Rescue Report 2nd Quarter Submitted May 30, 2009
We started off slow and then we got several dogs in. This was a difficult time for us because we had just lost our Heart, Orson. We had Trina that came back and then got Bailey and then Bunson, assisting to place Sawyer and this week Cash. We will be taking in a 3 year old female soon and maybe a 4 year old male also. Little is known about them at this time
Bailey was a product of divorce and then loss of the home. Bailey, age 3, came and was an easy placement, she is a sweet girl that was a little shy, but warmed up quickly. She had a lot of fun with Trina and Colin. She is a smaller girl with a very pretty face. We found her a home in the thumb with 2 doggie playmates and her own little girl, McKenzie. Bailey and McKenzie are inseperateable now, so much so that Bailey is helping support her with some current health issues, keeping her spirits up.
Bunson, aka ”Bunny”, is a huge boy that was just a year old and thought he was 25 pounds, was a handful, but a fun one. Another causality of the economy. His family also was losing their home. We saw in him a potential as a therapy dog so we contact Al and Irina that had recently lost their Hercules. They met him and fell in love instantly and took him. However, his antics proved too much for their dainty Xena, a 140 pound Leo. He would knock her around and was just too much of a pup for everyone at that time. So Bunson came back. We found that Bunny and Trina were to become great buddies and we sought to put them together because Trina could take his playfulness and dish it right back and Bunson was a confident role model for her to help with her shyness. We tried for over a month but no appropriate home that fit the requirements that we felt was necessary for them came that would keep them together, but we had several that were good homes for Bunson, so we decided to split them up. Bunson went to live with Cindy and Chris Graw that have another 2 year old Berner Kaylee and an older mix boy. We placed him a week ago in Marysville, and he is doing great!
Trina was the shy girl I wrote about last issue. She became a super loving girl in our home, we got quite attached and very picky on where she would be allowed to go. We required for her a real fence, a confident dog or two and a home that had few visitors and minimal male presence. It took 5 months but since we split Bunson off, I called Patty Aarons in Lewiston because she had considered both but decided that Bunson was too much and since they had two Berners already, 4 was too many. So that left that 3 might be a possibility! So I called Patty and Brad, they jumped and the prospect of having another girl. They adopted Brooke from a shelter in Cheboygan last fall. She is an older girl and has come down with cancer after just a few months of having a new, perfect life. Their other girl Skye is just 2 and needs a playmate, she fit the bill as the outgoing example we needed. Enter Trina!
I took Trina there yesterday. I’m not saying it is a perfect home, but I wanted them to adopt me! They have a beautiful home deep in the woods with a nice sized fenced area overlooking a private lake.
By the way, did I mention that they have 600 acres across the street! With its own lake, and its own resident pair of nesting Bald Eagles! Now she will be able to go on several walks a day through the woods undisturbed. Patty is married to Brad; both are retired with few visitors. Taylor made for “Beana”. I have already received several updates within 36 hours and Trina is sitting on her feet at the computer. It took several weeks for her to join either one of us here. Her relationship with Brad is a work in progress, and should show results very soon.
Sawyer is a 4.5 year old retired show dog that started acting up with the other dogs in his home causing fights. It was decided between his owner, his breeder and us that he would be happier as an only dog. This was heartbreaking for his owners but in his best interest. So we are working on finding him a suitable home. At this time we have a potential in mid Indiana, but we are waiting for them to return from a trip to make a final decision by his owner. He is staying in his home until the right new home is found.
Cash just came in on May 25th. Same story, losing the home due to job loss. Cash is a beautiful stocky boy with our favorite boxy head. He is 6-1/2 years old and still intact. With no issues. Very friendly and loving. We noticed the first day he walked strangely. We asked his owners and they said he has never had any issues, other than about 2 weeks ago he tried to jump into the truck and missed, falling backwards. So we thought he might have hurt something. But he seemed to show more signs of something worse than a sprain or strain. He was not tip toeing so we did not think ACL. We thought hips or spine. We were going to have him neutered right away but decided to have his other issues checked first to see what is going on. His hips, knees and spine x-rayed as fine. So now we are looking at a neurological source. We are starting to think he may have Degenerative Myelopathy. He is sometimes dragging his rear when he trips running and stands with his rear feet tight together which makes him wobbly. We have even seen him with his back legs crossed while eating. Also found in the x-ray was a hugely enlarged prostrate about the size of a tennis ball.
If what we think comes true that he has what we think, then we decided that unless an exceptionally understanding family comes along. Cash will spent what time he has left here. He will be going with next week to our cottage for some R&R.
The rescue is now free standing and the club has transferred the rescue funds to the new rescue. It was discussed at the board meeting that we want to remain closely connected with the club, but without the club having to worry about the liabilities. The board dissolved the rescue committee but retained a liaison to the board, will continue the practice that rescue adopters’’ may join the club their first year at no charge. They still have to apply like everyone else, just the fees are waived. The renewal forms are going to be changed to remove the committee choice for rescue involvement but then added the rescue under the “interested in” section.
Now on to becoming a 501c3!!
We received a very generous donation for a Girl Scout troop in Indiana that has adopted Bogie Saks as their buddy and mascot. The girls got together and decided they wanted to do something for animal rescue, and since their favorite rescue was Bogie, they picked where Bogie came from, us. With the help of Deb Saks, and their pack leader, they sought donations for supplies to send with our dogs when they get adopted. What arrived to us were about 50 bags. Each one has 4 large chew bones (do the math, 4 x 50=200 big bones!!), a mixed package of chew sticks, a tennis ball and a Frisbee. What a haul!!! If you look closely at Trina’s picture you can see her bag.
Thank you Deb for working with the girls and thinking of us!
We also received another donation of sorts. We got new neighbors next door to us and within 2 days we had an altercation with the dogs. We were just talking introducing ourselves, and the gang when we think Orson (Orson. can you believe it) reached through the large squares of our fence and grabbed the woman’s leg ripping her pants and abrading her leg. So we had to stop procrastinating and redo our fence to something more solid. I mentioned this to Karl Eriksen as he is the treasurer of the rescue. Karl ran with the idea of a work bee of fence building. He organized the time and it had to be the day of the West Side Draft Clinic, that was the only day is would work scheduling wise.
I hired some people to put in the posts and framework, and we were going to cut and install the boards, all 1,100 of them. So on that Saturday morning, cars starting pulling up. By the end there were 14 club members with tools in hand willing to wade through the mud to build our fence. It started for me at about 6 AM getting things ready before the group starting showing up. It started with Bob Sibley, followed by Al Bruder and then a steady stream consisting of Karl, Lisa & Soren Erickson, Bob Nutter, Mark Zelenka, Steve Wichmann, Ralph and Barb Pitts, Robin Sternberg, Janet Lair, and Dan and Sharon Wanderer. I hope I got everyone, but my mind is fried, so if I missed you, I’m very sorry. Linda thinks I missed one person.
We now have a beautiful fence around most of the property. We got over 75% of the boards up that day and I finished it over the next week. All the north side that we were concerned about and up to Patt’s fence line, about half way down the south side, plus all the front got done that day. It went up much faster that I thought it would and with the expertise that was there all went smoothly. We are so surprised on so many turning out for the fence raising. We were expecting more like 6 or 7. 14 was outstanding!! We are so grateful and humbled that so many would spend their Saturday working on our fence, THANK YOU! A special thanks to Karl and Lisa for coming up with the idea and organizing the work bee. So does the club have a new event? An annual fence raising? Thank you all that helped, you have our heartfelt gratitude
As always, thank you for your support
Bruce and Linda Whiteside, HMBMDR Coordinators
Web Site: https://michiganberneserescue.org/