Month: April 2023

A 3-month-old Great PyrX – said to be with Maremma
Born: January 16th, 2023

Weight as of April 25th, 14.8 kgs(32.56 pounds)

He was adopted out by the shelter and returned 3-4 days later, as the home was not prepared for a Giant Breed puppy!

He was initially bought off a Kijiji ad from a breeder, kept for three weeks, then dumped at the shelter. They did not have the time for a puppy.

He is a typical puppy that mouths, lacks manners, and, typical of his breed, has an intelligent, independent mind all of his own!

ETA: first weekend of May

Prior

*NOT YET AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION*

 

 

I think all is forgiven now! 
 
Back on his favourite folded thick duvet, in his favourite spot by my computer, and humbling me with that adorable, precious look on his face!
 
All is right in his world…mine too! 
 
Almost 15 years old and going strong! 

Someone is NOT happy!
 
BHRR’s James – who turns 15 years young next month was not impressed with me asking him to go outside in the rain.
 
His facial expression and body position are one of a very unhappy camper!!
 
He will not even look at me now & has taken to lying under the bench in the sunroom far away from me.
 
He usually has zero issues going out in the rain….his issues arise when it is NOT his idea or choice! 
 
In offering him a treat, but he would not accept it until I put it down….
 
You are a character Mr. James!
 

On April 20th, Mr. Jack was at EVC for a check with the Surgeon who will do his second eye enucleation. He was the same surgeon that did his first eye enucleation last August.

It was confirmed that his eye does need to be removed due to glaucoma.

This handsome Bean has been a bit sad since his littermate & one of his bff’s was adopted recently – Miss Bev, so I took Mr. Albar on a special date today. 

We picked out a new toy, went through Tim’s for a plain Timbit, and had a lovely drive with the sunroof open and a/c blowing! Then topped off our fun date with a visit to friends for a love fest on him!

You are adored, Mr. Albar!
AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION

AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!
 
BHRR’s Pentu is AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!
Standard Poodle/Bernese Mountain DogX 


Health Status: HEALTHY!

Age: ~9 months

Weight: ~75 pounds. Her last weight was March 24th, 2023, @ 66.88 pounds(30.4 kgs). We want to keep her lean/muscled and fit. Becoming fat is NOT in her or any dog’s best interest.

Some information from her wonderful foster mama:

“Pentu is social! She loves meeting new people and dogs and still always does the “deek between the legs” when she meets someone new or when someone comes into the house. She is playful and fun, loves playing with her toys, and is goofy and affectionate. She definitely loves her people and being close to them. She bonded really quickly and only got more affectionate. Will easily flop over on her back for a belly rub (from anyone that will give her one). When I sit on the couch at night, she will bring her toys and eggs me on to throw the toy so she can play.

She is a good walker. I put the Easy Walker harness on her, and she really thrives on it. I don’t think this is something that she will need for long, but it makes it much easier for me to walk two dogs at the same time I walk her and Simon together twice a day at a nice clip, so we are all getting exercise, and she does pretty good! The bunnies and birds on the ground are her new favourite distraction, and she will react in an excited way when she sees one of these little creatures.

She is very smart (when she wants to be, haha). She sits, stays, shakes a paw, responds to her name, and sometimes comes when called (a work in progress). We have been working on the name game where anytime she responds to her name, I give her a treat. She does take liberties in getting up on furniture, and I have to tell her OFF (she doesn’t always listen, and I have to go and remove her).

I think she is a wonderful family dog and is easily trained. She shows no signs of any type of aggression or anxiety. I think a family doesn’t need to have previous dog experience but, like your other requests, is committed to working on her training and obedience. She will make a family very happy indeed!!!

Here are a few highlights:
– Good with kids
– Good with other dogs
– Unknown about cats
– Good in cars
– Very playful and active, loves her toys (needs stimulation) and good exercise (I currently walk her twice a day)
– House and crate trained: she has not had one accident in the house! And I do put her in the crate when I go out…not that I think she would pee/poop in the house or destroy anything, more because she would get herself worked up and bark the whole time I was gone. She doesn’t hang out in her crate but has no problem going in there when asked. AND is a really good girl.”

Type of Home Ideal For Miss Pentu: She is such a versatile girl – she is playful, gentle, loves her friends, walks, is calm when properly mentally plus physically stimulated, and is active. She is not a medium-maintenance personality dog – she is brilliant, and needs a solid structure. She interacts well with people/dogs she meets, and we hope for a quiet, socially low-active level home. A residence that, while visiting family plus friends and having people over, does not host frequent BBQs or gatherings of large groups. We do not want to see her in a home with a high level of travel, with other people taking care of her. She is loyal and loves her people, and we want her to be part of the family if they go camping, go to the cottage, or do other fun travels. She is social and needs a home that is like her. One that shall not overwhelm her. She would adore cottage life or hang out at home with her family. Visiting friends, family, pet stores, and pet-friendly places is excellent too. We want a quietly active home for Miss. Pentu. She is intelligent, healthy, and such a precious girl!” 

 

She MUST go to a home that will continue to work on exposing her to new, fun, and beautiful things in the world. Time, patience, and effort have gone into having her be comfortable in her skin, to not only like yet love her own company. We are not advocates of dog parks. Many private properties rent out space for acreage rentals so that he can enjoy a controlled environment to run and zoom in. We want her to look forward to the next adventures plus experiences. She needs a home that will give her new positive and great safe, memorable experiences. If you are a home that likes to take infrequent walks/hikes/strolls, Mr. Pentu is not for you…she is a healthy dog and needs to be kept emotionally and physically stimulated. She would make a great companion to get out into nature, explore, and enjoy the beach and other exciting adventures! She is also a great companion when watching movies or curled up with a good book. A home that understands and shall continue to help her learn about this big fantastic world that we live in. We want her to live a quality-filled, enriched life. She is being fostered in a lovely home in the Ottawa area yet can equally live comfortably in the city or country.

We want her to be happy and to live her best life every day. We want her to reach her full incredible potential! She is another versatile BHRR dog! She can be in a home that works ft; pt works from home, is semi-retired or retired, etc. She will ONLY go to a home prepared to ensure she receives the balance he requires with proper exercise, socialisation, etc. She does not need to go to a dog, nor a Standard Poodle or Bernese Mountain Dog-specific experienced home.

The home must be committed to her obedience, structure, and consistency, and to be patient, kind, and understanding, and while not hermits, they are not doing a hundred things each day or weekly, or monthly. We want her to be treated as a beloved member in a right-matched forever-loving home. We want her to be an invaluable member of her forever-loving adoptive home! She can be shy in new situations, requiring the right positive balance between patience, ‘tough’ love, calming assuring, and passively ignoring. She has been taught to share and that no human or dog will take her high-value food. She is fed in a quiet place and knows that she will be fed enough food on time and that no one will take her away.

She loves home and her friends.

Personality/Temperament: Super loving, affectionate, calm, happy sweet; she loves to get outside to romp and run and is a delightful, playful pup! She needs to be emotionally/physically properly stimulated, social, active, gentle, plus kind. She thrives with consistency, structure, routine, and clear open communication to understand precisely what is expected of her. She is an active healthy puppy!

Previous Dog Experience: Previous Dog experience is not required per the above, and she needs a home that is going to be committed to her wellbeing and make the small adjustments required as she is still a puppy, still learning, and still mentally plus physically growing. She sleeps well, and ideally like to see her in a home with at least one right-matched personality-fit dog. She needs a strong doggie friend network in the community though. That is so important. We have friends; she needs friends too. She has enjoyed meeting new canine friends.

Good With Cats: Unknown. Integration is key! She has been fine with the veterinary clinic cat at my work, yet Miss Pearl is not really a cat!

Good with Pocket Pets: Unknown

Good with Children: We feel that any right-matched personality fit home for Miss Pentu, should they have children, said children – no more than two in the house, should be over 12. So, we will consider homes that have older children for Miss Pentu

Grooming: She needs regular grooming to keep her coat healthy and look her best. Regular grooming includes nails and ears. We have also had her professionally groomed during her time in rescue.

Car: She travels well in the car.

Housebroken/crate Trained: She is housebroken and crate trained. We never recommend giving any new addition too much freedom to start. It can be very overwhelming plus too stimulating for them.

Obedience: She requires a home that will be consistent and dedicated to continuing to help her become the best dog she can be. Her potential is enormous! As per our adoption contract, a full round of group obedience is required with all of our dogs. This is not about having a dog that ‘listens.’ This is about creating a strong and mutually respectful bonding relationship. Trust and respect work both ways.

Activities Suited For Her: She would excel in obedience work. Great companion at home, a great companion for camping, cottaging, hikes, and exploring new things! She is a doll.

Loves & Bad Habits: Like any dog, she is not perfect. She is perfect in all of her imperfections, though! NOT to mention gorgeous. She still shows some reluctance going into the Vet Hospital, and on the scale. We strongly recommend that right matched personality fit home for them to take trips to the Vets just to visit. Get treats, and some loving without any examinations, pokes or prods!Per her foster home: “Since she is a playful puppy, she plays with her mouth, and her sharp little teeth can hurt.

Barks – she does like her barking! With the big picture window and glass door, it is a recipe for barking. I do think she can be trained to use her voice more appropriately but will take some love and effort. When I can tell she is so fired up, a small time out (she is not in trouble tho) in her crate helps her relax.”

She is a fantastic dog! She is accepting and tolerant of so much! So low-medium maintenance!

Anxieties/Worries: It is integral that the right-matched personality fit home and does not spend 24/7 with her. During this pandemic and even before it, we still need groceries; we should still go out and do errands; we should still get in our cars and go for a small drive to go somewhere to do something! Time has been spent having her learn to not only like yet enjoy her own company. As we need our alone time, she must do too. She is a solid and stable dog; we do not want any SA behaviours to develop.

As we have stated for over 27 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 cannot be placed up for adoption due to medical and/or behavioural reasons.

We do not take in hundreds of dogs yearly; we only took in 18 dogs in 2022 as it is about helping the next in need of us, giving them top-quality care, and not about taking in numbers. In 2023, we have ONLY taken in 1 dog to date.

After 27+ 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, providing and beyond care to the animals.

Our mandates have never changed and 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 – 100% for over ten years of operating, and now 99% as we go through year 27, and we are excited as we go through this slow transition for BHRR!

You have done a THUMBS up job, Miss Pentu, and we are thrilled you are making your special announcement!

I wish I were sharing better news….
 
Per previous posts, Mr. Jack was at EVC on March 11th for issues with his remaining eye. Mr. Jack is one of our Three’s Company puppies. We lost one of his siblings, Miss Janet, due to cluster seizures. 
 
He was given eye drops after diagnostics were done, yet there was limited improvement. He was then dispensed another type of eye drops, and after talking in-depth to the Vet, he saw a second opinion was recommended. The Vet believed everything should have been resolved, so they wanted us to be proactive and seek another opinion.
 
As it was difficult to get him back in at EVC – appointment bookings are now being made a few weeks out – I scheduled him with one of the Vets he had seen at LAH to keep continuity.
 
Unfortunately, his eye has deteriorated quickly, and per his Vet that saw him yesterday:

‘With his third eyelid so exposed, it was hard to see and do IOP, but I got at least 2 readings, and they are higher at 32 mmHg…’

What we and his foster home had suspected is now happening, glaucoma.
 
So, now we are in an urgent situation of having to do a second eye enucleation for Mr. Jack. 
 
The one he had in August was just shy of $3,000.
 
Prices have gone up as of 2023, and I am waiting for an estimate and surgery booking to remove his eye ASAP.
 
Glaucoma is extremely painful, and he has special drops that his foster home picked up from the pharmacy to help control his pain. Thank you from our hearts to them for offering to pay for them.
So, the ‘race’ is on for us to raise at least $1,500 for a deposit for his surgery.
 
We will fundraise as we brainstorm ideas.
 
This is BHRR’S Jack with Beans the Rabbit! 
 
Donations for his cause – even $5 is not too small! – can be made via PayPal gwen@birchhaven.org or via email transfer to contactbhrr@gmail.com
 
Mr. Jack and we would be so grateful for your consideration…. 
 

Very early this AM, Mr. Romeo, along with our GSP had an encounter with a porcupine. Sean let them out around 3 AM, thinking they needed to pee.
 
So, it was a costly emergency vet visit with both of them.
 
Here is Mr. Romeo – sedated for his quill removal and post-removal napping at home, recovering. One picture of our GSP, as he was also a bad baby!
 
May both of them not have ingested any, or many, and not be negatively impacted by them.

Today, I adopted out my #436th foster!
 
Bittersweet, as always.
 
BHRR’s Bev!
ADOPTED!
 
I wish to thank Elaine again for joining me on such short notice to do this home visit for a possible approved adoption of either Mr. Albar or Miss Bev.
 
Either pup would have been a right-matched personality fit – that is not all that common to have two so closely matched, yet when the application came in, these two were the ones I felt could be the best possible fits.
 
The home felt a deeper connection to Miss Bev.
 
It was hard to watch Mr. Albar as for all that know him, he loves women, yet adores men – Richard can well attest to that! – and he was so smitten with the man. Elaine & I both had our hearts wrench a bit at watching that knowing that he was not their chosen one.
 
Both pups travelled great in the car, first looking around, then snoozing snuggled up with each other, and the giant stuffies that folks know that I have for the dogs.
 
As I got closer to the home, Mr. Albar began to do a bit of drooling. He settled back down yet as I was literally parking, he puked on poor Miss Bev’s tail, and my back seat, and one of my large stuffies. Thank goodness for bags, Lysol wipes, and napkins in my car. Always travel prepared! 
 
Both were wonderful guests – they showed how smart they are with how well they are housebroken, they were well mannered, and Miss Bev showed how much fun carpeted stairs were! Mr. Albar picked up on that pretty quickly.
 
As I explained to this home, I put my heart and soul into each of our dogs; we go up and beyond on everything from vetting to food, to training to love plus spoiling to pictures, blog updates, etc., and that r/q rescue is not done by one person alone. THIS litter was surrounded by a village, a small yet mighty powerful one and the final cost of successfully rehabilitating them is over $30,000, and counting for their top-notch care continues. 
 
We work so hard to ensure that our dogs become assets to the home plus community. This litter was exposed to SO much as their individual blogs have been well documented as proof.
 
Elaine said to me this must be so hard to let them go, and it is! Miss Charm crippled me, and I only had her for mere hours before she passed away in my arms. Miss Ayla had me welling up, too when she was adopted. YET, I said so many times today, as I have so many times in the past, that I am so freakin’ proud of this litter and that if I have done my job right, now it is time to pass the torch and have their right matched personality fit adoptive homes do right by our dogs. We will always be here as a 24/7 resource, our contract states that our dogs must come back to us if for any reason the home cannot keep them any longer or care for them properly.
 
This is once again, not a goodbye, this is just a turning of a beautiful page in Miss Bev’s journey of life, and looking forward to the next pages plus chapters of the WOW adventures in her future!
As for Mr. Albar, the great experiences that you had today, just builds upon your already solid well, written resumé, and your own right-matched personality fit home is out there….the same goes for Miss Nola plus Miss Maybelle Cutie. My cherished Beans!
 
We are not in a rush, we are patient, and boy, do they ever live a grand life right now….as the weather warms back up, we are spending more and more time back outside – though in the winter, we also spent vast amounts of time outside too, planning for play dates, visits, and adventures!
 
AND a special treat was running into Margaret on my way out to do this home visit today, as she was dropping off some donations in our shed!
 
Our attention now turns to reviewing the applications that have been submitted for Miss Asante, and as always, we will only approve a right-matched personality fit home. We are patient and we keep our mandates of putting the dogs first as our priority – we know she is popular like so many other BHRR dogs and will update as we can.
 
Happy Good Friday to all!
 

Mr. Albar & Miss Bev on our way to the home visit for a possible approved adoption.

A glimpse of Miss Chrissy while filming the devastation from the ice storm.

VIDEO

AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!

BHRR’s Asante is AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!

Health Status: HEALTHY!

Age: 9 months – Born: June 13th, 2022

Weight: 45.4 Kg – 99.88 pounds (March 2023). We want to keep her lean/muscled and fit. She had become chubby at one point, which was not in her best interest.

Type of Home Ideal For Miss  Asante: She is such a versatile girl – she is playful, gentle, loves her friends, walks, is calm, and is quite chill overall. She is not a high-maintenance personality dog. She interacts well with people/dogs she meets, and we hope for a quiet, socially low-active level home. A residence that, while visiting family plus friends and having people over, does not host frequent BBQs or gatherings of large groups. We do not want to see her in a home with a high level of travel, with other people taking care of her. She is loyal and loves her people, and we want her to be part of the family if they go camping, go to the cottage, or do other fun travels. She is social and needs a home that is like her. One that shall not overwhelm her. She would adore cottage life or hang out at home with her family. Visiting friends, family, pet stores, and pet-friendly places is excellent too. We want a quietly active home for Miss. Asante. She is intelligent, healthy, and such a precious girl!

She MUST go to a home that will continue to work on exposing her to new, fun, and beautiful things in the world. Time plus and effort has gone into having her be comfortable in her skin, to not only like yet love her own company. We are not advocates of dog parks. Many private properties rent out space for acreage rentals so that she can enjoy a controlled environment to run and zoom in.

We want her to look forward to the next adventures plus experiences. She needs a home that will give her new positive and great safe, memorable experiences. If you are a home that likes to take infrequent walks/hikes/strolls, Mr. Asante is not for you…she is a healthy dog and needs to be kept emotionally and physically stimulated. She would make a great companion to get out into nature, explore and even enjoy the beach and having other exciting adventures! She is also a great companion when watching movies or curling up with a good book.

A home that understands and shall continue to help her learn about this big fantastic world that we live in. We want her to live a quality-filled, enriched life. She is being fostered in a lovely home in the Ottawa area yet can equally live comfortably in the city or country.

We want her to be happy and to live her best life every day. We want her to reach her full incredible potential!

She is another versatile BHRR dog! She can be in a home that works ft; pt works from home, is semi-retired or retired, etc. She will ONLY go to a home prepared to ensure she receives the balance she requires with proper exercise, socialisation, etc.

She does not need to go to a dog, or even a Newf or Pyr experienced home. The home must be committed to her obedience, structure, and consistency, and to be patient, kind, and understanding, and while not hermits, they are not doing a hundred things each day or weekly, or monthly. We want her to be treated as a beloved member in a right-matched forever-loving home. We want her to be an invaluable member of her forever-loving adoptive home!

She has been taught to share and that no human or dog will take her high-value food. She is fed in a quiet place and knows that she will be fed enough food on time and that no one will take her food away.

She loves home and her friends.

Personality/Temperament: Super loving, affectionate, calm, happy sweet; she loves to get outside to romp and run and is a delightful, playful pup! She needs to be emotionally/physically properly stimulated, social, active, gentle, plus kind. She thrives with consistency, structure, routine, and clear open communication to understand precisely what is expected of her.

Previous Dog Experience: Previous Dog experience is not required per the above, yet a home that is going to be committed to her wellbeing and make the small adjustments required as she is still a puppy, still learning, and still mentally plus physically growing. She sleeps well, and while ideally like to see her in a home with at least one right-matched personality-fit dog – it is not mandatory. She needs a strong doggie friend network in the community though. That is so important. We have friends; she needs friends too. She has enjoyed meeting new canine friends.  

Good With Cats: She has been completely fine with the cats she has interacted with at the events at PV. One of the cats is loose in the store. Integration is key!

Good with Pocket Pets: Unknown

Good with Children: We feel that any right-matched personality fit home for Miss Asante, should they have children, that said children – no more than two in the house, should be over the age of 8. So, we will consider homes that have children for Miss Asante.

Grooming: She needs regular grooming to keep her coat healthy and look her best. Regular grooming includes nails and ears. We have also had her professionally groomed during her time in rescue.

Car: She travels well in the car.

Housebroken/crate Trained: She is housebroken and crate trained. We never recommend giving any new addition too much freedom to start. It can be very overwhelming plus too stimulating for them.

Obedience: She requires a home that will be consistent and dedicated to continuing to help her become the best dog that she can be. Her potential is enormous! As per our adoption contract, a full round of group obedience is required with all of our dogs. This is not about having a dog that ‘listens.’ This is about creating a strong and mutually respectful bonding relationship. Trust and respect work both ways.

Activities Suited For Her: She would excel in therapy work. She is a doll. Great companion at home, a great companion for camping, cottaging, small hikes, and exploring new things!

Loves & Bad Habits:  Like any dog, she is not perfect. She is perfect in all of her imperfections, though! NOT to mention gorgeous. She still shows some reluctance going into the Vet Hospital. We strongly recommend that her right matched personality fit home for them to take trips to the Vet just to visit. Get treats, and some loving without any examinations, pokes or prods!

She is an awesome dog! So low maintenance! She is accepting and tolerant of so much!

Anxieties/Worries: It is integral that the right-matched personality fit home does not spend 24/7 with her. During this pandemic and even before it, we still need groceries; we should still go out and do errands; we should still get in our cars and go for a small drive to go somewhere to do something! Time has been spent having her learn to not only like yet enjoy her own company. As we need our alone time, she must do too. She is a solid and stable dog, and we do not want any SA behaviours to develop.

As we have stated for over 27 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 cannot be placed up for adoption due to medical and/or behavioural reasons.

We do not take in hundreds of dogs yearly; we only took in 18 dogs in 2022 as it is about helping the next in need of us, giving them top-quality care, and not about taking in numbers. In 2023, we have ONLY taken in 1 dog to date.

After 27+ 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, providing and beyond care to the animals.

Our mandates have never changed and 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 – 100% for over ten years of operating, and now 99% as we go through year 27, and we are excited as we go through this slow transition for BHRR!

You have come so far, Miss. Asante, and we are delighted you are making your special announcement!

There are simply no words!!

Yes, Miss Pentu’s fabulous foster home respects the ‘no couch’ rule – and this is a rare exception.

Miss Pentu is such a hoot!!

Fantastic photo!!! It made my day!!

Miss Brooklyn is going to bunk with The Boerskins for a bit.
 
She had to be moved from her foster home & after we do some continued behavioural assessments/training plus medical testing – neuro – she will be heading to a perma-foster home.
 
We do not believe that it is in her best interest to be placed up for adoption.
 
PS: that is not a wound on her; that is a sun sparkle!