Saver of lives now fighting for her own

Dawn Boeselager has dedicated her life to helping man’s best friends live safe, happy and healthy lives, but now she needs assistance herself to do just that after a freak accident over summer.

Boeselager, the owner of Tailwaggers 911 in the Town of Grafton, was on the phone with her friend Debbie Bruggink when she went to put out the fire in an outdoor fire pit at her Saukville home on July 31. She moved a log and, after a few dogs ran by, lost her balance and fell backward into the fire.

Boeselager had put the phone down but hadn’t hung up. Bruggink heard her scream she was on fire. Boeselager managed to get out of the pit but was still on fire.

Bruggink wanted to call 911 but lives in Plymouth so the call wouldn’t have gone to the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office. She contacted a friend in the Saukville area to call. By that time, Boeselager had called 911 herself.

A Flight for Life helicopter landed in a nearby parking lot and took her to a burn center.

Boeselager sustained second and third-degree burns on her back, leg and up to her left arm, and she was put in an intensive care unit. She was on a ventilator for a period of time and has had multiple skin grafting surgeries at Ascension St. Mary’s Columbia Burn Center in Milwaukee. The latest operation used her own skin, which Bruggink said is a big step.

Bruggink said Boeselager is working to get her strength back after being in the hospital for so long. She doesn’t know when Boeselager will be able to come home.

Bruggink and other friends have helped organize a fundraiser for Boeselager’s medical costs.

J’Sports Bar in Saukville is hosting the event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4. A silent auction and paddle board raffle, bake sale and gift basket raffles will be held, as well as a 50/50 raffle. Sloppy Joes and various soups will be available for purchase.

Tailwaggers 911 sent emails asking people to help support Boeselager. People may donate via Venmo with the handle @DBtailwaggers911.

Boeselager’s son Brandon and his wife Brie have been helping with the rescue, as well as other friends.

Bruggink said Boeselager’s three foster dogs were taken to other foster homes and some may have been adopted. Her resident dog Twelve is staying with a friend who cares for her when Boeselager is out of town.

Boeselager’s love for animals began early in life.

She grew up on a hobby farm in the Rockfield area of Germantown with seven horses, three dogs and, unexpectedly, a cat. Boeseleger saw a stray sitting on a stoop during a snowstorm, scooped her up and brought her into the house.

Boeselager attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, got pregnant, transferred to Lakeland College in Cleveland and graduated early with degrees in marketing and business.

She worked as an executive assistant and in database management for Kohler Co. and Blue Cross Blue Shield before starting her own cleaning business, Dust-Til-Dawn.

She volunteered at area rescue organizations before deciding to start her own out of her basement in 2007.

Several years ago, Boeselager was able to secure an office for her rescue in the Town of Grafton.

Boeseleger sold her cleaning business and now just runs Tailwaggers 911. The nonprofit survives on adoption fees, donations and foster families.

Boeseleger has one employee, Colleen Felli of Mequon, who adopted a dog from the rescue a year ago and came to work for the organization in February.

Felli has experience in graphic design, branding and real estate development, and she shares Boeselger’s standards for adoptions.

The mission of Tailwaggers 911 has continued while Boeselager has been in the hospital. Multiple vans have brought dogs from Texas in need of homes in the past several weeks.

All dogs are put into foster care and will never live in a kennel again. The rescue is always looking for foster homes and is in need of donations and items for dogs’ care.

In 16 years, the rescue has saved more than 3,700 dogs.

Fore more information, visit https://www.tailwaggers911.com/index.htm.