ABR encourages you to prepare your family and pets for disasters.

Your pets are an important member of your family, so they need to be included in your family’s emergency plan. To prepare for the unexpected, follow these tips with your pets in mind:

Make a Plan:

• Have an evacuation plan for your pet. Know a safe place where you can take your pets before disasters and emergencies happen.
• Develop a buddy system with neighbors, friends or relatives to make sure that someone is available to care for or evacuate your pets if you are unable to do so.
• Have your pet microchipped and keep your address and phone number up-to-date.
• Contact your local emergency management office, animal shelter or animal control office to get additional advice and information if you’re unsure how to care for your pet in case of an emergency.
• Build an Emergency Kit for your pet. Think about the basics for survival, such as food and water. Have two kits, one larger kit if you are sheltering in place and one lightweight version if you need to evacuate. Review your kits regularly to ensure that their contents, especially foods and medicines, are fresh.
• Learn more ready.gov/pets

Stay Informed:

• Pay attention to wireless emergency alerts for alerts and warnings sent by state and local public safety officials.
• Listen to local officials when told to evacuate or shelter in place.
• Download the FEMA link and get alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five different locations anywhere in the United States.
• Always bring pets indoors at the first sign of a storm or disaster.

Please look for helpful preparedness posts on social media throughout the month of September and in the future.

When my husband and I were married for about one year, the Army sent us to Fort Carson in Colorado. I had to quit my job so I had plenty of time on my hands, and my husband worked long hours. We went to the SPCA in Colorado Springs to get a dog companion for me. They had a beautiful one-year-old liver and white dog with a long silky tail named Woody. They told us he was a Brittany Spaniel. We adopted him. We could not understand how someone could give up a sweet dog like Woody, but when we took him to the vet within a few days of bringing him home and he stayed at the hospital for a week, we thought we knew why. We really couldn't afford the bill, but I guess that's what they make hot dogs and beans for.

When Woody was well, he loved to run after birds until he dropped. He was happy and energetic. But at least twice a year he would get sick and spend time at the vet hospital. They were never able to tell us exactly what was wrong with him.

About a year later, my husband got orders to go to school in Fort Eustis, Virginia for six months and then to Vietnam for a year. I was pregnant with our first child and there was no way I was going to stay behind by myself. So we packed up and drove to Virginia. Woody was a good traveler and loved riding in the passenger seat. The Army was not happy that we defied their order, but luckily the only thing they did was make sure my husband did not spend much time at home and was not present for the birth of his son. I don't know what I would have done without Woody's company. When the baby was six weeks old, my husband went to Vietnam. After his combat tour, the Army sent us to Germany. We found a company that would board and send Woody to us as soon as we had a place. The base was way out in the country and surrounded by fields full of birds and bunnies. Woody and our son were in heaven.

After about a year and a half there, Woody got sick again and this time it seemed even worse. The German vet took all kinds of blood and other fluid samples and sent them to a specialty lab. The result was devastating. Woody had Stuttgart Disease (Leptospirosis) in its final stages. He was terminal and the disease is transmissible to humans, so we decided to let him go before his pain got worse. The vet came to the house and Woody crossed the Rainbow Bridge in his familiar surroundings. He was not even six years old. I was heartbroken and decided I was never going to have another dog, because I could not go through that again.

That lasted about eight years until our boys would not stop asking for a dog. I finally agreed, but only if the dog was not a Brittany Spaniel. They picked a mixed breed puppy named Sugar at the SPCA in Newport News. She was with us for nineteen years and crossed the ocean with us twice. After her death, we decided not to have another dog until we both retired. About six months before that planned date, we saw a notice that a soldier wanted to rehome his Brittany. I thought I was finally ready for another Brittany and went to see the dog. What a disappointment. The dog was orange and white and had no tail. How could they say that this was a pure-bred Brittany? I decided I really didn't know much about Brittanys other than that they were great dogs. I started researching and to my complete surprise I found out they were now called American Brittanys and most of them are orange and have no tails.

My research led me to ABR. After we moved back to the USA we started looking to adopt. We adopted our liver and white girl and decided that helping other dogs like her find a new family would be a great way to honor Woody's memory and deal with his loss. We started transporting, then fostering, and the rest is history. Finding ABR helped us heal our hearts and we are forever grateful.

Erika Curtis, now living in KY

Three months after losing our rescued Brittany Sassy, on November 18, 2016 we had the honor to adopt Chloe, who was 8-1/2 years old. She was completely without fur and had a distended belly. Her ears were crusted with dirt. She was in pretty bad shape. Our vet diagnosed her with Cushing’s disease. But she was an absolute sweetheart! Through intense constant veterinary care, this little girl bounced back; she grew a full coat of beautiful fur, her disease was under control with a monthly shot and daily medication, and she began to thrive in her forever home with all the love we showered on her.

With her medical issues, we truly never expected she would see her 12th birthday. But she was a trooper!! As she reached the age of 14, she began to fail. Three months later, we sadly sent her over the rainbow bridge on July 25th, 2022. Five years and eight months after she saved us!

Sassy was a complete joy . . . so funny, especially settling herself into her favorite blanket, lounging in her doggie bed, posing regally for Mommy, or snuggling in her favorite chair to sleep away the night. Everyone who came in contact with Chloe-- the vet’s staff, groomers, friends and family-- all commented on what a sweet loving girl she was. She was loved, and she is missed.

Thank you for all you do for these beautiful, delightful dogs. We hope to rescue and bring another little girl into our home very soon.

With much affection,

Chris and Christine Weyer

We are pleased to show off our new 10-year-old boy, Slim! We received an email from Deborah Giesler about needing to find someone to foster this boy that had shown up at the Coulee Region Humane Society in Onalaska, Wisconsin. We had been faithfully searching for a senior Brit to become a buddy for our Frenchie Molly, so we jumped right on it! Brought him home a few short days later, and we became forever family. He's a goofy, skinny boy and is just perfect for our almost-10-year-old. It took only three days for them to be super comfortable around each other. We are now tag-team walking multiple times a day, learning new tricks, and chasing each other around the yard. Thanks so much ABR for the beginning of our new family adventure!

-Katherine Schedin

Canine influenza is a contagious respiratory disease in dogs that has not been found to spread from dogs to humans. However, the virus can be easily spread among dogs by direct contact, nasal secretions, contaminated objects, and by people moving between infected and uninfected dogs.

Canine influenza is caused by two different influenza strains, H3N8 and H3N2. The H3N8 strain was first identified in the U.S. in Florida in 2004 and has spread to several other states. The H3N2 strain was first found during an outbreak in Chicago in 2015. Canine influenza is not a seasonal virus and can occur year-round.

The symptoms are cough, runny nose, eye discharge, fever, reduced appetite, and lethargy. However, some dogs may show no symptoms. Most dogs will recover within two to three weeks, but some dogs may develop secondary bacterial infections leading to pneumonia and other serious illnesses. Since the symptoms can resemble those of kennel cough, a visit to the vet may be needed and testing can be conducted if deemed appropriate. Owners whose dogs are showing signs of respiratory disease should not expose their dogs to other dogs or cats, since infection of H3N2 in cats has also been found.

Treatment consists of supportive care to help keep the dog hydrated and comfortable. Antibiotics are often prescribed for a dog that has developed a secondary bacterial infection. Care should be taken around an infected dog such as hand washing and cleaning of shared items and kennels, to reduce the possible spread of the virus.

Vaccines are available for both strains of canine influenza. Vaccination for a dog that has increased exposure to other dogs through boarding, canine events such as dog shows, or visits to dog parks may be recommended. Puppies, senior dogs, and dogs with compromised immune systems may also be at greater risk. Your veterinarian can provide additional information about the vaccines and whether you should consider vaccinating your dog.

Links for Additional Information:

American Veterinary Medical Association

American Kennel Club

CDC: Key Facts about Canine Influenza

CHESTER - 8/24/2022

GHIRADELLI - 8/10/2022

OLIVER - 8/10/2022

FREDDIE - 6/25/22

JAMES - 3/23/2022

ANNIE - 8/31/2022

ABOUT 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

Joe Herslip, Secretary

Jeanette Seely, Interim Treasurer

Sandra Oelschlegel, Chair

Diana Doiron

Deb Grove

Nancy Hensley

Michelle Falkinburg

Melissa Tapply DiLello

AMERICAN BRITTANY RESCUE E-NEWSLETTER TEAM

Brittany Boler

Christine Brennan

Jeannine Connors

Judie Cutting

Kristin Davis

Autumn Fenton

Linda Joyce

Melissa Tapply DiLello

Debra White