Singe

BHRR’s Singe
2014 – February 20th, 2020

As those who followed my previous post about losing not one yet two beloved BHRR dogs in the space of 8 days; I am finally ready…not really ready though; yet, am doing it anyway, posting what I hope is a somewhat fitting memorial to the first of these two amazing dogs.

BHRR’s Singe was lost to us due to a stroke.

To think that this dog overcame so much…he was emaciated and it took forever to figure things out for him to get that weight on him.

Many will remember his condition and many still will remember how amazing he finally came to look

Those flews, the drool, his eyes that reached deep inside of you, the way he would gently roll slightly off of his side and lift up his left front leg to get me to rub his chest more….

His chest and belly were so soft…just so incredibly soft as was BHRR’s Singe’s personality.

The way he came to love food..the way he would bounce and trot awkwardly with his wonky hind end back and forth to his feeding area to the bowls…..

His soft stunning brown eyes….the way he spoke volumes without making a sound.

That even with how bad his back end was and the strength plus muscle mass that we developed in him; would allow him to jump our hinged door just because he chose that he did not want to be in the hallway any longer…that he never realised that this gate was never locked is beside the point!

The way he would greet me when I got up or arrived home…that big ol’ noggin of his pushing under my elbow, nudging right up under my armpit blowing his hot wet breath!

The pleasure he took settling in by one of the fireplaces plopping down after much circling with the biggest sigh of contentment, rocking the pictures on the wall!

The way that you would romp and run; it truly was like watching Bambi! Those long model legs, so un-coordinated and the memories of witnessing your joy as you believed that you were running as fast as the wind!

You could look so regal and noble standing still yet, we well knew that you were one big puppy goofball in personality and movement!

The bumping into me as you had zero judgement of spacial awareness making me teeter…well, maybe not so much fun!

All of these things and more shall I forever miss about you dear BHRR’s Singe…My Singey……

I continue to often question the universe why bad things happen to such good people and animals etc., and to date, I have never received an answer back….

With each loss comes more heartache and pain and questions…..

The final gift that I could give you dear man is to hold you close to my heart and soak your soft fur with my tears of anguish crossing you over.

I adore you, I miss you from your nose to your tail and the soft and not so soft chewbacca sounds you would make…..

That my hand could be engulfed into your mouth as you gently took a treat leaving my hand and fingers dripping with slime/drool is also an experience, I would dearly love to have a million more times…

RIP my dear man…..you are visited each night with so many others in my dreams and until we meet once more; I will continue to visit you there…..

THIS came on my radar last night!

Nicki is making handmade bracelets to benefit our Giant Breed Rescue & Rehabilitation Programs!

100% comes to BHRR and she is doing this indefinitely!

HOW creative, thoughtful and generous is this?! 

I already bought mine!

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS & to purchase yours:

Gemstone

“This bracelet is to support the Ottawa Birch Haven giant dog breed Rescue and Rehabilitation centre. (BHRR).

The unakite beads are a stone that is believed to help with feelings of abandonment and separation issues – very fitting as a representation for dogs that have lost their homes for various reasons. The cost of feeding, medicating, and housing giant breed dogs is much higher than rescues for smaller breeds so every little bit helps.

Paw print charm is made of brass”

NOTICE:

BHRR does not adopt out during the XMAS season due to our position that it is not in the best interest of any new addition being added during such a busy, exciting and somewhat stressful time for many.

Quite a few other Rescues, Shelters, Pounds etc. have also begun to follow a similar protocol to what we have been doing for almost 25 years.

Our XMAS Shut down period for this year is from Friday December 20th, 2019 to Friday January 3rd, 2020 inclusive.

Any applications received during this time will be processed/reviewed as of Saturday January 4th, 2020!

As always during this time, BHRR is available 24/7 for requests for assistance of animals in need. We shall also network accordingly for, as the local Great Dane/Giant Breed Rescue since 1996, the welfare of the animals are our top priority. We do not wish to see any animal end up in a disreputable place of which sadly there are far too many out there.

Thank you for your continued understanding – The BHRR Team

BHRR’s Winter Wonderland
November 11th, 2019

As always, they thrive best with consistency, structure and routine and are ‘on alert’ waiting patiently for Kinsley to come home from school. That time of day!

THAT we are currently receiving 15+cms of snow and it is a snow day, does not cross their minds!

AND there is always one or two that march to their own drum – Summit (Deaf/Blind) & Salt (Deaf/Visually Impaired) are the only SMART ones, realising that Kinsley is actually in the house and are facing the house! 

Nothing wrong with their noses and they have excelled with their scent training!  Summit & Salt win in knowing exactly where Kinsley is!

A great day for fun filled snow play and now all are crashed out by the fireplaces having nice snoozes!

BHRR’s Singe!

He had his annual tonight and did so well! He is always a bit shy to start with people he does not know and warms up quite well. Once he makes friends, he likes to share the drool of love, the Dane leans plus get tummy rubs. 

He now weighs almost 136 pounds and though still very lean, even for me a bit leaner than I would like, he has now put on another 8.52 pounds since we last weighed him. Since he first arrived to us, he is now 27 pounds heavier!

Slow but sure..as told to his Vet this boy has been a big struggle with the weight gain and we still feed 5 small frequent meals daily including the one that he gets just before bed as that has been the biggest difference for getting him to put on the weight.

He was given a thumbs up – he is so much stronger in his hind end than he once was and always will have some issues and that is him from his past care – and thank you to Dr. Ammar, Tianna, Morgan & Ashley for giving him such a great experience! 
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AND he did fantastic with the Clinic Cat – Miss Pearl! 

He remains AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION to that right matched forever loving home and this boy will be a transitional adoption so we do not have him go backwards in his weight. 

AND said home must be within 1 hour of our location. 

Play Date Today!
April 20th, 2019Today, we had a play date @ our home and ONE of these dogs – our own GSD named Denali – is NOT like the others!  

Some are looking at Sean, some at me and some are looking for their friends that were driving in when I snapped this picture! We had a total of 27 dogs come out to play/visit! It brought me so much joy to see quite a few of our Fosters & Haven Dogs come out….

***EDITING to add as several seem to think that this GSD is BHRR’s Juneau, he is NOT. This is our own GSD Denali, a PTSD in training. 

Anyone that has been following BHRR’s Juneau would be aware that any interaction of this kind would have been disastrous.***

Thank you to everyone that came out today to our last 2018 hosted event at BHRR!

Our 7th Annual Chain of Success Thank You Pooch/People Potluck.

We had a total of 31 folks come out to spend the afternoon and evening with The Boerskins! Sadly, we had three homes reach out to us to say that they were sick and could no longer attend and we sincerely hope that you feel better soon!

We feel deeply honoured to have had so many wonderful folks grace our home and thank you Bruce for the donation of your 50/50 winnings back to BHRR! That will all go towards BHRR’s Char’s mounting Vet Bills.

Thank you from our hearts for the paper towels, the laundry detergent, the fabric softener and the Lysol Wipes….so desperately needed and deeply appreciated!

Each of you are truly lovely and we are privileged plus humbled to have your support.

We hope everyone has a really wonderful and safe Holiday Season!

A pic – the others would not post so will post on the thread instead! – from when most people other than Mary, Jacob & Nate had left!

Warmest good night wishes being sent from our home to all of our friends, family and supporters!

BHRR’s Singe!
~3.5 years of age
AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!

All of our adoption processes, policies & procedures:
http://www.birchhaven.org/contracts-policies/application-fees
FAQ’s & Information: 
http://www.birchhaven.org/contracts-policies/before-applying-to-adopt

For those who saw this emaciated, collapsed in the hind boy upon arrival and even as recently as September, LOOK at him now!?!

We never gave up!!! 

After almost 30 years working with the Danes/Giants and focusing so strongly on the special needs, as much as I am an expert on them…each one continues to teach me SO much!

We struggled for so long to get that weight on him…so long….

AND what worked the best is what always worked with my cherished beloved now RIP Big Blue Bronson – NOT just offering him many smaller meals through the morning/day/evening YET giving him a bowl during the night before my own bedtime – around 3:00 AM!

Sounds so simple….just the one extra small meal between the hours of 3:00 – 5:30 AM made ALL the difference. 

LOOK at him?!!! 

Head up, regal, uber handsome and so much stronger in the hind end and has put on so much muscle mass/weight!

This boy is amazing! Full of personality, loves the car, so affectionate and full of drool with those flews of his!

He such a mixture of emotions from calm to spastic puppy when running and that he will be so persistent asking for love is just fantastic!

He used to stand so quietly and hopefully by my elbow while I typed on the computer waiting patiently and looking so soulful for me to notice him and notice him I would do! Yet, I wanted to help build him up so that he knew it was ok to ask for love and not feel rejected and yup, he has that down pack now! 

He can go to a home that works full-time, part-time, works from home, is semi-retired or is retired. 

He is great with the other dogs, fascinated by cats – can be a bit playfully rough and loves to leave drool all over and did I mention yet how handsome he is?

He is an absolute DREAM to do nails! Such a dream. Bathes easily and likes to ‘chat’. 

He will only go to a home, should said right matched personality fit home have children no less than age 8. 

He would be fine as the only dog in the home as long as he retained a good strong doggie network to have friends. We all need some friends in our world. 

He will ONLY go to that right match personality fit home that understands that he needs to eat smaller more frequent meals throughout a 24 hour period still.

We will also be doing a transitional adoption for when he first arrived to BHRR, he would not eat and then he would ONLY eat for me and it took a very long time for him to feel comfortable eating for the rest of The Boerkskins.

We will not SEE him go backwards in his journey to health and happiness. 

Therefore, we will ONLY consider homes within 1 hour of our location in Oxford Station so that we can do the proper transitional adoption that this boy requires. We have had to do transitional adoptions on many a BHRR doggie over the years and we need to have set up for success for home and our dogs. 

He is so sensitive, gentle, slobbery and LOVES his butt rubbed….and be careful when you sit down for he is a pro at spinning and getting that butt of his plunked into your lap fast. 

BHRR’s Singe, we talked much about whether we should place you up for adoption yet I strongly feel that should that right matched personality fit home find you tha they will continue to build upon all of the strong foundations we have put in place for you here to keep you set up for success.

You do not need me any longer and it has been an absolute pleasure having you in my home and you will forever be in my heart. 

AND if that right matched forever loving home never finds you, our home will always be your home! Forever…..

You have caused me to have many a grey hair yet together we figured out what worked best for you and LOOK at you now…as they say…you have come far baby!

WTG!

He is such a hoot! He LOVES his car rides! 

The dangers of calling out ‘Singe! Car Ride!’

Yet, managed to take a quick pic – blurry yet there! – and still get out of the way…barely JUST in time! 

How such a big boy can contort like that?!!!

He is all floppy uncoordinated Giant puppy when he runs!

THIS photo is not doctored in ANY way!

Sean snapped this photo of a special someone who will be making their own special announcement tonight! 

Our 11th Annual ‘JUST IN TIME FOR XMAS’ Online Auction now has 109 amazing items up for bids!

We have just added our last wonderful 12 items!

Auction ends TOMORROW – Thursday November 29th @ 9 PM EST!

We have just added more of Kimberly’s incredible homemade vanilla and also Bailey’s fudge, kitchen towels, 3 x gorgeous The Crazy Dog House Key Chains plus a See Sawyer Run Web Master Harness!

Thank you’s extended once more FROM our hearts to Kimberly, Jan & Uta for their lovely donations!

To learn more and to bid on any of the wonderful gems up for grabs, you have to visit the Auction!

**NOTE: PLEASE note the pick up area(s) for any items you may be interested in. NOT all items can be shipped!**

For anyone that may have an item to donate, please do email contactbhrr@gmail.com It is not too late to consider our cause. All monies raised shall go to the emaciated/severely neglected GD BHRR’s Char!

We remain so devastated that we could not save BHRR’s Bane yet are hoping that you may continue to consider supporting our rescue efforts so that we can help BHRR’s Char.

 

Tonight BHRR’s Giselle had her annual and BHRR’s Singe had a recheck on his ear infection and to have possible boosters.

BHRR’s Giselle weighs 52.7 KG(115.94)

The muscle BHRR’s Singe is putting on has made his Vet very impressed.  He still has a long way to go in the weight gaining department and we keep working on it.

BHRR’s Giselle has come a long way since her arrival to BHRR in manners and health and remains AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!

BHRR’s Singe remains in our rehab program at this time.

In the picture he is using her as a pillow! 

Also a reminder that our Flash Auction ends tonight – in 40 minutes!! All monies raised shall continue to help us help the animals! 

Link HERE:

What do you do when you are at the Doctor’s?

You take a seat, make yourself comfortable and patiently wait your turn! 

He was not able to have his boosters tonight as he is battling an ear infection. His Vet is hoping that by next week he shall be able to have his boosters. 

A BIG shout out to the Deon Family (Ashley Deon, Lisa Jenkins Deon)!

They so generously collected beer bottles and cashed them in with the monies coming to BHRR! 

They raised $45! WOW! Amazing!

Thank YOU! SO very much!

Your kindness shall go towards helping BHRR’s Singe, the newest addition to BHRR!

For anyone that may consider donating their Empties to a good cause, BHRR’s Singe would be extremely appreciative!

Here are our drop-off locations if you wish to drop off your Empties instead of cashing them in and then donating the monies.

1. Rachel – 42 Stocks Lane, Aurora, ON L4G 0Y3
2. Rachel’s Parents – 885 Surin Crt, Newmarket, ON L3Y 8R3
3. Dawn – 424 Pickford Drive, Kanata, ON K2L 3R4
*’people can drop off at house anytime & just leave it on the front steps*
4. Gail – 47 Taylor Road, Ajax, ON L1S 2X5
5. The Maracles – 1728 Harvest Cres, Orleans, Ontario K1C 1V4
6. Maggie -391 Tillbury Avenue, Apt. #4, Ottawa, Ontario – EMAIL
7. The Boerskins – 2425 Totem Ranch Road West, Oxford Station, Ontario K0G 1TO
*people can drop off in the donation shed across from the mailbox at road

Thank you SO much again to the beautiful Deon Family for your caring donation to BHRR!

From our home to all of our friends, family & supporters, good-night wishes being sent!

BHRR’s Singe is grateful – as are we – for all of the well wishes and best thoughts being sent his way!

You can see how his ribs show in this photo….

As his story unfolds, we will post updates…..

BHRR’s Singe!

I captured this lovely shot of him during one of our walks today! 

At the Vet tonight, he weighed a skinny 58.3 kgs(128.26 pounds). This boy should easily weigh 150 or so pounds and when he puts on more weight including much needed muscle mass/tone, he will look magnificent. 

You can see from how he stands/moves that his hind end is a bit of a concern. The Vet agreed and also found that his left side was worse than his right and they wish for us to have him develop more muscle mass and tone prior to further investigation such as x-rays etc.

The Vet did not believe that he had any cruciate issues yet it is hard to truly manipulate a giant breed dog’s stifles without sedation. The plan is to let him settle in more before re-visiting. He went through a lot tonight and was AMAZING!

The one growth is as I thought, a skin tag, nothing that needs to be addressed unless it changes size, colour, bothers him etc.

The growth on his penis is not able to be determined without a biopsy and as he went through more than enough today, we will hold off until his next visit – when he has boosters. His hind end will be re-examined at that time. The Vet did not feel that it was cancerous yet no way to really tell without sending to histiopathology. 

His resting heart rate was 20! He was so chill…laid on his side and pretty much almost fell asleep! 

Heart, lungs, ears, all given a thumbs up! 

According to the paperwork that was given to me upon his surrender – he was at a shelter in November and this previous home got him from there – he had bad ear infections yet his ears look good now.

Some tartar buildup on his teeth yet nothing that is urgent that needs to be addressed right now.

The raw area on his left rump area has new hair growth and his Vet was not overly concerned at the present time. 

We did bloodwork that includes tick borne disease and heartworm testing.

Per his shelter paperwork, he was only given bordetella and so, we began his vaccine protocol. 

Tomorrow, we will begin his de-worming protocol and put him on proper heartworm, flea/tick preventative. 

When he is more settled, we will do a much needed nail trim too. 

I truly cannot believe that this sweet boy had at least 3-4 prior homes AND also ended up in a shelter in his short life to date.  I really cannot believe it….

AND we are on our way to the Vet!

Will update as I can….

I have put a new collar on him….one I have had for a very long time waiting for the right special BHRR dog meant for it. 

My last post of my night – going to spend time with this handsome brindle boy – BHRR’s Singe – for the rest of the night.

He is scheduled to see the Vet on Friday.

We need to do a thorough investigation on his hind end – hips & knees, do bloodwork, check his teeth, exam two growths – one on his penis and one behind a front leg – plus a raw area on his rump, do bloodwork, check heart/lungs/eyes run a fecal and when he is healthy, vaccines, de-worm and put him on proper hw/flea/tick preventative etc.

He is quite skinny. A good 20+ pounds more needed on him plus he needs to develop muscle mass/tone.

He is a super sweet boy who likes to sit on my lap and gently paw me for more love when I stop. 

He also loves looking out of the windows and with a house built for passive solar heating, our whole front of our house is wall to wall windows for him to enjoy.

He is currently hanging out with me by my computer on a Costco dog bed donated to BHRR with such genuine kindness from BHRR’s Cagney’s Mama/her friend’s. 

From our home to all of our friends, family and supporters, good night wishes being sent!

Welcome to BHRR BHRR’s Singe.

We got him!! 

We are now on our way home!

He will need to see the Vet for a few concerns and he is booked for Friday.

He is ~37″ at the whithers, quite skinny, has a skin tag and another growth on his penis that we will get investigated, He has a raw area on his back left rump and his hips plus back knees need further investigation.

He needs an Accuplex – heartworm and tickborne disease testing, those teeth checked out, and he has not had all of his vaccines from the paperwork we were given. He will go on flea/tick and HW preventative also. We will de-worm him plus do a fecal on him too as part of proper proactive/preventative Vet Care. 

Thanks again to Elizabeth for coming with me to pick him up! 

Sean has named him ‘Singe’. 

Just waiting for Elizabeth to arrive and then we will be on our way to road trip to pick up this handsome brindle boy we were asked to assist……

We shall post an update once we have him!

We now have an ETA! 

This handsome brindle boy will be arriving April 25th!

Here is his story – copied from a previous post:

The next in need of BHRR! 

He is only the 4th dog that we have been able to assist to date in 2018 as we work hard to be able about quality, not quantity. 

We have been asked to assist an ~3 year old Male Brindle Great Dane.

This is his third known home plus at one time he had ended up at a Shelter.

This home has an 18 month old child and has had him since just before XMAS and while he has proven to be so patient with her, the home does not wish to set him or their small child up for failure. He is currently living with a friend of the family and has been for the last while as the home worked to find the best solution for him. 

Said to be good with dogs – lived with a female pug and cats are unknown and said to weigh about 150+ pounds.

***NOT AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION**

The next in need of BHRR! 

He is only the 4th dog that we have been able to assist to date in 2018 as we work hard to be able about quality, not quantity. 

We have been asked to assist an ~3 year old Male Brindle Great Dane.

This is his third known home plus at one time he had ended up at a Shelter.

This home has an 18 month old child and has had him since just before XMAS and while he has proven to be so patient with her, the home does not wish to set him or their small child up for failure. He is currently living with a friend of the family and has been for the last while as the home worked to find the best solution for him. 

Said to be good with dogs – lived with a female pug and cats are unknown and said to weigh about 150+ pounds. 

ETA being worked on now.