BHRRs Adele had a sleepover last Wednesday night at her possible future adopted home and then came back home to BHRR on Thursday night. We have been working on a gradual transition from our home to her possible new one to work on setting the home and her up for the best chances of success.

I am all that this dog has known in kindness and love and structure, routine, positive reinforcement plus training. She is not the type of dog that can just be adopted and a 'cold turkey' situation occurs.

I then brought her back to her possible future adoptive home on Saturday May 19th after her special date for another sleepover and stayed awhile with BHRR's Journey in tow; who aided BHRR's Adele in drinking and feeling more relaxed.  She had BHRR's Adele drinking in no time!

I was then back on Sunday May 20th with BHRR's Hailey for a spell(after BHRR's Hailey had her own special date) and BHRR's Adele was faring even better. She was eating a bit, peeing yet; still had not pooped. She was getting a bit more relaxed and comfortable and so, we continued to forge forward with the integration from BHRR to this possible future adoptive home. Many discussion were held re: what BHRR's Adele needs in addition to a very thorough adopton information package being sent.

When BHRR's Adele had her special date both that home and the home that I was at for her possible future adoption; both commented on how well she would wag her tail for me and I said that I would be more worried if she was not happy to see me and want to come with me. THAT would be very concerning if she had not attachment to me and that BHRR would not be doing what it should be doing with these dogs!

Below are some photos taken not just from shortly after her arrival to BHRR in November 2011 BUT what she looks like now in comparison. So many were just WOW over her amazing body condition and mental/emotional health.

She is still not fond of her photos being taken yet LOOK how absolutely stunning she now looks!! She is stacked in muscle tone and mass and while you can still tell she has had many litters in her past, she is toned and head held up up high and relaxed!

BHRR's Adele – November 2011 (shortly after her arrival to BHR) & May 19th, 2012 – Almost 40 pounds later!

BHRR's Adele – May 19th, 2012 – DOESN'T she now look fabu!!
*photos courtesy of L. Coolen

BHRR's Adele has now been ADOPTED! I am going to deeply miss this girl. As many are aware, BHRR has taken in dogs from this line for almost 15 years now that have needed rescue assistance and she reminds me a lot of her father, BHRR's Albert! YOU would be so proud of her, BHRR's Albert!!!

BHRR's Adele came to KAH tonight with me and weighed 44.90 KGs(98.78 pounds)! This means that she has put on 37.78 pounds since her arrival to BHRR back in late 2011. She is looking MAGNIFICENT! Simply magnificent!!!

The Vet and some of my fellow colleagues made such wonderful remarks and compliments over her beautiful soft and healthy coat, muscled and toned body condition and accepting demeanor! WTG FREEDOM DANE BHRR's Adele!

It has been a long path of baby rehabilitation steps for BHRR's Adele and I could not be more proud of her!!!

She plays for over 4-5 hours each day in our fenced in of almost 2.5 acres and she will run, zip, zoom and romp with her daughters and dogs like FREEDOM DANE BHRR's Freedom. She likes her AM romps the most right now. She will play from around 8 AM to 11:30 AM each day and then come in for a nap and then likes to get back up and have a small stroll around 3;30 PM or so and then she will do an early evening romp for about 1/2 hour to an hour.

She is very receptive to me and her obedience has bombed along under a very kind, firm and structured full of routine and patient consistent positive reinforcement program at BHRR and her impeccable learned leash manners would put many other dogs in the world to shame. 😉 Amazing how a dog can become the best dog they can be when done right by!!!!

NO one would suspect from her current body condition plus stamina that this was once a very broken, shutdown, emaciated and terrifed Great Dane.

She has a journey still ahead of her and she is going to have a lifelong journey of great experiences in the right matched forever loving home that understands what she needs and accepts her for who she is and does not make her into something she is not and never shall be and does not become frustrated with her. She is not to be manhandled. We do not believe any dog should be manhandled in fact. We have spent many many many months working on her 'shutdown' condition and she is now thriving.

Here is a very short VIDEO of BHRR's Adele taken last night(it is very hard to photograph and videotape her as she is very camera shy) but you can get an idea of how AMAZING she is doing now!!! SHE looks uber fabu!!! 🙂

After 15 years of rescuing and rehabbing dogs from her lines from PAWS R US; we understand her very well and we continue to rehab her two daughters at BHRR.

Should all go well, BHRR's Adele could be moving to an adopted status on Saturday May 19th, 2012; and we will update as we can.

BHRR's Adele is being placed under a PENDING ADOPTION! We shall update her blog on her status as we can.

On Wednesday February 1st, 2012, BHRR's Adele and BHRR's Shiva(she was dropped off at KAH to come back to BHRR from her latest play date Temp Foster time!) came with me to a BHRR Volunteers House after work for a bit of a walk/visit.

She took everything in stride and as explained to the Volunteers; when it comes to cars or things that come up behind her that may make her nervous; she is NOT what I call a 'walk & talk' dog. She needs to stop, be able to see what is coming, be told quietly plus calmly that 'all is ok' and I use the words 'car' and give her a reassuring soft touch on her neck and then we walk again.

These things are ALL new territory for her and she cannot be rushed or forced. She is NOT the dog that one can just walk to the local store and leave outside(not that I am in agreement with that being done by folks anyway but I see it all the time at our local grocery store) and pick up a loaf of bread etc. and come back out and unleash and go home.

She needs her leader to be with her at all times during walks and to be calmly plus positively directed. She knows her 'turn right', 'turn left' and 'go straight' and she will be so willing to trust someone as long as they gives her a reason to trust them. Her leash manners are amazing! This is a dog that had never had a collar or leash on in her 6+ years of living. AND she has picked up obedience including housebreaking so fast. She is not to be yanked or pulled(AND I also do not support people who do this). She knows 'Adele, come' and she will respond.

She is still not the fondest of getting into a vehicle but getting better! She is excellent to travel in a car and exits really nicely too.

She loves HOME the best. She is now comfortable laying on a Costco dog bed in front of the TV, that once terrifed her. The vacuum still makes her a bit nervous but she is a lot better. The fans can still make her also a bit nervous but she is a lot better. She is still very afraid of dog bowls if they are above her head and so we move very slowly and carefully during feeding time AND she still loves eating out of the rubbermaid of kibble as I feed the other dogs(BHRR's Peanut and BHRR's Gretta do this too and I am AOK with it!) and then she will go into a crate to then eat a good bowl of food. She is one lean muscled GD right now, and very slowly still trying to get on that rest of the weight I want to see on her. When people see her for the first time, they remark on how thin she is and I tell them, you should have seen her 20 pounds lighter from when she first came into BHRR. She was barely 61 pounds back then.

She still adores her windows and at this play visit; they were able to witness firsthand the desire and not just desire but need to be able to go in and out of the patio doors when she wants to. THIS is her comfort thing. This is her being able to know that she has FREEDOM, that she is no longer caged in darkness with poor ventilation and no love. 🙁

So, she went in and out and in and out and in and out and became more relaxed each time. THANKS to the home for being so kind to her!!! 🙂

She got along just fine with their two dogs as I knew she would. She is a very accepting dog and she is also very much still a 'mom' for when one of their dogs got a bit nasty with her not once but several times; her patience wore thin and she told him off and I was proud of her. She was quick, effective and it was done. She then went back to looking out the windows. 🙂

I need to try and get some better shots of her BUT the camera makes her nervous still.

SO, any home interested in her has to realise and understand that she though she is a very low maintenance dog; she is a product of her environment and a simple round of obedience classes is not going to 'fix' her. She does not need to be 'fixed', she needs to be understood and worked with to be the best dog she can be; not forced.

Giving her love and treats and spoiling is NOT going to do that for her. She needs routine, structure, patience and time along with consistency in ADDITION to the love and spoiling. Homes that try to 'make it up' to dogs like her that were rescued from such horror are only going to ruin her. She needs more than love. She does not live in her past. She lives in her present and we look towards her great future. She is a product of her past and has much potential for her future! THAT is what people need to understand about adopting a rescue dog.

BHRR's Adele is also excellent about letting you know when she is done with something! LOL She goes to the front door and that is it…time to leave! 🙂

BHRR's Adele – February 1st, 2012
*photos courtesy of M. Bird

On Saturday January 28th, BHRR's Adele had a small playdate with a couple of Volunteers.

She was great coming out of the house, was a bit unsure going down the hill/stairs and when it came to going into the car, she was a bit worried. So, some minor assistance needed and then we were on our way! She travels great and enjoys looking our the windows.

As mentioned in at least one previous blog, she has an absolute fascination with windows, especially doors that are all windows. She has this 'need' to look out and see the outside and takes immense enjoyment plus pleasure in being able to do that. AND as I also posted, she dervives much pleasure and calmness in knowing that she has 'FREEDOM' to go outside and then come inside and then go outside and be able to come back inside. This is how her past confinement in 'hell' has has made her to be and for me, I am more than happy to oblige her 'need' to know freedom.

Here is a blurb from the Volunteers who took her for a couple of hours for a great experience for her and them! Any home is going to have to understand that all of this is NEW to her, foreign to her and she needs patience and understanding and acceptance. SHE will give you trust and loyalty in turn!

Hello Gwen!!

First and foremost – THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for letting us take Her Grace the Lady Adele on a play date today!! What a very special lady!

As you know, this was my first chance to spend some one on one time with Adele since I drove her from the Emergency Shelter to you late last year. All I can say is WOW!!
We had a smooth ride down the road from KAH to Petsmart Kanata and the folks there were most welcoming! Adele had the automatic doors figured out after only a slight startle and made her way up one aisle and down the other. She seemed to enjoy looking at the aquariums and the small animals the most. She walked right by the cats as if they weren't even there.
She had one puppy come tearing up body in full puppy wiggle, and she was most graceful in giving it a quick sniff on the nose but then continued on her tour. She accepted petting from a couple of store employees although to be honest was more interested in looking out the window.

Not wanting to overdue the stimulation in the store we went for a nice walk around all the shops in the area and I lost count of the "oh what a beautiful dog" comments that were sent her way.
She certainly loved being outside! We finished up with another round of the Petsmart. I had to chuckle at myself for being so careful to watch for signs that she had had enough because when the moment came she quite simply turned around and started walking for the door..and that was that!

What a very wonderful day!!

X & X

BHRR`s Adele is having a bit of a play date today – for just a couple of hours; so as to not flood her and I am looking forward in obtaining a new weight on her! 🙂

I am so happy that she is going to have some extra special loving time just for her.

Will post an update on how things go for her and the home!

BHRR's Adele is NOW AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!

She has done really well with her rehab here. She is eating better – prefers to eat out of the food bin over a bowl in a crate and eats much better that way. She eats out of the bin – just as in the video we posted for BHRR's Gretta – as we fill up the other bowls for the dogs and then she is filled up a bowl at the end and goes into a crate.

If you put her just in a crate to eat, without allowing her to eat out of the food bin; she will not eat.

At her age and what she has gone through in her life; if she wants to eat that way; GO FOR IT! 😀 As long as she is putting on weight and is eating; it matters naught to me!

Emotionally, spiritually and mentally; she is ready to be placed up for adoption. Physically, I would like to see some more weight on her yet not enough to hold her back from being placed up for adoption. She can continue that weight gain here until her right forever matched loving home finds her. 🙂 I would like about 10 more pounds but she LOOKS so much better than she did when she first arrived.

See a photo below from December 24th, as she waits for this mysterious 'Santa Clause' that she has been hearing so much about! 🙂

BHRR's Adele – Shortly after her arrival to BHRR in November 2011 & then on December 24th, 2011
 

THE best news received today!: FREEDOM DANE's Adele's Histo came back and the masses in her mouth were due to severe gingivitis and not cancer! AND the growth on her belly was also benign! OMG! YES! YES! YES!

This shall be her very first XMAS ever, one of FREEDOM and not just one of the hope of freedom or a better life for that is the commitment all involved with her seizure have made to her. THAT she shall never ever ever ever live a life like she has had.

Until I received the news, I did not quite realise how much I was unconsciously really worrying about her and the results.

YET, we can head into XMAS knowing that she is HEALTHY as she can be at this time and that while she will benefit from some additional cleaning/work in her future; she is moving forwad on her journey to a spoiling, loving and happy future!!!!!

YAY! YAY! YAY!

With how well BHRR's Adele is rehabbing; we are thinking that early January shall be the timeline for her to be placed up for adoption.

We would like to see her in a home that has at least one right matched personality fit canine buddy. A home that works part-time, full-time or has flex work days, works from home, semi-retired or retired are all options.

It has to be a home that understands that Adele was born into a puppymill; about 6 years ago(could be older or slightly younger but not likely to be much younger) and that her *mind* has left her in some ways. She is very sweet, accepting yet she is not 'all there' sometimes. it is not that she wanders, has chronic obsessive behavours, barks, howls, digs, scratches or anything like that but she does seem 'lost' in her own mind at times. 🙁

The only things that she is obsessed about is standing on top of that one door frame to rest and also to see into the sunroom to the outside doors and the other thing that she is absolutely obsessed over is laying at the front doors in the sunroom to look outside(the whole front of our house is windows; built for passive solar heating and the front door is all window panes.)

She also likes and needs to know that she can go outside and come in often. She is becoming very attached to her freedom.

The only time we use a crate for her is to feed her now and she is eating better and better but is still a slower eater than many here and per the Vet will require more dental work in her future; something that her future adoptive home must be aware and committed in dedicating these financial means to Adele's continued welbeing.

If it is found that she requires more dental work here before she is adopted as we wait for her forever loving home to come aong; we will be ensuring that all her needs are covered.

She will sometimes lay in an open crate yet we do not crate her at any other time. She is is fully housebroken AND it did not take long to teach her; so smart girl! She is very quiet and we have often wondered if she even has the ability to bark.

Any future home must understand that that FREEDOM DANE Adele has not spent her life seeing parks and fire hydrants and buses and taxi cabs or the changing of the seasons with first hand exposure and that patience and kindness NEEDS to be given to her. You cannot just take her and expect her to just 'jump' into life as others may know it. We want a quiet home for her, not a busy lifestyle type of home that is hustling and bustling every where all the time.

If a home with children are considering to submit an application for her; we recommend at least 8+.

It is important for her to have a home that is not going to rush and push her and only a home that is going to continue to help her be the best dog she can be AND believe me, she is one very special and fantabulous dog already!!! 🙂

BHRR's Adele – December 13th & December 14th(just home from her spay)

BHRR 'FREEDOM DOGS' – Their Dream to Reality… To A Better Future' Cause

IF anyone wishes to donate to the BHRR 'FREEDOM DOGS' – Their Dream To Reality To A Better Future' Cause, you can donate direct to Kanata Animal Hospital:

(613) 836-2848 under the 'Birch Haven Rescue' account and they will take Visa, M/C or AMEX over the phone.

OR via PayPal – gwen@birchhaven.org

OR email transfer to gwen@birchhaven.org

OR Cash in person at Kanata Animal Hospital 440 Hazeldean Road

Monies raised from our recent online auction will go to BHRR's Atlas, BHRR's Veteran, some in 'trust' for BHRR's Bloom and the rest to the BHRR 'FREEDOM DOGS' yet with several to vet, any additional sponsorship sent their way to assist; would be as always soooooo appreciated!

BHRR 'FREEDOM DOG' DREAM TO REALITY CAUSE ANGELS:

Anonymous
Sam
James
Maggie – For BHRR's Adele
Alice
Michelle/Martin
Deb/Matt
Anonymous
Margaret

BHRR's Adele weighed 36.9 KGS(81.18 pounds today). She needs at least another 15 more to be where I would like to see her in weight BUT so much better than what she was!!! The muscle tone this girl has developed since her arrival to BHRR has been WOW! Her body type reminds me of a triathlete at this time…solid very lean muscle that ripples with every movement she makes yet in a very feminine manner. 🙂

Her spay went well and all growths from her mouth were removed(the Vet is about 99% sure they are not malignant) and shall be sent off for pathology. There was also a lump around her belly button that was removed and also being sent away.

She had nails and a microchip done and people felt she was a real doll. 🙂

She had a good detailed teeth cleaning yet nothing more thorough was able to be done – ie Xrays or to look really closely for possible extractions(Vet was not convinced that she really needed any but agreed that her mouth/teeth were in rough shape) due to how long she had already been under and that it was not safe for her. With her current physical condition and that she was just spayed plus her age; the Vet believes it would be better to put her back under again later this month or early next month if need be to do more work in her mouth. He was worried that any bacteria released could get into her bloodstream and compromise her. He also did not wish to see her under for another up to 4 hours(she was already under for 1.5 hours or so as is for what was done) and felt that if necessary, she could have any other possible elective work done after she was adopted.

Our focus at BHRR is to take care of all proactive/preventative Vet needs plus any 'urgent' requirements and this was our priority for BHRR's Adele for today.

We shall monitor to determine how well she has benefited from the dental work done today and if she should be going back under. If it is determined that anything more is needed; and it is an 'elective', not an 'urgent any longer, her new forever loving adoptive home can take on that responsiblity.

She should find it so much better to eat and be SOOOO much more comfortable!

Sean is enroute back with her now as I type this blog and CANNOT wait to have her home again. Another sweet creature very dear to my heart and ONLY the best shall do for her and all the BHRR doggies! 🙂

BHRR's Adele(we have given her a name of grace and beauty with the impression of strength) is to be spayed later today. We shall also be doing bw including a hwt and I am hoping that everything comes back well for while she is putting on some weight, she is still painfully thin. I am looking at seeing what her kidney, liver etc. functions are as I do have a concern that she may have some underlying med condition. Not going to put the cart before the horse yet the amount we can now get her to eat yet there is no significant weight gain is a bit worrisome. We will be doing a dental, removing some growths from her mouth and doing biopsies if necessary. Nails and a micrcochip will also be done.

We had put her on Deramaxx shortly after her arrival to BHRR on November 20th as I could tell that her mouth deeply pained her and her mouth/teeth are in really bad condition, the poor thing. 🙁 She most likely would have starved to death at some point if she had remained at PRU. 🙁

We believe that she is around 6 years of age. She was given her rabies on September 16th and we have given her some Revolution and she was proactively dewormed again.

Like many of the FREEDOM DOGS from the PRU Seizure; she has a tendency to want to stand completely upright out of habit to be able to stay out of the filth she was forced to live in of fecal matter and urine for her whole life(she has a 'Paws R Us' tat in her ear so she was born into the hell she was rescued from).  Sean and I have never seen animals be able to stand so upright. This is not good for their joints or back. 🙁 We are trying to teach her not to go on her back legs to look through the one door and stand until the point of exhaustion and then lay her head on the side of the door frame to sleep. BHRR's Freedom and BHRR's Gretta will also do the same. 🙁

Despite all of this, she has come out of her shell so nicely and fast; considering how she spent her whole life in hell. 🙁 She is still quite shut down in many ways but is showing more curiousity. Part of her mind appears to be just 'lost' or 'gone' due to her having to live/survive in the conditions she has.

She has no clue about toys or treats or yummy smoked dino or knuckle bones. 🙁

If we find that she is healthy, she will be placed up for adoption in early January for her mental progress has been quite smooth in so many ways. She learnt her name within moments and while she has issues being comfortable asking for love; that will come for she is not as 'broken' in the same way as the other girls or BHRR's Freedom. As mentioned, she is shutdown in some ways due to her 'coping' skills of survival in that terrible place she was from, but is really doing well!

She does not like being crated, understandable and we continue to feed her in a crate so that it helps her. Once she is spayed and recovered, she will not be crated any longer other than for meals for we do not want her to worry that another is going to take her food.

Crating is a very important safety and housetraining tool. It also aids in the dogs comfort level should they ever have to visit the Vet Hospital as they understand crating/kenneling or when they come home for a surgery or are ill and need to be on crate rest.

She is fully integrated with all and in time, we hope that she will learn about treats that come separate from her food in her bowl and about toys and dino bones etc.

Keep her in your positive thoughts and send good vibes her way for tomorrow!

It is estimated that the Vet bills for the BHRR FREEDOM DOGS will be close to $5,000 and any assistance would be so appreciated.

BHRR 'FREEDOM DOGS' – Their Dream to Reality… To A Better Future' Cause

IF anyone wishes to donate to the BHRR 'FREEDOM DOGS' – Their Dream To Reality To A Better Future' Cause, you can donate direct to Kanata Animal Hospital:

(613) 836-2848 under the 'Birch Haven Rescue' account and they will take Visa, M/C or AMEX over the phone.

OR via PayPal – gwen@birchhaven.org

OR email transfer to gwen@birchhaven.org

OR Cash in person at Kanata Animal Hospital 440 Hazeldean Road

Monies raised from our recent online auction will go to BHRR's Atlas, BHRR's Veteran, some in 'trust' for BHRR's Bloom and the rest to the BHRR 'FREEDOM DOGS' yet with several to vet, any additional sponsorship sent their way to assist; would be as always soooooo appreciated!

BHRR 'FREEDOM DOG' DREAM TO REALITY CAUSE ANGELS:

Anonymous
Sam
James
Maggie – For BHRR's Adele
Alice
Michelle/Martin

BHRR's Adele – shortly after her arrival to BHRR & BHRR's Adele – December 13th, 2011

Going to the ES anywhere from once to three times a week over the past three months was to lend a helping hand to her and all the 600+ FREEDOM DOGS there.

I have been part of my share of busts and seizures over the years, yet nothing of this sheer magnitude and I am EXTREMELY touched to have been contacted to ask to come out to assist and I have met some of the most amazing like minded individuals EVER through what started out as a tragic experience and has ended as one of the most rewarding of ones!