Boone is a 12 year old yellow lab.

"He'd been hit by a car and the owners didn't want to pay for the surgery because they could get a new dog for what that cost," says Connie. Boone lost his front left leg in the accident but gained a loving home.

Spree is still a puppy. She was born with a front right leg that didn't work, but runs around the yard just fine without it. And then there is Dexter, a chocolate lab that has a story similar to Boone's. Dexter was hit by a car and abandoned by his owner, but not by Connie.

"Some of them have had really hard lives," she says of her dogs.

But their lives are anything but hard now. Connie made sure each got the care they needed from CSU's Veterinary Medical Center. She and her dogs were frequent visitors which allowed Connie to notice all of the dogs there in kennels for long term care.

The CSU facility is world renowned for its treatment of animals, especially cancer treatment. Some of the dogs sent there for treatment are from other states, making it difficult for the owner to be there for extended periods. Those are the dogs Connie wanted to help.

Eventually, she started to wonder if her 72 acre farm might be an answer.

"I said if these dogs are well enough to go home with their owners, can they go home with me?" she asked.

After meeting certain requirements, the answer was yes.

Connie went into business as Canine Health Resort, LLC. Dog owners from around the country send their pets to her and she acts as something of a surrogate mom to them. Connie shuttles them back and forth from her farm to CSU for treatments.

"If I'm lucky, only once in the afternoon. My record is coming back and forth six times in one day," says Connie.

And when the dogs aren't at CSU for their treatments, Connie does her best to let the dogs just be dogs.

"They're happy. They aren't stuck in a cage and they get to run around here. They're with other dogs. It is better for their healing," Connie says.

She has had dogs sent to her from all over North America. She had a golden retriever sent to her from the Caribbean and a pug flown down from Juneau, Alaska. Because the owners are away from their pets for an extended period, Connie e-mails them every other day to keep them updated on their progress and she sends them pictures of their pets.

"It just gives them that connection and they can see that their dog is doing well," she says.

The dogs stay with Connie for anywhere from a week to a month. Those healthy enough get the chance to run, play and swim in a pond on the farm. Friends have even taken to call it the Ronald McDonald House for dogs, with one exception.

"It's just that their families can't come live here. Just the dogs," says Connie.

She says it gives her a great deal of satisfaction to help the dogs and their owners. She sees the difference it makes.

"It allows them to get out of the hospital setting and be dogs and that's what dogs like to do. They like to be dogs."

If you want more information about Connie Fredman, you can visit her Web site at: www.caninehealthresort.com