Adopting

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!

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.

Nova has been ADOPTED

This is a assistance listing, so Nova is not in our program. Here is her contact information:

Gracie went to her new home today. We wish her the best in her new forever home.

This is a courtesy listing and not in our foster program. Please contact heather.robinson.dvm@gmail.com for more information.

Gracie is 4 years old, in good health, current on vaccinations and heartworm preventative, and has no medical issues. Gracie was given to me because her previous family could not deal with her protectiveness of their special needs daughter which lead to Gracie biting a visiting child. She is protective of her family and would do best in a home without young children. Gracie prefers to be an only dog and has not lived with another dog until I started fostering her. She has displayed inter-dog aggression towards my family dog and other dogs over food, treats, toys, space, and my attention on several occasions. I feel it would be best for Gracie to go to a home where she is an only dog. I have been working to socialize Gracie and introduce her to new situations as much as possible. She is good with cats and other pets. Gracie is shy in public and aloof with strangers. She knows basic commands (sit, lay down, come). Gracie needs a fenced yard as she will wander if not contained. Gracie is very sweet and wants to please her people. I really want to find the right home for Gracie where she will flourish and be loved. She is a wonderful dog that I would keep if it weren’t for my family dog who is now terrified of her.

Mocha now lives in Bloomfield, MI with 2 new Buddy’s and her new dad. She has a young Leonberger to play with and and older dog to supervise them. She is adjusting well and no, or very little signs of the stress that she had in her old home. We are getting updates and she seems very happy!

We took in a 3 year old male and a 2 year old female, both with some temperament/personality issues.

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. 

Mocha is spayed came into foster 6/21. She turned 2 on April 12th. She likes most people, almost too much. She has not had many experiences in her life so she will need socialisation. She will jump up on people and knock the unsteady ones down. She is a 2 year old with a 6 month old puppy brain. Mocha was just too much for her former owners trying to cope with a active dog in a retired home. She has separation anxiety issues which we have not seen yet, and so far is doing well in her crate at night if she is allowed to be close to her family. She has been evaluated by a behaviorist a few times and they believe she was stressed in the old home and needed stimulation to keep her occupied. She seems outgoing with people so far. Again, more to come.

Both dogs will require a physical above ground fence for their safety.

Beyla is a 4 year old girl that has had a rough life so far. She needs a final forever home where she can just sprawl out and be happy.

She is a nice sized girl at about 90 pounds. She has some basic training, and house trained but have had an accident because we are switching foods. At about 3 years old she came into another rescue with 2 other Berners from an Amish puppymill. She was missing her left eye. It was injured on a wire sticking out of her crate and got infected. It then had to be removed. Then she went to a home for 15 months until her new owner decided she did not have time for her, becuase her job called for her to do a lot of traveling, so she placed her on petfinder classifieds.

From there she went to another home where she was fully vetted andthey shaved her due to mats. In this home she showed some separation issues and fear of thunder. She was also intensely interested in cats. The first owner did not see any of the anxiety issues in her home.the next home decided that she was not a good fit after trying for 3 weeks, our rescue was contacted. We took her that day.

Beyla has been here over 2weeks and we have not seen any of the anxiety issues. In the 2nd home she was confined at time in the laundry room with their other dog. She was not happy not being part of the family. We have allowed her run of the house, and she does not seem to care as long as she has the company of our gang. We had a storm come through and she was sleeping on our bed. She sat up, but we petted her and she laid back down and went to sleep. She is on a very low dose of anxiety meds which we will continue for the 6 weeks and then ween her off to see if it makes a difference.

We don’t see the issues and don’t know if it was the home or the meds. Beyla needs a home with other dogs, and we think Berners she seems more relaxed around as she recalls the safety of the time at the puppymill. She would do best in a home where people are around alot like a retired family or someone that works from the home. She will require an above ground fenced yard due to the possible storm issues and we don’t want her running off in a fearful state. With just the one eye she has a great chance of getting hit.

She also can not go with a home with cats. She will injure, and has injured a cat due to a high prey drive. So no small animals. She did spend time with some smaller dogs but for safety to them we recommend no small dogs. She is good with children of all ages.

UPDATE 4/24

Beyla has not shown any of the supposed issues in the 3 weeks she has been here. She just needs a home where she will be a full part of the family. We had storms roll through the other night and she was between us on the bed with all 4 feet in the air and snoring.

5/1/11  She has decided that a couch is preferable over a dog bed and now is constantly lounging in comfort. It’s amazing how dogs from poor situations really seem to appreciate their new homes.