AMERICAN BRITTANY RESCUE NEWSLETTER - JUNE 2020
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DON'T LET
SUMMERTIME FUN TURN INTO
SUMMERTIME BLUES
By Judie Cutting and Linda Joyce
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When the weather turns warm and the days are full of sunshine, we all love to be outside. Sometimes what dogs love the most can become a problem. Let’s explore some of these dangers, learn how to prevent problems, and be prepared if our Brittany runs into trouble.
BUZZ, BUZZ, OUCH!!
Bees
and our curious Brittanys are not a good mix. Britts love to hunt and try to catch the pesky bees which is all well and good until they get stung.
Prevention:
To minimize the chances of your dog being stung, begin with a walk around your yard. Are there any hives in trees or on your home or deck? Could your flowerbed use a fence around it to keep out the dogs? Is there any food or sugary drink to attract bees? Is the grass mowed short so the bees’ hiding spots are gone? Be aware that some species of bees like to make their homes in the ground.
Signs of Trouble:
Your dog might have just been stung if she suddenly starts crying and yelping. She may run around in circles, lick her paw, or rub her face. You may find swelling at the site of the sting. The most common places for a bee sting are the pads of their feet, mouth, and face.
A reaction from a sting could range from mild irritation to anaphylactic shock. Anaphylactic shock can lead to death in dogs. Common signs include
vomiting
within 5-10 minutes after a sting and/or
gums becoming increasingly pale
. Other behaviors to watch for are significant drooling, breathing problems, agitation, or sudden aggression.
Treatment: Head to the emergency vet
immediately
if you witness signs of anaphylactic shock.
The vet can administer an IV with potential life-saving drugs. The vet may advise an antihistamine, like Benadryl. Always check with your vet for the appropriate dosage.
The stinger continues to pump venom after the sting.
Within the first hour after a sting, it’s important to locate the sting site and
remove the stinger
by scraping a credit card over the site or using tweezers. In one to two hours after the sting, a
cold compress
on the sting site may help to reduce swelling. Sometimes, a
paste of baking soda and water
can help the irritation.
GULP, GULP!
Water Intoxication
is serious and sometimes fatal. Watching our dogs play in the water on a hot day is a happy scene. But did you know that too much water can upset the sodium and chloride levels required for the dog’s body to function? Water intoxication depletes the sodium level outside cells. A body will try to rebalance itself by taking in more fluid inside cells. However, while some organs can handle some swelling, the brain cannot. As brain pressure increases, cells begin to die off and a dog will have difficulty breathing, develop seizures, and lose consciousness.
Water Intoxication can happen to any dog, not just our water-loving ones. Drinking from a hose or unattended water consumption can also lead to too much water. If your dog has a lean body mass, is on the smaller side, or lives close to a body of water, he may be more susceptible. Dogs engaged in agility that cross-train in swimming pools may also be at higher risk of water intoxication.
Prevention:
To prevent too much water going into their bodies:
- Use a flat toy in the water which allows your dog to close its mouth around the toy.
- Don’t allow diving for toys.
- Set a time frame for water play. Giving breaks also allows the opportunity to relieve themselves, getting rid of excess water in their system.
- Don’t allow biting from a high-pressure stream of water such as a hose.
- Supervise water consumption.
- Know your dog’s swimming style. Head low in the water with the mouth slightly open allows for greater intake of water.
Signs of Trouble:
Vomiting, difficulty breathing, pale gums, drooling, and loss of coordination are signs that water intake may have kicked your dog’s electrolytes off balance. The dog’s blood might be diluted and the liver and brain may have begun to swell. The condition can lead to seizures, loss of consciousness, and sometimes death.
Treatment: Immediate vet care is a must if you suspect water intoxication.
HOTSY TOTSY
Hot Pavement
can burn a dog’s pads quicker than we think. If your dog was just playing in the water their pads may have softened up and the pavement or metal will burn them faster. If the back of your hand cannot stand the heat from the pavement for longer than 5 seconds, then neither can your dog’s pads.
Prevention:
Walk your dog on grass or at the coolest part of the day. Some people in hotter climates find paw wax or booties help their dogs. Dogs with pads that have been previously burned need to be walked on non-concrete surfaces. You can also help to avoid paw-pad burns through conditioning. Walk your dog all year long on concrete and they will develop tougher pads.
Signs of Trouble:
If your dog begins to limp, refuses to walk, or is licking his paws, he might be telling you that it is too hot to walk. Pads that are dark, raw or blistered have been burnt.
Treatment:
Burn treatment varies depending on the extent of the burn injury. Feet can get infected quickly, making the condition much worse. Licking injured areas will also worsen the condition. Ointments and antibiotics may be needed for treatment. Soft booties or children’s socks can protect the damaged pad tissue and give your dog comfort while they recover.
PANT! PANT! PANT!
Heat stroke
can seem to come on quickly, but it has probably been building for a while. Dogs cool off through their paws and when that isn’t enough, they pant to expel the hot air out of their bodies. Sometimes they cannot cool down, which can lead to heat stroke. If your dog is older, overweight, or has medical conditions, they can get heat stroke faster than a young dog in shape.
Prevention:
Those long walks we love to take might need to be shortened to adjust to the temperature and the ability of our dogs. And it bears repeating,
don’t leave your dog in the car
even for just a few minutes in the heat.
Signs of Trouble:
A dog with a core body temperature above 105.8°F and experiencing central nervous system dysfunction—staggering, not quite responsive, altered mental status—is suffering from heat stroke. Heavy panting, drooling, glassy eyes, vomiting, diarrhea, and rapid heartbeat are all signs of a heat stroke.
Treatment: Contact your vet immediately.
Until you are able to get to the vet:
- Get your dog to a cooler area.
- Wet your dog thoroughly with COOL water, not cold.
- Apply cool water around ears and paws.
- Put a fan on your dog to dry off.
- Have a pet thermometer to check until their temperature drops to 103 F. Then stop applying water and remove the fan.
- As they cool down, give them small amounts of lukewarm water.
- Contact your vet for an examination to avoid other possible complications.
All of our dogs have different needs and preferences. You know your dog best. You might have a dog that loves catching the waves and laying in the sun. Or you might have a dog that loves the couch and air conditioning. Whichever dog you have, we hope that they have a fantastic, fun-filled and safe summer!
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
By Linda Joyce
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BOBBI TOLMAN, ABR Volunteer
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Bobbi Tolman, aka the Crazy Dog Lady of Salt Lake City, has been with ABR for four years. She serves on the Board of Directors, coordinates for Idaho and Utah, and is a dog foster mom. She and her husband, Bobby, (it’s not a typo!) share their home with four Britts and they have helped over 45 dogs in their first year of fostering.
Growing up, Bobbi’s first dog was Pearl, a 120-pound Newfoundland. She also had a black Lab named Mambo.
Bobbi’s favorite movie dog is Dug with the special collar that gives him the ability to speak in
Up
, the 2009 Disney Pixar animated film.
Bobbi shares about her fur babies:
- Wesson is a seven-year old orange and white male. I wake up every morning with him spooned against my back and his chin over my neck.
- Annie, a five-year-old orange and white female, hunts bugs all day in the yard with her nubbin' going a thousand miles a minute.
- Our first foster-fail is seven-year old Belle, the blind Brittany. After two years as a foster, we couldn't imagine life without her. She is our mountain biking buddy made possible by K9 Sport-Sack (yes, a backpack for dogs)!
- Lucy, or "Lulu," celebrated her first birthday in April. She was whelped in my care from one of my favorite fosters, Roxy. Unfortunately, Lucy was diagnosed with a very severe heart condition (aortic stenosis, subaortic stenosis, and a deformed upper flap to top it off). It was an easy decision to have her remain with us to continue her specialty care from her cardiologist here in Salt Lake. We manage her medication and activity level, and we are so grateful for every day we have with our adorable little trouble-maker.
But what do you
not
know about Bobbi Tolman? She’s a rock star when she’s driving alone. “Loud music and my current favorite song on repeat,” Bobbi said.
ABR hopes Bobbi will rock on with the organization for many years to come and offers a heartfelt thank-you and words of appreciation for Bobbi’s dedicated service.
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DEBBIE CLARK, ABR Volunteer
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Whether she’s counting Brits or counting donations, recent Board member and co-treasurer for American Brittany Rescue, Debbie Clark, aka Deb or Busy Bee, loves putting her accounting, business, and management skills to work for the organization.
Debbie grew up with Poodles and Dachshunds. Her first dog was Jacque, a small standard Poodle. At thirty, Debbie got her first Brittany, Lady Sarah Ferguson, aka Fergie. She’s been in love with the breed ever since.
Her introduction to Brittany rescue came in 2004 when she opened her heart to Arthur. Later, in 2012, she adopted Cody. The following year they attended their first ABR picnic. The dogs, dog people, and this dog organization folded Deb into one giant hug—she was hooked.
Cody brought great love and joy. Before he crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2019, China came into his and Debbie’s life. Cody taught China how to be part of the family—he was leaving Debbie in good paws.
China may have learned much from Cody, but he wasn’t the one to teach her to be a Diva girl. Debbie says, “China loves her ‘stuffies.’ Loves to hunt down my reading glasses and tries to chew them up. Loves going to Waggin Tails Doggie Day Care in Citrus Heights.” At doggie day care China is very social, greeting all the Hoomans with a waggle-y good morning and then the dogs.
The non-dog part of Debbie’s life involves Bible studies, scrapbooking, making cards, and painting furniture. Her favorite place to visit is the ocean. “Monterey-Carmel is my favorite place in the world,” Debbie says, “especially with family and friends.”
Debbie describes herself as bold, outspoken, faithful, and full of laughter. She’s positive—a gal who can refill a glass, doesn’t see it as half-empty or half-full.
What don’t people know about Debbie? She loves to crank the music up and dance in joy around the house with China at random and unexpected times.
ABR deeply appreciates the dedication Debbie gives to the organization and the breed and is “counting” on her support for many years to come.
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SUCCESS STORY
Moe and Bailey
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This note is long in coming. We’ve been proud members of the ABR adoption family since 2006. We adopted our first Brittany, Moe, from ABR in January 2006 when he was around one year old. Moe was an owner surrender, but had been well-cared for — he had, and still has, no idea that he's a dog. He especially loves his dad and has always been a gentle and patient older sibling to his human sister and brother. Until the last year or so, when arthritis began to take its toll, he was full of energy and spent his time under foot, swimming, chasing deer, fox and squirrels, and otherwise exploring our large backyard. In his early years he even managed to climb trees to allow him to see over the fence. He still likes to get into trouble!
Our second Brit, Bailey, came to us from ABR in May 2006, when he was around a year old. Bailey had been a stray (found roaming in Ohio) and was rescued in the nick of time from a kill shelter. He was underweight, poorly groomed, a bit timid when touched, and scared by loud noises, among other things. Within a few months, however, Bailey had completely changed, physically and emotionally. He was always full of excitement, loved to run, play fetch, and most of all swim and snuggle on your lap. He was an escape artist and had several adventures over the years!
Moe was a bit slow to warm to Bailey initially, but within a few months they became fast friends and for the next 14 years, where one went the other was always close behind. They loved to wrestle, harass backyard animals, and when they slept they usually ended up posed right next to each other in the same position.
Sadly, this February we lost Bailey due to a sudden, fast growing tumor. He seemed to have found the fountain of youth and was full of zip right up until the end. We miss him immensely. Moe, too, has slowed down, but still has a lot of spunk, and hasn’t let old age curb his love of treats and being right next to you.
We're forever grateful to ABR for bringing us together (particularly Andrea Bock, our area coordinator, and the boys' foster mom, Ann Rose).
-- Stephen Bocanegra and Meredith Rathbone
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IVAN - OUR LOVABLE GRUMPY OLD MAN
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“He’s a handsome boy. You shouldn’t have him for very long.”
On the first point, our ABR coordinator was absolutely correct. On the second, not so much…
We’ve all heard the term “foster fail,” but how many of you have heard of a transport fail? Some may think I’m talking about an error in shipment, a failure to get one of our beloved rescues from Point A to Point B. In our case, this was something much different, where we started out as the final leg of transportation and ended up having Ivan in our life for five years.
Already having two rescued ABR Brittanys of our own (Cooper, from Texas in May 2012, and Cadee from North Carolina in June 2013), we weren’t really looking for a third, but as Heidi and I were quite active in rescue, having transported several as well as fostered and performed home visits, we were keen to help with Ivan’s transport from Georgia to Central Florida on that Saturday in June 2014. We had agreed to keep Ivan with us for a few days while other ABR volunteers lined up his forever home. After about a week all prior leads had been extinguished, so we were now involved in finding him a home. (Note - since then, we’ve learned that we’re much better at fostering then we are at finding the perfect home - read on to see why!).
Ivan's photo and profile were placed on the ABR site and the search for his new home began. The calls and emails at the start were plentiful, although it took a lot of time to sort through the people who were serious and those who were not. Part of the issue was that Ivan was 8 years old and therefore on the edge of being considered a senior. He had been the faithful companion of a woman in her 80’s who had developed dementia and was entering an assisted living facility and sadly, her family did not want him. For his age, he had the energy level of a three-year old. Therefore, we needed to find someone who would accept an older dog, but with the ability to manage Ivan’s energy.
Eventually, we received a call from a young lady in south Florida whose first question was “how is he with cats?” Of course, we had no idea and told her so. She came to our house and met Ivan and it appeared to be love at first sight. Over the next couple of weeks, as she prepared her home for her new housemate, we spent plenty of time discussing with her how to introduce Ivan to her cat, how to deal with any issues that might occur, and continually receiving assurance that she would follow these recommendations. The big day came and Ivan left us for new adventures. In the interest of time, I’ll skip to week six - I was in Columbus, Ohio, having dinner with some clients when I got a text from the new owner - it read “come get your dog - NOW”. Uh-oh. I excused myself and called Heidi, asking her to find out what was going on. We discovered that the new owner had left her house and had not closed off all the necessary doors completely, and Ivan had, well, let’s just say it didn’t end well for the cat. Note that I am not making light of this situation in any way, but unfortunately bad things can happen if proper steps aren’t taken to prevent them from happening.
The next day Heidi drove south and came back later that day with Ivan. He definitely seemed happy to see us again - as we were to see him. Back on the ABR website he went. And yes, I know what you’re thinking, maybe he was meant to be with us. More to come…
We again went through several weeks of phone calls, meet and greets, etc. to find Ivan’s new home. Same issue as before, many folks weren’t looking for an 8-year-old dog, or one with as much energy and strength as Ivan had. Eventually I got a call from a senior couple in Port Canaveral who wanted an older dog. I explained the situation, but they were still excited to meet him. I took Ivan to see them and although they seemed nice and the husband appeared to have the energy to match Ivan’s, something seemed off. Not being able to figure out what that was, we agreed that Ivan would be a good companion for them and about a week later he joined their family. Again, in the interest of time (where have you heard this before) I’ll skip to week six - we were home having dinner and I received a call from Ivan’s owner “come get your dog - NOW”. Uh-oh. I swear I’m not making this up. Turns out Ivan was more than he could handle, he had run off a few times and was constantly getting away from the owner in his own backyard - which if I recall, was a few acres. The owner had had enough, and whether he would admit it or not, he realized Ivan was just too strong and had too much energy for him. So once again, off we went to get “our” dog back.
I know what you’re thinking - Ivan was meant to be with us. And you’re right! We had agreed before Ivan left for the second time, that if he came back, then yes, it was meant to be.
So we had three Brittanys…this certainly hadn’t been our plan, but since we loved Ivan as our own, we would make it work. Everyone got along well, although being an only dog most of his life, Ivan occasionally challenged Cooper’s status as alpha dog!
I’m going to skip ahead to the last couple of years. As Ivan got older and began to slow down, our vet kept reminding us at each visit that “his heart murmur was getting a little worse.” She would also remind us that we would need to put him on medication at some point. At the time we had no idea it would turn out to be five different meds. Along with hearing loss and arthritis, our old man was really showing his age by the time he was ten or eleven. His weight dropped steadily, as his heart was working so hard that he was burning calories faster than he could take them in. He slept a lot and although he still seemed to enjoy his walks, he couldn’t keep up with the other two. You know how a video on your computer can sometimes get “hung up,” i.e. it’s still loading while you’re trying to watch it? I think that’s called buffering - we used to say that about Ivan, he would take a couple of steps and then stop to reload before walking again.
In May 2019 we knew it was finally time to let Ivan go, although being the stubborn boy he was, he would have just enough “better” days to keep us from making that decision with certainty. Each time one of us would make the call that it was time we’d then end up cancelling a couple days later. The staff at East Orange Animal Hospital in Orlando treated us with the utmost patience and understanding, things we desperately needed during this time.
May 30
th
, 2019 was Ivan’s last day with us, and it has taken almost a year to finally be able to write this.
I know that many of you reading this may have lost a loved one as well, and therefore this may be hard to read – not just due to the length of it! I have a friend who swears he will never own a dog, as he can’t bear the thought of losing him one day. While it may be easy to agree with this statement on its surface, for all the love, attention, and happiness our pets provide us, I think we can all agree that even with the inevitable outcome, whatever time we are given to share in their lives, is truly worth every moment.
Rob & Heidi Bursch
Oviedo, FL
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SHOUT OUT TO PREVIOUS FOSTERS
By Rusty Shelton
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Our first foster rescue, pictured above, greeted us with a smile the first day we met her and still greets us that way when we see her. She is now a therapy dog.
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Our second rescue was an outdoor only dog. He ate a pair of glasses and a ballpoint pen during his stay.
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Our third was with us briefly before he went to a permanent foster for medical care.
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Our fourth, another outdoor dog, basically moved in from day one and acted like he had been here since a pup.
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Our fifth was a failed hunting dog and again found his spot on the bed and in our hearts!
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Love the adaptability of these fosters as well as their gratitude to us for helping them be the best dogs they can be!
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2020 ABR PICNIC RESCHEDULED
NEW DATE IS SEPTEMBER 26, 2020
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This year's picnic has been rescheduled for September 26, 2020.
We hope this date will work for everyone. We look forward to a wonderful fall day together. Please mark this new date on your calendars!
We hope all our dear friends stay healthy during this time of uncertainty.
For Questions Contact Diana or Terrie:
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YOU HAVE US SMILING AGAIN ABR FAMILY!
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ABR received a quarterly donation of $1,039.51 thanks to YOU shopping at
smile.amazon.com
!
To date, AmazonSmile has donated a total of
$12,810.40
to American Brittany Rescue.
THANK YOU
to all of our supporters who have chosen ABR for their Amazon Smile charity. Haven't signed up yet? Visit
smile.amazon.com
to learn how a percent of your Amazon purchases can be donated to ABR-- at no extra cost to you!
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Buy Spring Bulbs and Help Rescue Brittanys!
We beat our $1000 goal! Thanks to 57 participants,
we raised $1505!
#
GivingTuesdayNow Giving Grid
55 donors helped us raise $3577,
well over our $2,500.00 goal! The average donation was $65.00, with a range of $5.00 to $500.00.
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Keep up-to-date on dog food and treat recalls on
DogFoodAdvisor.com. You can also sign up to have recall alerts delivered to your inbox!
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ABOUT THE AMERICAN BRITTANY RESCUE
American Brittany Rescue, Inc. is an organization that was formed in 1991 as a cooperative effort of Brittany owners, breeders, trainers, and fanciers who ABR believes have a responsibility not only for their own dogs and the dogs they produce, but for the breed as a whole.
THE AMERICAN BRITTANY RESCUE MISSION
ABR's mission is to provide the leadership and expertise via a network of trained volunteers to take in stray, abandoned, surrendered and/or impounded purebred Brittanys, provide them with foster care, health and temperament screening, an opportunity for any necessary rehabilitation and to assure their health and placement into new homes. In order to fulfill this mission, ABR's volunteers remain flexible and adaptable to current and future business environments and they remain dedicated to the organization.
ABR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Terry Mixdorf, President
Terrie Johnson, Vice President
Michelle Falkinburg, Secretary
Diana Doiron, Treasurer
Debbie Clark, Co-Treasurer
Sandra Oelschlegel, Chair
Tiffany Dexter
Nancy Hensley
Bobbi Tolman
AMERICAN BRITTANY RESCUE E-NEWSLETTER TEAM
Brittany Boler
Christine Brennan
Jeannine Connors
Judie Cutting
Kristin Davis
Autumn Fenton
Lori Gartenhaus
Patricia Gillogly
Linda Joyce
Monica Rutt
Melissa Tapply DiLello
Debra White
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