissed any concern the Haugens expressed about the impact on the children created by the mismanagement of their previous aggressive dog. The Haugens are on their own to build a more secure fence structure that will help the kids to feel safe again in their own yard.
These kids, now 8 and 9, lost a huge sense of security when this violent attack happened in front of them where they usually play. To have the neighbor responsible for the tragedy dismisses the impact all of this has had on them has been hard for both children. Our goal with this fundraiser is to show these young kids that there are adults who see how awful and scary this situation is, and who care about their safety - reminding them that there is more good in this world than bad so that can be the focus when they go out to play.
We can show this family our support by helping them raise funds for the new fence, just on the one side where the dog was able to get through. Realizing how unsecure the situation is and that kids are involved, the fencing company has moved other jobs and made the Haugen’s the first priority of the spring, so the kids no longer have to look and see the bigger dog barking at them as they play with their puppy and they can know it is made safely and secure. With even just a little bit of support from enough adults, we can help remind them that adults do understand the trauma they experienced and there are people willing to help, even when the people that should are unwilling.
Organizer and beneficiary
Lindsey Beaulieu
Organizer
St. Paul, MN
Angela Haugen
Beneficiary