This is another courtesy posting for an owner. Bentley lives in Traverse City. The owners contact information is at the bottom of the listing.

I would like a home where I can just settle in and be happy

“Bentley is an amazing seven year old dog and a part of our family, which is why it is so hard to be in this position of having to find him a new home. Bentley is a very loyal dog who will thrive best in a home that can offer a level of consistency, no children and no dogs that have dominance issues. Bentley like most Bernese has some issues with anxiety, big changes in routines and noises, such as, strong winds and thunder often can make him anxious. All that being said there is a lot of good in Bentley. Bentley was born in Quebec on December 9th, 2004 and came to live in Vermont with us when he was ten weeks old. We have done our best since the beginning to provide Bentley a good home. Our first night together, Bentley feeling homesick, ended with us falling asleep on the couch together. He has loved the couch ever since. As much as he loves his naps he loves his walks. He walks well on a leash, though like most dogs he likes to stop and sniff along the way. Early on he became used to two walks a day often one walk would often be in a area where he could walk off leash. He does great off leash. Bentley is neutered but we did not make the decision to neuter him until he was three. He has had some history of conflict with other dogs, mostly he takes a defensive stance because of his loyalty and wanting to protect his family. I do not consider him an aggressive dog. Bentley just went in for a wellness exam on 1/16/12 and is up to date on his shots. For his age Bentley is in great health he has no current medical issues and does not take any medication besides glucosamine and msm for joint health. He does have some arthritis and dysplasia in his hips but maintains a normal active lifestyle.

Some history on Bentley leading up to this point. Things started to change just over two years ago when we adopted our friends 12 year old golden retriever. Bentley, with a little time to adjust to not being an only dog, has done really well having another dog around. More change came about 14 months ago with the birth of our son. This was another even bigger adjustment for Bentley. We worked hard to help make him feel comfortable around Quinn knowing his life was changing just as much as ours. I was out walking Bentley two days after returning home from the hospital, we didn’t want him to feel forgotten. Even more change came with our move from Vermont back to my home town in Michigan. Bentley had to again adjust to another dog since we moved in temporarily to my parents house who also have a dog. It has been a lot of change in a short period of time and we were aware of the stress it has placed on Bentley. Unfortunately despite our efforts to help Bentley adjust you can’t monitor a dogs every action and stop them from reacting. Quinn was running up to me but came up from behind Bentley who had been focused in on a piece of pizza I was eating and was startled by Quinn. It was a quick reflex reaction meant to send a warning to back off, but he snapped and made contact with my sons head. It all happened in a matter of seconds. The bite was serious enough to send us rushing to the hospital and our son having surgery the next day to close the lacerations on his head. It was a very unfortunate accident. This being said I have to look out for the well being and safety of our son and do not feel certain we could prevent this from ever happening again which is why we are looking for a home without children.

Bentley is the type of dog that follows you from room to room he needs and loves that human connection and wants nothing more than to be a best friend to you. And that is what we are hoping to find for him.” Contact us at e-mail; lynds1979@yahoo.com      Lyndsay & David  231-620-2929

Daisy was adopted from our rescue

 We’re glad you’ve found us! We are a resource for people with a special place in their heart for Berners.

Moby went to his new home yesterday. He has a great new family with a playmate and fenced yard. his new family includes to older kids to play with and should have a great time with his new Mom and dad.

I'm thin, but getting better

Bruno has a new home!!!!

Bruno is staying here with us. We have several families wanting him and were great homes but we just got too attached, a risk when fostering. So Bruno will spend the rest of his days helping new fosters adjust to prepare for their new homes.

ADOPTED!!

Bruno is a 7 year 2 months old boy that was rescued from a shelter. He was intact but is now neutered and is being treated for some intestinal issues. He knows some basic commands, is house broken. He has been tossed around a lot in the last several months, 3 homes and a shelter now here. We know little about his personality prior to coming to us, but he is very sweet and wants to be part of the family. He gets along with other dogs. Likes children. He has training and allowed run of the house. He is being treated for Coccicidia and almost done.

Update 12/04/11, Ocoee has an injured knee and will need to be evaluated to see if any damage was done. So she will not be available until that has been determined.

Ocoee is not part of the HMBMD rescue program and this is a courtesy posting for the owner. The contact information to find out more about Ocoee is, Ann, e-mail is anncanoes@att.net phone; 616-866-7241

I'm so pretty, I like a quiet home without a lot of activity

Ocoee is a 20 month old girl, that is spayed and is housebroken. She does know some basic commands. She will do best is a quite home without small children. She is timid and needs an understanding family that will keep working with her on socialazation so she can become more outgoing in new situations. Due to her timid nature, for her security from running away from a stressful encounter, she will require a physical, above ground fence of at least 48 inches high. She is seeking a West Michigan home if possable so she can keep in touch and maybe she her from time to time.

I'm Moby, AKA Moe-Moe

12/14/11 Moby is still available and doing great. We have had several interested homes but the fenced yard and playmate will be mandatory for Moby.

Moby will be 1 on December 26th so he is still a pup. He was given up due to he was starting to show some aggressive tendencies towards his family and did not like new people coming over. He was also very mouthy by chewing on hands and such. Moby was intact and is now neutered, he had some parasites which he has been treated for and we are in the process of retesting to see if we got them all or not.

Since coming here 3 weeks ago he does not show any of the early issues but we have not had any visitors so I can’t judge the stranger issues at this time. So far our opinion is that moby may have been bored and got into trouble chewing some things, so he needs a playmate to keep him out of trouble and tired. He had some basic training and sits for his food, but more classes will help with his socialization and form a control bond with his new owners.

Moby is a very sweet boy that is happy sitting on the deck watching the yard or playing with other dogs, or lying at your feet. He sometimes gets rough playing and barks in the other dogs face. He does have a tendency to bark at things too let people know he sees them. We think the “mouthyness” was his way of asking for attention. In his old home he was in competition with a toddler for time with  his owners and of course he was 2nd in line for that.  Moby needs a home that is relatively quiet with a fur buddy to play with and an above ground fenced yard. Due to his potential of fear aggression from lack of socialization we require the fence for his and everyone’s protection. We think that he will out grow the fear issues with proper exposure to new things and people but that will take time. Also because of his early behavior in his old home we do not recommend small children.

All in all, Moby is a nce boy that needs some understanding and will be a happy boy.

Samson now lives near Grand Rapids with his new Mom and Dad, a human adult new brother and sister and 2 furry buddies. A Corgie and another Berner!

Are you willing to give me a chance?

Samson has been in foster for almost 3 months while we learned more about him and his needs. He is now ready for his forever home as he has proven to be a nice boy with a few insecurities that can be worked with. He is a big boy but gentle. He has come a long way with meeting new people and is dong very well with meeting them at his own pace. He does still get upset when left alone but it is not a severe as first described. Due to these issues we are going to hold to our initial assessment that Samson goes to a home without kids, preferable where someone is home most of the time. He will require an above ground fenced yard. No tie-outs or invisible fence. Below is what was posted earlier about Samson. His foster dad can tell you more about him and we will give you his information after an initial interview by phone ot e-mail.

Samson, is a neutered 3 year old that has several fear and anxiety issues. He just came in on June 20th so we are working on learning about him. He is fearful of new people, especially men. Will bark at them when they would come into his old home. He does not like people at his level so no children for him. We will update as we learn more, but so far is doing very well in his foster home with another dog. Samson would do best with another large, confident dog to act as a guide for him to help him adjust.

SAMSON UPDATE 6/27:

Samson is a sweet 3 year old neutered boy who just came into the program on June 20. Although his prior owners reported that he had several fear and anxiety issues, his foster home has reported that Samson has not manifested those issues to the degree we thought he might. Down inside Samson is a very sweet loving dog that is coming to the surface more and more each day. He is somewhat fearful of new people, men more so than women. One of his issues is that he would bark when strangers came into the house. He has already been introduced to a few strangers in his foster home and has only barked at one of them (two barks), but within an hour (and after a few treats) was allowing himself to be petted and scratched by the stranger, and was lying down next to him while the stranger was sitting on the floor. Although initially shy, he has warmed up to all of the strangers he has met. The foster home reported that after Samson being in the home for one week, his trust level is already around 95% with the foster dad. As soon as he is asked if he wants to go outside or for a walk he gets excited and runs to the door, and he walks very nicely on his leash. Samson appears to be the most uncomfortable with people at his eye level, so a home without children would be best for him. He would also do well with another large, confident dog to act as a guide for him to help adjust and learn to trust. The foster home has another dog (an intact male) and there have been no issues at all between the dogs. They are getting along great including teaming up to beg the foster dad to share his lunch.