Romeo

How the dogs choose to spend the chilly Canadian winter wonderland! 
 
Works for me as I am feeling a wee bit under the weather, yet I do need to gather up strength, as my shipping container FINALLY arrived yesterday late afternoon.
 
We still have three amazing dogs in need of a special SS – Mr. Albar, Mr. Romeo, and Mr. Lewis.

BHRR EVENTS

NOTICE: UPCOMING BHRR EVENTS:

We are working on a silent auction to raise much-needed funds to pay for Miss Amy’s Vet Bills.
If you have any items you may like to donate, please email

1) Birch Haven Rescue & Rehabilitation Services(BHRR) Online Auction Facebook Page
*If you have anything that you would like to donate, please email

2) Spring Event: Paint Your Partner FUNraiser for BHRR – Paint your friend, spouse, bf/gf, family member
Date, Time & Location TBD
*A fun plus hilarious night to free paint, then reveal and give your masterpiece to your friend/spouse, bf/gf, or family member!
*Silent auction and draw prizes, too

3) Bark Fest – Gananoque – Saturday, July 25th, 2026 – Time TBD
*We will be doing Nail Trims, Anal Glands and Ear Cleanings too!

4) ONGOING – On February 21st, 2013, I received a most delightful and touching email from a woman named Allie MacAlister that is so very active in helping others

She is extremely talented and more lovely than any words can ever be put down on paper and she has wonderfully surprised me with the very stunning and unique artful creation of an Irish Wolfhound, inspired by our Bunker Dude. She is calling it ‘Art For A Cause’.  

The Wolfhound Cù Sìth

10% of sales of her products will come to BHRR!

*You can purchase t-shirts, mugs, mousepads, totes, greeting cards and SO much more! She will be adding products regularly.

The Wolfhound Cù Sìth

UPDATE: 10 doggies left! AND just under 12 hours to go!

Today ONLY – one day Fundraiser!

Our annual Won’t You Be My Valentine Event! We did not run our annual ‘Clothe’ our dogs with new collars event in January, and we have 12 more amazing BHRR doggies hoping that today, a special Secret Valentine may step up to make a donation – for a treat, a new collar, or toy plus a $25-$50 donation towards their vet bills.

Only today – February 14th!

We have the following 12 remaining amazing doggies that will be hoping/dreaming of a Special Valentine’s Secret Admirer! More details in the poster…. 

I am hoping that in one day – the 14th- we can still make 12 more BHRR doggies feel so much love! 

Please help me spoil them today! 

Donations can be made via email transfer or PayPal to contactbhrr@gmail.com or email transfer to the same email address.

We have: Miss Olive, – Joan Brant will be her special Valentine!

Knox,

Dimitri,

Amata(Amy), Mike and also Genevieve will be her special Valentine!

Maybelle Cutie, – Joan Brant will be her special Valentine!

Albar,

Romeo,

Story,

Aramis,

Chrissy, – Joan Brant will be her special Valentine!

Porthos,

Athos,

Lilly,

Caramel,

Lewis, – Joan Brant will be his special Valentine! &

Brooklyn!

Thank you for your consideration! 

As always, thank you, Barry, for the amazing poster!

***URGENT*** ***URGENT***
 
As I do the final inventory for 2024, BHRR is in desperate need of the following items, should anyone consider making a donation – either of any of the item(s) or a monetary donation so I can purchase items.
 
1) Garbage bags of all sizes
2) Pineosol
3) Lysol Wipes
4) Packing blankets, bedspreads, comfortors, duvets, sleeping bags
5) Laundry Detergent
6) Fabric Softener
7) PVD Essential Care Large Breed Puppy kibble – for Miss Story & Miss Amata(Amy)
8. PVD Essential Care puppy wet food
9) Fish based food – Acana, Orijen – For Mr. Knox, Mr. Dimitri, Mr. Ernie
10) Giant stuffies – for Miss Amy and Miss Story. These are their surrogate littermates and mama’s. both are going to be large breed dogs, and they need stuffies suitable to their size. ?
11) Dog beds – Charly beds from Costco(they are the ‘new’ Costco Kirkland brand of dog beds)
 
Thank you in advance for any consideration.
 
I understand all too well how tight finances are for so many of us.
 
I beg on behalf of the animals in need of BHRR, and I have zero pride when it comes to ensuring that they get everything they need.

I am behind in some posts….
 
This is Mr. Romeo at his annual on June 12th with Tango.
 
BHRR’s Romeo weighed 26.8 kgs(58.96 pounds).
 
Within one week, four dogs went in for their annuals for almost $2,500.
 
This includes vaccines, exams, bloodwork, flea/tick, and heartworm preventative and also antibiotics for three dogs as despite being on year-round preventative – two were Lyme positive and one was Anaplasmosis positive. They all receive their Lyme vaccine too.
 
Our Haven program is an enormous part of what I do at BHRR, and food(almost 120 pounds a day) plus veterinary bills (we do not cut corners) add up quickly.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Our 5th Annual “WON’T YOU BE MY VALENTINE” Fundraiser! February 1st – February 15th, 2024

Please help us give each doggie a special Valentine!

Thank you to everyone who has become a Valentine Angel to date, and to those asking, here is our email transfer address to send the vet bill part of your generous donation: contactbhrr@gmail.com

Please let us know if you would like to be a Secret Valentine!

Thanks in advance for any consideration!

These are the doggies still in need of a Secret Valentine Admirer:

  • Albar – Ronda B. will be his SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Knox  – Amy shall be his SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Maybelle Cutie – Ronda B. will be her SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Chrissy – Emilie P. will be her SVA  – COMPLETED!
  • Ernie – Leanne Berard McDonell & Cameron will be his SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Leah – Melody Lachance & Barrhaven & Area Empties will be her SVA – COMPLETED!
  • ‘Fred’ – Melody Lachance & Barrhaven & Area Empties will be her SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Aramis – Anne PB will be her SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Athos – Elaine Giles will be his SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Brooklyn  – Michele shall be her SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Caramel – Elaine will be his SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Giselle – Leanne & Cameron will be his SVA – COMPLETED!
  • James  – Rejane shall be his SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Jamila – Anne PB will be her SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Lewis  – Emilie P. shall be his SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Lilly – Tanya S. will be her SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Olive – Melody Lachance & Barrhaven & Area Empties will be her SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Porthos – Amanda Gillon shall be his SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Romeo – Melody Lachance & Barrhaven & Area Empties will be his SVA – COMPLETED!
  • Rosie – Anne PB will be her SVA – COMPLETED!

Someone says this is how he plans to spend this day after the wicked snow and ice storm yesterday/overnight!
 
Not on just one dog bed but two! 
 
Mr. Romeo, you are one high energy ham, and we work hard to ensure that your daily physical and emotion plus mental needs/wishes are fulfilled…I think we are being successful for you are already snoring up a storm and it is was only 7 AM!
 
It keeps us in shape, too!
 
He is going to love the next storm already heading our way with some snow here and there to gear up, until Saturday, and then 35 cms is expected with a bit more freezing rain.
 
Our day begins between 4:30-5:00 am each day! No rest for the meek, weak, and mild here!
 

We have now moved Mr. Romeo to our Haven program after being available for adoption for shy of 2 years without any interest in adopting him.

He is such an amazing dog, and shall continue to live the best life ever in our care! We want and adore you Mr. Romeo!

Last Saturday was our 3rd annual sales/services event at BHRR.
 
Despite the rain – we were hopeful at first, with guests arriving well before the event started yet shortly after 9 am, the rain came and came and came…. – we had two very generous online donations that gave us a final total raised of:
 

$249 

The rain did not stop until just before our event ended at 3 pm….so we remain very grateful to all who came out and to the Turners & the Maracles for their generous online donations!
 
Here we have Mr. Romeo keeping a close eye on the BBQ while Sean took a Power Nap & after his Power Nap! 
*AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION*
 
Thank goodness for tents and Sean’s extra vapour barrier to keep everything dry!
 
The next event is our second to last driveway event of 2023, being hosted at Cassy & John Montgomery’s 37 Dressler Drive in Kanata on August 13th from 10 AM – 4 PM
 
We still owe almost $1,000 in vet bills and many more.
 
We remain with closed doors for intake until such time as our finances for the rescue are in better shape.
 
We also remain desperate for Pinesol and liquid fabric softener along with laundry detergent.
 

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.

Our 4th Annual ‘Won’t You Be My Valentine’ Fundraiser is live!

LAST CALL!

Our Annual ‘Won’t You Be My Valentine’ Fundraiser is live!

Running through until the end of the day tomorrow, February 15!

Please help us give each doggie a special Valentine!

Thank you to everyone that has become a Valentine Angel to date, and to those asking, here is our email transfer address to send the vet bill part of your generous donation: contactbhrr@gmail.com

Please let us know if you would like to be a Secret Valentine!

Thanks in advance for any consideration!

Just two close buds watching Mason plow the 25+ cms of snow we received.

Then staring at me when I disturbed their Mason watching!

Two peas in a pod, from their high-level energy to their intense need to almost become part of their humans when cuddling! 

The muscles that these two boyz pack are insane….rock solid!

Mr. Romeo (AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION) & our Tango(GSP).

 

NOTICE:
 
BHRR does not adopt out during the XMAS season due to our position that it is not in the best interest of any new addition being added during such a busy, exciting, and somewhat stressful time for many.
 
Quite a few other Rescues, Shelters, Pounds, etc., have also begun to follow a similar protocol to what we have been doing for over 26 years.
 
Our XMAS Shut down period for this year is from Monday, December 19th, 2022, to Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023, inclusive.
 
Any applications received during this time will be processed/reviewed as of Wednesday, January 4th, 2023!
 
During this time, BHRR is always available 24/7 for requests for assistance of animals in need, and we shall then network accordingly as the local Great Dane/Giant Breed Rescue since 1996, the welfare of the animals is our top priority. We do not wish to see any animal end up in a disreputable place, of which, sadly, there are far too many out there.
 
Thank you for your continued understanding – The BHRR Team
 
 

THE ONLINE FACEBOOK FUNDRAISER FOR BHRR IS NOW LIVE!

Over 200 items!

HERE IS THE LINK TO JOIN!

Post from the wonderful organizers!

“Welcome to the online Fundraiser for Birch Haven Rescue and Rehabilitation.
A HUGE thank you to all of the local businesses and individuals who donated to make this auction possible.
100% of the proceeds raised will go to the rescue.
All the donated businesses have been linked in each item, if you are interested in an item, please consider clicking on their Facebook page and Like/Follow them.
Please read through all of the auction guidelines below.
Auction Guidelines:
1) There is a starting bid on all items
2) Please bid in a minimum $1 increment (just to clarify, you can bid any amount as long as it is a minimum $1 increase, it can be $2, $3, $4, $5 etc.)
3) The auction closes Sunday, October 9th, at 8 PM.
4) The winner will be contacted via Messenger with a pickup location, there are pick-up locations in Brockville (North End), Oxford Station, and Kanata.
5) Payment is due immediately following the end of the auction once notification has been received that you are the successful bidder
6) Payment is due via eTransfer to carol_bruck@hotmail.com
No password is required.
Happy Bidding, and thank you for your support!
Please see the album below to bid, thank you for your support and generosity for those currently in the rescue and those to come.”

Sean had some curious aka nosey ‘supervisors’ while he was working on the back house renovations today! 
 
Reminds me of a similar pic when we did the front of the house many years ago.

Mr. Romeo!
 
He was at the Vet for his annual March 16th.
 
He weighed just over 61 pounds. Solid muscle. He matured to an even bigger size than we thought he would!
 
His hind end is just packed with muscles that I am very envious of! 
 
Everything was a big thumbs up with his exam and he received his vaccines.
 
We ran bloodwork for hw & tickborne diseases – as we do regularly – even though the dogs are kept on heartworm, flea, tick preventative meds year-round. Negative results. Yay!
 
He was a HUGE hit with everyone! 
 
Thanks, Sean for the pic.
 
He remains AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!
 

BETTY WHITE CHALLENGE: January 17th, 2022!

TO DONATE TO BHRR IN HONOUR OF A TRUE ANIMAL HERO: PayPal to gwen@birchhaven.org OR Email Transfer contactbhrr@gmail.com

Even $5 would mean the world to the animals AND us!

Thank you in advance for any consideration to help us in 2022 to continue to help those in need of our highly specialised programs!

 

On December 29th, Mr. Romeo had his first play date and had a BLAST!
 
This was a play date won in our end-of-year ‘JUST IN TIME FOR XMAS’ Online Auction.
 
He met up with BHRR’s Maxwells’ adoptive home who is also fostering Mr. Chester. They also own a wonderful lab named River.
 
Some pictures of his wonderful time!

BUSTED!
 
I have ‘heard’ rumours yet now there is proof…..provided by Sean himself too! 
 
Sean is laying on the couch to take a nap……
 
No couch rule! Someone is not listening, and I am not looking at Mr. Romeo as that ‘someone.’ 
 
That is Mr. Gravel’s tush on the couch too!

BHRR’s Mr. Romeo!
 
AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!
 
This is Mr. Romeo’s own loving first Christmas too.
 
That right-matched forever-loving home has not yet found this WOW dog! Crazy!!!
 
He is just awesome. Means that he/I get to still hang out, and have naps together!  He comes to my workshop in the barn, he helps with horse chores, and he keeps me moving….fast! 
 
He will forever have my heart and I know that I am very much ‘his person’.
 
Thank you VERY much to Hazel Tal for being this fantastic young dog’s special Secret Santa in 2021!
 

Today, someone helped Sean get some exercise in picking up the mail today. VIDEO
 

Our mailbox is about 750m from the house, and Mr. Romeo had a blast as always keeping Sean company!

He remains AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!

AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!
 
BHRR’s Romeo is AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!
 
Health Status: HEALTHY!
 
*What more can we say?! He is healthy!
 
Age: ~14-month-old Mixed Breed of awesomeness! Weigh ~50-55 pounds of solid, lean muscle with a personality of 200+ pounds.
 
Type of Home Ideal For Mr. Romeo: 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 is prepared to remain committed to his obedience, structure, consistency, and be patient, kind, understanding, and are not hermits. He loves home yet; he also likes his pet store and other dog-friendly store visits, plus visiting friends. We are not advocates of dog parks. He needs a very active home. Very!
 
Personality/Temperament: Loving, affectionate, calm, quiet inside the home/when properly emotionally/physically stimulated, uber-sweet, social, playful, very active, athletic, gentle, kind, and if not handled properly – he has the propensity to develop SA behaviours. He can be a bit shy in new situations and settings and needs a home that will be patient, understanding while at the same time will not baby him. Just give him a bit of time; he warms up SO quickly and is truly a character! He has had playdates plus play visits and LOVES the attention! Once he jumps in feeling comfortable, he JUMPS ALL in! COVID has made it harder for us to expose the dogs to all that we usually do and to the high level that we do, yet we have worked hard to make it happen for him.
 
Previous Dog Experience: Previous dog experience is not required per the above. He needs to be in a home that already has at least one right-matched personality fit dog. It is equally important that he has a strong doggie network as he needs friends too – he is going to be that dog that will make many friends and shall be ok having a multitude of hundreds of acquaintances to run, play, zip, play tug-of-war with, etc.! He has been fantastic with all of the dogs here.
 
Good With Cats: He has been ok with the cats he has interacted with to date, yet we would feel most comfortable with him being in a home without feline members. He wants to make friends and play with them, which can be overwhelming to his feline friends, so we prefer a home with no cats.
 
Good with Pocket Pets: Unknown.
 
Good with Children: He has been good with children, and we will consider homes that have children 12 and up and no more than two children in a home. No small children.
 
Grooming: He is good to wash, doing nails. We take a soft brush and brush regularly, and this is a great bonding time between us – along with treats!
 
Car: He is excellent in the car. We have worked for him to have a positive association with car rides and that it is one of great fun and loving experiences.
 
Housebroken/Crate Trained: He is housebroken and Crate trained.
 
Obedience: His manners have come a long way. Overall, his leash manners are excellent! He can still pull if distracted, so a properly fitted and comfortable harness is recommended in addition to his martingale.
 

Activities Suited For Him: He is calm plus has fantastic manners when it is expected of him, and to us, he is very low maintenance YET, he is active from 5 AM – 10 PM – physically plus emotionally plus mentally, so when he goes to bed, he crashes and sleeps soundly. Outside, he loves his hikes, walks, runs, zips, zooms, and can he move! He can also jump and high. He can quickly scale 9-10 foot fences and jump off heights that would make us mere mortals feel faint. To others, he will be considered high maintenance, and if you are not an active, outgoing person who likes to come home, chill, relax, read a book or watch a movie after having adventures, he is not meant for you.

He would excel in obedience, agility, therapy work, and we feel possibly even luring, dock diving. We know he excels in hiking, chair hogging! 

Loves & Bad Habits: He must go to a home that has a very high solid fenced in yard, plus he also must go to a home that loves the outdoors(he associates his fall coat with adventures and will do the same with his winter coat for he is too short-coated to be able to stand any cold temps when he is out and about). Looking for new adventures, a wonderful jogging/walking/hiking partner, he is your companion. His bad habit is his ability to scale fences of heights in a flash. He is not a runner. He is an explorer! New smells, sights, sounds – once assured, all is fine with a calm word/touch and, he is all in.
 
He is an early bird – up around 5:00 AM, does his thing outside comes in, wants a small treat(benny bully liver treat), and tends to go right back to bed until around 8:00 AM and then it is back out, in, breakfast, rest and then his day starts – with whatever that days adventures the day will bring! He is up to exploring and having some fun! He is so affectionate, loves to share Sean’s chair with him! He is the best in snuggler, giving kisses, and how the tip of his wee tongue pokes out is positively adorable!
 
He loves treats and loves to be around his humans.
 
As for other bad habits – if he becomes super excited, he can jump around like a jumping bean and be vocal.
 
He LOVES to de-gut stuffies too, and he loves to be my computer ‘supervisor’ as I work away. He has a dynamo personality in a small package! Small for us! 
 
Like any dog, he is not perfect. He is perfect in all of his imperfections, though! NOT to mention so handsome!
 
He makes our faces plus hearts smile….he is such a gem of a dog.
 
Anxieties/Worries: He can develop SA behaviours, and we have worked extensively to set him up for success. He has learned to like and love his own company and to know that we are coming home. 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!
 
As we have stated for over 25 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 are able to be adopted and haven any others that, due to medical and/or behavioural reasons, are not able to be placed up for adoption.
 
We do not take in hundreds of dogs yearly; we only took in 16 dogs in 2020 as it is about helping the next in need of us, giving them top-quality care, and not about taking in numbers. In 2021, we have ONLY taken in 5 dogs to date, with two more dogs in the pipe.
 
After 25+ years, we remain knowing that we cannot please everyone, which means that BHRR is clearly not the rescue to be followed, supported, 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 10 years of operating, and now 99% as we go through year 25, and we are excited as we go through this slow transition for BHRR!

We are over the moon excited for you Mr. Romeo. This decision, especially for Sean has been brutally hard. You two are your own dynamic duo! 

 
 

BHRR Doggie News Update!
 
The picture is of Mr. Maxwell sunbathing!  So freakin’ handsome.
 
1) Mr. Maxwell had a repeat urinalysis on Wednesday, October 13th has he had begun to have some inappropriate urination episodes. Nothing alarming was noted, yet his vet elected to put him on Zeniquin in case he has bacteria in his prostate(he was neutered late in age) that is causing issues. Additionally, with how brutal his past has been with UTI’s, his vet wanted to be cautious.
 
The home is working to ensure that he is in a SA free enabling environment too to assist in dealing with any behavioural causes of the urination accidents.
 
2) Mr. Brutus had his own recheck the same day – He remains on Apoquel 16 mg SID, his antibiotics have been switched to Amox-clav from the cephalexin he had been on for a month as his skin had stopped responding.
 
His eye medications have also been switched up again as his eye infections have also stopped responding to his previous meds.
 
His ear infections seem to be responding ‘ok’ at this time to the medications.
 
He has been putting on the weight plus muscle and WOW, what a gorgeous boy in temperament plus behaviour. We see no reason once he is healthy, why he could not be placed up for adoption.
 
3) Miss Jamila – she went into heat October 2nd – so unfortunate that she was so ill when she arrived as she would have been spayed that first week of September. This puts her at continued high risk of pyo and mammary cancers.
 
Her ears and eye infections continue to be treated, and thanks again to Carol Bruck for her donation to have Miss Jamila be Miss August in the 2021 Calendar being so generously put together by Katherine Bruck!
 
Last I heard there were still two calendars available for sale – Katherine will have to confirm this though.
 
4) Gwen is also working hard on Miss Rosie, the special needs redbone/black/tan houndx – Gwen has been in touch with the O., and working on getting her into our rescue on Thursday.
 
5) Mr. Rocket’s big announcement has been delayed as he had a seizure episode the night of Saturday, October 16th. He had not had anything prior nor has he had anything since.
 
6) Mr. Romeo remains soon to be making his own special announcement.
 
This past week saw over $2,100 in vet bills accumulated, and may this next week not be as expensive.
 

Stay tuned! Mr. Romeo will be making his own special announcement shortly…..

Mr. Symba(Available For Adoption) is going to be so sad…..
 
This was his last giant stuffie and Mr. Romeo has been caught red-handed! Fast asleep after having fun doing some de-stuffing of Mr. Brown Bear.
 
Love that wee stinker, yet I do not think BHRR’s Symba is going to feel the same right now!!
 
I am now going to try and do some emergency surgery on Mr. Brown Bear to see if I can give him some quality of life….. 
 
 

 
BHRR’s Romeo was supposed to be keeping me company while I work the night away on our upcoming August 21st event for the animals.
 
Long days at work make for long evenings at school, which make for longer nights working on Saturday’s event and Mr. Romeo is the one to fall asleep at only 10:30 PM?!! 
 

Goofy 1 & 2!
 
Taking a break from their racing, zooming, playing, wrestling, romping, stomping antics and are actually still for a moment!! 
 
From before the sun is even up to long after it goes down….non stop action from these two plus my IS.
 
Apex, my Dane sure does try hard to keep up…
 
BHRR’s Romeo and Tango!
 
Sean still has not given the green light re: Mr. Romeo and making his own special announcement! 
 
We continue to pick up all of Mr. Romeo’s bills ‘just’ in case Sean cannot let him go….
 
The C&S test we did was negative…realised that we had not yet posted those results….
 
 

Today was bath day!
 
I also did bring in a first AM sample of urine from Mr. Romeo to work on Friday.
 
His specific gravity was 1.043 so he remains concentrating well.
 
I did a full UA in house on him and nothing abnormal noted – I had another Tech confirm my findings too. Neither of us could locate any struvite crystals and it is normal for their urine to have some, so, if we had located a few, it would not have been alarming.
 
We did not see any red or white blood cells either.
 
We still sent off a sample to the lab – IDEXX to do a culture & sensitivity test.
 
He has found a new hobby too – he and Mason’s GSP have figured out how to dig under our gate and fencing at the front of the house and get into my freshly turned over soon to be new gardens! 
 
Digging up holes as big as them causes no end of delight AND when we fill in around the gate/fencing, they will then jump it – yup, 6 feet clearance no problem!
 
HOURS of fun! Loveable brats!
 
Gosh, his mug is adorable and those eyes! 

BHRR’s Romeo!
 
Someone has been growing like a bad, I mean GOOD weed! Over these last few weeks, he has ‘legged’ up and filled out some.
 
He was at the Vet today and his weight is now 40.04 pounds. 18.2 kgs.
 
His body condition is excellent! Lean, so muscled and solid! THUMBS up given to him!!! To think at one time, he was that emaciated 22 pound stray…..poor guy.
 
Healthy, shiny coat too.
 
So. unless he hits another growth spurt(never know with mixed breed dogs) – this handsome young pup should be at or very close to his ideal weight/size. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I dislike seeing overweight dogs and gosh, Mr. Romeo is looking fantastic!
 
He is small and full of the best energy. He was a massive HIT with everyone at work including clients waiting outside for their own appointments.
 
He even went so far as to make himself comfortable on the staff couch! LOL Yet, was very mindful when asked to get off….only to then get back up a few moments later yet, when corrected again, 100% respected the rule.
 
He is so smart!
 
The Vet confirmed what we already had found – that he does have a very small umbilical hernia. Per his vet, with how super small it is, this is not something he recommends surgery for. He feels that it will fill up with a bit of fat and become an ‘outie’ belly button!  He will be happy to discuss this with any Vet of the home of whomever is approved to adopt this fine young man too as we will always do what is in the best interest of the dogs.
 
I wanted to do another specific gravity test on him for over the past two weeks, he has become to have more than one rare urine accident in his crate over night. He does not have any accidents in the house during the day. Sean works from home so he would have noted anything if Romeo was.
 
We remain not noting that he is drinking more than normal and everything else is great with him – eating, drinking, no vomiting or diarrhea.
 
His specific gravity was 1.032 – so concentrating ok – and the Vet did a quick look under the microscope and found struvite crystals.
 
We discussed in depth the next move forward plan and tomorrow AM, I will bring in a fresh morning sample and re-test his specific gravity and do a full UA plus send off some urine for a culture & sensitivity test.
 
Mr. Romeo’s Vet is not convinced that putting him on Urinary SO food right now is in his best interest – at least until we figure things out more – as one of the things this food does is make dogs drink more.
 
He is also not convinced – at least right now – that this is a UTI either.
 
Mr. Romeo, you were SOOOOOOOOO close to making your own special announcement yet, we cannot ever consider placing a dog up for adoption when we know that there is something not yet resolved re: any possible known medical condition.
 
While he was at work today, we picked up his next dosing of flea/tick/heartworm plus de-worming medication also.
 
This gives Sean in particular mixed feelings as the bond between these two is strong…as Mason says ‘the force is strong with this one!’ 
 
I have covered all of his bills for today so, we do not wish to have any kind generous angels considering to donate to his ever building vet bills. 
 

Just a Saint Bernard and her ‘little friend’! 
 
He loves her hair! He is always burying himself in it, the wee weirdo! 
 
Miss Olive plays so well with Mr. Romeo and yes, that is her drool and hair on the cushions/bed/blanket. LOL
 
Next professional groom session for her is on Thursday.
 
This set up is by my desk and is a popular spot for the dogs to hang out in to keep me company. 
 

Someone is looking for ‘his’ Gwennie!
 
Without saying a word, Mr. Romeo knows – just as almost all of the dogs do; that she is on her way home and will be here shortly.
 
He is keeping vigilant!

BHRR’s Romeo – keeping Sean’s chair warm! 
 
What a goof!
 
That beautiful special needs girl laying behind Sean’s chair is BHRR’s Bell.
 

Yup! Mr. Romeo loves Sean and it is very mutual! 
 
He is fast asleep behind Sean as Sean is working on his computer!
 
He is at least abiding by the ‘no couch’ rule!
 

Someone found Mr. Symba’s giant Mr. Bear stuffie! 
 
AND in kind Mr. Symba style, he generously shares with BHRR’s Romeo. 
Mr. Romeo has settled in unbelievably amazingly well here and he will be back for his Lyme booster and also to check out the umbilical hernia Mason found over the past week. Really small but it is there….
 
Sean has not be so enamoured with a dog since his cherished BHRR’s Potter, the ‘tude Houdini ‘walk about’ tripod, miracle extraordinaire Boxer passed away….incredibly special to see these two together… 

Mr. Romeo was at the Vet last night.
 
He now weighs 15.2 kgs(33.44 pounds). I would be content to see him at 35 pounds and want him to remain lean.
 
As he is quite young, he may fill out a bit more as he ages and also continues to muscle plus tone up and then he may end up weighing a smidge more. He may not be giant in body, yet, he is giant in heart, affection, soul and spirit!
 
He had a thorough exam – nothing abnormal noted and he had his boosters which included his first Lyme vaccine. He will be due for a booster of the Lyme in 3-4 weeks. We make sure that all of our dogs are properly vetted prior to being placed up for adoption.
 
He is now up to date on his rabies, DHPP, bordetella plus lepto.
 
He continues to concentrate his urine normally and has now only had two accidents in our home since I picked him up on Saturday. Both times, was in his crate at 4:00 AM as I did not get to the crate fast enough and he peed a bit yet, finished peeing outside!
 
We have not had any limping issues while he has been with us nor was anything seen by his Vet at his visit last night. We had been informed by his amazing foster home that he had begun to limp with them and they had put him on NSAIDS – Metacam. So great news from his Vet visit last night and we shall continue to monitor things closely!
 
We also picked up more flea/tick/hw meds for him and the Nexgard Spectra also has a great de-worming proponent to it.
 
He is such a character! This is his face as we were getting ready to leave home to go to the Vet last night.
 
He is going to make a truly outstanding addition to that right matched forever loving home when it is his time to make his own special announcement.

My greeting committee when I arrived home from work!

We have a small side yard off of the recreation room – about 500 square feet (our main yard is about 3+ acres safely fenced in) and Sean let these three amigos out to greet me! 

We have BHRR’s Miss Aramis & BHRR’s Athos(AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION) – two of our 3 Musketeers and we have BHRR’s Athos’ mini me! BHRR’s Romeo.

Per Sean, these three stooges played ALL day in the glorious weather!

Tomorrow night, Mr. Romeo goes in for his boosters, a re-weigh, recheck and to pick up his next de-worming plus flea/tick/hw meds.

He has only had one accident since I picked him up on Saturday.

He slept much better the second night over the first night in his crate. May tonight be even better 

I also think they were determined to bring out all of the toys from inside!!!

Those eyes…..they just grab at my heart! Another wonderful pic that had been sent our way by Sonyia!

Got him!
 
BHRR’s Mr. Romeo!
 
AND it was not until I actually had my hands on him that my feelings that he is quite possibly a Boston TerrierX could be true.
 
The way he moves, plays and sounds…..the way he jumps; so reminiscent of a Boston YET, truly, no one knows! He is a gorgeous wee mystery!  I work with someone that has owned Bostons for decades – they also think that Mr. Romeo may well be a BostonX.
 
Thank you immensely once again to his emerge temp foster home for taking great care of him until we could get him closer to us!
 
On Tuesday, he will be at our Vets for his boosters, a re-weigh and to further investigate if necessary his frequent urination – we only just got him here so we will see how things are with us plus we were told that he had been limping for a few days, so we will look into that further as necessary too.
 
Once we get things figured out for him, we will hoping that a temp foster home in our area would like to love on Mr. Romeo! If you are interested, do let us know.
 
He is dog and people EXTREMELY friendly.
 
He is about 35 pounds and he is social, a real character, sweet and is already fast making friends with some of the dogs here – BHRR’s Athos and he are like mantle bff buds and you know Mr. Romeo is a special gem of a dog when he makes Mr. Caramel feel comfortable! The dog that is terrified of new things and thinks every new dog is out to eat him….so proud of you Mr. Caramel for being so brave!
 
Mr. Romeo loves my own two wolfies and the 2nd of the three Musketeers, BHRR’s Aramis also!
 
I already know that this boy would make an excellent agility, fly ball and/or, obedience companion. If he is still with us come June; I am very tempted to try dock diving with him. 
 
He is delightful, small, affectionate, getting toned up in muscle and mass plus is lean…..
 
He loves to snuggle and cuddle and would make a great movie watching, book reading family member!
 
As I get to know him better; I will get a better idea of his interests, good and bad habits – he has demonstrated his voice today! 
Karen – he is every bit the love that you said he was!
 
Sonyia  – I agree, he is literally almost the perfect little dog AND thanks for the heads up re: scaling fencing….yours may be 5 feet yet, he has sure been looking closely at our own 6-9 foot fencing too!
 
I am on the lookout for a martingale collar for him. I do not have one small enough in the extra donations sent my way.
 
If anyone would like to sponsor him for a Wiggle Bumz collar, do let me know! 
 
Let the adventures begin!
 

BHRR’s Romeo!
 
Someone is now up to 31.5 pounds. 
As some are now aware, on March 11th, he was at the Vet with his foster family as he has been having frequent episodes of diluted urination.
 
He had an exam, two S.G.(specific gravity) tests, bloodwork including Chem 15, electrolytes and a repeat CBC(we had one done in Tenn). He was given more de-wormer and just this past week, another flea/tick treatment.
 
The Vet at the Hospital did an u/s and and did not find anything significant – right kidney was normal and while they could not appreciate the left kidney, nothing abnormal was noted.
 
Once he arrives to us, we will discuss with our own Vet Teams in re: to doing a urine c&s per the recommendation made if necessary.
 
I think this picture is going to go down as one of my all time favs!!! I hear these two are quite the pair! I am truly loving the updates being sent by his awesome foster home! We remain immensely grateful to them for all that they are doing for this amazing pup!
 
Once he does arrive to us in early April, he is scheduled to see our Vet Team for his boosters etc. on April 6th. If all remains going well, he should be ready to make his own special announcement around April 20th. 

Someone is doing very well!
 
Up to 28 pounds and his amazing foster home continues to say how wonderful he is with people and dogs. So friendly!
 
He will be due for his boosters and another de-worming at the beginning of April and if all remains on track, not long after that he will be ready to make his own special announcement!
 
I have asked his foster home what breeds they may think he may be and they believe HoundX; possible Hound/Boxer. 100% amazing and adorable!
 
AND I have been told Friday is bath day! 
 
Thank you so much to Sonyia for the great updates – giggle worthy! – and the equally great photo’s!
 
 

Mr. Romeo update!
 
I am told that he is settling in beautifully and is a wonderful as everyone says he is!
 
This is Romeo all snuggled up having a nap on his foster mama’s lap. 
 
He is most definitely not a Giant or even likely a GiantX and none of it matters. He is deserving, he is worthy and we are honoured to have him in our program.
 
We are leaning towards possibly a houndX…..does not matter and when the time comes for him to make his own special announcement, it is not going to matter to his right matched personality fit home either!
 
Thank you to so many that stepped up to help get him safely to his emerge temp foster home!
 

AND he is on his way! Wee BHRR’s Romeo! By Sunday AM, he will be all settled into his lovely emerge temp foster home.
 
On Tuesday he weighed only 22 pounds, the wee thing.
 
Whatever breeds he consists of; he is 100% adorable and deserving and we are honoured to be assisting him. 
 
Those eyes…..
 
If anyone would like to sponsor this little tyke’s vet bills – we paid $170.75 USD to begin his vetting protocols of vaccines, de-worming, bloodwork, neutering and microchipping; donations can be sent via PayPal to gwen@birchhaven.org or via email transfer to contactbhrr@gmail.com
*we just need to know the password.
 
I also sent $150 to his emerge temp foster home to purchase food, treats, a dog bed, collar and leash, some toys for him. He is going to be so well taken care of with them! Thanks being extended to them again!
 
This is the sweet puppy that was picked up as a starving stray…..
 

BHRR’s Romeo – named by the shelter angels that picked him up as a very skinny stray last week.

Poor wee thing….

We are starting his vetting protocol this week(Tuesday March 2nd) once his stray period is up and ETA to BHRR TBD.

Possible DaneX and NOT YET AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!