This has been a banner year for Brittany rescue. It has been "Raining Brittanys" here in New York for quite a while. I had the opportunity to jump in with both feet a few months ago when I was asked (or suckered into depending on how you look at it...LOL) to be the Western New York Regional Coordinator for NBRAN (National Brittany Rescue and Adoption Network).
Until then, I was just a volunteer, plodding along, following the flock, and hoping that I was making a slight difference. I didn't really understand the work it takes, the time and effort people put in, and what it it means to truly be involved with your heart and soul in this type of stuff. I am working hard at figuring it all out.... |
| Otis at the Outlet Rod & Gun Club |
Our first Brittany; orange and white Otis came to us at 12 weeks, a roly-poly little guy that was smart as a whip! He has turned out to be a stately gentleman with a sweet, mild-mannered temperament. He has a fabulous nose, and even though he can be stubborn at times his hunting ability is amazing!
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| Lucibelle's first point |
We also have Lucibelle - Luci for short, our two year old Tri-Color girl that has a zest for life like no other dog I have ever seen. Her energy is boundless, her face cute as a button, and she is a hunting savant. Hubby Scott calls her that and I cannot disagree. So, of course being a Brittany lover, a bird hunter, and a fairly positive thinker with a lot of patience, Brittany Rescue here I am!
So, now onto the blog...
I was a cat person. Almost all of my life I had owned cats. I never remember not having a cat while I was growing up. I never really aspired to be a dog owner, but my first husband talked me into it a few months after we bought our first home together. A friend had a "mistake liter" of purebred mutts, and we aquired Curly Joe. Yes, so, way back when in the early 80's I had a dog. Actually he was a HUGE dog, 120 pounds of black and white fur that stood taller than me with his paws on my shoulders. I was still unimpressed. I liked the dog well enough, but never quite warmed up to him the way I loved my cats. So, when the dog went off to live with friends it was sad, but not earth shattering.
Then came Otis. Scott had wanted a dog for such a long time. A hunting dog to be exact. A lot of our friends had Brittanys and they were realy cute, so it was a fairly easy choice.
That fateful Friday night at Victor Rod & Gun Club when Scott was shooting doubles at the JTH, and John Sorensen happened to have two puppies left from his litter... Scott came off the Skeet field and I was holding "Dino" who later became Otis sound asleep on my shoulder, it was meant to be.
Immediately after adopting Otis I was smitten. Yes, there were those awful puppy moments that he cried for hours on end in hs crate and I wanted to send him back, but this little bundle of orange and white fur with his bright pink nose had stolen my heart.
Having this little puppy and watching him grow was so much fun. There was always a new sound, or a different expression on his face. Seeing how smart he is, and how fast he learns new things amazed both of us. It has been such a joy seeing him become the beautiful dog he is today. My love for Otis and this wonderful breed of dogs was the catalyst for my venture into rescue, and the happiness I see in the dog's and the new owner's faces makes it all worthwhile!
My rescue experience started out in the fall of 2008 right around Thanksgiving time. We were asked to take in an old girl named Josie that needed transport to Maine to her new foster home.
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| Josie |
Sadly she was given up by her people, just because she got old and became a burden to them.
This happens a lot with dogs, especially Brittanys. When a Britt can't hunt any more they aren't anything but a food and vet bill to some of the old timers, and if they aren't taken out back and shot, they end up in a kill shelter or in rescue where it's our job to find them and get them into a home where they can live out their lives with dignity and love.
I drove almost all the way to NYC to pick her up from another temporary foster that could not keep her. She stayed with us for several weeks, and really was a big, gentle girl. All she wanted was some good food, someone to pet her, and a warm bed to sleep on. Not much to ask, eh?
Josie got to have Thanksgiving dinner at Keuka lake with the family, and I am sure I saw a smile from her! On Friday Scotty & I said goodbye to Otis (he stayed with Aunt Kim) and loaded up our clothes, gear and Josie, and headed to Maine to drop her off to her new foster mom & dad.
It was an emotional thing for me to let her go, I guess because she was my first "real" rescue. I think my tears that day when I said goodbye were also joyful knowing that she was going to get to live out her life in a really good place.
Ultimately along came Greg and Chris and Josie ended up right back here in Buffalo, New York. I haven't heard anything for a while, but I'm sure she is living the high life, and that feels good!
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| Ollie with Sandie |
It was May of 2009 before the next rescue came along. Sandie was an ABR pup. She is a beautiful off-color tri-color with a full long tail. She is tiny at about 25 pounds, and although a little bit mouthy, she was really a sweet girl.
I found Sandie in a Craig's List advertisement saying that she needed a home right away. Scotty & I drove down to the Geneva area and found her and what was left of her puppies full of fleas and needing a lot of attention.
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| Lucibelle with Sandie's puppy Daisy |
We took her and the one puppy we were given (Daisy) loaded them up in a crate & off we went. Sandie had been tied up outside of a trailer, unspayed, and allowed to get pregnant by the other resident dog during her first heat.
She probably was only about 8 months old herself.
Her people had then locked her and her puppies in a small trailer bathroom all day, and then complained that she ruined the door. Speechless.... What can you say to these people?
Sandie was vetted, spayed, and groomed until she shone like a bright penny! She was was ultimately adopted by a wonderful family in New Jersey with a beautiful house, and a huge yard.
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| Jack |
This is Jack! His original name was Zeus, which fit him to a T! He is a an orange and white Brutus of a dog, all 65 lbs of him, and not an ounce of fat! Jack wouldn't hurt a fly, he was a Baby Huey type dog. He did like to chase the cats! He was an owner surrender to ABR that was kept in a crate almost all day because the people that had him didn't understand Brittanys and did not know how to train him or control him. Jack had chewed through almost anything in sight, was a huge counter surfer, and had almost no manners before foster mom Lori took him in. I have to give her a lot of credit, Lori is just a little bit of a thing and she toughed it out with him for about 6 weeks. He really did put her through a lot trying to teach him some manners and she succeeded pretty well.
Jack got adopted, and had a wonderful home for about 5 months, but his foster dad became ill, and was unable to give Jack the time and exercise he needed. So Scotty & I took Jack in and worked with him for about a month until he was adopted by a man in Ohio. I am hoping that he is doing well in his new home because Jack is just a Gentle Giant.
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| Jewel |
Jewel was an adept fence climber and we had to keep her on a tether while she was here. We are glad the other dogs didn't pick up this behavior! She was also very loving and affectionate. We are glad that Jewel stayed with her family and didn't end up in rescue!
Ellie Mae is a liver and white ABR owner surrender. Her family did not have time for her, and being unfamiliar with the breed were not prepared for a dog as active as she is. She was spending too much time crated and became very protective of her crate and anything in it. We found out almost immediately that Ellie had resource guarding issues with food and toys. This was the first dog that I thought for sure would not make it into a new home. It was painful to even think that I couldn't save this dog. She was uncontrollable with food, and would strike and bite if you tried to move her bowl or take away food or toys. She also had a pretty bad ear infection that we were not able to treat at home because she would bite every time we tried to clean her ears or administer medicine. It was a very difficult situation. I couldn't help feel that it wasn't entirely the dog's fault, and was determined to try anything possible to get this girl a home.Ellie was evaluated by a behaviorist and deemed an unadoptable dog. I had never been in this situation before and the thought of having to euthanize her was overwhelming.
Thankfully our friend Dave agreed to take her knowing what her problems were. He has spent a lot of time retraining her, and she is doing much better. Her food guarding has subsided, and she gets along well with the other resident Brittany Ricki.
Dave jokingly calls her knucklehead, asks often to trade her for a different model, but I think he has grown rather fond of her and is proud of the fact that he has "fixed" a lot of her troubles. I think she has found a forever home, but the standing joke is that "Ellie Mae or Ellie may not...."
I hope she stays!
Our next ABR rescue is liver and white Molly. Molly is a litttle girl with a lot of spunk, and a ton of energy. Scott and I picked her up as an owner surrender from people that were not able to care for her anymore. She came to us with severe urine burns on the inside of her legs and her belly from lying in her crate in urine. It was very sad. She also was in heat when we got her, so we started off fostering her with a diaper on. We were able to get her spayed after he heat cycle was done a month later, and she was adopted by a nice family.
Unfortunately, Molly was returned to us five months later because they were not able to keep up with her energy level with two small children in their home. Little Molly has gone through a lot in her short 2 year life. Into rescue, adopted, and unfortunately returned. She's currently in another foster home, and I'm hopeful we will find her that forever home before the end of the year. She is a very sweet, loving dog. Molly needs to be in a home with another dog to burn off some of that Brittany energy, and with very active people that either run, hike or play with their dogs every day. She would do best with adults and no children.
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| Daisy |
Daisy is our first NBRAN Foster. She is the resident "Sprittany". I saw her picture on the web site and knew that I could find her a home! We weren't able to tell by the original picture of her that she really isn't a Brittany at all, but a pure bred English Springer Spaniel. When we drove to Buffalo to pick her up Kathy B. told us that she may have some Springer in her. She opened the car door, and I said, "She doesn't have a little Springer in her, she IS a Springer!" That was a good laugh all around. We took her home anyways, and she turned out to be the sweetest, nicest dog ever. Our Lucibelle hated her. I spent a week trying to keep the peace between the two of them. As wonderful as Daisy was, she had to move on...We had a family in Walworth that had applied for a young female and she was brought here for them. I had the unpleasant duty of calling them and telling them that Daisy was not a Brittany, but a Springer after all. Thankfully, they alreay had a male Springer, and agreed to look at Daisy. I brought her out to their home, and although Milo was a bit stuffy at first, and they have had their disagreements and spats getting to know the pecking order of the house, it looks as though Daisy is there to stay! So, the resident "Spritttany" has found a home! (And in record time!)
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