BCCCF Beardie Rescue

Toby is a B&W neutered male beardie approx 1 year old. He was given up to animal control by his first owners because of a divorce situation and subsequently adopted by a couple in Sept 2007. However because of problems in their apartment complex they were given 48 hours to find a new home for him so this morning I met with the owner who signed the dog over to rescue - she was very upset and wanted me to stress that they did not want to part with the dog because he was a super pet but had no other options. Toby has been adopted by Erna McCormick.

Brandi was adopted by Erna McCormick in May 2007. Brandi was supposed to be food aggressive, but she has only shown this tendency once with me. The first night. I was not sure how much to feed her, so I gave her a few cups of food. She still looked hungry, so I went to add some more food to her bowl with my hand. She growled and lunged forward when I got close to the bowl. I yelled “NO” loudly and smacked her on the butt. She had not done this since. She is a little lady when it comes to eating. She allows the little Maltese - Starr to eat out of her bowl. Brandi was supposed to go to Virginia, as everyone in this area was afraid of the food aggressiveness. I was supposed to get Brandi used to the crate, so that she could fly to Virginia. She got here, and has never left. Brandi has been to 3 Beardie Bashes/Bounces. She is a toy thief. She has managed to “steal” a stuffed toy from another dog each time to take home with her. Brandi has passed basic dog obedience and is currently taking agility classes.

Michelle and Larry Budde’s “Livingston”
We rescued Livingston 4 years ago from the Miami pound on 7/11, which turned out very lucky for all of us. He was emaciated, had no energy and his hair was all matted. In other words, he was a real mess.
We immediately noticed that he was very aggressive towards other dogs. We assume that he had some sort of a traumatic experience before we got him. Thus began the arduous and ongoing task of trying to train Livingston. The first "instructor" told us to put him down as there was no hope for him. The second one told us to use a collar with spikes to control him, which we could not bear to do. The third, and the best instructor, told us about positive reinforcement, using treats and he now sits obediently when he sees other dogs [which doesn’t mean that he likes them but he shows wonderful self control]. Unfortunately, although he loves people, he still remains fearful of other dogs. On the plus side, he’s an extremely happy energetic dog who loves playing with tennis balls and people and thinks everybody who comes to visit our house is coming to visit him. He’s been to 3 Beardie Bashes and came in 2nd in the agility test at the St. Petersburg Bash a couple of years ago.
P.S., he gets along with okay with his little brother Stanley [an 8-pound poodle] who can be really annoying but since they live together Livingston tolerates him.
P.P.S., we notice that he responds to and seems to understand Spanish. Perhaps if Stanley were a Chihuahua instead of a French Poodle...

John and Carol Rumble’s “Buddy”

+ Click to enlarge

John and Carol Rumble’s “Maggie”

Kelly Kay’s Willow and Remy
Here are my best friends...both rescues courtesy of BCCCF. The smaller guy on the left (white and black) is Remy. He was a stray that Andree Symons rescued after seeing him listed in Petfinder as a bearded collie back in April of 2007. (He may have some beardie, border collie and terrier in him). At that time I was looking for a companion for Willow, the bigger gray girl on the right. I had the great fortune of adopting Willow in April of 2003, also a dog that Andree had rescued from the Polk County shelter. Willow had just been placed by her previous owner into the shelter with a litter of pups that she had just had. They think she got together with a black lab. The owner didn't divulge her name or age so I named her Willow and I'd guess she's 7-8 years old now. Willow is gregarious and very social and really needed a buddy and Remy fits the bill. They wrestle and play most of the days away. Willow has taught Remy how to play with toys, how to get along with others and her sense of humor seems to be wearing off on Remy. He used to be quite serious and now he's more happy-go-lucky, playful and the tail wags a lot more than it once did! And Remy, who is probably about 3 years old, has helped to keep Willow young and balanced.
I am forever grateful to BCCCF Rescue, notably Andree Symons, for the huge part they played in bringing my best buddies in to my life. They bring me so much joy and laughter!!

Mary and Tom Sullivan’s Sasha