As many are aware; I drove to New York yesterday to pick up BHRR’s Potter. I also learned some more about him; his last home was his original home and the Animal Control has known about his plight since he was weeks old and it took this long for them to get them to sign him over. They also used to call him ‘Dumbo’ thinking it was funny and because they thought he was dumb. 😥 It took two full grown women to ‘wrangle’ this boy from one vehicle to another; he is so ‘out there with no manners’! I picked him up for 11:30 AM and I have to say that by the time he came to my son’s soccer last night(Potter figured out how to dismantle the crate he was in….NOT even Dana could do that and he had it nice and folded up within half an hour of being put into it….); and based upon his personality; I knew he would be MORE than fine to go to Soccer; and his ‘out of control’ leash manners were gone and he would sit pretty much when I asked him too. He made NOT one peep at the game and either just sat or watched the kids play and he loves the soccer balls though! He could NOT get enough attention from everyone that he saw and it barely took 5 minutes before a person came up to us; and she did not ask if Potter was a ‘PitBull’; she accused me of him being a PitBull…sigh… In my attempts to correctly educate her; I knew it was falling on deaf ears; and even her friend was trying to explain about how wonderful MANY pitties are and that it is the owners/breeders… Potter has natural ears and his tail has not been docked and I have known my share of amazing PitBulls and so, she gave Potter a great compliment! 😉 Potter had been integrated with both PPSS and Abbi(MAN! Was she excited to see someone smaller than her! Potter is 26″) and after he dismantled his crate while I was putting a load of laundry in; he had made the decision that he wanted to be integrated with everyone; for I came upstairs to a nicely folded up crate and all the dogs thundering around the house and outside and inside again; with Potter leading the charge…. 🙄 😛 I knew that he had been living with 8 other dogs without any issues and in just meeting him; that tail is nonstop wagging(I cannot wait for all to meet this cutie for he is going to STEAL your heart with his charm and those deep dark brown eyes!); so I was not worried about his ‘escape’. I had never used this crate before; it was a donation; yet it is the same as one of our other smaller crates and never had an issue with it! So, we can dispell any thoughts by his previous owners about his level of intelligence, for he managed to figure out how it came apart, and pulled in just the right pressure spots to fold it down and I should have taken a picture; it was as if it had just come out of the box; he had it arranged perfectly! He is not fully housebroken at this time; yet we are working on that; he will pee outside and we will get there with the pooping. He is not a fan of his crate and so Gwennie’s Doggie Boot camp as begun in full swing. When he is quiet he gets to come out and he has certainly made himself at home by jumping up on the bed. He has really bonded with both myself and Sean and he is very pack oriented. He is most happiest when we are both together. Sean could not believe the change already in him from when he first came home to when we left the Soccer field. Potter is thriving under rules, routine and guidance and is already beginning to ‘watch’ me and he knows ‘come’ and we are working on that ‘sit’. He understands ‘no’ yet mostly disregards it and we will get there. He is so affectionate yet is hesitant about asking for it; BUT as soon as you give him some encouragement; he can put a Dane to shame with his ‘body lean’s’. He has not even been here 24 hours and I cannot imagine how my home was like before him. He has just fit in SOOOOOOOO well! He had a great night and I am so excited about working with him and learning from him. It has been years since we had a Boxer in our home and it is perfect that he is deaf; for one of the ‘Special Needs’ classes that I am currently teaching has 4 deaf boxers in it; so he is going to fit in just fine.  😎 His colouring is actually white with four brindle patches(one in each his ear and one on the base of his tail and one on his side). He is coming to the Vet with me tomorrow and I shall do his bw for neutering(I would like to see about another 10+ pounds on him right now and it is muscle that he needs; he is SOOOOOO lacking in muscle) and we will also do a HWT test. I would like to find out what his current weight is for his Vaccine certificate just says ‘over 50 pounds'(yet even I can carry him with ease). His Rescuer was just so kind as he came with all of his vaccines; his HC and they also gave him a flea treatment. I am de-worming him now and will bring in a fecal tomorrow. His is a ‘bit’ itchy and has some dry areas around his neck that if you rub just right; gets his one leg moving. We will do a skin scraping if needed and I have him on a super premium food. His left back foot has quite the ‘scar’ on it; and I have my speculations on what might have caused that. I am sure that I am missing something here yet wanted to post a ‘Gwennie’ update(I have much to do with all of the dogs blogs etc. now that our Fundraiser is over) and yes, I shall post some pictures so that people can get an idea of just how ‘heart’ pulling this sweetie is! As much as I would have liked to have brought him into BHRR before the micrcochip clinic Fundraiser; for he needs a chip and a new collar; it was not in his best interest to have done so. I now have the time that he needs of me to give him all that is necessary and more! I have been inundated with inquiries on BHRR’s Potter and I am truly just taken aback by the number of people who want him and they ‘do not know’ anything about him. We only place per best matched personality fit and even when it comes to a Foster home; if we go down that route; the home must be within the 2 hour driving distance from us. We thank all that have contacted us; yet we are not going to consider homes(if/when he should be up for adoption) that are not in align with our BHRR mandates, policies, processes plus procedures; that are clearly stated on both of our websites. Just because BHRR’s Potter is not a Giant Breed; does not change how we operate BHRR. We have rescued many a large or smaller breed canine over the years and truly; we are a bit surprised by what has been sent our way in respect to this boy. It is because BHRR is who we are that this boy is even here(so many turn their backs on the SN’s) and we are not going to compromise our standards. This boys’ future was very questionable until we were asked to step up and we shall do ‘right’ by him. Welcome to BHRR’s latest ‘honourary’ Great Dane! Besides needing a new collar and microchip; BHRR’s Potter shall also require some ‘Boxer’ size toys! He is loving the cuzes right now and his leash….  😆

BHRR’s Potter – July 13th, 2009 – Almost one year of age & 26″