AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!
BHRR’s Ernie is AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!
DDB – Dogue de Bordeaux
DDB – Dogue de Bordeaux
Health Status: HEALTHY!
Age: ~3 years – Born: ~November 2021
Weight: ~ 69.6 kgs (153.12 pounds) in December 2024. We want to keep him lean/muscled and fit & he is now on a weight loss program. He is at least 10-15 pounds overweight. Becoming fat is NOT in his or any dog’s best interest. I am awaiting to know what his current weight is with limiting treats so we can then adjust as necessary.
Some information from his wonderful foster home:
“He’s a great dog! Super friendly and easygoing! He’s getting lots of love and kisses. He’s such a wonderful dog Gwen, such a sweetheart.”
Type of Home Ideal For Mr. Ernie: He is smart in his own loveable way! and needs a solid structure. He interacts well with people/dogs he meets, and we hope for a quiet, socially low-active level home. A residence that, while visiting family plus friends and having people over, does not host frequent BBQs or gatherings of large groups. We do not want to see him in a home with a high level of travel, with other people taking care of him. He is loyal and loves all people, and we want him to be part of the family if they go camping, go to the cottage, or do other fun travels. He is social and needs a home that is like him. One that shall not overwhelm him and will continue to work on giving him amazing experiences! He would adore cottage life or hanging out at home with his family. Visiting friends, family, pet stores, and pet-friendly places are excellent, too.
We want a quietly active home for Mr. Ernie. He is happy, healthy, full of personality and a joy! He MUST go to a home that will continue to work on exposing him to new, fun, and beautiful things in the world. Time, patience, and effort have gone into having him be comfortable, to not only like but love his own company. We are not advocates of dog parks. Many private properties rent out space for acreage rentals so that he can enjoy a controlled environment to romp in. While he is not a zipping and zooming boy. He loves his strolls and walks. He is not meant for hiking long walks due to his knees. We want him to look forward to the next adventures plus experiences. He needs a home that will give him new positive and great, safe, memorable experiences along with structure, consistency, plus patience. If you are a home that likes to take small walks/hikes/strolls daily, Mr. Ernie is for you…he is a healthy dog and needs to be kept emotionally and physically stimulated. He would make a great companion to get out into nature, explore, and enjoy the beach and other exciting, very small adventures! He is the best great companion when watching movies or curled up with a good book in front of a fireplace. A home that understands and shall continue to help him learn about this big fantastic world that we live in. We want him to live a quality-filled, enriched life. He is being fostered in a lovely home in the Ottawa area and can equally live comfortably in the city or country.
We want him to be happy and to live his best life every day. We want him to reach his full, incredible potential! He is another versatile BHRR dog! He can be in a home that works ft; pt works from home, is semi-retired or retired, etc. He will ONLY go to a home prepared to ensure he receives the balance he requires with proper exercise, socialisation, etc., along with positive, balanced obedience. He does not need to go to a dog-experienced home, and not specifically a DDB-specific experienced home. The home must be committed to his obedience, structure, and consistency, and to be patient, kind, and understanding, and while not hermits, they are not doing a hundred things each day or, weekly, or monthly. We want him to be treated as a beloved member in a right-matched, forever-loving home. We want him to be an invaluable member of his forever-loving adoptive home! He needs that right positive balance between patience, ‘tough’ love, calming assuring, and passively ignoring. He is fed in a quiet place and knows that he will be fed enough food on time and that no one will take his food away.
He loves home and her friends. He adores all humans yet seems to have the closest affinity to men.
Personality/Temperament: Super loving, affectionate, calm, happy, and sweet; he loves to get outside to stroll and do his version of a slow zoom and is a delightful, playful boy! He needs to be emotionally/physically properly stimulated, social, get his share of exercise yet not to overdo it, gentle plus kind. He thrives with consistency, structure, routine, and clear, open communication to understand precisely what is expected of he. He is a smart in his own adorable way, calm, and a healthy boy!
Previous Dog Experience: Previous Dog experience is not required per the above, and he needs a home that is going to be committed to his well-being and make the minor adjustments required as he does not have the best knees and hips – does not hold him back from being the best DDB ever!, still learning, and still mentally growing. He sleeps well, and ideally, while we would like to see him in a home with at least one right-matched personality-fit dog, it is not a deal breaker. He absolutely needs a strong doggie friend network in the community, though. That is so important. We have friends; he needs friends too. It is essential for him to have doggie friends to have!
Good With Cats: No. He loves them too much! Not a mean bone in his body. He just really loves to slobber on them and is quite intent in doing so.
Good with Pocket Pets: No. He loves them too much! Not a mean bone in his body. He just really loves to slobber on them and is quite intent in doing so.
Good with Children: We feel that any right-matched personality fit home for Miss. Ernie should not have small or young children. We will consider homes with children 10 and older and no more than two children in the house. We do not wish to see him trying to keep up with small children, making it harder on his body.
Grooming: He needs regular grooming to keep his coat healthy and to look his best. Regular grooming includes nails and ears. He needs more than one person to help do his nails! We do not advocate strong restraining. With patience and kindness, he has been learning that it is okay to have a manicure/pedicure.
Car: He travels well in the car.
Housebroken/crate Trained: He is housebroken and crate trained – though this foster home has not used a crate. His previous one has plus used baby gates. He has been excellent when needing to be in a run at work due to how well he has felt safe in his crate in his foster home. We never recommend giving any new addition too much freedom to start. It can be very overwhelming plus too stimulating for them.
Obedience: He requires a home that will be consistent and dedicated to continuing to help him become the best dog he can be. His potential is enormous! As per our adoption contract, a full round of group obedience is required with all of our dogs. This is not about having a dog that ‘listens.’ This is about creating a strong and mutually respectful bonding relationship. Trust and respect work both ways. It is imperative that humans give dogs reasons to trust them. He is so mindful with his manners!
Activities Suited For Him: He would excel in being your BFF. Great companion at home, a great companion for camping, cottaging, short strolls, and exploring new things! His personality is HUGE! He is such a calm, quiet, friendly boy!
Loves & Bad Habits: Like any dog, he is not perfect. He is perfect in all of his imperfections, though! NOT to mention so handsome.
Anxieties/Worries: It is integral that the right-matched personality fit home and does not spend 24/7 with him. During the pandemic and even before it, we still need groceries; we should still go out and do errands; we should still get in our cars and go for a small drive to go somewhere to do something! Time has been spent having him learn to not only like but enjoy his own company. As we need our alone time, he must do too. He is a solid and stable dog; we do not want any SA behaviours to develop.
As we have stated for almost 29 years now, we will NEVER rush any dogs’ rehabilitation journey. We do not flip dogs, and we are not desperate to adopt them out. I had wanted to place him up for adoption a couple of months ago, yet other matters took precedence, and now it is all about his turn!
We will always place up for adoption the dogs that can be adopted and safe haven all others that cannot be placed up for adoption due to medical and/or behavioural reasons.
We do not take in hundreds of dogs yearly; we only took in 3 dogs in 2024 as it is about helping the next in need of us, giving them top-quality care, and not about taking in numbers. In 2025, we have not yet taken in any dogs. Finances are extremely tight in rescue at this time.
After almost 29 years, we know that we cannot please everyone, which means that BHRR is not the rescue to be followed, supported, and believed in by everyone. We remain small plus mighty, and as we go through this next transitional stage for BHRR until the end of 2032, we shall continue to operate with a zero-tolerance approach, providing up and beyond gold standard care to the animals..
Our mandates have never changed and will remain the same as long as we are around; the animals shall always be done right by as our priority.
Our adoption success rates remain second to no other group – 100% for over ten years of operating, and now 99% as we go through to year 29 and we are excited as we go through this slow transition for BHRR!
You have done a THUMBS up job, as has your fantabulous foster home, Mr. Ernie, and we are thrilled you are making your special announcement!
