Teddy thrives in his new home!

What a kick it was to see Teddy (adopted 2/14/2010) yesterday at the BMDCNV Working Dog Day. He is clearly one HAPPY dog! His family keeps him very busy with lots of activities - always a great thing for any dog! Here's what they wrote about him recently:

"We didn’t expect to have another Berner in our lives so soon. But then we met Teddy. Our beloved Berner, Max, had died unexpectedly from cancer. We knew we couldn’t have a life without a Berner, but we needed time to mourn Max. Besides, we knew it might be a while for a Berner to be available through Rescue. But we sent in the rescue application anyway. Imagine our surprise when Anya Wittenborg called and told us Berner Rescue had a young dog she wanted us to meet at the Winter Walk-- the next day!

As we walked into the event room, there, prancing around like a pony, was Teddy. The first thing that caught our attention was his long legs, springy with energy. Then his head bobbed up and we saw his bright eyes—one brown and one a striking blue. And then he smiled a big freckled, pink-lipped smile at us. After a spirited group walk through the snowy woods and hanging out with other Berners and their people, we knew Teddy was the dog for us.

Teddy had been surrendered to a shelter at a year old and was almost put down because a shelter worker thought his blue eye made him “spooky.” Thanks to Berner Rescue, Teddy was placed with a foster family who gave him training and attention he didn’t get before he was given up. We took Teddy to an “obility” course where he continued his basic obedience and learned the first steps of agility. Teddy is a dedicated sniffer, so he’s taking a K-9 Nosework course and a Tracking workshop .

What else to do with all that young Berner energy?! Teddy loves hiking and exploring the trails and woods near our house. We discovered his herding talent when he took off after a flock of wild turkeys and cornered them up a tree! Teddy likes to hang out with people and makes friends wherever he goes. He loves to play with other dogs. Chasing and being chased around the beach is the ultimate dog day for Teddy.

A loveable and loving goofball, Teddy has inspired many nicknames in our family like “Tedster,” “TedHead” and “The Grateful Ted.” A natural clown, Teddy will strike comical poses, “talk” with his unique sounds, and juggle a mouthful of toys—the squeakier the better. When he gets running, Teddy has a distinctive four-paws-off-the floor leap, which we call his “Oingo Boingo.” In a very short time Teddy has leapt into our home and our hearts. Thanks, Anya and Berner Rescue!"

Linda & Gib

Hazel Bounces Back!

Hazel's foster "mom", Alise, says:

"Hazel had her sutures removed last week which means no more e-collar...can you say HAPPY DOG! Dr. Kochin was very pleased with Hazel's progress, commented that she is ahead of where he expected her to be at this point. We are to continue with leash walks - she can go as far as a 1/2 mile twice a day if she's up to it. He would rather see her walking in control than getting pent up and acting wild:-) I will continue with passive manipulation of the joint and massage. She is really settling into the routine here, such a love. At meal time she doesn't quite get that it takes time to feed multiple dogs, so she talks to me from the time she hears the first kibble hit the bowl. I don't think my gang agrees that she should be fed first, but I can't help it, she's just so darn cute! She goes in for another follow up appointment next week, I'll let you all know how it goes..."

I don't have any new photo and I simply can't post without a photo so you get to see the really cute one I took the day I first met her! More later...

Kodiak - Adopted

Well Kodiak didn't waste any time finding himself a new home! Last week he went to live with his new family and he thinks he's in doggy heaven! He's having a minor identity crisis though - his new canine "brother" has convinced Kodi that he's a Lab. He just can't seem to stop swimming and retrieving!

Rob and Marie are going to have their work cut out for them with this boy! How will they keep him from turning into a prune??

Marie says that he's a sociable guy who enjoys acting the clown. If there's no water available, he can be persuaded to lie on the grass and watch her while she works in the garden. "Hey, supervising is work too!" says Kodi, the working dog. Kodi still needs to develop a recall and get a little practice on lead, but we know that Marie is up to the job!