BHRR's Nessie's perma-foster home contacted me to say that, her latest battle with cellulitis was not responding well to the Cephalexin prescribed by their Vet. BHRR's Nessie has confirmed chronic cellulitis and has had this medical condition since we brought her into our program.

I drove part-way and the home drove part-way to meet-up, and, when I first saw BHRR's Nessie, it crossed my mind to almost take her right to emerge and not wait until to see my Vets. Her one foot right up to the hock looks truly terrible. 🙁 Yet, the home had confirmed that she was eating well(IS she ever! She weighed 89.10 kgs/196.02 pounds today!), drinking, normal bm's and urinating fine. She is sleeping great and quite playful. I took her temperature, which was repeated at the Vets'  today and, it was normal.

Most likely, she has developed a resistance to the cephalexin yet, we did take blood, took cultures to send off, the FNA's/slides show lots of cocci, urine and also did x-rays(just to rule out a break/fracture in the foot, toes etc.) and, shaved the area, did half of her nails and, it took very little to sedate her. o.4 ml is what she received of the Dexdormitor(she was drawn up for 3.2 ml) and, then, it took five of us to lift her to do x-rays. She also had a full exam and her heart plus lungs are normal.

At this time, she has been placed on Clavamox 3 x 375 mg BID and, Doxy 100 mg x 7 BID. Giant dog, requires giant meds. We are also giving her Deramaxx and Gabapentin. I also am soaking her feet(her other leg is only very mildly affected) in Germi-stat and, bandaging the bad foot/lower leg.

Will update her blog as I can. Any considerations to her cause, is, as always, so appreciated. Since we first committed to assisting her, so that she would not be pts, her Vet Bills are close to $6,500 and growing and, they shall continue to grow for the rest of her life as she is a permanent resident in our Haven Program and being perma-fostered in a very private location, to keep her safe plus BHRR members, per a post made in September of 2013.

Below are two photo's of her. One from December 24th, 2013 and one from today.

Kanata Animal Hospital (613) 836-2848 and they will take Visa, M/C and AMEX over the phone under the account of ‘Birch Haven Rescue’ for ‘Nessie'. They will take Debit or Cash in person at 440 Hazeldean Road in Kanata, Ontario

You can also mail donations via a Bank Draft to:

Birch Haven Rescue & Rehabilitation Services C/O Gwendilin Boers 2425 Totem Ranch Road West RR#1 Oxford Station, Ontario K0G 1T0

OR email transfer to gwen@birchhaven.org

OR via PayPal(please use the ‘gift’ option)

YOU CAN ALSO MAKE BI-WEEKLY AUTOMATIC DONATIONS OR EVEN MONTHLY DONATIONS – HERE (You do not need a PayPal account either)

This is also an excellent opportunity to also post a bit more about what BHRR is all about and to impart some community awareness plus public education. BHRR is a special needs Rescue. More than that, we are also a Giant Breed Rescue. All r/q's rescues are out there doing the best that they can, most are all Volunteer, and, their mandates, procedures plus policies are put in place in the best interest of the animals' in their care.

To compare one special needs group to another, or one groups' numbers of adoptions or to say that, 'x' group is always posting happy news(some groups ONLY take in highly adoptable, non behavioural or medical dogs and that is the niche they fill in the community) yet,'y' group always has a dog in need is not looking at what makes a group truly r/q. Are they full vetting(many do not), are they pumping them in and out, are they doing proper behaviour assessments/evaluations, are they doing a very thorough adoption process, are they staying within their resources, are they giving all approved temp foster and adoptive homes info. packages and being there for them….so many points that could be made here.

BHRR also, only does four planned fundraisers a year and attends very few community education/awareness events. We are not out there every weekend, hands out asking or demanding money. We are so appreciative be it a $1 or $10 that comes our way. The rest of the monies raised for our dogs comes out of the pockets of Sean/I. We are not 'dabblers' in rescue. We have been around since 1996 and, do this to help one dog at a time and to do it the right way each and every time.

BHRR's focus is to take in the 'next in need' and that entails many highly unadoptable or harder to adopt dogs and, also we take in very deserving dogs into our Haven Program(Palliative and/or Behavioural) AND, one must also realise that, it is not 'us' turning down people by the thousands. People need to realise that many people do not want a BIG BLACK dog or, a dog with behavioural issues or one with medical reasons and applications are not flowing in like a rain shower. To cast negativity, on any group, without knowing what their mandates are and, their success rates – we were 100% for 10 years of operating, and, now are 99% as we go through year 18 – and, so much more about them, is shameful. There are so many groups and causes out there and, just as not every Breeder is equal, neither are the rescues. Most groups are happy to explain things, yet, they will not defend their programs. BHRR is the same. Should you not believe or support the processes or 'x' or 'y' group, there is sure to be one out there that does meet 'your' standards or lack of them.

BHRR was never founded to adopt high numbers. That is a bonus reward each and every time we do have an approved adoption. We take the 'next in need', always into BHRR – dogs that others will not or cannot assist. Dogs that would have been otherwise destroyed – the BHRR's Emmett's, the BHRR's Promises', the BHRR's Ava Marie's, the BHRR's Nessies', the BHRR's Maverick's, The BHRR's Cosettes', The BHRR's Emma's, The BHRR's Groves', The BHRR's SuzieQ's and on and on. We do not take in puppies often(we have done 8 over the last year+), record for us. Puppies are so much more highly adoptable, even special needs ones. We also do not place puppies up for adoption until they reach a certain age, as we do specialise on the giant breeds. We are always going to have a dog in need, be it a new dog or one that is already in our programs, such as BHRR's Porridge and BHRR's Nessie. In reviewing, the last 6 months of posts on our BHRR FB page, there is almost a 85-90% posting of GREAT and positive news, yet, we also post the 'reality' of rescue and, our group is very much in the trenches or reality of r/q rescue.

We adopted 13 dogs last year, 17 the year before that and the previous three years before that were 6,6, and 6. This year, to date, we have adopted 2 and we have two more under pending. We do not hide our statistics. We are quite proud to say that 362 dogs have been adopted since our inception. We are even prouder to say that we have helped hundreds upon hundreds and hundreds more via our Haven program etc. We are the whole picture, not a piece or part.

Our 2014 Statistics To Date:

2 adoptions – BHRR's Prince Eggo Belfast & BHRR's Torque

2 tragic losses – BHRR's Breen & BHRR's Zara

1 has come into BHRR in 2014 – April 5th with BHRR's Leroy

2 are under pending adoption – BHRR's Reese &, BHRR's Jetta

3 more in our BHRR program, shall be placed up for adoption shortly – BHRR's purse puppies & BHRR's Maverick

Any successful adoption is a two way street. It is relationship building, it is mutual trust and respect and listening and communicating and working together.

At the end of the day, it does not matter if a BHRR dog is adopted. That is not what is most important based upon the reasons as to why BHRR was founded. What I care about is continuing to make each dog the best dog that they can be. We committed to each dog in our program, we are here for life for these dogs, be that with them living in our home, in a perma-foster home or in a forever loving adoptive home. No dog will do without.

Every r/q Rescue can improve. I have said that for 26 years now. Yet, to be part of the 'improvement', it is best to talk and converse with the group directly. Words hurt not myself or Sean or any member of the BHRR BOD. What the words of people riddled with the wrong understanding of the workings of any r/q group, do is hurt the animals in said group that these groups are working so hard to help in the first place. This post is being made not because someone has sent me a note or message. No one has done so. It is being made based upon what is being witnessed out there in the rescue community and, a comment mentioned, while several of us deep in the trenches of r/q rescue had been together and discussing our organizations and the concern we have for what we are witnessing out there in these trenches plus the lack of r/q rescue. At the end of most people's nights, they go to bed and sleep. To those of us that have dedicated our lives to the animals in need, we sleep little to none. So, get out there and help r/q groups, be it BHRR or not. As posted above, there is bound to be a cause for almost every person out there. Yet, to speak about things, you know naught about, remember, it is the very animals' you think you are trying to help by your words, that you, are in fact, really hurting.

BHRR's Nessie – December 24th, 2013 & April 24th, 2014