The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of the Greater Twin Cities Website -- The Fantastic Four

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The Fantastic Four — A Cooperative Rescue Story

The Call for Help

At the end of October 2006, BMDCGTC Rescue Chair, Coleen Carroll was contacted by the BMD Club of Northern Illinois about a rescue located in southwestern Minnesota.

What we were soon to find out was that this was not a typical rescue, nor was it a single rescue. It was the rescue of four adult Berners; three females and one male. Also what we were to find out, a mere three days after they came into our care, was that we would also be rescuing 11 additional bundles of joy.

Our club has thankfully not had to handle many rescues. When we were approached about the four adults in need of help, we truly had to think long and hard about how to best proceed. The farmer who owned the four adults did not want to surrender them, but rather to sell them. It is not typically our clubs’ policy to purchase dogs. Therefore, our board had to quickly decide how we wanted to proceed (Lesson 1). After Coleen Carroll’s many conversations with him, she felt confident that he wasn’t going to sell these dogs only to purchase more later. These dogs were livestock to him. When he found out that they can be difficult whelpers and may have health problems, he saw it as a money-losing situation and wanted a way out. In addition, he expressed concern that he would not have time to whelp the litter of puppies that was due to arrive any day. He said, “he would be too busy harvesting crops” to help with delivering puppies.

In short order, our entire board agreed that this was a situation that warranted an exception to our typical policy. These were Berners truly in need of our help. We felt that ultimately the breed would be better served by finding loving homes for the adults and the puppies and removing all the dogs from the breeding pool. However, we were concerned about undertaking a rescue of this magnitude without some assistance.
BMDCGTC Rescue contacted the BMDCA and BARC who generously and quickly agreed to provide assistance in helping us with this rescue (Lesson 2). The BMDCA agreed to cover medical costs for the adult dogs that amounted to over $1,300. This included spay and neuter costs and general medical care. BARC agreed to reimburse the BMDCGTC for the purchase price of the dogs, facilitate foster care for the adult dogs, and help facilitate adoptions for both the adults and the resulting puppies (Lesson 3). BMDCGTC Rescue committee members provided short-term foster care and hours of loving care for the mother and the resulting litter of 11 puppies. In addition, they spent countless hours screening homes and making the final placement decisions for the puppies.

The Rescue

Through conversations with the farmer we learned that all 4 adults were purchased through a dog broker in Iowa. Little was known about their backgrounds and pedigrees. The farmer had told us one female was “very pregnant.” All were around 3-years of age and had been kept in a barn with little human contact. When Coleen and long-time club member/breeder Nancy Mayer met the farmer to pick up the dogs, they were hauled out of the back of an open pick-up truck. It was obvious they had never been in a car before and had likely never seen a collar or a leash before. They were literally terrified and shaking. They were also to discover that the farmer had never even bothered to give the dogs names.

The dogs were quickly brought to a local vet clinic that was ready and awaiting their arrival. What they saw when they arrived were four incredibly dirty dogs that were terrified of everything, including the strangers that surrounded them. One of the females, given the name Rosy was particularly terrified. Another, dubbed Hannah by clinic staff, was extremely dirty and upon examination was found to have a horrible ear infection. The infection went untreated for so long that her eardrums actually ruptured. The third female, named Tillie was extremely pregnant and due to whelp any day. The lone male (believed to be the father of the impending litter), given the name Hank, was also dirty and very fearful.

After a weekend stay at the clinic, baths by clinic staff, and Monday morning spays and neuters for the three adults, Hank, Hannah and Rosy were sent “home.”

After being checked out thoroughly at the vet clinic, Tillie was sent home with Coleen to await the arrival of her puppies. After meeting Coleen’s other 3 Berners, Tillie went onto a tentative exploration of their backyard. They had a fire burning in their firepit, as it was a cool fall day. Tillie was so unused to all the new things to see and explore she actually began to walk into the fire! It was obvious she had not seen or experienced many of the things that a Berner that is truly a beloved pet might encounter. Thankfully Tillie was unharmed by her encounter and two days later whelped a litter of 11 healthy puppies.

Loving Homes

Hank has been permanently placed in a home in California, screened and carefully selected by BARC. We have received word that he is adjusting well to his new, loving surroundings. Hannah is being fostered by a BARC home in Nebraska and is hoping for a permanent placement soon. Rosy is being fostered by BMDCGTC club member and rescue committee member, Nancy Mayer. Nancy reports that although still unused to human attention, she is slowly blossoming into a sweet and gentle girl who is looking forward to finding a loving permanent home, carefully screened by her caregivers to ensure a proper fit.

Tillie is quickly adjusting to motherhood and responsibilities of raising a litter of 11 puppies. All puppies are doing well. BMDCGTC Rescue Chair, Coleen Carroll, is caring for Tillie and puppies. BMDCGTC Rescue committee members are busy assisting BARC in puppy placements by screening potential homes. Final placement decisions will be made by the people who know the puppies best—those that helped rescue their mother and her three friends from their sad, isolated life on the farm.

Oh and Tillie, well... appily there are a few people lobbying to give her a new loving home. She has blossomed into quite a sweet girl….

Thanks...

Thank you to local club members and individuals across the country that made generous donations to the BMDCGTC to help ensure the success of this rescue and to make future rescues possible.

A special thank-you also to the BMDCA and BARC from Hank, Hannah, Rosy and Tillie in helping to make this cooperative rescue story possible.

BMDCGTC Rescue committee is:

Coleen Carroll
Nancy Mayer
Nancy Arndt
Julie Latterell
Lisa Fosdick

See more pictures of the rescues!