In June, as we headed into the dog days of summer, we featured our readers’ pets — 19 dogs and nine cats — in our weekday newsletter.

From sunning themselves on a porch to heading out on bicycle rides to comforting someone in memory care, here are nine of those stories from the Daily Doggo/Daily Meow, the signoff to our newsletter that has become a fan favorite.

To sign up for the Morning Report, our free newsletter that delivers local headlines to your inbox, visit twincities.com/newsletters and follow the prompts.

Note: The Morning Report pet corner typically only uses readers’ first names, so we continue that style here.

Pet sitting

A reader named Lori submitted a photo of herself catsitting “Ti” (short for Titanium), which was published in the Morning Report, the Pioneer Press’ newsletter, on Thursday, June 5, 2025.

In the summer, someone has to watch the pets when we go on vacation. This was the case for a cat called Titanium.

“This is ‘Ti’ (short for Titanium), my son’s cat,” Lori writes. “I am checking in on him while my son is away. He’s such a good kitty. He is sometimes vocal, but still a good boy.”

Taking along the pets

A reader named Steve submitted a photo of his neighbors, Dan and Dax, ready for a road trip, which was published in the Pioneer Press’ newsletter, the Morning Report, on Friday, June 6, 2025. (Courtesy of Steve)

Of course, sometimes the pets get to join in on our fun. For Dax, this means bicycle rides.

“Saw your post this morning on my daily email I get from PP,” Steve writes. “Here’s my neighbor, Dan of St. Louis Park, and Dax. Hundreds of miles a month he rides — both mountain bike and road bike.”

Another tagalong

Dax’s bicycle adventures prompted a reader to send us her own pet’s travel story.

A reader named Chelsea submitted a photo of her dog, Phil, tagging along on a walk with his family, which was published in the Morning Report, the Pioneer Press’ newsletter, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Courtesy of Chelsea)

“I saw the cute picture of Dax, the backpack biking dog that you shared on Friday so I thought I’d share about our dog Phil!” Chelsea writes.

“Phil is a senior Shih Tzu (13 years old) and has become a little slower with age — so when we want to go on a longer walk together with Phil … in the backpack on dad’s back he goes! He seems to enjoy it. I also included a picture of Phil after his most recent haircut — he got a very classy necktie.

“And if you’re wondering, yes, Phil is a one-eyed guy. He misses the curb every once in awhile, but otherwise he does just fine. He came to us with one eye — he was found as an injured stray, but now he’s just a happy old man living out his golden years and sniffing all around Hamline-Midway!”

Rescued

The Morning Report will sometimes let people know about dogs and cats available for adoption from local rescues. In particular, we highlight the work of Jeanne Weigum, founder and executive director of Pooches United with People (PUP), a St. Paul-based rescue.

Sometimes, Weigum will send us photos and stories behind the rescue’s happy endings.

Jeanne Weigum of Pooches United with People (PUP), a St. Paul-based nonprofit, sent in this photo of Suzie with her new family to the Pioneer Press, which published it in the Morning Report, our newsletter, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Courtesy of Jeanne Weigum / Pooches United with People)

“Suzie gets a home,” Weigum wrote in a recent email to the Morning Report. “The pic was so cute I had to send it. This dog, her mom and sister were abandoned and Mom ended up with Second Chance and this one ended up with me. They had the worst case of ticks I have ever seen! Anyway, cute pic, cute dog, happy man.”

Learn more about the rescue’s work and check out the latest adoptable dogs at pupmn.org.

Other people’s pets

The pets we love aren’t always our own. These pets get highlighted in our newsletter, too.

“I’m a huge fan of your daily pet stories,” Rebecca wrote. “They’re a bright spot in my day. I’d be honored if you’d consider my submission: Drake, Elsie and Puppies.

Drake and Elsie’s puppies were featured in the Morning Report, the Pioneer Press newsletter, on Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Courtesy of Rebecca)

“After my mom was transferred to a memory care unit at her nursing home, I wanted to do something special for her. Around that time, I had just started dating a wonderful man who had two Labrador Retrievers — Drake and Elsie. Drake had been adopted to bring comfort to his late wife during her four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. After her passing, Elsie joined the family to help his children cope with their loss. These dogs are more than pets — they’re gentle healers.

Elsie (left) and Drake (right) with one of their puppies, Loki (center), were featured in the Morning Report, a Pioneer Press newsletter, on Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Courtesy of Rebecca)

“In November, we brought Drake to visit my mother. By then, she had lost the use of her hands, so Drake simply sat beside her wheelchair, quietly offering his calm, loving presence. She watched him with such peace and joy — it was a beautiful moment I’ll never forget. My mother has since passed, but I’m so thankful she was able to experience the gentle companionship of a dog, even if just for one afternoon.”

Murphy, grandcat

Murphy, grandcat, was featured in the Morning Report, a Pioneer Press newsletter, on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Courtesy of Margaret)

Readers often send us photos and stories of their grandcats and granddogs. This includes Murphy.

“This is our grandcat, Murphy,” wrote Margaret of Madelia, Minn. “He is 17 years old and very friendly. When I come to visit, he wants my full attention and will meow like he is talking to me. If we FaceTime with his humans, he is right there when he hears my voice trying to talk to me. He is a sweetheart.”

Memorial Mondays

Rosco was remembered in the Morning Report, a Pioneer Press newsletter, on Monday, June 2, 2025. (Courtesy of Francy)

On Mondays, we remember pets who have passed away. This includes Rosco.

“Rosco was my son’s family dog, who sooo loved walks!!” Francy writes. “Each Friday, the kids and Rosco and I would spend some time walking and talking and enjoying the great outdoors. It gave us all time to get to know each other. We were all saddened when Rosco passed on last fall — no more reason to take a walk and talk and spend some quality time with each other.”

We hope you keep walking together, Francy and family, carrying Rosco in your hearts.

New friends

Phoebe was featured in the Morning Report, the Pioneer Press newsletter, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (Courtesy of Mary Jane)

We often learn about new additions to the families in emails from our Morning Report subscribers. Meet Phoebe, everyone.

“This is Phoebe, my daughter’s cat, adopted in January!” Mary Jane writes. “She is very entertaining and has taken over the home that she shares with her brother, Jake, an 80-pound German Shepherd who was also rescued six years ago. She is definitely obsessed with water and very curious about all facets of where it comes from. She is a joy and keeps everyone on their toes!”

Summer sun

Steve was featured in the Morning Report, a Pioneer Press newsletter, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Courtesy of Linda)

Just like us, our pets savor the nice weather that summer in Minnesota finally brings us. Take Steve, for example, a kitten who was adopted in the winter.

“Summer is finally here and Steve has settled on the back porch,” Linda writes. “He has put on five pounds since I brought him home in February and turned into a healthy, happy kitty.”

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Today is Saturday, July 5, the 186th day of 2024. There are 179 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On July 5, 1996, Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell by scientists at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, was born.

Also on this date:

In 1687, Isaac Newton first published his Principia Mathematica, a three-volume work setting out his mathematical principles of natural philosophy.

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In 1811, Venezuela became the first South American country to declare independence from Spain.

In 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered his speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York.

In 1865, the Secret Service Division of the U.S. Treasury Department was founded in Washington, D.C., with the mission of suppressing counterfeit currency.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act.

In 1937, Hormel introduced a canned meat product called Spam; more than 9 billion cans have been sold since.

In 1940, during World War II, Britain and the Vichy government in France broke off diplomatic relations.

In 1943, the Battle of Kursk began during World War II; in the weeks that followed, the Soviets were able to repeatedly repel the Germans, who eventually withdrew in defeat.

In 1946, the modern bikini, designed by Frenchman Louis Reard, was first modeled in Paris.

In 1947, Larry Doby made his debut with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first Black player in the American League three months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the National League.

In 1954, Elvis Presley recorded his first single, “That’s All Right,” at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon certified the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which lowered the minimum voting age from 21 to 18.

In 1975, Arthur Ashe became the first Black man to win a Wimbledon singles title, defeating Jimmy Connors.

In 1977, Pakistan’s army, led by General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, seized power from President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZUL’-fih-kahr ah-LEE’ BOO’-toh).

In 1980, Bjorn Borg became the first male player to win five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles.

In 1994, Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos as an online marketplace for books.

In 2011, a jury in Orlando, Florida, found Casey Anthony, 25, not guilty of murder, manslaughter and child abuse in the 2008 disappearance and death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.

In 2013, Pope Francis cleared two of the 20th Century’s most influential popes to become saints in the Roman Catholic church, approving a miracle needed to canonize Pope John Paul II and waiving Vatican rules to honor Pope John XXIII.

Today’s Birthdays:

Julie Nixon Eisenhower is 77.
Rock star Huey Lewis is 75.
Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rich “Goose” Gossage is 74.
NFL Hall of Fame receiver James Lofton is 69.
Cartoonist Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) is 67.
Singer-songwriter Marc Cohn is 66.
Actor Edie Falco is 62.
Actor Jillian Armenante is 61.
Actor Kathryn Erbe (er-BEE’) is 60.
Actor Michael Stuhlbarg (STOOL’-bahrg) is 57.
Rapper RZA (RIH’-zuh) is 56.
Author Gary Shteyngart is 53.
R&B singer Joe is 52.
Rapper Royce da 5’9” is 48.
International Tennis Hall of Famer Amelie Mauresmo is 46.
Actor Ryan Hansen is 44.
Country musician Dave Haywood (Lady A) is 43.
Actor Danay Garcia is 41.
Retired soccer player Megan Rapinoe is 40.
Actor Jason Dolley is 34.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is 31.

Minnesota United’s set-piece success continues to be a driving force this season.

The Loons scored two goals — one apiece on a free kick and long throw-in — to propel its 2-1 win over FC Dallas on Friday at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

The first tied MNUFC with Philadelphia Union for the most set-piece goals in MLS this season and the second gave United the league lead outright, now with 13 this season.

MNUFC (10-4-7, 37 points) narrows the gap on first and second-place Vancouver and San Diego, while Dallas (5-9-6, 21 points) had only one win in 10 home games this season.

The Loons peppered Dallas with set pieces in the first half and broke through in the 35th minute on Carlos Harvey’s header from Julian Gressel’s quality free kick.

The set-play goal Friday had two unsung roles. First, Kelvin Yeboah’s long dribble down the left flank was dangerous and forced an FC Dallas foul just outside the 18-yard box. Then Michael Boxall’s movement attracted more defenders to leave Harvey all alone at the back post.

Harvey just returned from Gold Cup duty with Panama score his first MLS goal of the season.

In the second half, Michael Boxall’s long throw-in was flicked on from Tani Oluwaseyi and finished by Anthony Markanich in the 58th minute. It was nearly a carbon copy of a Loons’ goal in the 2-2 draw with Red Bulls last Saturday; the only difference was Jefferson Diaz had the advancing header.

Logan Farrington’s strong right-foot strike rippled the side netting in the 73rd minute. Dallas had a few more dangerous scoring chances in the following minutes but weren’t able to break through.

MNUFC benefited from the return of Dayne St. Clair with two saves in the first half, including a close-range header from Lucho Acosta in first-half stoppage time.

The Loons started strikers Kelvin Yeboah and Tani Oluwaseyi together up top for the first time since Vancouver in April, when Yeboah injured his ankle.

St. Clair and Oluwaseyi returned from Gold Cup duty with Canada; the pair and Harvey missed three MNUFC matches.

After a month in which he gave up 30 runs in 30 innings as he pitched through a hip issue that had bothered him since the end of spring training, Twins starter Bailey Ober described the need to “take a look in the mirror and see what’s really the best course of action.”

That course of action, Ober and the team decided, would be to take a period of time on the injured list and get his hip injury — described by the team as a left hip impingement — healed once and for all while working on fixing mechanical issues that cropped up as a result of the injury.

“I came up to them and said, ‘Hey, I think this is the best thing for the team and for me just to take a little breather and try to get back to normal as much as I can and get ready for the second half,’” Ober said.

Ober is currently doing some light throwing and is hopeful to get back on the mound sometime next week. From there, his absence might not be an extended one, but there will be a focus on getting his mechanics straightened out. While Ober said it’s been “better from a pain standpoint,” in the past few weeks, he said he got to a point where he wasn’t comfortable with how he was throwing as he altered his mechanics to protect his hip.

“(I’m) trying to come in here and get back as soon as I possibly can, so I’m definitely putting in a lot of work right now trying to get my mechanics in line to not really … compensate and affect how I’m throwing the baseball,” Ober said. “I feel like that’s the biggest thing right now.”

The Twins have yet to announce a replacement in the rotation for Ober, but it appears they’ll roll with some kind of bullpen game on Saturday with rookie Travis Adams, who was in the Twins’ clubhouse Friday on the taxi squad, likely getting his share of work.

Adams was called up in June but did not appear in a game. Saturday, he’s expected to be added to the roster again for reliever Kody Funderburk, who will be optioned to Triple-A.

“Getting that three days before helped me get familiar with everything I needed to do and what to kind of expect,” Adams said.

Adams, who has a 3.68 earned-run average across 63 2/3 innings pitched at Triple-A this season, has been primarily coming in in long relief this season as the Twins have thrown him for shorter stints in minor league games typically every four days rather than start him every five days.

“It’s been a longstanding discussion that guys can pitch every four days. They just might not be able to go max effort for 100 pitches every four days,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “But there’s a big difference, I think, between throwing 55 and 100. I think he’s done a good job with it. I think he was very open-minded to it and I think the results, I don’t want to say they’ve spoken for themselves, but it’s proven that this can work.”

Other injury updates

Besides Ober, the Twins are also without starters Pablo López and Zebby Matthews, both of whom landed on the injured list in June. Matthews, out with a shoulder strain, has been throwing bullpens — he is scheduled to throw another on Saturday — and should that go well, he’ll then progress to seeing hitters next week, head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta said.

One of those hitters might be Luke Keaschall, who is progressing well from a broken forearm, an injury suffered in late April. Keaschall has been hitting off the Trajekt machine in the cage, which Paparesta said he has come out of well, and once they get final clearance, they’ll want him face live pitching before sending him into game action. Paparesta noted they have younger players throwing at their facility in Fort Myers, Fla., and Keaschall could travel there to face them before getting in rehab games.

As for López, his return from a Grade 2 teres major strain still is not expected soon but he had magnetic resonance imaging taken on Monday and “things are progressing nicely,” Paparesta said. His strain is healing, though not all the way healed and he has not started throwing yet, Paparesta said.

“The MRI was encouraging and we were happy with what we saw,” Paparesta said. “It’s kind of exactly where we thought he’d be at 26 days post-injury. … He’s moving in the right direction.”

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