 "Freeway" was found running in the morning rush on Highway 169 in Eden Prairie. Good Samaritan, Sheila Zwettler, risked her life getting him into her car. She took him to a shelter in Richfield, as Eden Prairie doesn't have one. She recognized the breed, and e-mailed the rescue group, asking us to help place him. He is about 2 years of age, neutered and obviously a purebred. No collar, no chip, no tattoo. After the required 5 days at the pound and considerable efforts of the rescue group to find his owners, we realized no one was looking for him. Renamed Bruno, he lives a pampered life with the Portlas family. After an initial bout with intestinal problems, he is doing very well. The Portlas's adore him. He spends his days following Connie and her 3 kids everywhere they go. He warmed up to Peter (who is about 7 feet tall)! after just a few days. Connie says: "He is a big puffy mush ball, and very protective of the kids. Follows me everywhere and seems so happy"! We'll probably never know where Bruno came from, but that's ok, he is content and well cared for in his new home.
That's what rescue is all about. We work to find BMDs and BMD mixes that need homes. We check the 'Net for BMDs listed on Petfinder.com, and look in the paper for BMDs listed that may be in need. We then place them in homes that have been pre-screened for adoption of a rescue. I find myself repeating quite often, they are usually rescues for a reason! You rarely find the perfectly behaved, healthy BMD running loose, with nobody looking for them. Usually, there is an issue of some sort, but with our wonderful breed, rarely insurmountable.
The local web site has been a wonderful tool for people who want to adopt BMDs to get in touch with us. I have a current list of 20+ people who will foster or adopt a Berner. The club policy is to always offer a purebred to club members first, then to go outside of the club to place the dog.
Club members, Nancy & Jeff Arndt, took us up on an 8 month old purebred female named Cassie. Cassie was very sick with a condition called immune mediated poly arthritis (IMPA). The Arndt's took her into their home & provided her with the best possible medical care & even better (mental) care. To date, the Arndt's have spent over $5000.00. The club donated $500, and the National club donated $800, but she still may need surgery on her displastic elbows. Cassie will probably always have to be on drug therapy, but she has shown great improvement in the months the Arndt's have been caring for her. Nancy & Jeff are indeed good Samaritans for taking her in, and falling in love with her.
There have been 3 other re-homes. One in particular deserves mention, because the dog (Luka) came from Dave Moore, the Prior Lake "importer". Luka's owners were supposed to get a pedigree, sometime after the $1700 charge for their show puppy was paid up. It never came. What did come was a severe case of mange. His original owners used our rescue program to get in touch with a fabulous home that had more time to spend with him (and take a few pounds off his very overweight frame)! He is healthy and happy (and neutered) in his new home.
Happily, local rescue has been relatively slow these past few months. On a National level, things have been busy. I am part of a Yahoo group that monitors rescue across the country. We help each other by putting people who want to adopt rescues, in touch with the rescue coordinator for that area. Sometimes a long drive is part of the deal, but most people really want to help out, as it can be very rewarding placing the right dog with the right home. We are currently working on standardizing all of the rescue forms we use. This is an attempt to minimize the potential for litigation in the case of a dog bite or other unforeseen problems.
Our rescue group consists of Nancy Mayer, Nancy Arndt and myself. We are always in need of extra eyes and ears to help find BMDs that may need help. Please contact anyone of us if you see something in the paper that seems wrong, or find a dog on the internet that may be a BMD or BMD mix. Our geographic area includes all of Minnesota, parts of Western Wisconsin, all of North and South Dakota, and a bit over the border into Iowa.
A huge thanks to Lisa and Steve Fosdick, and their dog Magnum! Their generous donation to the rescue fund is most needed and appreciated. The donated money will be used for costs associated with rescue. Even with people donating their time, there always seems to be additional costs. Also, thank you to all who have helped in any way with rescue this past year. As a breed club, I think it is one of the most important things we do.
Coleen Carroll
Rescue Chair BMDCGTC
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