Month: April 2022

Miss Lilly!(DEAF/Visually Impaired)

She wants to say that sadly, despite being Available For Adoption since May 28th, 2020, there has been extremely little to no interest in her.

She is an incredible Dane. Just a super special, big personality, active, really affectionate, playful, gentle, caring, good with dogs, people, and not to mention a stunningly beautiful girl.

She needs an experienced, structured, consistent, patient home. She will take a mile if you give her an inch. Do not blame her……she is smart, adorably manipulative if you let her be! 

Therefore, Miss Lilly wishes to say that come to the end of May of this year if she still remains as being Available, her loving fosters – The Boerskins, will be moving her to the BHRR Haven program.

She is cherished, lacks for nothing, and will continue being given every opportunity in experiences, and adventures to help her reach her full potential.

She makes us laugh every day…and at the end of the day, if her right matched personality fit home does not come along, that is ok. She is adored by so many fans, supporters, and us!

 

These two! They crack us up!!!

 
Mr. Chester(8 months of age).
 
His weight on Wednesday was 140 pounds(yes, he does need to lose a wee bit, yet, not as much as one would think!) – as we work to keep him lean – & his ‘big’ foster sister River.
 
BHRR’s Chester(Saint/Newf) remains AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!
 
 

Mr. Simon enjoying his own time outdoors!
 
Big change from living in a barn…..
 
He was at the Vet last Wednesday and his weight was slightly down – .3 of a kg. So, being still thin, we have talked to his amazing foster home and adding in canned food again to his meals.
We want and need him to keep going up and his foster is doing a fabulous job with him.
 
Not only was he seen for the licking on his legs – I had asked his foster mama re: if any pattern was noted for I suspected that this could be behavioural over, or in addition to possible allergies, yet he had begun to have some sudden diarrhea.
 
The Vet agreed that based upon where he was licking when he was doing it was likely behavioural over possible allergies at this time.
 
These dogs have had a lot of decompressing to do, so much stimulation with sights, smells, and noises – no matter how much exposure has been attempted to be slowly done, it has been a lot for him and Mr. Lewis.
 
So, we placed him on a low short-term dose of Trazodone to ease any stress/worry.
 
His foster continues to work with him learning to not only like yet love himself and to appropriately self-soothe, self-comfort, etc.
 
It is too easy to create SA behaviours, and we are not doing these dogs any favours by not doing right by them. We do not feel sorry for them, we do not spend 24/7 with them, we do not enable them, we work to help them reach their full potential and make them the best dogs they can be.
 
AND they are really fantastic dogs!
 
We do not want the licking behaviour to become behaviourally ingrained, and then a habit.
 
He is dewormed monthly and so parasitic causes as to his diarrhea were believed to not be the case. We did ask his wonderful foster to bring in a sample if they could – when the stool is very liquidy, that is hard to do.
 
He was placed on Metronidazole plus Forti Flora(an amazing probiotic), and his stools are back to normal. Yay!
 
We are also adding some omegas to his diet as his coat was a bit dry and flakey in spots when he was seen.
 
So……..we feel comfortable again with him moving forward in making his own special announcement. Which he will do shortly!
 
Thanks to his incredible foster mama for the fun photo! He is learning to be a dog!!! 

Miss Rosie showing Mr. Lewis ‘the ropes’! 
 
He had some complications – extreme swelling – post-op, yet slow but sure, he is healing from his neuter.
 
We are working on him liking himself, enjoying his alone time, not feeling like he has to be a constant shadow to me & sharing – great with the communal water bowls, and almost as great now sharing me. He has a sneaky ‘weave’ movement to get in between me and other dogs. 
 
He now comes in and out of the 3+ acre fenced-in yard by himself – in the beginning, it was leash only for the family or I had to go with him and he was fine off-leash.
Now, he is almost prancing in and out and he is so much more confident!
 
I get the best play bows and bounces when he sees me when I get up in the AM or come home from work. While he likes the family, he has chosen me as his ‘person’ so others feed him and give him treats plus work on his obedience skills more than I.
 
He is still more nervous of Sean/Mason and will want to scuttle away and cower a bit
 
…..yet doing it less, and his head is staying up more often, his tail is also not as tucked in as often.
 
Wonderful progress is being made!
 
As for Miss Rosie – she remains AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION to that right-matched personality fit home. 
 
 

We still have many dates open for our 3rd Annual ‘Drive Way Events’ for nails/ear cleaning!

We have some big bills for some really special Giant dogs!

IF you would like to host us in 2022, please do email  – We are looking for Saturdays, Sundays in June, July, August & September.

We just need the use of your driveway, we do the rest!

*Social distancing is easy to do!

Here are our open dates for June & July if anyone is open to having us hang in their driveway!

We hope to be able to do events all over Ontario, and into Gatineau, Quebec again in 2022!
 
Saturday, June 18th, 9 AM – 4 PM
Sunday, June 19th, 10 AM – 3 PM
Sunday, July 10th, 10 AM – 3 PM
Saturday, July 16th, 9 AM – 4 PM
Sunday, July 17th, 10 AM – 3 PM
Sunday, July 24th, 10 AM – 3 PM
Saturday, July 30th, 9 AM – 4 PM

Thanks in advance for any consideration!

AND this is Miss Agatha. She remains super popular – we wish all of the BHRR dogs were so wanted! – and remain stating she is not yet available for adoption.

Sadly, we have walked this path with other puppies over the years – Miss Steam, Mr. Kaos, Mr. Booker, the last two litters we whelped in rescue, etc.

It shall always be about that right-matched personality fit home.
AND we want to make it clear as we have received several emails from homes interested in her that ‘thought’ we may play favourites on any one home.

We have never and are never going to compromise on our protocols to see a dog placed in a home. We do not favour any one over another. This is always about the dog.

That makes us deeply disappointed as we have remained objective with any of our approved adoptions done since our inception in 1996.

Her wonderful emerge temp foster home stepped up to assist us in saving her. We shall forever be touched plus grateful to them. They only want what is best for her too!

When/if the time comes for Miss Agatha to be placed up for adoption, we are only going to approve that right-matched personality fit. Always.

We are going to learn through time if she is meant to be in a home with or without children, the ages of children or child if so, in a home with no other dogs or one or more, and the types of personality of any other dogs if so, a home that works full-time, from home, is retired, semi-retired…so much to figure out and there is no rush.

We do know that she has genetic shyness, SA, and also food reactivity – we need to determine what/how much is genetic and how much the right environment will do for her.

It saddens us how many see ‘puppy’ and do not see Miss Agatha. Everyone should want what is best for her. 

If/when the time comes for her to be placed up for adoption, any home that reads her detailed blog, our adoption processes, policies, and procedures and believes that they may be that right matched fit would then be welcome to apply by submitting a completed application for members of the board to review.

This is not exclusively ‘my’ personal or professional or any board member’s decision.

Miss Agatha will have the final say if/when the time comes with an application to do a home visit.

Please support her in her rehab journey….all puppies do not belong in all homes….she has her own backstory, and is also a product of her breeding.

Someone (not naming names!) is making studying hard!
 
Pushed right past the xpen I set up to have some private space/avoid drool! Cheeky monkey! 
 
Time for a walk says, Mr. Lewis.
 

Mr. Lewis!
 
A shadow he tries to be, and he is learning more and more about how his own company is ok, to like himself, to self-soothe, self-comfort, and is now going in and out of his crate at will spending time by himself….
 
He can now be found laying comfortably in it with the door open.
 
He is recovering well from his neuter. Eating and drinking, and only one accident he has had in the house. Good boy!!
 
From living in a barn to a loving home, is an adjustment for sure.
 
He is much better with women over men – men make him freeze up but he is warming up faster, wagging his tail more, and when he forgets his troubles, he can even run and be playful. So joyful to see!
 
He is deeply loyal to whom he feels is his ‘person’, and we are working on continued exposure to many things as we do not want separation anxiety or the development of any possible resource issues.
 
It is a process….decompressing, learning about helpful kind loving hands.
 
One small step at a time my dear man…we got this and we got your back.

Mr. Simon!
 
Someone still has not quite figured out the proper use of his dog bed…..
 
At least he is now using it as a pillow. 
 
He was going to make his special announcement yet, his foster home advised that he has been licking his legs, so being the proactive responsible group we are, he is scheduled for another vet visit – the 18th of April – to investigate.
 
We like to have all of the information possible on our dogs prior to placing them up for adoption.
 
After that visit, we plan on him making his own special announcement.
 
Thank you to his lovely foster home for the photo!!
 

Miss Agatha(Aggie) – a 3-month-old Great Dane – was at the Vet on April 11th.
 
She was weighed – 17.2 kgs(37.84 pounds). She is a ‘small’ giant as can be often the case with backyard-bred Danes. Her conformation is also indicative of that for as we know the first thing lost when dogs are not bred to standard is the headpiece.
 
Regardless, she is such a very pretty wee thing and at her current weight, we anticipate that she will be 100-110 pounds fully grown. This could change as we all know!
 
We ran a fecal sample – the results have not yet been reported, and Gwen will reach out to them. We will ask for the complete records/notes that were done too.
 
Her exam was normal per the Vet that did see her – we will continue to assess as she matures/develops.
 
She began her de-worming/flea/tick/heartworm protocol.
 
She was not due for vaccines – as is often the case with some breeders, one of her vaccines/de-wormings was given off label, and not by a licensed veterinarian. We will ensure that proper protocols are followed moving forward.
 
We have her booked at our Vet on May 14th, and we will get a re-weigh, her next doses of flea/tick/hw meds as her weight will have changed plus she will be due for boosters/rabies. Another exam will be done also.
 
Thank you to her wonderful temp foster home for doing such a great job with her!
 
We know plus appreciate that there is a lot of interest in her, yet she is not yet Available For Adoption, and shall not be until we fully vet her. We do not cut corners, and this includes having her spayed prior to being placed up for adoption. We do not do conditional alter(spay/neuter) adoptions. While we would love to wait closer to 11-12 months, and before her first heat to spay her, she will be spayed younger than that.
 
We are still tracking the two litters that we whelped in 2016 & 2017 as the courts that oversaw those puppy mill seizures required pediatric altering, and to date – one litter is 6, and the other turns 5 this fall, are all doing fantastic!
 
As we get to know her, we will learn best what home will suit her as that right matched personality fit home. Almost everyone loves puppies yet, they are not all meant for everyone.
 

BHRR’s Lewis!
 
He asks, ‘does my butt make me look flouffy?’
 
On Tuesday, he was re-weighed, neutered, and had boosters.
 
We were not able to do a dental on him – he does have a confirmed heart murmur, and it would not have been ideal to keep him under longer – Gwen was his surgery tech, and he was stable throughout, yet we want to practise the best medicine.
 
We will re-evaluate once he has healed. We do suspect allergies and we are investigating that further too.
 
While he was under, he had his nails trimmed, we cleaned his ears plus shaved off mats.
 
He weighed 44.1 kgs(97.02 pounds).
 
Once he has healed, we shall work on his own professional groom session too. Sadly, our groomer has closed up her own business, and is now working for another – in Orleans to boot!  They have to check with the O. to see if they would be ok seeing a rescue dog. We understand. 
 
AND we are beginning to look forward to our 3rd Annual ‘Drive Way Events’ for nails/ear cleaning as we have some big bills for some really special Giant dogs!
 
IF you would like to host us in 2022, please do email contactbhrr@gmail.com – We are looking for Saturdays, Sundays in June, July, August & September.
 
We just need the use of your driveway, we do the rest!
 
*Social distancing is easy to do!
 
Here are our open dates for May, June & July if anyone is open to having us hang in their driveway!
 
We hope to be able to do events all over Ontario, and into Gatineau, Quebec again in 2022!
 
Sunday, May 29th, 10 AM – 3 PM
Saturday, June 18th, 9 AM – 4 PM
Sunday, June 19th, 10 AM – 3 PM
Sunday, June 26th, 10 AM – 3 PM
Sunday, July 10th, 10 AM – 3 PM
Saturday, July 16th, 9 AM – 4 PM
Sunday, July 17th, 10 AM – 3 PM
Sunday, July 24th, 10 AM – 3 PM
Saturday, July 30th, 9 AM – 4 PM
 
Thanks in advance for any consideration!
 

From Mr. Chesters Foster Dad: John Montgomery

“He is a big fluffy hooligan when he conspires with our “Who? Me?” labrador. He loves to play, but not a dog for hiking or long walks.”

This is Miss Agatha(Aggie).

The 3-month-old Dane puppy.

What a beautiful picture sent our way!

Her lovely foster has informed us that she is settling in well.

Her stool is firming up, they are using our recommendation of Forti Flora, and she is booked in to see the Vet tomorrow.

We will be doing an exam, weigh-in, fecal, obtaining de-worming, flea & tick meds, etc.

Her kind fosters would not allow us to pay for their gas and have paid for a bag of food for her.

More soon. It has been a busy time driving to & from Pickering over the past day, and time for some dinner!

NOT AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!
 

Miss Agatha(Aggie)!

The 3-month-old Dane puppy Born December 23rd, 2021.

Thank you JoAnne/family for stepping up to emerge temp foster her.

She is not AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION & shall not be until we have her fully vetted, and learn so much more about her.

We know she has anxiety.

Being a Merle, we will assess eyes, hearing, skin and we do know already as with many Danes that she has a sensitive stomach. Merles can have IBS, IBD issues, autoimmune disorders, IS, DCM concerns too, not just skin, allergies, eyesight, and hearing issues. Especially, the double merles.

Right now, time for her to decompress…..

Welcome to BHRR wee one!

 

AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!

BHRR’s Chester is AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!
(Newf/Saint Bernard) 

Health Status: HEALTHY!
He will require pain management medication as needed – Deramaxx, Gabapentin
As he will be on NSAIDS, he will need regular blood work to ensure that his kidneys are tolerating the medication.

Age: ~7 months old!

Weight: 131 pounds at last weigh-in on March 22nd, 2022

Type of Home Ideal For Mr. Chester: He is a chill, calm boy. He likes his small walks(20 minutes)/strolls and playfully interacts with his friends, yet, he needs a quieter/peaceful physical activity level home. A home that will understand and agree to keep him lean, not allow him overdue physical activity while at the same time allowing him to socalise and make canine plus human friends. A home that does not have a lot of stairs is our wish.

He needs moderation on his activity to keep his hips strong for what we hope is for many years to come! We do not want him kept in a bubble. What we want is for him to live a quality filled, fantastic life. We want him to be happy, to live his best life each and every day.

He can be in a home that works ft; pt works from home is semi-retired or retired, etc. He is another versatile BHRR dog! He will ONLY go to a home that is prepared to ensure that he receives the balance he requires with proper exercise, socialisation, etc. He does not necessarily need to go to a dog-experienced home yet; he does need to go to a home that remains committed to his obedience, structure, consistency, medical needs, and to be patient, kind, understanding, and are not hermits. He loves home, yet; he also likes outings to pet stores and other dog-friendly store visits, plus visits to see friends. We are not advocates of dog parks. He needs a home that will give him new positive and great memorable experiences.

If you are a home that likes to take long hikes, climb mountains, run, etc., Mr. Chester is not for you. His hips cannot take on that high level of strenuous activity, nor is it even in his personality to want to do those things.

Personality/Temperament: Loving, affectionate, calm, quiet inside the home yet can be vocal when playing. He needs to be emotionally/physically properly stimulated, uber-sweet, social, playful, active in his way, gentle, plus kind. If not handled properly – he has the potential to develop SA behaviours. He can be goofy plus such a ham! He is not a couch potato by any means.

Previous Dog Experience: Previous dog experience is not required per the above. While we would ideally like to see him in a home with at least one right-matched personality fit dog, it is not a deal-breaker. He lives in a foster home with a young adult lab and a senior Boxer, and he plays wonderfully with both! Tug of war plus wrestling are two of his favourite activities! So, it remains essential for him to have his necessary level of physical plus mental activity. It is equally important that he has a strong doggie network as he needs friends too.

Good With Cats: His present foster home has a cat. Integration is always key.

Good with Pocket Pets: Unknown.

Good with Children: We will consider homes with children 13 and up and no more than two children in a home. No young children.

Grooming: He is good to wash, do nails. He needs to be brushed regularly, and we recommend a couple yearly sessions of professional grooming to keep his gorgeous coat looking its best.

Car: He has also come SO far with car rides – getting in, and out of the car. He is learning that the world has so many amazing adventures to experience!

Housebroken/Crate Trained: He is housebroken and Crate trained – he sleeps in a colossal crate. We never recommend for any new addition to be given too much freedom to start. It can be very overwhelming plus too stimulating to them.

Obedience: He requires a home that will be consistent and dedicated to continuing to help him become the best dog that he can be. His potential is enormous!

He is a giant breed puppy that has no spatial awareness at times! His leash manners have come a long way. He can pull, yet he is learning.

Activities Suited For Her: He is calm plus has fantastic manners, and to us, he is low maintenance.

He would excel in therapy work.

Loves & Bad Habits: Be prepared for the drool!!!

He loves treats and loves to be around his humans.

His foster home tells us that he likes to splash in the water.

Like any dog, he is not perfect. He is perfect in all of his imperfections, though! NOT to mention gorgeous!

He is a truly special boy!

Anxieties/Worries: It is integral that the right matched personality fit home does not spend 24/7 with him. During this pandemic, we still need groceries; we should still go out and walk about; we should still get in our cars and go for a small drive to go somewhere to do something! Time has been spent having him learn to not only like yet enjoy his own company. As we need our alone time, it is imperative that he does too. He is a solid and stable dog.

As we have stated for over 26 years now, we will NEVER rush any dogs’ rehabilitation journey, we do not flip dogs, and we are not desperate to adopt them out

We will always place up for adoption the dogs that can be adopted and safe haven all others that, due to medical and/or behavioural reasons, cannot be placed up for adoption.

We do not take in hundreds of dogs yearly; we only took in 6 dogs in 2021 as it is about helping the next in need of us, giving them top-quality care, and not about taking in numbers. In 2022, we have ONLY taken in 4 dogs to date.

After 26+ years, we know that we cannot please everyone, which means that BHRR is not the rescue to be followed, supported, and believed in by everyone. We remain small plus mighty, and as we go through this next transitional stage for BHRR, we shall continue to operate with a zero-tolerance approach, plus providing up and beyond care to the animals.

Our mandates have never changed, and they will remain the same as long as we are around; the animals shall always be done right by as our priority.

Our adoption success rates remain second to no other group out there – 100% for over ten years of operating, and now 99% as we go through year 26, and we are excited as we go through this slow transition for BHRR!

You have come so far, Mr. Chester, and we are delighted that you are making your special announcement!

PS: Thank you to his outstanding foster family for ALL that they have done and are doing for him!

This picture was taken yesterday by them on one of their adventures! STUNNING!

 

Mr. Chester(7 months old).

In the meantime, wanted to share this great pic!

Of one of his best ‘assets’! 
 
Thanks again to his wonderful foster family for the fabu photo!!

Mr. Chester!
(7 month-old Newf/SaintX)

Per Dr. P., ortho specialist.

Therefore, this special boy will be making his special announcement very soon. He will ONLY be approved to a right matched personality fit home THAT ensures that they can take on his medical needs including the cost of his pain management, continued x-rays, bloodwork, exams, exercise needs, keeping him lean, etc.

We have seriously thought about putting him into a perma-foster situation yet, we will try first to see if there is that right matched fit – not just for personality, yet for ALL of his needs is out there.
We are patient, he resides in an excellent foster home, and we will update as we can.

“Considering the lameness of the left hind leg and assuming the stifle is normal and you can localize pain to the hip, hip dysplasia is likely the cause of lameness. The stifle rads look normal. Dogs that have subluxation from hip dysplasia like on the left side can show signs of pain as exhibited in this patient, especially when they are between 6 and 18 months of age because the hip sub luxates during weight-bearing.
At some point during that time, the acetabulum will fill up with scar tissue and eventually bone while the joint capsule thickens and the joint remains in a subluxated position. The hip is often more comfortable at that point and some dogs may live a good life after that with medical management.
If pain cannot be controlled long term, then there is the option of hip replacement which is not ideal for a dog this size. However, there is around 10-20 percent of patients have severe complications.
Since many dogs can be managed well with medical management once their skeleton is more mature, we should give him time, leash walking, and avoid strenuous activity along with overplaying with other dogs, with pain management as needed. Also, keep him on the lean side.”