BHRR's Treasure was adopted!! – Sunday November 30th!
After over 12 hours on the road in addition to a four hour hv, this amazing dog has now moved to an adopted status!
Going to miss you 'Trouble!'
Thank you again Bruce for coming with me to do this hv and being a great go-pilot!
Congrats to his new MOM!
 

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TOMORROW!
BHRR's Stafford will be ready on his red carpet with roses in paw to hand out to his first 24 smoochers! I even heard that he may wear a bow tie!
BHRR's Maverick and BHRR's Ichabod Crane are also coming.

pet valu poster - stafford (Medium)

The Home-Visit for BHRR's Treasure's possible adoption is scheduled for Sunday November 30th, 2014
We shall update his blog as we can.

BHRR's Treasure is moving under a PENDING ADOPTION!
Keep him in your best wishes and blessings!
My 'Trouble' may have had his right matched forever loving home find him…..

We shall update his blog as we can.

BHRR's 3rd ANNUAL unique 'GIVE IT UP 4 AUTUMN' Fundraiser shall benefit BHRR's Stafford!

WHAT will you 'give up' for 14 days to help BHRR's Stafford?'
Please do EMAIL us with what you are 'giving up' to participate! Some are giving up chips, wine, coffee, another is giving up chocolate, AND, one person is going to even put in their jar, donations for cravings that they have for the chocolate they are giving up. Feel free to be creative! πŸ™‚

UPDATE: We have 21 participants so far!
Starts November 4th! Please consider 'giving something up' for a 14 day period and, then donating the funds saved to BHRR's Stafford's bills!

YOU CAN ALSO MAKE BI-WEEKLY AUTOMATIC DONATIONS OR EVEN MONTHLY DONATIONS HERE (You do not need a PayPal account either)

A file is set up at Kanata Animal Hospital (613) 836-2848 and they will take Visa, M/C and AMEX over the phone under the account of ‘Birch Haven Rescue’ for ‘Stafford’. They will take Debit or Cash in person at 440 Hazeldean Road in Kanata, Ontario

You can also mail donations via a Bank Draft to:

Birch Haven Rescue & Rehabilitation Services C/O Gwendilin Boers 2425 Totem Ranch Road West RR#1 Oxford Station, Ontario K0G 1T0

OR email transfer to gwen@birchhaven.org

OR via PayPal to gwen@birchhaven.org (please use the ‘gift’ option OR the ‘friends and family’ option) OR we shall have to pay service charge fees

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Please consider going to the Helping Ottawa Fur Kids Facebook Page and, 'liking' our photo and, then putting in the comment section 'this amazing rescue gets my vote!' Contest ENDS Wednesday October 22nd at NOON and, each of the 6 rescues participating will receive a monetary donation, based upon where they rank upon the close of the contest. THANKS in advance for your consideration!

NOTE: 

From Monday October 20th to Monday November 3rd, 2014 inclusive, BHRR will not be open for adoptions or the intake of adoption applications.

We do not adopt out around the Halloween season and many others Rescues, shelters, pounds etc. have also begun to follow a similar protocol.

We do not believe it is in the best interest of the animals in our program, especially for dark coloured dogs.

During this time, BHRR is available 24/7 as always for requests for assistance of animals in need.

BHRR shall be attending our THIRD of ONLY four community education & public awareness events for this year, on October 4th & October 5th! The last community education/public awareness event that we attended was in May!
Pet Valu Stittsville so very kindly has invited us back in 2014 to be at their locale on October 4th & October 5th for their 'THANKS FOR GIVING' Event and, shall help us host some great activities!
AND, we will have BHRR doggies in attendance! Please visit the below link to find out which amazing BHRR doggies are coming which day!
From October 1st – October 16th, Pet Valu Stittsville will be selling 'Paper Pumpkins' for a donation and, your name and/or that of your pet(s), will be proudly displayed on said pumpkin put up at Pet Valu! Pet Valu will also be collecting material donations for BHRR during this time – we are in need of xpens(36" & 48"), Pinesol, Paper Towels, Lysol Wipes, Costco Dog Beds and, bath mats!
BHRR's EVENT PAGE For The 'THANKS FOR GIVING' WEEKEND AT PET VALU STITTSVILLE!
BHRR is still seeking 1 BHRR approved Volunteers to hang with us and zee big dawgs on the Saturday and one to hang with us on the Sunday! Please do email contactbhrr@gmail.com
Thank you's must be extended from my heart to Bre and her fabu staff at Pet Valu Stittsville, to Melissa of Groomingdale's who is donated all nail trims and grinds(Friday/Saturday/Sunday) to BHRR AND, also to Ashley of AMB Photography!
AND, last but never least, thank you again to BHRR BOD member Barry for working with me on this great poster!

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HERE is our poster for our NEXT Microchip Clinic! PV Innes & Belcourt, Orleans contacted us months ago to see if we would host one of our established Microchip Clinics at their locale. Honored again to be able to have the opportunity to chip more dogs & cats to help ensure they have a better chance of finding their way home if they are lost or stolen. SO important to microchip!

PV Innes & Belcourt, Orleans, Microchip & Nail Trim happening on Sunday September 21st, 2014!
*NO appointments Necessary
**Cats & Dogs – as long as they can comfortably be held
*RAIN OR SHINE – We are indoors that day!

BHRR PV Sept 21 Lg

HAPPENING TODAY! Sunday July 13th!!! DO not forget mark your calendars!!! πŸ™‚ RAIN OR SHINE!!!

BHRR ONLY hosts 4 planned Fundraisers a year. This is our 2nd one of 2014.
We know and accept that for the first time ever, that we shall be seeing some showers in 2014. BOO! πŸ™
AND, we are prepared for the weather to make your day a blast! πŸ™‚

AND Microchips, Nails per our protocol plus the Silent Auction & BOW WOW Butchers shall be inside the Hospital.
We have 8 tents with a spare on hand to keep everyone dry for ALL the outside activities! πŸ™‚

Microchips for cats/dogs & Nails for cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits etc! πŸ™‚

Rogers Community Cruiser shall be in attendance 9:30 – 11:30 AM with complimentary coffee/timbits

Dr. Amy Jewiss shall be present from 10 AM – 2 PM to discuss acupuncture and other services she now offers at Kanata Animal Hospital

Daryl of BOW WOW Butchers WILL also be in attendance!

Facebook 'PRE-EVENT' Mini Auction – 7 For 7! – AUCTION ENDED JULY 12th AT 12 NOON EST!

FaceBook Online Auction Album can be found HERE
There are 7 items(in honor of this being our 7th YEAR hosting this one of a kind Fundraiser) AND, shall be hosted for 7 days, that shall be available for bidding as of Saturday July 5th!
*The BHRR Auction will begin at 6:00 AM EST on Saturday July 5th, 2014. Unfortunately, bids submitted prior to this time cannot be considered.
*The BHRR Auction will end at NOON(12) PM EST on Saturday July 12th, 2014.
*All bid prices are in Canadian funds.
*Bids must be done in $2.00 or Greater increments.
*S&H is available on all but one Item – Item #3
Any questions, please do email gwen@birchhaven.org or call (613) 725-4279

FINAL (Medium)

BHRR's Treasure is AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION again!

I pretty much knew heading into this home-visit that we would not do an adoption. Lovely home yet, I felt they needed an older and smaller GD, female or a much smaller male.

The home thought BHRR's Treasure was big and, for a male, he is not as large as many out there. πŸ™‚ This home-visit was used as an education and q&a and, they could see just how 'big' he was in their home(another reason, that if a GD is what they want, they should consider a smaller male or even a female and one, that is a 'starter' kind of GD) and, how many bags it can take to pick up GD poop! πŸ˜€ We stayed for 1 hour and 15 minutes and, they got hands on exposure to an actual GD and, could really experience the Dane lean, the Dane sit, the 'in your face, cannot walk a straight line, no interpersonal space' Giant that Great Danes can be.

The home had wanted a male GD(Mr. did, Mrs. wanted a female) and, as a home that had never owned a dog before themselves, BHRR's Treasure is not that right matched fit dog. They also did not want a 'freaky.crazy colour' (their words)- so, wanted black or fawn preferably. They seemed more suited to a dog that loves to be around as opposed to being on top of you or following your every move. Though, they said one of their cats very much keeps their eye on them and follows them from room to room! πŸ™‚

The suggestion was made to keep being patient, they were approved to adopt a bonded pair of Great Danes from another group yet, one fell ill. I passed along my professional opinion that I have no knowledge of the size of the two Great Danes they had been looking at, and, they could be small males. Each group out there has the processes and procedures they do that they believe to be in the best interest of the animals' under their authority. We are not an expert on the other groups out there nor are we an expert of the Danes' in other organizations' care.

I offered, if they would like, to bring more Danes over for them to visit and get to have more hands on with to help them best determine if a Great Dane is meant for them. I offered to bring over BHRR's Cherry and BHRR's Hailey – both are excellent with cats, are great 'starter' Great Danes and, solid temperaments, with BHRR's Hailey also being older and quite calm. I have always stated that I do not care if a dog is adopted from BHRR for as long, as a dog is adopted from a r/q Rescue program, I am in support for that will open up a spot in said program for another dog in need!

They need a calm, quieter personality than BHRR's Treasures' huge zest for life and, puppylike antics. πŸ™‚

Wishing the home all the very best and, BHRR's Treasure, your right matched home is out there!

BHRR's Treasure's home-visit for a possible approved adoption has been scheduled for Sunday June 29th. We will also be bringing along BHRR's Dyson. We shall be updating his blog as we can.

BHRR's Treasure AKA Trouble is moving under a PENDING ADOPTION!
The home was interested in BHRR's Dyson and in conversing with them, as we felt BHRR's Treasure 'could' be a better fit, they had also looked at him, so wonderful!!
We will bring both to the home-visit just in case.
Happy Friday to all!

On Saturday May 24th, BHRR's Treasure had his own special picnic date. The home has shared a most wonderful written statement re: their date and some incredible photo's also. WordPress will not allow me to upload the word document, so, I have converted to a pdf and, double click on the lnk below! πŸ™‚

This home humbles me deeply with such kind words in their date summary, yet, I thank them for being open to taking him @ 7 AM on a Saturday πŸ˜‰ for the day and, for giving him this wonderful positive experience to keep making him well rounded and balanced.

As for, why he is called 'Trouble'…uhmmmmm, he showed them zero leash manners and, clearly sucked them in with his mischievous gorgeous eyes to get all the spoiling he could, AND, I do believe I see him on the couch(no-no yet, he clearly had no problem breaking rules!) and to lead this amazing home to believe that he was a 'good boy', a 'model citizen' LOL He is a great dog, not a mean bone in his body and, some days, I wonder about what is in his head though….air? rocks? maybe a genius and has us all fooled?

He is a love!

They also captured a short video of him and that is below also. Thanking them so much for all the awesome photo's as well that they took from May 24th!

MOVIE: Treasure May 24th, 2014

SUMMARY: Date With BHRR's Treasure!

Date with Treasure1

Here are some photo's of BHRR's Treasure from the PAWS event weekend in April! I still think I should have called him 'Trouble'! πŸ˜‰

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BHRR's Treasure – April 13th, 2014
*Photo's courtesy of AMB Photography

GENTLE REMINDER!

We are at PV Hazeldean – 457 Hazeldean Road on Saturday May 3rd from 10 AM – 3 PM!

This is s ONLY our second Community Education & Public Awareness Event for 2014 and, we are ONLY doing a total of 4!

MORE Details HERE!

In attendance representing BHRR shall be:

BHRR's Ethel
BHRR's Groves
& I will be bringing my own GD Matrix – I am neutering him on Friday and, so, he is going to be on Gwennie watch!

UPDATE: Below is the lovely board that Bre of PV Stittsville has put together in support of PAWS for BHRR!
Total of PAWS/Event Sales/Donations as of April 30th, 2014 – THANK YOU to all of the supporters: $5,140
*The goal that PV Stittsville has set for the month that includes the April 12/13 activity weekend: $5,000

We shall be bringing: Saturday April 12th, – BHRR's Flint,  BHRR's Noelle and BHRR's Leroy
We shall be bringing: Sunday April 13th – BHRR's Torque, Mr. Bubbles and BHRR's Treasure

AND, the councilor shall be at PV Stittsville for around 11 AM – 12:30 PM along with the paper!

AND, we will be doing doggy tattoos for a $5 donation!
**Blow pens and stencils and non toxic materials to be used

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ON Saturday April 12th – BHRR will be at their Store from 10 AM – 3 PM with BHRR Dogs TBD!
ON Sunday April 13th – BHRR will be at their Store from 11 AM – 4 PM with BHRR Dogs TBD!

MARK your calendars! HERE is the poster for PV Stittsville's annual PAWS Event! BHRR was so incredibly touched to have been chosen again in 2014 to be the recipients of this event! πŸ™‚ If anyone wishes to have a copy of this poster to help crosspost and share this event, PLEASE EMAIL

We would be so grateful for all the assistance in getting the word out!

For the whole month of April, PV Stittsville(1250 Stittsville Main), for your kind and giving donation, will have 'PAWS' that your name OR your pet(s) name will be written on and put up in their store in BIG appreciation. Funds from this Event will be used to help pay for BHRR's Purse Puppy, Coach who has been diagnosed at this time with at minimum, a congenital heart condition AND BHRR's Porridge, diagnosed with a nasal tumor.

BHRR shall only be making a maximum of 6 Public Awareness & Community Education appearances in 2014 and this is our first! πŸ™‚ We are booked for four to date, and, one more is in the works! COME on out, visit with us, some of the BIG DAWGS of BHRR and, have some fun! πŸ™‚

BHRR shall be at PV Stittsville on Saturday April 12th(10-3 PM) & Sunday April 13(11-4)!

FOR more details of this MUST ATTEND Event, please visit HERE!

Thanks to BHRR BOD member Barry once again, for hammering out with me this incredible poster! So talented!!! AND, thank you being publicly extended to our much loved extended fam at PV Stittsville for inviting us back again in 2014!!! πŸ™‚

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HERE is the poster for our 3rd ANNUAL BHRR 'Special 1-on-1-Date' With A BHRR Dog Online Auction –
ENDS Thursday April 24th @ 9 PM EST! Details HERE!

  • The BHRR Auction will begin at 6:00 AM EST on Saturday April 12th, 2014.
    Unfortunately, bids submitted prior to this time cannot be considered.
  • The BHRR Auction will end at 9:00 PM EST on Thursday April 24th, 2014.
    The highest bid on an item will be determined based on the time of the email sent as recorded by the time marked by our ISP

Winners to be located in the Ottawa, Kanata, Gatineau, Orleans, Kemptville, Prescott, Brockville, Kingston areas ONLY

THANK you BHRR BOD member Barry AGAIN for this awesome poster!!! So talented!

If anyone would like to help us crosspost this event and share this poster, please EMAIL!

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The pictures are coming in from our most recent BHRR 'EXPERIENCE' Mini Open House and, here are some lovely photos' taken of BHRR's Treasure AKA TROUBLE! LOL

HE rocked the BHRR 'EXPEIRENCE' Mini Open House and, we had at least one home that attended, that is very interested in him.

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BHRR's Treasure with Shawna – Aprl 5th, 2014
*photos' courtesy of T. Barbe

So, BHRR's Treasure new weight is 57.6 KGs(126.72 pounds). A lean and muscled machine. πŸ™‚

BHRR's Treasure was at the Vet today for his x-rays of his hips and Sean dropped him off. Sean said he took him right to the back and, he did not get a weight. BAD Sean! πŸ˜‰ I have been trying to see who may have gotten his weight for, the last weight I have for him is 112.64 pounds and, he is at least 10 pounds more than that now. I was not aware when I arrived for my own shift that he had not been weighed……I like to keep a good record of these dogs rehab journeys. πŸ™‚

Per his Vet today on the 6 views of x-rays taken:
'Looks pretty good. No concerns at all. No degenerative joint disease in joints. Not perfect. yet, about 70% – 80% coverage acetabulum in the femoral head, which is pretty decent. Everything looks pretty good. Could not get hips to luxate when he was sedated and he is such a nice dog!'

I also talked to his Vet re: why he could possible 'swim' on the floor to get his feet under him regardless of surface and his vet said that BHRR's knees and back also looks great, no concerns at all and, as to 'why', maybe because BHRR's Treasure can?! SIGH!….yup, that would be him! Mr. Trouble! I told him that he had been on Deramaxx as I did not like the stiffness and due to how straight his hind legs are and lack of rear angles, explains the stiffness – yet, could just be natural based upon his physical make-up as the x-rays prove that there is no underlying medical cause to warrant the NSAIDS and, there does not seem to be any real medical need for him to have any Deramaxx at this time…..

Soooooooooooooo, a Vet bill that was so worth taking on and being PROVED wrong!!!! Gladly, will take that badge of HONOR if it means that by showing continued proper due diligence that, the ONLY thing 'wrong' with BHRR's Treasure is………NOTHING! LOL LOL Just 'who' he is……..

So, big sigh of relief!!! THIS is not to say that he would not develop any problems as he ages, BUT not right now…..he just likes to 'swim'….BHRR's Autumn lives on! LAND-SHARK! πŸ™‚

Below are four of his 6 x-rays and, two of being at KAH and going under sedation for his x-rays. THANKS Chels for the photo's. She also sent me one of him and a really small 'heart' shaped poop pressie he gave us, yet, I do not think people want to see that! πŸ˜‰

Any, approved adoptive home that is the right match fit for him, can have a disc of these x-rays put on them and, they will be attached to his file.

Gosh, he was sooooooooooooooo loved at KAH today! HUGE HUGE HUGE hit! πŸ™‚

He also had a mani/pedi. πŸ™‚

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BHRR's Treasure – April 1st, 2014 – spine, hips, knees & back x-rays

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BHRR's Treasure – April 1st, 2014 – Getting sleepy and then 'OUT FOR THE COUNT' πŸ™‚

BHRR's Treasure has his rescheduled x-rays under sedation booked for April 1st. Depending on what we find, he may be moving to our BHRR Haven Program. Keep him in your thoughts and blessings! Due to a Vet specialist conflict in scheduling, he was pushed off from February 21st.

GENTLE REMINDER & UPDATEThis event will NOW also be used to also help BHRR’s Porridge – Rushed into KAH March 19th for when I returned from being out of the country, he was not well. He had dropped 3 KGs(6.6 pounds) – he is down to 74 KGs, had a nasal discharge, flared nostrils, no temp yet, belly breathing and could not breathe with his mouth closed, had not drank anything in over 24 hours, minimal eating, lethargic, swollen lymph nodes and, could not rest on his side(his fav resting spot).

PORRIDGE VET RESULTS TO DATE: Full exam done, lungs sounded ok, did a full blood work up including a heart blood test(awaiting results, we could not use Dormitor(if he did have a heart condition, this would be not in his best interest) to sedate for x-rays and the Torb barely took his anxiety edge off(we were not able to do his nails as he needs the Dorm also to sedate him) and, we could only get the right lat for x-rays yet, the heart on that side look almost completely normal. There was no noticeable bulge or significant enlargement yet, we had to take four shots to get his full chest and lungs just of the one side and the left side could not be completed at this time. We took biopsies of his lymph nodes, heart rate was elevated. The staff there noted how poor his energy level was from his norm ‘must maim with my happy tail and enthusiasm hyper harle happy boy ‘tude’ and while, he did eat some wet canned food, he had a hard time trying to eat anything dry and could only take one dry piece of T/D that was offered to him. The Vet has prescribed Doxy for him 4 tabs BID of the 100 mg IN case it may be infection related yet, he would not be presented ‘classically’ if that were the case. Yet, we are being proactive from all angles.

He went down hill so fast while I was away and, I thank all for monitoring him and I have trusted and do trust that those that were here, did keep his best interest at heart and, did not see fit to bring him in. I was completely ok for hi to go in for peace of mind and, I had been told that he was eating and drinking well and energy level was ok, no nasal discharge and lungs were clear(one person here is a nurse). In discussing him in more depth tonight with some of the wonderful souls that were here, it was noted that a weight loss had been seen, that drinking levels had gone down and energy level had changed. He was apparently fine and completely normal up to late last week and, I arrived home on Tuesday early afternoon. Whatever he has, it is aggressive….. πŸ™

AND, in the 24+ hours that I have been home, his condition from there worsened further and, I jumped in bringing him in ASAP. Even called KAH to change his appointment to an earlier time slot.

Possible diagnosis at this time range from early heart to early lymphoma to early nasal tumor. Good case scenario, an infection of some sort.

AND, here is the PV Stittsville, Nail Trim Event Poster! $15 for grinds/$10 for Trims on Saturday March 22nd from 10 am – 5 pm, and, all money shall benefit BHRR’s Coach, our ‘heart’ boy!

Purse Puppy Coach shall be coming with me after my work shift on March 22nd,Β  – around 2:30 PM to visit and thank all those that will be there AND, he will be doing ‘KUDDLES 4 KASH’ to also help raise some money for his bills. AND, for those that have had the pleasure of hugging this boy, he is DELIGHTFUL! I may also bring BHRR’s Angel Noelle or perhaps BHRR’s Torque! πŸ™‚

On Tuesday March 4th, BHRR’s Purse Puppy’s Coach weight was 14.9 KGs(37.78 pounds)! Since his arrival into Rescue, he has put on 34.28 pounds! πŸ™‚ In just 14 weeks! πŸ™‚

I have a huge blog post to make from this Vet visit and then coming back the next day for emergency x-rays and an ECG (the results were suppose to be back within 24 hours….) and, from there, the next steps for him. I have the report from the one Vet to post and, I have passed along all information and details to PVAR who have the other two puppies and who adopted the mom. At the minimum, it is believed that he has a congenital condition. πŸ™ AND, the chances that HE is the only one in that large litter to have this condition is slim to none.

As I am heading offline for the next week+, blog updates will be to a minimum to none – SORRY! πŸ™ I am going out of the country and later this year, also plan on going back out of the country as I have been invited to Costa Rica and Nicarauga to assist/train/mentor in a spay/neuter clinic and, to work with the strays etc. over there.Β  So, I will post as I can and, thanks to all that follow the blogs!!! πŸ™‚

Now, we just have to have those right matched forever loving homes find all of these great BHRR doggies that are AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION! πŸ™‚

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Please consider heading to PV Stittsville to participate in our FIRST EVER(Annual or Bi-Annual – not decided as of yet) $5(Five) 4 Food Fundraiser – February 1st to February 28th inclusive!
$1,518.00 DONATED To Date as of February 22nd, 2014!

I want to thank PV Stittsville immensely for being so open and supportive for BHRR to have our unique and creative Fundraiser at their lovely store! All money donated is being used to buy Dog Food from their store. As the generous, kind and extremely thoughtful donations are coming in, the incredible staff at PV Stittsville are using the funds to buy dog food as we are in our food crisis now. Sean has already gone in to pick up what food has been bought to date and, I will be in on Saturday to pick up the next bags that thanks to the community's big hearts, more is continuing to be able to be purchased.

We are hoping that this Fundraiser shall be successful! We are so happy to be showing our own hearts in turn to the store that is making this all possible and to buy all the food we can with the monies that come in. THANK YOU to the village that is surrounding BHRR and, PV Stittsville!!

AND, the 2nd annual PV Stittsville Secret Admirer Sweetheart Knuckle Bones Event is in full swing! 11 have already been purchased to donate to the animals(each BHRR dog has a photo attached to one bone) of BHRR! TY! TY! Be sure to visit PV Stittsville, while BHRR DOGGIES LAST! πŸ™‚
**As OF FEBRUARY 15th, 2014, ALL BHRR DOGGIES HAVE A Secret Admirer Sweetheart Knuckle Bone!**

AND thank you to BHRR BOD member Barry Cole for working with me again on this fabu poster!

feb five for food-3b

BHRR’s Treasure is scheduled for his x-rays on Friday February 21st. My stomach is so worried on him. BHRR’s Jetta’s hips is another GD that came to BHRR with not the best hips and, she has not worsened at all yet, I am quite worried about BHRR’s Treasure right now…I pray I am wrong! πŸ™ Please keep him in your thoughts!

Per my blog post on December 4th, 2013 that indicated BHRR’s Treasure was now available for adoption, I made a statement about his hips. Well, the weather has proven to be quite bad/hard for him and to continue to be proactive with our mandate on every animal not lacking in anything, I am going to get x-rays done on those hips. His is having increased discomfort and mobility issues. He has begun to take Deramaxx 100 mg SID and, that is helping and we can ‘add-on’ Gabapentin if need be yet, I do not want to be ‘masking’ any underlying issues and not be aware of what is going on…..

Could his hips have been one of the reasons why he was dumped??? Was his past O. aware of something and, never disclosed it. He has always been a bit stiff and he has very little rear angles and with those straight legs/knees, he has never moved to a high level of quality, BHRR’s Jetta is similar(not as bad!) In his exams, his Vets were never overly concerned that, there could be a huge problem going on yet, I am not liking what I am seeing this past week. So, off for x-rays(we sure are doing our share of these of late), to see what is going on in there…………just, what has been manifesting itself… πŸ™

I have BHRR’s Torque coming to work with me later today and BHRR’s Angel Noelle on Saturday, yet, I am going to try and get him squeezed in. If not, maybe, bump BHRR’s Torque or scheduled BHRR’s Treasure early next week. I am really not feeling good in my gut over those hips of his….and, what, may be going on with those knees now that we are in the depth of winter and it, certainly has been a cold hard one. I need to know….

In the meantime, here is BHRR’s Treasure’s December 24th, Christmas Eve photo as part of our tradition!

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BHRR’s Treasure – December 24th, 2013

*WE ARE STILL IN A FOOD CRISIS!!! WE ONLY HAVE 5 DAYS LEFT πŸ™ πŸ™
OUR FIRST OF 2014* FOOD = LIFE for the animals of BHRR!
PLEASE consider our cause and donate a bag or funds for food! We thank you from our hearts for any consideration!
PLEASE EMAIL IF YOU CAN HELP US with our dog food fund/needs!

UPDATE:

LESS than 6 hours to get your chance to bid/win on our first ever ‘Breaking Bills Bake’ Online Auction!
All items will be baked fresh! ENDS tonight(Thursday January 23rd @ 9 PM EST)

We have 32 amazing items up for grabs and this, shall be a yearly Fundraiser for BHRR moving forward!

BAKE SALE ONLINE Auction to assist with BHRR’s Angel Noelle’s(the beaten/abused puppy that was also picked up and thrown and had her one leg/elbow broken and was never treated that required a leg amputation) Vet Bills has begun!
Please consider participating and crossposting. THANK YOU!

She also has a YouCaring Fundraiser page!
http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/-caring-an-arm-a-leg-for-christmas-puppy/124645

BHRR’s Angel Noelle’s β€˜BREAKING BILLS BAKE’ Online Auction Fundraiser
*Items do not need to be baked until the Online Auction is over. πŸ™‚
ONLINE AUCTION: STARTS January 18th, 2014(7 AM EST) & ENDS January 23rd, 2014(9 PM EST) – We have 32 items to date!

Thank you to EACH person who has stepped up to help us with sharing this request for donations for this fundraiser, offering to make an item, sending those very precious notes of support and kindness AND, in believing in this very special ‘angel’! As always, thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU! What a brutal start to 2014, we have had at BHRR. πŸ™ With being in a food crisis, BHRR’s Angel Noelle’s amputation and, BHRR’s Blooms’ gas bloat. πŸ™

All monies raised in this Online Auction shall go towards paying for BHRR’s Angel Noelle’s Bills.

This sweet Rottiex puppy used to live in a crackhouse. She lived a life of constant abuse and, at 12 weeks of age, she was abused, picked up and thrown. Her leg/elbow was broken and left untreated for another 12 weeks. She received no medical treatment during this time as my leg worked to try and heal on its own. I was terrifed and in extreme pain.

On Christmas Eve, an β€˜angel’ contacted Gwen and, asked if Birch Haven Rescue & Rehabiltition(BHRR) could assist. BHRR immediately stepped up and another β€˜angel’ came to her rescue and took her from this very bad place as β€˜because I whimpered in pain’, the Owners wanted me gone ASAP and would have killed me if I had stayed with them.

On Monday January 13th, 2014, her leg was amputated and her bills will be close to $5,000 once all of her rehab is finished. She still has to have post-off follow-ups/exams, vaccines, physiotherapy etc.

Β 

 

Here is a copy of a post that I made on our Birch Haven Facebook Page. For those that are inquiring as to ‘where’ the page went.

As we have many followers that are not on facebook, this is a post that can be ignored. πŸ™‚ For those that do follow us on facebook and, missed this post, here is a copy….

This is the final post as part of the ‘end of year statement’ for the BHRR BOD….that absolute privilege has fallen upon my typing fingers…

So much to say, a Gwennie Novel that would be a Gwennie chapter to truly capture it all!!

It has been an incredible year for BHRR, 13 WOW adoptions, so many faces put to names of lovely folks near and far, friendships plus relationships that have strengthened further and increased those links on that BHRR CHAIN OF SUCCESS, new kind and beautiful faces that have chosen our cause to support and believe in, the miracles of so many that were considered by several to be ‘lost causes’, r/q rescues working side by side making an much bigger positive difference to animals out there in need, the laughs, the smiles, the fun(Yes, r/q rescue can be fun!), the public education and community education events, play dates and play visits, the fundraisers(the crossposting!) the walks/hikes, the animals plus people that have touched us to the core and made our hearts just burst in warmth and happiness, the donations of lifesaving food and, other material items, the financial hand to help pay for much needed bills and more dog food, the driving and the more driving and the more driving, and yes, the hugs!
We thank each you that has been there and we look forward to what we hope promises to be an even better year for all ahead. We are NOTHING without you…..AND, to my BHRR BOD, thank you!

It has been such a hard year in others ways, and we take those important life lessons learned and will work that much more diligently in making better decisions/choices in 2014 and onward….we are focused in letting go of the things that we cannot change and that are unhealthy in the name of r/q rescuing.
We endeavour to practise what we preach, research, stay updated and keep walking the talk!
We have cried and still do cry over those that shall no longer be with us – human and animal and, candles are lit in the most honourable plus respectful silence of those that we can no longer physically touch and talk to and embrace……We miss you and, we are better in the having been touched by you…..

We thank all those that have assisted us in not changing BHRR yet, in continuing to help make it a better version of itself! I stand up and applaud each of you and then, I kneel down in the most humblest of thanks in turn, for I appreciate each and every gesture from a dollar to an encouraging word to helping to do nails or helping me to keep making dogs more well balanced and set-up for success! You may not think you have done much, yet, you have…especially on those dark trench days….

2014 MARKS year #18 for our small r/q Rescue and, that moves me into an announcement that I have been slowly sharing with people over the past few months….

The BHRR BOD has been discussing this for close to a 1 year now….

As of 11:59 PM on Wednesday January 1st, 2014; we shall be unpublishing our page….and, deactivating the BHRR BOD account.

This was not an easy step to take by any means for we understand how key networking and social media is….this page has brought us soooooooooooo much goodness and kindness and, we go into this knowing that we shall find ourselves most likely struggling even more financially and with food needs than we ever have had to date…..13 dogs were adopted in 2013, 17 in 2012 and this page is to be credited with these success stories…..

We are a small group and like many groups, we are Volunteers and lead busy lives outside of r/q rescue and, in frequent discussions with members of the BHRR BOD, the bandwidth is just not there right now for me to keep up the pace of this page plus what so many have originally been attracted plus loved about BHRR, the detailed blogs…that is very much a ‘signature’ BHRR arena and, it has had to take a backseat more often than I would have liked in 2013.

2014, is also year of much excitement(and some stress!) in my own professional and personal life – I will be defending in 2014 in re: to my PhD that I have worked pt on for too many years now…, I am furthering my training to do more work internationally with strays, street dogs and spay/neuter clinics and teaching and being mentored….I have been invited to Costa Rica and Nicaragua and, I will also begin to shadow at other Hospitals to increase my own skill set and education with qualifications plus experience. AND, I also look forward to my time at the ES when I can get there. As a result, I shall also be deleting/deactivating my personal account. Barry, Catalina and Mary will remain our eyes and ears out there in fb land.

My priority has always been to the animals under our authority and being hands on and keeping our success rates unparalled out there….that, shall not change.

It is my sincerest of wishes that by this time next year, we can publish this page again….it has become such a staple to my day and, I look forward to coming back to post of daily tips and questions and quotes and all things BHRR plus beyond to help other groups also network their own events/animals and throw our support into their corner!

I have sincerely enjoyed sharing the ups and the downs as part of our commitment to full disclosure and that, we are only perfect in our imperfections as humans….

So, it is will deepest regret that this shall be my last post on this page for some time……..

The BHRR BOD is still trying to figure out how best put forth our requests for assistance and right now, we shall go back to using the website for postings…so, please do visit uswww.birchhaven.orgΒ for YOU are the real hearts and souls of BHRR, along with the animals…..

May love, happiness and health find their way and stay with you and yours in 2014….that is my wish for you!

Raising my glass to all of you in a toast of my heart to you!

FROM myself, words truly do fail me with how beautiful these cards are plus the stamps AND Anna’s heart…..Thank you! THANK YOU!

From Anna G-h:

“We are delighted to announce that we have note-cards and matching stamps (domestic permanent) available with all funds donated to Birch Haven to assist in vetting and food costs. Each are 4 for $5. Please let me(Anna) know if you would like to order any. We can mail free of charge once we have received payment for your order. These are blank inside so are perfect for many occasions.”

Anna can be contacted at: anna.goofy@rogers.com OR email HERE.

Payment can be made via PayPal ‘GIFT’ or via email transfer.

Simply stunning! The person in the photo for those that are not aware is Anna’s husband, Peter and the two lovely Danes are Kaitlyn and Kassie. πŸ™‚

photoposteranna

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

This is not a community education or public awareness event YET, I plan on showing up with some of the BHRR doggies to hang and visit AND thank ALL that show up!

NOTE: THERE shall also be $10 NAIL Trims with all proceeds coming to BHRR!

santa paws (Medium)

BHRR’s Treasure is NOW AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!

He came to the PV Stittsville ‘THANKS FOR GIVING’ Event on October 12th and what a hoot! LOL Not a person or dog or creature he did not love on!

His nickname is not ‘trouble’ for nothing! πŸ˜‰ He had no issues with the cats there yet, THAT is no guarantee that he is or is not going to be good with them moving forward. Integration is very important.

He will go to an experienced dog home only. He is good to go to a home that works ft, pt, from home and any home that adopts him must understand the important of positive reinforcement and patience, consistency.

He is a love bug yet, lots of energy and personality and style! There is not one mean bone in this dog’s body. He is the life of any party when he wants to be and a real house gem when needed….for the most part. He has come so far and just is going to make that right matched family, the best of additions. Older children – no less than 10 will be considered, should a home have kids.

Great in the car, crate trained, house broken and eyes that just are gorgeous!

He would do best in a home with another like minded dog.

AND, all that are considering this boy NEED to be aware that he has bad hips…..if he lays down on any smooth hardwood or slippery floors, he has a hard time getting his feet under him. He can almost ‘pull’ himself to a rug or more rough surface to be able to stand without slipping. We believe in full disclosure at BHRR.

The cold weather is going to be harder on him and, as he ages. He is on Glucosomine plus Chondroitin, and raw/eggs shells.

Yet, he runs and plays and roughhouses and, we believe in quality of life. I also give him some Deramaxx as needed. 100 mg’s SID

IMG_2739IMG_2738
BHRR’s Treasue – November 2013

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 so many years.

Our XMAS Shutdown period for this year is from Saturday December 14th, 2013 to Tuesday January 7th 2013 inclusive.

During this time, BHRR is available 24/7 as always for requests for assistance of animals in need.

Thank you for your continued understanding – The BHRR Team

Our 6th ANNUAL 'JUST IN TIME FOR XMAS' Online Auction HAS started! πŸ™‚ We NOW have 87 items posted – LINK BELOW – and more to come daily! This is not a facebook auction. As we have supporters not on fb, we use a wp plug-in app on our home website.

YOU have to go visit daily to see just what is there! πŸ™‚ THANKS to all that have donated so kindly, generously and the animals thank you too! πŸ™‚

The BHRR Auction began at 7:00 AM EST on Saturday November 23rd, 2013.

The BHRR Auction will end at 9:00 PM EST on Thursday December 5th, 2013

http://www.birchhaven.org/fundraising-2008/online-auction-2012

From Friday October 18th to Sunday November 3rd, 2013 inclusive, BHRR will not be open for adoptions or the intake of adoption applications.

We do not adopt out around the Halloween season and many others Rescues, shelters, pounds etc. have also begun to follow a similar protocol.

We do not believe it is in the best interest of the animals in our program, especially for dark coloured dogs.

During this time, BHRR is available 24/7 as always for requests for assistance of animals in need.

THIS is my latest GOOD WITH CATS UPDATE post adding on new dogs recently 'tested'!

This lovely Canine has proven to be 'good' with cats. YET, as always, careful integration is an VERY important key and the personalities also!

I also want to stress that BHRR's Groves & BHRR's Flint being part of this updated 'GOOD WITH CATS UPDATE' post are only mere puppies right now….their 'cat' goodness could well change as they mature.

BHRR's Nessie & BHRR's Treasure are the other two dogs tagged in this specific blog post. This post does not warrant or guarantee that they shall be good with all cats. Please check each animals' specific blog to read about whether or not, they have a 'thumbs up', a 'thumbs down' or an 'unknown' when it comes to cats.

We cat test our dogs as we can. Sean is allergic to cats and most of our own dogs are scared of cats and yet, doing thorough evaluations plus assessments and getting to know the BHRR dogs thoroughly, my knowledge of them and experience with them and gut/instinct have gone a long way in helping to determine if the dogs may or may not be good. Others do remain an 'unknown'.

A short time ago, I received an email from the most talented and I want to say also, very beautiful and special Liz Bradley of The Ottawa Dog Blog.

http://ottawadogblog.ca/2013/08/we-won-the-top-most-influential-dog-blog-online/

As many are aware, there was a voting contest recently for the Most Influential Dog Blog online and the competition was quite tough AND, thanks to such an incredible surrounding community The Ottawa Dog Blog WON! By taking 60% of the votes!

HUGE Congratulations Liz & Jane!!! Extremely well deserved! Your blog is quite important and valued deeply by so many and you make a BIG difference daily with all your efforts! I have loved watching your amazing 'baby' grow plus develop!

AND, what so humbly surprised me(AND, made me grab yet, another tissue…this time with a welling up of good tears!), was that Liz/Jane was awarded a lifesaving generous gift of $500 donation to the charity of her choice AND they chose BHRR!! As they have posted about, there are SO many great r/q Rescues deserving and in need and, I am touched, humbled and feel privileged to have our small rescue chosen to be the recipient of such an incredible gesture……Just honoured! Immensely!

There really needs to be more words to express THANK YOU! I am MORE thank thankful! I am genuinely appreciative plus grateful and filled with intense gratitude…….

THE BELOW IS FROM LIZ/JANE:

"It was a difficult decision as to the charity who we would pick to receive the donation as all of the Ottawa charities work so hard.

We decided on Birch Haven Rescue and Rehabilitation to receive the $500 donation! BHRR is an amazing rescue who is in need of money to feed the large and giant breeds they rescue – this money will go a long way towards food and vet bills for them!

Thank you again to all who voted. I am so very proud to live in this great city surrounded by fellow dog lovers.

With love and belly rubs,
Liz (and Jane)"

**Could I please ask our fans/supporters/family/friends to take a moment and go over and CONGRATULATE Liz/Jane immensely and tell them HOW uber awesome they are with what they do daily!!!**

AND, here is what I wrote on their lovely Blog post!

HUGE Congratulations Liz & Jane!!! Extremely well deserved! Your blog is quite important and valued deeply by so many and you make a BIG difference daily with all your efforts! I have loved watching your amazing ‘baby’ grow plus develop!

As Liz/Jane have posted, there are SO many great r/q Rescues deserving and in need and, I am touched, humbled and feel immensely privileged to have had our small rescue of Birch Haven Rescue & Rehabilitation Services chosen to be the recipient of such an incredible gesture……Just honoured! Immensely!

I also wish to publicly thank Camp Cookstown from my heart, for having such a great contest, for helping to get the word out regarding so many fantastic online blogs and for supporting the work done in animal rescue with this very generous and lifesaving gift of $500.

There really needs to be more words to express THANK YOU! I am MORE thank thankful! I am genuinely appreciative plus humbled and filled with intense gratitude…….

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: DIRTY DAWG Wash for BHRR coming up FAST!
Thank you sooooooooooo much to Ginnette & CJ for having us back again this year!!!
I absolutely LOVE this event! LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Saturday July 27th
Time: 10 AM – 3 PM
Min. $10 Donation
*Microchips $40 includes registration, merchandise AND Nail Trims too!
*Thanks to BHRR BOD member Barry for working with me on this poster!

dirty dog**

BHRR's Trouble/Mischief AKA Treasure has finally been fully integrated with all here….OH my! WHAT a gooberhead! Gwenne/Salma's BOOT camp is in full swing and he is learning to share and Mason plus Sean are looking for body armor suits for when this boy plays….LOL

COMING UP ON Sunday July 14th, 2013! Our 6th ANNUAL KAH/BHRR Microchip/Nail Trim & BBQ Fundraiser!
8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

In 2012, we did 56 MICROCHIPS(ALL by qualified Veterinary professionals) & 94 nail trims!

We shall have our silent auction table again, human plus doggie baked table, draws, facepainting, caricatures AND so much more!

NO APPOINTMENTS necessary! For more information, please visit HERE:

OR follow all the exciting updates on our BHRR/KAH Facebook EVENT PAGE!

STILL LOOKING FOR THE FOLLOWING:

Thank you in advance for any consideration!!

STILL ISO:

1) More volunteers to put up posters in their local community including training facilities
2) People open to emailing and promoting this event poster at their work and with friends, family and neighbours. I can email the poster to all willing to assist. πŸ™‚
3) Donations of pop, juice, bottled water & hotdogs/buns & hamburger/buns
4) NEED MORE DRAW PRIZES! Please email contactbhrr@gmail.com
5) ICE! ICE! ICE!
6) NEED MORE Silent Auction Items
7) Gift cards – please email contactbhrr@gmail.com
8) We need people to assist us with cross-posting this event and getting the word out! We have some huge Vet bills right now and more in the pipe.

PLEASE EMAIL if you can assist with any of the above!

***This event is such a great time!***

bhrreventlowressmall
THANK you again to BHRR's Cosette's fabu mom for working with members of the BHRR BOD on this poster!

Katoby Distribution is having their FIRST even Campaign For Rescue Voting Contest!

This contest was created via nominations and on Monday July 1st, BHRR received an email regarding this voting contest and what a surprise PLUS honour to note that we were one of the organizations chosen to participate!

They have 4 prize packs totaling over $4000 in valuable food and products to give to the rescue groups you think deserve it! Top 3 dog rescues and the top cat rescue will each win a prize pack (as determined by votes). One lucky voter will also receive a price pack worth over $250!

Voting ends July 15 at noon – one vote per day per person!

BHRR's Treasure has been settling in well. He had a good first night and I am getting ready to sign off for his second night – it is now almost 3:00 AM on Friday – so, my second night….

AND, I still think as I said in the video that 'TROUBLE' may be a better name! LOL

He has been integrated with our Kingston, BHRR's Spice, BHRR's Bobby, my PPSS and BHRR's Jetta AND he LOVES BHRR's Jetta! She quite liked him too….even, if she played 'hard to get' in the beginning! They ran and played and zipped and zoomed!

AND, for those who think BHRR's Treasure is tall…BHRR's Jetta has the tall 'edge' on him by a few inches at the whithers with those model legs of hers :)…it is all relative I keep telling people when they think a Great Dane is tall or huge…or, any other Giant for that matter. πŸ˜€ He is a good sized boy and by the time he is done rehabbing, he should be taking some serious names with his charm and good looks FOR that is what he is already doing.

Their weights are very comparable right now. The difference is that BHRR's Jetta's weight is healthy, BHRR's Treasure is not yet there. He needs another 20 pounds for the age/body conformation he is right now. He is only one and still growing and going to fill out a lot more AND should put on my height.

He is a bull in a china shop. He has bluffed and huffed and I can see, even intimidated his way to get what he wants or to avoid doing what he wants. He pulls and yanks and just wants things his own way. Well……………welcome to Gwennie's Doggie Boot Camp….BHRR's Salma's too. πŸ˜‰

AND, he does not want to share the water bowl and less dom dogs like BHRR's Bobby and BHRR's Jetta just let him do what he wants. We will be working on a good strong structure plus foundation for manners 101.

AND, when I corrected him for the bowl resourcing, he had something to say to me about it (GOT to love a GD that talks back…wait, don't almost all of them do??!!! LOL He just has to become more polite about his words and when to use those words and when not too!) and we had a conversation about that too. πŸ˜‰ All positive based here and I have to earn his respect and trust and he mine. The journey has just begun….

 

June 19th, just past 3:00 PM:
"In less than four hours, the newest addition to the BHRR family shall be arriving!
BHRR's Treasure, the emaciated Harlequin male Great Dane…..
Travel safety everyone involved helping to get him closer to me!
"

June 19th, just past 9:00 PM:
"UPDATE: got him!! What a gooberhead!!! No manners! That will change…. πŸ˜‰
Yes, he is skinny and could use a good 15-20 pounds yet, he is not in brutal shape. He is a very handsome boy and looking forward in getting to know him!! He was 112.64 pounds when I weighed him tonight.
Thank you Debbie, Joy and Jenn for everything!!
AND, I got to meet the Boxer that we had offered to assist yet, when we learned that he may have another group that stepped up before ours to help; and, that there was another GD in need(the black female I posted)…..I knew we were needed for her!!
What a nice boxer boy he is and he is going to make someone very happy!!
Off for the adventurous drive home with BHRR's Treasure! Sitting still is not in his vocabulary right now…..
cheeky"

AND here is a VIDEO I took on our drive home: BHRR'sTreasureJune192013VIDEO

TreasureJune20132
BHRR's Treasure – June 19th, 2013 ~1 year of age
*O/S due to no time…..he may have been trash to someone else BUT he is all TREASURE to me and so, that is what I am calling him!
Heading home with me from KAH to BHRR!
WELCOME to BHRR!!!
NOT YET AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!

On June 18th, @ 9:22 PM, I received the following:
"Hi Gwen,
Well I dropped by the shelter tonight to visit with both your dogs.  Firstly, {Treasure} is HUGE.  Thin but boy is he tall.  Good disposition and was very good with me.
{Promise} is petite, very very thin.  She is timid but the good news is that she was in front of the cage and not in the back.  She did shake a lot when I knelt down to speak with her.  She would not make eye contact with me and I let her be as I could see that she was afraid. 
Both dogs are thin.  {Promise} more so than {Treasure}.  I know that they will be in great hands….in {Treasure} case..two hands.  The pictures do not do him justice.  He is absolutely breath taking and under your care he will be something of such splendid beauty.
Just thought I would give you an update.  I cannot wait for you to meet them."

On June 7th, 3:24 PM:  I received the following email:

 "I have this 1 yr old unfixed male dane. He was surrendered because the guy didn't have time for him. Very good with other dogs, a bit growly with people–not to be aggressive-it's more insecurity I think. He is being walked by our volunteers. I tested for food and he did lift his lip but no growling and I could take the food from him. He has very little manners and is very strong-difficult to walk. He definitely needs experienced people. Do you think Gwen would be interested?"

On June 7th, 4:13 PM: I responded with:

"Can you give me 24 hours to work on this one? J
We would love to help…I just need about 24 hours or so.

Gwen
BHRR
"

On June 7th, 4:27 PM: I received:
"OMG Gwenn, YES!!!! YES.
This is not for next week any ways.  He needs to be fixed which will not be until next week".

We then went back and forth as I was only originally able to assist by the end of the week of June 21st and that was getting too long for the Shelter as they were hurting for space. We worked out that I could get him on the 17th yet, then, that did not work for scheduling for others and so, after all was said and done, we planned for Wednesday June 19th!

194197
I decided to call him 'TREASURE' as his previous O. had no time for him and he may have been their trash but MY Treasure!
*Photos courtesy of the Shelter

NOT YET AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!