Big Fluffy Dog Rescue

Rescue: an endangered species

2011-11-22T10:12:00.001-08:00

This morning, we got a relatively rude email from someone who wanted to adopt a dog from us. The gist of her email was that our adoption fee was outlandish and that she knew other rescues could do it cheaper. The implication, I guess, is that we are somehow profiting from these dogs. This begs the question why is rescue expensive? The answers are complicated.

In many urban areas, particularly in New England and the northwest, adoptable dogs are in demand. Spay/neuter laws have been so successful that the supply of dogs in shelters is very low (save for bully breeds, but that's a sad topic for another day). People want to rescue dogs which is a good thing, but there aren't any to rescue that are in the breed categories they are looking for. Rescue has evolved to fill the void.

Many rescues take dogs from places where supply is high and demand is lower (the South and Midwest predominately) and adopt them to families in areas that want the dogs but don't have them available. This is basic supply-demand economics at work. In the South and the Midwest, vet costs are lower and you can generally take a healthy dog and vet it properly for around $300, barring things like heartworms or orthopedic issues. Transport generally runs in the $150 range and is paid by rescue to the transport to move the dogs in a safe way from where they originated to where they will ultimately be adopted by a USDA-licensed transport company. I am skipping lots of things here for the sake of brevity, but reputable rescues also quarantine those dogs for a minimum of two weeks before they transport anywhere. This means they either have to have a foster home to keep the dog in or they are paying for boarding. Boarding is expensive.

In response to the inquiry, I broke out the basic costs of vetting a typical, 80-pound male dog:

Neuter - low cost clinic - $80
Shots (distemper/parvo, rabies, bordetella, canine influenza, leptospirosis and corona) $ 90
Microchip with lifetime registration - $52
Heartworm/lyme/ehrlychia testing - $40
Fecal exam - $18
Drontal Plus (if needed) $30
Health certificate and exam $50
Transport of dog to rescue $150

This is a rough approximation of what we spend across all the areas we work in for the things we do for a male dog. The chipping is expensive because we register the dog to us for life. If that dog ever ends up in a shelter, we will know about it because we paid for a lifetime registry. Lots of shelters chip now, but very few pay for the lifetime registration because it is very expensive to do. We lump all our medication costs at $30, which includes Drontal Plus, metronidazole, doxycycline and Albon, because we almost always have to treat shelters dog for intestinal parasites or kennel cough and drugs are not free. Some of them like Albon and Drontal, are pricey. I went on to tell her:

I am sure you can do the math. Our expenditures are not secret and last year, we spent $130,000 on vet bills. This year, we're over $200,000. An 8 year old dog costs just as much as a 2 year old dog to vet. If we simply gave the dogs away, we'd close our doors within 2 weeks because we have to pay the vets we use for their services and the transport for their services. As it is, we have to fundraise to make up the difference between our vet bills and our adoption fees every year because we lose so much money. God help us if the dog needs anything extra, like Walter did, who had to have teeth extractions done at an additional $400 which was a bargain price. We had to fundraise to be able to afford his special surgery. Of course, we're not even factoring in the cost of frontline and heartgard and food which is not insignificant. The free things we used to get from companies have dried up as the economy continues to decline. Now we have to make it up ourselves.

One would think that would explain the reality. Apparently not, because we received this in response:

My dog actually had all the previous mentioned vet care as well prior to adoption. I rescued her from an organization that works closely with a vet who runs his own small practice. If he can provide a service free of charge for them, he does, out of his love for animals. Also they have many volunteers, fund-raisers and multitudes of people who make monetary donations, food, bedding, toys, etc. It just saddens me because the average person would take that $450 and put it towards a new young pup. P.S. I have done my research, so please don't insult my intelligence. "Jimmy" a (Husky/Shepard) from a Rescue like yours is only $250. That includes a ride to your home, Neutering, all shots and a microchip and every else you stated.

It's pretty hard to have an informed discussion with someone who is bargain shopping for a dog. We aren't willing to lower our standards and we are not subsidized by either the government or a compassionate vet who wants to donate all his time and supplies. If only such a fairy tale could be true, we'd be in the proverbial high cotton.

Recently, some of the New England states have moved to curb what they believe to be abusive rescue practices and have started passing laws, or in some cases, pretending they have laws, that govern how rescues have to operate. There's nothing wrong with rules, but like so many governmental initiatives, good intentions have given way to stupid regulations which do nothing to promote the public health or the health of the dogs and instead, simply add cost to the process. A cynical rescuer would suspect that the pet stores and breeders are tired of having their business undercut by rescues which provide a fully-vetted dog at a fraction of the cost of a puppy, but I am more inclined to think that we have a classic governmental knee-jerk reaction to a limited problem that needed a scalpel and got a sledgehammer. Regardless of the origin, the cost to comply with the rules has grown exponentially and the cost to simply vet a rescue a dog is also growing, but the adoption fees have not risen proportionately with the costs. This creates a squeeze on rescues. The number of dogs in need is increasing, the cost of providing a healthy, vetted dog is increasing, the number of adopters who can afford the increased cost is shrinking and the number of functional rescues is decreasing as the need to fundraise to make up for the inevitable shortfall between vet expenses and adoption fees exceeds the public's ability to assist. Rescue in general is in danger and the number of dogs who will die is likely to increase.

For years, we thought of rescue as largely recession-proof. However, the lower adoption numbers from the past seven months has undercut that theory as would-be adopters are postponing adoptions due to the cost and their job-security fears. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue is not immune from the overall economic slide. As of November 15, 2011, we essentially closed our doors to new intakes because we don't have the operating reserves at the moment to pay for their vet care until our inventory of existing adoptable dogs is depleted. We have essentially $50,000 worth of vet costs we have already fronted for dogs that are not yet adopted, and with the decline in adoptions, we are turning away dogs for the first time ever this year. The economic fallout combined with weather disasters and the imposition of new regulations is slowly killing rescue. Add to this the cut in funding to shelters in the South and the Midwest that were already overloaded and underfunded, and the likelihood of mass euthanasia is increasing. If it comes down to the local Board voting between cutting two teacher positions or shutting down the animal control facility, you know who will lose.

So for those of you reading who want to know how to help rescue, there are lots of things you can do. Cash is always helpful, but we know it's in short supply. Supplies are always needed, from dog food, to leashes and collars, to blankets and things like Frontline. Offer to foster a dog in need. Of course, adopting a dog is a big way to help. Go call your shelter and offer to walk dogs for them. All of those things help. In the long run, having the general population know what rescue faces right now and how close to extinction we are is half the battle. We don't want to go away, but we can't do it alone.

BFDR eaten out of house and home - looking for food help

2011-10-20T07:48:00.001-07:00

BFDR fans, we have had a big influx of dogs over the past two weeks (including those 27 puppies, a few of which are pictured above) and we need some help with food. We are spending $800 a week to feed all these dogs which is about double our normal budget. This is about 1000 pounds of food a week. (Don't even ask us about the clean up).

If you would like to donate a bag of food, each bag costs us $27 and we can definitely use the help as we are going through thirty bags per week. If you would like to donate to the fund to keep puppies well fed, you can donate here (Paypal or credit card): http://bigfluffydogs.com/pay-online.php. You can also help here:

Thanks as always from the big fluffies of the world for your support.

A new facility for BFDR

2011-09-15T11:55:00.001-07:00

As some of you are aware, we have acquired a new facility for our rescue. This facility is being leased with an option to purchase. The purpose of this facility is to have a place to put dogs in need of quarantine and to have a place to groom, hold for transport and generally serve as a respite between shelter and foster home. So many times, we have had to turn away easily adoptable dogs because we don't have a place to put them in the very short term. We are paying off $12,000 in vet debt still and are slowly working our way back to good fiscal health. This facility will eliminate the need for emergency boarding and all the costs that come with that at a cost which is a fraction of what we have spent for boarding.

Ten days ago, within days of leasing the building, someone stole all the copper wiring and plumbing and stripped the siding. This is a commercial lease, not a residential lease, and we have to put the building to rights for our purposes. With the help of a contractor who has donated his time, we will have the building resided by Sunday of this week and the electrical and plumbing is already back (albeit with security in place). We need around $2000 to afford to build fencing so these guys have a place to play as the funds we had set aside went to pay for the repair of the building.

The estimate to build a 64' x 64' fenced area was $1400 for materials and for the puppy area $600. We have someone to build this for just cost of materials. The play yard will come off the building being resided, insulated and constructed for dog use. This is the space we will have when finished:

As money permits, the property is plenty big enough to build in a grooming station and eventually, our own spay and neuter clinic which is our ultimate goal.

We are fundraising to have enough to simply fence in the two areas to make this facility a better place for the many dogs it will serve. If you would like to donate to help us build a play yard for our big and little fluffies, you can donate here: http://bigfluffydogs.com/pay-online.php and make sure to let us know it's for the fence (you can put it in the company line if using a credit card or paypal will let you send a message). Thank you as always from the big and little fluffies of the world.

This litter of six aussie/pyr puppies will be the first to move in this coming week:

Hurricanes and dogs

2011-08-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Irene is looking more and more like this is going to be a New England hit. Depending on which track this takes, it could hit DE/NJ, Long Island or CT/RI as a strong Cat 1 hurricane. Given the size of the storm, this will affect a very large area. Having loads of recent experience in mass disasters, we are at least better prepared to address what might be coming.

Here is what you all need to be doing if you are in the projected path:

1. Take stock of what you have at your house. Do you need dog food, dog meds, etc? If you have a storm phobic dog in your midst, call the vet tomorrow and get meds. Do not wait until the power is out, the winds are shrieking and your dog is flipping out.
2. Think about how much water you will need. If your city gets knocked out with no power, the water treatment plants will not work. I suggest the big office water coolers with refills that you can get through Home Depot. Buy triple what you think you need. You can buy water purification pills at camping stores and places like Outdoor World to use in a pinch.
3. Keep your car filled with gas. Gas stations do not work without power. You will wish you could find gas later.
4. Get cash. Credit cards won't work either.
5. If you have a gas grill with propane, make sure the propane tank is full. You may be using it to cook everything.
6. Buy coolers and fill them with ice. You will wish you had them later.
7. Clean your bathtub carefully and fill it with water. You will not be able to flush toilets, etc, without this.
8. Stock up on canned food and can openers.
9. If you have a generator, get it ready with whatever you need to keep it running.
10. If you have trees with big branches over your house, consider trimming them back. Even if nothing materializes, come ice storm season, you'll be glad you did.
11. Load up on supplies like bandaids, antibiotic creams, and the like. Cuts to dog paws after storms are common.

Tomorrow is the very last golden day you will have to get what you need without panicked crowds. Take advantage of it. If this hurricane holds course, by Thursday there will be pandemonium and you won't be able to find batteries, weather radios, water, plywood, gasoline, ice, etc.

If you are a foster for Big Fluffy Dog Rescue, please email elizabeth@bigfluffydogs.com and check in. Let us know whether you will ride it out or evacuate and if you need us to take your foster dog. Make sure to give her your back up contact information in case your power and cell service is out for a lengthy period. This will give us a place to check in and be sure you don't need help. If you can offer to foster dogs and are not in the direct path of the storm, please email lizb@bigfluffydogs.com and let her know you are willing to help foster.

The golden rule is you have to assume no power for days on end and spotty to no cell service and no services available. Do not wait to the last minute and make sure you are in a safe place. Batten down the hatches and be safe.

Big Fluffy Dog Rescue needs help

2011-08-07T17:35:00.001-07:00

Update on BFDR 8/11/11

We would like to thank everyone who has stepped up to help us, including one very generous person named Robin (you know who you are) who has stepped up to help Big Fluffy Dog Rescue. We have raised enough to cover Rosalind's vet bill and part of Toby's expenses. All told, we have raised just shy of $2500. We have about $4500 to raise to help get us on more stable footing. We have stopped taking anyone else in until we can clear what we owe, but we hope we are able to resume normal intakes in a couple of weeks. We will continue to fund raise and we appreciate all the donations we have already received - you all are the best. We also appreciate what everyone does for us - fostering and volunteering and of course, adopting our fluffies. Thanks again from all of us.

BFDR
**************************************
It has been a very expensive two weeks for Big Fluffy Dog Rescue. We lost a puppy we tried so hard to save and racked up $1200 for her hospitalization. Then there was Toby the Saint Bernard who suffered from heat stroke and cost $2000 to save. Then we took in the 11 abandoned pyr mixes who required immediate vet attention for another $1500. The latest in a long string is Rosalind, who is in the hospital with severe pneumonia, cause unknown. After less than 30 hours in the hospital, she has a bill in excess of $2200. We have spent just under $7000 in 11 days and we need help.

We have raised just over $900 and we have a huge and unexpected deficit to the point where we are going to have to close our doors for several weeks just to get ourselves back in the black. We hope we do not have to do this.

Many of our fans have donated to help us and we thank you as always. We have more than 11,000 fans on Facebook and more than 6000 adopters. $1 from each would allow us to continue our mission. If you would like to help, you can donate by clicking here. Thanks as always from the big fluffies of the world.

We are building a new house for Mom and pups!

2011-07-31T20:12:00.000-07:00

Over the years, we have wished for a place that we could put a nursing or expectant Mom that would be available on a moment's notice and safe for Mom and pups. Finding a foster for nursing and expectant Moms is very difficult as most fosters cannot manage their requirements for care.

Fast forward to today and we now have our own private property for the quarantining of dogs coming to rescue straight from shelters. This property has a resident caretaker who lives with the dogs and cares for them 24 hours a day. We are expanding this property to include a small building that is heated and cooled with an attached small, fenced area just for puppies. This puppy haven will allow us to have a safe place to put Moms and pups while we look for a permanent foster home for them. The cost of this will be $350 for fencing materials, $550 for a small air conditioning and heating unit, installed and $1250 for the small building at cost built by a contractor donating his time. The total cost for this little project is $2150.

If you would like to donate to this project, you can donate at http://bigfluffydogs.com/pay-online.php via credit card or paypal. If you donate via credit card, please send us an email at director@bigfluffydogs.com so that we know this is earmarked for the building. (The credit card folks don't give that option). Thanks as always from the big fluffies of the world.

Gretchen needs our help

2011-07-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

Meet Gretchen, a 4 year old Great Pyrenees. Gretchen came to us with severe luxating patellas and a blown out ACL. She is going to require extensive surgery and she is in pain. This video clip shows what Gretchen looks like walking.

As you can see, Gretchen's walk is a mess and she needs our help. We have an orthopedic surgeon who will do both knees and the ACL tear for $3500 which is quite a gift as expensive as it is. We are fundraising to be able to help her. If you would like to donate, you can do so here with a credit card or with paypal here (scroll down to the bottom for Paypal). As always, we appreciate our fans and we thank you from the big fluffy dogs of the world.

In Memoriam: Amelia, the service dog

2011-07-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

In April, one of our vets called us to ask us to take in 14 year old Amelia. Amelia had served her entire life as a service dog bearing weight for her family. When she grew very old and could no longer do her job, she was turned in to the agency she originally came from by her family. That agency then took Amelia to the vet to be euthanized. Many of you were outraged, as we were.

Even though we are not a lab rescue and even though we are not a senior rescue, we are a dog rescue and Amelia was a dog in need. And so it was that Amelia came to Big Fluffy Dog Rescue as an honorary fluffy. Sara and Eli opened their home to her as part of their "Crone Dog Army" and she became one of several older female dogs in their home. Amelia loved her family and she loved her new home and they loved her.

As the summer passed, Amelia began to fade. First, her back legs failed her and Sara and Eli began to carry her out to the porch with them where she loved to put her nose in the wind and watch the world go by. Sharp as a tack, nothing got past Amelia's notice and she was clearly still on the job even as her body failed her.

With the passing of the days, Amelia grew weaker until it became apparent that her front legs were now failing her and her time with us was growing short. With one last great day under her belt, Amelia let us know she was ready to go. Amelia went quietly to the Rainbow Bridge and she leaves us sadder at her passing, but glad for the time we had with her. We thank Eli and Sara for making her a part of their family and we thank Amelia for the grace she showed us despite those that failed her before.

We'll see you on the other side, Amelia.

Amelia has inspired us to try to reach out to more senior dogs who need hospice care. These dogs typically come with medical needs attached, but they have good quality of life even though they are not what we would deem adoptable dogs. We have started a fund in Amelia's honor to specifically help senior dogs in need.

Drowning in puppies - Big Fluffy Dog Rescue needs some help

2011-06-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks, Big Fluffy Dog Rescue has taken in more than 75 puppies,40 of which came as the direct result of the devastating tornadoes. Some of the puppies:

We love puppies, but they are very expensive and very time-consuming. Each puppy must be quarantined separately, must have a minimum of two sets of shots, be altered, chipped and screened for parasites. Puppies in the long run are far more expensive for a rescue to manage than an adult dog because they just have to have more vet care.

In the spring of this year, we lost 30 puppies in quick succession to various illnesses, including parvo and an odd strain of coronavirus. This cost rescue more than $14,000. Whatever reserves we had evaporated. With the influx of puppies, we've had to front a tremendous amount of cash to provide vet care for them which has stripped us of our ability to help other dogs in need. We are now in need.

If you would like to donate, you can do so at this link (click on donate): http://www.bigfluffydogs.com/pay-online.php. There is a regular credit card link and a paypal link there. If you would like to donate directly to the vet, they can be reached at 615-553-4156. Just tell them it's for Big Fluffy Dog Rescue's puppy fund and they will let us know.

As always, we appreciate the help and the big fluffy dogs of the world send their thanks.

Tornado survivors - emaciated Mom and pups need foster homes

2011-05-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

Big Fluffy Dog Rescue took in 32 puppies and dogs yesterday that survived the tornadoes last month. Included in that total is an absolutely emaciated Mom and nine of her 5 1/2 week old puppies. We need foster homes for these puppies immediately.

This is Mom:

She is a young Mom and she has done her very best for her puppies, but she is nearly spent and we have to wean these puppies to save her life. Mom is quite small and we think she is a beagle mix. Her condition is tragic, but her puppies are in dire need of food, love and attention.

This little puppy is nearly starved:

They are all desperate for water and food:

These puppies are likely aussie beagle mixes as we see faint red merle patterns in their fur.

This little guy is weak and could barely eat, but he gave it a try:

One of the puppies we named Daffodiil had to be hospitalized this morning due to starvation and dehydration:

These puppies need to be separated and cared for. They are safe for now, but they need a lot of one on one attention. They are all very food aggressive at the moment which is a direct result of their starvation. This will go away on its own with time and food and love. It is sad that they ever got to this point.

If you can help foster one of the puppies or the Mom, please email jean@bigfluffydogs.com or call Tina at 931-209-8189. These puppies are in middle Tennessee.

Charlie's new life

2011-04-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

Charlie came to us two weeks ago as a terrible neglect case. A Good Samaritan had called us to ask us to intervene for a dog with a huge tumor that was left in a field without any care. This is what we saw on arrival:

The tumor this poor boy was dragging behind his left front shoulder was enormous and was so huge and heavy that it tore his skin and it was bleeding and infected:

We also took two five month old Pyrenees puppies that were nailed shut inside an old metal ice cream cart because the farmer "couldn't keep them in the fence":

In rescue, the two girls Nora and Nadia are now much happier and on the road to recovery:

Now we have turned our attention to Charlie. Charlie had surgery this week to remove the tumor. It turned out he had multiple tumors behind the major tumor. We got the path reports back and the great news is that he does not have cancer and the tumors are benign. The bad news is that the surgery took an enormous amount of tissue and was very expensive.

We have started a chip in fund to help defray the costs of his surgery. If you would like to donate, you can do so by clicking here, or by going directly to http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/charlies-new-life. Thanks as always for your kindness toward the big fluffy dogs of the world.

Puppy roundup

2011-03-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

People often ask what it's like getting puppies ready for new homes. Here's a photo essay of today.

Get up at crack of dawn and drive to clinic to pick up 14 puppies who were spayed and neutered yesterday.

On arrival, puppies are rambunctious and need to potty and run before the drive back.

14 puppies will not easily fit in a car, but it can be done:

On arrival, the puppies are eager to see out the window. Some puppy heads are bigger than others:

Alas, only so many heads can fit out the back window, but there are actually 14 puppies here:

Notice that we aren't showing pictures of the car after the fact. Some things are just better left unspoken.

Titus needs help

2011-03-07T20:41:00.001-08:00

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Meet Titus. Titus is a 16 month old male Great Pyrenees. Titus was an absolutely average, normal dog until this morning. Suddenly and without warning, Titus began to vomit incredible amounts of blood. He was rushed to the vet and he continued to lose blood internally. Xrays were normal, blood work was normal (except for the hematocrit levels) and even the ultrasounds we had done revealed nothing. With his life on the line, we told the vet to do transfusions to get his blood volume level up to keep him from dying as he had lost nearly half his blood volume.

Titus appears to have a severe bleeding ulcer which has apparently perforated the stomach. Once stabilized, he will need additional surgical intervention to repair the damage. This young dog is in danger of losing his life and he may well be the most expensive dog to grace our rescue.

We have set up a chip in fund to help raise fund to save his life. His vet costs will exceed $5000.

Thank you as always from the big fluffy dogs of the world.

Baxter gets a haircut

2011-03-05T21:46:00.000-08:00

People often ask me are these dogs really that fluffy? Do they really shed? Sometimes, pictures are really better than words.

Before:

After, looking very naked:

The aftermath:

Great Pyrenees as a general rule do not do well shaved. They will burn in the sun and anyone who shaves a Great Pyrenees must be vigilant about ensuring the dog does not get a sunburn. Great Pyrenees and the other mountain breeds suffer in the heat, so with spring around the corner, please remember to pay attention to your dog's comfort.

Big Fluffy Dog Rescue is expanding

2011-02-19T21:53:00.000-08:00

Big Fluffy Dog Rescue has long had a base of operations in Tennessee/Kentucky and in the New England area. As time has passed, we have been asked repeatedly to open branches in other areas. Until recently, that was not practical. With recent changes to Petfinder and better transport options, we are now ready to talk about expanding our mission to save dogs in other areas.

To start, we are planning to expand into the NY/NJ/PA area. We are working to identify additional volunteers who are willing to help us serve those areas. We have made our first tentative foray into the New York City/Long Island/northern NJ area and plan to expand to a wider area down the road. We are looking for volunteers to help us foster dogs, transport dogs and perform home visits in these areas. We are also looking to rescue dogs in these areas and will be looking for volunteers to keep an eye on local shelters that have big fluffies in need.

We are also looking to expand into the Chicago/Milwaukee area and are actively working to start this branch now. We will need more volunteers to foster dogs, evaluate potential adopters and help with all the administrative work that comes with rescue.

We are excited about this potential opportunity to help more big fluffies. We hope you all will want to be a part of our rescue efforts as they expand into new areas. If you are interested in volunteering in any of these areas, please email jean@bigfluffydogs.com. Thanks as always from the big fluffies of the world.

125 dogs, 6 weeks.

2011-02-16T16:46:00.000-08:00

Just a few weeks ago, we were all congratulating ourselves on a job well done for rescuing 599 dogs in 2010. 6 weeks later, we've already rescued more than 125 dogs, of which 85 are puppies. This is not a good sign.

Puppy season traditionally hits us in early spring and we are off to a terribly early and record-setting start. This is bad for rescue because it siphons so many resources. Puppies are more time consuming, they are more expensive to care for and they are more fragile. Every litter of puppies we take in means at least two fosters homes are not available and we can't help the adults in need. Not being able to help them means death to the older dogs.

Rescue works by placing dogs in adoptive homes to open up foster homes for new dogs. In order to place dogs, you have to be able to vet the dogs. Having to vet 10 puppies at a time is obviously 10 times more expensive, requiring a huge up front investment. When you have 85 puppies in rescue, that's a lot of up front expense.

Every dog in this post is currently in rescue. There are 80 more that need foster homes. In addition, there are more than 50 adult dogs waiting to go into foster homes, both in the South and in New England. You can help us by fostering a dog. Every dog that has a foster home opens up a foster home in the South to save a life. Right now, we have nine dogs in danger of being put to sleep because we have no place to put them. It is devastating to say no to a perfectly adoptable dog just because of space. Every one of you that has adopted from us has a dog that was at one time nearly put to sleep. The world would be a little less colorful without each and every dog we have saved in it. We want to do more, but we need your help.

Here are just two in danger of euthanasia this week:

and

If you are in Tennessee or surrounding states and would like to foster a dog, please email Tina at tina@bigfluffydogs.com or Sabrina at sabrina@bigfluffydogs.com and tell them you want to foster a dog.

If you are in New England and would like to foster a dog, email Liz at liz@bigfluffydogs.com

If you are anywhere in the PA/NY/NJ area and would like to foster, email Jean at jean@bigfluffydogs.com

For those that cannot foster but want to help, we can always use donations. Vet care, collars, flea preventative, etc, is expensive and we are always grateful for supplies like blankets and towels, leashes, etc. Go to our website and click on this link: http://www.bigfluffydogs.com/pay-online.php. . Make sure to let us know that this is a donation to help the puppies.

Thank you as always from the big fluffy dogs of the world.

Why Dogs Get Shot in the South

2011-02-12T19:52:00.000-08:00

At least three to four times a year, we get a dog in to rescue that has been shot. Sometimes, the dog is lucky and only has a souvenir to remind him of his adventure in the form of buckshot in the backside. Sometimes, though, you get dogs in rescue like Elijah. Elijah was shot point blank more than ten times. He lost part of his jaw, his teeth and his front leg. He is a very, very lucky dog because he was found days after he had been shot. This is what that looks like, and I warn you, it's graphic:

Elijah was exceptionally lucky to have survived and he is now a very famous ambassador for the Great Pyrenees breed and rescue in general. (He is also living the high life now in Massachusetts, so rest easy). Elijah arrived right before Christmas in 2008 and his condition made me question the state of humanity. Aside from the obvious, the question is how could this happen? The reality is not easy, nor is there a simple solution.

In many places across the South, there are no animal shelters. In extremely rural, poor areas, dogs are abandoned in the country because there's simply no place to house an unwanted dog and people like the fantasy that dogs will survive on their own and enjoy living free. Of course, spay and neuter in the long run is the solution, but the larger question is what do we do with dogs that are simply unwanted?

Elijah came from Macon County, Tennessee. Elijah is one of many counties in Tennessee that have no animal control services at all. If a dog shows up on someone's property, the property owner has four choices: 1) look for a rescue or shelter somewhere else that will take the dog, 2) find the dog a home on their own, 3) ignore the dog and hope it goes away or 4) kill the dog with a gunshot. In rural areas, option 4 is considered perfectly acceptable and it is also legal to do this under the "livestock harassment" statutes. A starving, abandoned dog is going to search for food as best it can, and a chicken can be awfully tempting to a starving Mama with puppies to feed.

So whose fault is this? In the South, taxes are low, but services are non-existent. To residents of New England, this state of affairs is almost inconceivable. However, when you consider that some rural areas have privatized even their most basic services like fire protection, you end up with cases where those who fail to pay are forced to watch their homes burn because there's no one to help since they didn't opt in for fire protection. Care for people is inadequate, let alone animals, and rescuers are shouting to be heard in a place where there are much higher budget priorities than animal shelters.

There is no easy answer to the animal population issues in the South. Much of it is cultural as dogs are frequently viewed in the same light as livestock. Religion also plays a role and the tenet that God gave man dominion over all animals has also diminished the value of dogs in some people's eyes. Spay and neuter laws that are actually enforced is the key to resolving this issue, but we are sadly a very long way from seeing the end of the Elijahs of the world.

Great Pyrenees puppies at play

2011-01-30T13:18:00.001-08:00

These are three of our parvo survivors at play. We calculate that by the time we pay off all their expenses, they will cost us $240 a pound. We think they're probably worth it.

If you would like to help us continue our mission to rescue dogs, you can donate here:

Elijah, the gunshot dog

2011-01-29T21:31:00.000-08:00

Meet Elijah. Elijah is a 10 month old Great Pyrenees puppy who came in to rescue with us on Friday. Elijah had been shot in the face and had a .22 slug removed from his left cheek where it lodged after being shot through his chin. Another slug was discovered in his shoulder and surgery is set for Monday.

Elijah was the third dog we took in on Friday that suffered a gunshot wound. I do not know what compels anyone to shoot a dog, but to have three gunshot victims in one day is unbearable. Sadly, one did not survive and we mourn his loss.

Elijah will make a full recovery and we expect him to make it without permanent damage, beyond a scar to his lip. We are expecting a $2000 bill for his care, so if you would like to donate, you can do so here:

Thank you as always from the big fluffy dogs of the world.

These dogs need rescue help ASAP in middle TN - Updated

2010-12-12T20:17:00.000-08:00

We are helping with a hoarding case in middle Tennessee. There were more than 130 dogs of every conceivable breed and mix - 60 - 70 are still on property. Some are in better shape than others, but all are in serious danger. We have a deadline of Wednesday, December 15, 2010, to get these dogs safely to rescue. This is a small selection of what is in need, but these are the only dogs we have pictures of at the moment. If you are interested in rescuing any of these dogs, please contact Holly at cloverforrover@yahoo.com. Please spread the word. Help is needed.

If you would like to donate to help defray the costs Big Fluffy Dog Rescue has incurred, you can donate here.

These pictures were taken over the past two days, before the snow hit. There are more than 60 dogs still on the property in appalling conditions and without heat in these frigid temperatures. 60+ dogs have been removed.

1. Sharpei mix. This poor boy is friendly and adorable and desperate for affection. He is in poor condition and has lost significant fur. He weighs around 65 pounds.

2. Red pit. This dog is so sweet, but in very very poor condition. He is missing most of the fur on his body, he is covered with sores from head to toe from being attacked by other dogs, and he is seriously underweight. I think he will need to be an only dog in light of what I saw, but there's no way to know.

and

3. Collie/shep mix "Brady". This is a young dog and was in good condition. Very friendly.

4. Boxer mix puppy. This puppy was probably 16 weeks old. Very friendly. Active. In good condition.

5. Another red pit, male, unaltered. Friendly with people. Unknown on other dogs. Moderate condition, patches of mange and an eye infection. Needs care.

6. Deaf English setter mix. Female I think. Very friendly and good with other dogs. Seemed in good condition.

7. Bernese Mountain dog mix. He probably actually is a swissie or berner mix. Young - less than a year at a guess. 80 pounds or so. Moderately bossy but fine with other dogs.

8. Another pit - in kennel with catahoula, deaf pointer and berner. Very sweet. Small. Bad mange.

9. Catahoula. Very young, very pretty. Red merle. Nice dog in good condition. In with the deaf pointer, berner and small pit bull.

10. Husky. This one is a confirmed cat eater, but other than that, very sweet. He was in good condition.

11. Another pit bull - this one is male (I think) with brindle patches on a white body. very friendly.

12. An American eskimo and a black lab. I was not allowed to touch these nor was anything said, but I have learned these dogs are unsocialized. They appeared to be wary but approachable. These will need a rescue with patience.

13. White pit bull with one blue eye. This dog stole my heart. Very sweet, very friendly. On the small side and in good condition.

14. One pit bull, two boxer mixes. These dogs were friendly and seemed to be good with each other. There is one red pit bull, one elderly female boxer in poor condition and one boxer mix of unknown sex in good condition. The female boxer needs immediate intervention.

15. Six puppies. Four are black lab mixes and they are in terrible condition with mange and open sores on their body. There is a boxer puppy in there who wants to play with a plastic ring and a beautiful husky mix female puppy. The four puppies are in danger as they are in very poor body condition.

and

and

and

16. Wilma, the blue pit. This dog is a project. She is in very poor condition and is poorly socialized. Not good with other dogs and she needs a very experienced handler.

and

17. Last but not least, Samson. This dog was in good condition, but on a tie out. He is wary of new people, but friendly. Small. Spaniel mix.

There are many more dogs than pictures still in need. Please spread the word.

An Open Letter to Rescues

2010-11-23T17:54:00.001-08:00

The word "rescue" is a simple word with a whole range of meanings. In the animal rescue world, "rescue" generally means an organization of any size that saves animals in need. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue fits within this definition, as do many others. However, rescue should mean a lot more if the organization is adopting the animal its saves to the public.

Recently, I received a call from an adopter of a Great Pyrenees puppy that had been adopted from another rescue (not Big Fluffy Dog Rescue). The puppy was sick and the adopter needed advice. This is hardly unusual as every rescue gets random calls like this. Sometimes, an adopter does not really understand that the rescue the puppy was adopted from is run by volunteers who have job commitments elsewhere and they want an instant response. Lack of an instant response is not a sin for any rescue and adopters need to be patient. What surprised me about this call were the facts laid out for me by the adopter.

The puppy in question was adopted at eight weeks of age straight off transport. This puppy came from Missouri and was listed for adoption on a New England website. The Petfinder listing for the posting showed a dog that was clearly no more than five weeks old but claimed to be seven weeks old and stated that the dog was ready for immediate adoption and transport. USDA regulations mandate that the puppy be a minimum of eight weeks of age before transport. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue will not place a puppy under ten weeks of age, and typically, puppies we place are older than twelve weeks at the time of adoption. (We consider it risky to place puppies without two sets of shots, and there are rescues that mandate three sets.) The paperwork received from the rescue showed one handwritten sheet with a single distemper parvo shot label affixed to the paper. All this puppy had received was a single shot which according to the paperwork, had been administered four days prior to transport. The price for this puppy? $350 to the "rescue" plus the cost of transport. My friends, this is not rescue. This is selling dogs and it must stop.

The ethical approach to rescue requires that the rescue not add to the problem or create a new one. In the midwest and the South, there are legions of unaltered dogs adding more and more unwanted puppies to the population. New England has largely managed to stop this and the problem with unwanted dogs there is largely (although not totally) limited to specific breeds and not dogs in general. Rescues bringing in dogs that aren't vetted properly or altered risk everything rescue stands for. The puppy is at risk for disease and can be a carrier of disease. The puppy may also grow up to breed unwanted puppies in an area where this was not a problem. Under any scenario, it is never OK to place dogs into homes that are not properly vetted. Shipping unvetted, unaltered dogs to an adopter under the label of "rescue" is no better than if the dog had come from a puppy mill. This is a loophole that any disreputable puppy mill could use to sell its puppies under the guise of rescue, thus whitewashing the true origins of the puppy. Do I think this is a common occurence? No. Do I think it could happen? Absolutely.

There is absolutely no ethical reason that any rescue should send a dog to an adopter or place the dog in a home for a fee when the dog has not had basic vetting. At a minimum, a reputable rescue should ensure the dog has had suitable and age-appropriate distemper/parvo, bordetella and rabies shots, the dog should be spayed or neutered, and the dog should have been tested for heartworms if the dog is old enough for this to be a concern. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue does a great deal more than this for its dogs and is adding canine influenza shots as soon as our vets begin to carry the vaccine in the new year. However, at a minimum, most rescues would agree this is a minimal amount of care that should be provided before adopting a dog to a public. So why are some rescues sending out unvetted, unaltered dogs into the world for a relatively hefty fee in proportion to the veterinary care actually provided for the dog? I'm not sure I know.

I have had discussions with many rescues about the difficulty in finding vets that will alter puppies prior to six months of age. I recognize there are some vets that simply refuse to alter puppies less than six months of age. If this is the case, find another vet. It's that simple. Taking a small deposit as insurance that the dog will be altered simply takes too much control from the rescue's hands. As a rescue, you should never be in a position to have to wonder if the owner of the dog actually got the spay/neuter done. Worst case scenario as an example: you follow up and the adopter refuses to alter the dog. You go to court to enforce your contract. This assumes that a) you have the funds to hire someone to enforce your contract, b) that the judge will agree with you and c) that the dog has not already been bred. Are you willing to risk this?

I have had other discussions with people about the need to move dogs quickly so they don't hold them that long before moving them for adoption. This is also completely irresponsible. I understand all about facing daunting numbers of dogs dying in shelters, but this does not excuse the rescue from responsibly dealing with the dogs in its care already. If you are rushing dogs out the door without properly quarantining the dogs for an appropriate length of time after they have been pulled from disease-ridden shelters, then you are risking not only your dogs, but other dogs on transport and in the public and in the adoptive home, and this is simply unacceptable and irresponsible. Eventually, if you are doing this, you risk the very concept of rescue as states shut the doors to rescue. Do you really want to be the reason that rescue was shut down?

If you are assisting other rescues in placing dogs through your organization, you have an obligation to know who you are dealing with. While we all want to believe that rescues are all doing right, this is not true. There are bad rescues just like there are bad people. Unless you have inspected the rescue's records and know the rescue to be doing the right thing, you are part of the problem if you help someone adopt dogs without making sure that the rescue has vetted the dog. If you are taking money to help place the dog, you are a dog broker and nothing you can say to me in support of that practice will change that. If you are a dog broker, you are selling dogs. This is not an acceptable, ethical practice even if you are using the funds to fund your rescue efforts. By all means, help a rescue, but don't take their money. It looks bad and it makes rescue as a whole look shady. We already fight the label from the uneducated quarters that we are "selling" dogs. Please don't make it true.

I understand that there will always be mistakes made. We all do it and it will happen again to us and to you. C'est la vie. I also know that dogs will get sick even with the best care. That does not mean we can't learn from our mistakes and try to improve our practices. I realize there are discussions to be had about the many animal control facilities and shelters allowing dogs to be adopted without even a spay or neuter, but rescue needs to clean up its act before it turns its eyes on the animal shelters that permit this practice.

A day in the life of a rescuer: saving Thunder

2010-11-22T20:23:00.000-08:00

Last week, Thunder came in to rescue with us. Thunder was a working dog guarding goats by himself in the field. A pack of coyotes doing what coyotes do decided to lure him off to get a quick dinner. Thunder tried to defend his charges and ended up badly injured. His owner took him to the shelter because he could not afford to fix him. The shelter has no budget and took him to a vet that would only close him up, but the shelter could not pay for drains or antibiotics, so the vet stapled him up and he went back to the shelter. Three days later,Thunder was in dire condition.

Thunder had a fever and a raging infection. Pus was pouring from the wound and Thunder's chest muscle was necrotic. To save Thunder, a volunteer had to go get Thunder from the shelter and pay $80 for a pull fee. This is during the work day, so she had to make time to get him. His rescuer then drove him 35 miles to a vet that could work him in last minute.

The vet got Thunder and immediately set to work cleaning the wound and removing dead tissue. This is after the dead tissue was removed, but before the wound was closed and a drain inserted:

Once the wound was closed, it was time for IV antibiotics. Three days later, Thunder was ready to go. Total cost for 3 days of care with IV antibiotics and wound care: $987.62.

Thunder after three days at the vet:

It was time for Thunder to go home to foster and get well. Because no foster homes were open, Thunder went to a home that already had two other foster dogs in house plus four of their own dogs. Foster homes are frequently the difference between life and death for a dog.

Thunder looked and smelled awful. He was matted, had ticks, and was dirty and smelled like goats. Ick. First things first: deticking. Ticks are disgusting and they cause disease, but they don't go away without being removed. His foster Mom picked off more than 200 ticks. We have had dogs with more than 1000 ticks covering the dog. Once deticked, it's time to remove mats to get a good look at the skin below. With the aid of a rake and a mat comb, Thunder filled up a 25 gallon trash can with discarded dead nasty smelly old fur:

His foster Mom spent 6 hours removing mats from his body. However, the mats may have been removed, but he was nasty and smelly and needed a bath. No groomer will touch a dog in his condition, so his foster took him to Wags and Whiskers to bathe him. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue gets lots of help from odd corners, and Wags and Whiskers has always been helpful to our rescues. Thunder cooperated by slowly walking up the ramp and calmly sitting in the tub.

An hour later and lots of soap and careful washing and rinsing to be sure the injured area stayed dry, and we had a clean and sparkling white Great Pyrenees boy. Add in the cost of the bath and the new collar to make the handsome boy even more handsome, and the total cost to date is just shy of $1100. At this point, Thunder has not been neutered, has not had his shots and has had no other vet care other than emergency vet care. We have another $300 to spend minimum. Here's Thunder clean (with some leaves added after a happy roll under the tree post-bath) and happy and hanging out with his foster friends:

With a foster home open, his temporary foster home drove him another 40 miles to get to his new foster home. Here is Thunder in his new foster home:

In three to four weeks, Thunder will be ready to go to his new home which will require more vet work, transport and volunteers to get him to the transport and picked up from the transport. Hopefully, before Christmas, Thunder will be in a new home with a family who will adore him.

Not all rescues are this complicated or terrible, but they all involve money, time and to a certain extent, the juggling of resources. Every rescue has problems arise: a foster has to cancel out, a dog ends up with a serious and expensive health problem, or an adopter fails to pay an adoption fee and the scrambling to cover costs ensues. For every wonderful dog we have placed over the years, there is a long litany of obstacles overcome and every dog is a testament to the work we do and the adopters who make these dogs members of their family. So the next time you see a dog in rescue, you will know about the time, money and energy that went into rescuing that dog, so raise a toast to the fosters and volunteers that made the dog the beautiful, well-adjusted pet that it is.

If you would like to contribute to Thunder's fund, you can do so here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/thunder-attacked-by-a-pack-of-coyotes

Thunder - attacked by coyotes

2010-11-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

Thunder came to us this afternoon in terribly sad shape. Thunder is a 9-10 month old male Great Pyrenees who was turned in to a shelter by his farmer owner. Thunder had a gaping chest wound which required immediate attention. For whatever reason, the vet the shelter took the dog to for temporary care simply stapled the wound shut without drains, antibiotics, pain medication or other care. By the time we got him today, he was a mess with a very serious infection.

This is the picture of Thunder we got asking for help which was surprisingly benign:

He did not look like he was in terrible shape, so we were shocked to find this was what his injury was under his fur:

Thunder is covered with puncture wounds and this very serious rip just below his throat. It appears that Thunder was a working dog in the field and was attacked either by coyotes or possibly feral dogs.

Thunder needs a foster where he can get well and we need help with fundraising his care. Thunder is currently in the hospital with drains and getting antibiotics to knock the infection.

The chip in for his care is here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/thunder-attacked-by-a-pack-of-coyotes. If you are interested in fostering Thunder and are in the middle Tennessee area, please let us know. Thanks from the big fluffies of the world.

Home for the holidays - help us help the homeless dogs for Christmas

2010-11-10T19:54:00.001-08:00

Today is November 10. We are two weeks and a day from Thanksgiving and 45 days from Christmas. This is the time of year we all start to think about our families and the traveling, buying and general mayhem inherent in enjoying (and sometimes just surviving) the holidays. However, as a rescuer, I dread holidays. This is the time of year when the most dogs die in kill shelters simply because boarding is unavailable and foster homes dry up as everyone is just busy. It is tragic, but we can stop it now.

This is Frost:

Frost was found on December 22 tied on a chain at an abandoned farm. He was emaciated, weighing 55 pounds, had almost no fur and was actually partially frozen to the ground. We were fortunate to find vet care, but there were no foster homes available and there was not a boarding facility to be found. Frost tugged at our heartstrings and we moved heaven and earth to help get him to safety. Sadly, at the same time, there were 2 Saint Bernards, 4 Great Pyrenees and 6 pyr mix puppies we had no place for and they all were euthanized because we had no space, no foster homes and no boarding available. None of this would have been necessary if we'd had even three days' worth of boarding space available to get us past Christmas.

With time short now and boarding kennels filling up, Big Fluffy Dog Rescue is taking a proactive but risky stance. We have rented space in blocks from a boarding facility. For $2000 a month, we can house up to 20 dogs while we find foster space for them, even if it's Christmas Eve. So from now until January 15, we have 20 spaces available at our beck and call. No one will die for lack of space.

That's why we are asking for help to fund raise the cost of this project. We've paid it in in advance in blind faith that we can raise the funds so we can all enjoy our families and the holidays without the sinking feeling that we left behind a big fluffy dog in need. Please donate as you can and pass the word for our project. Every dog deserves a home and we would like to ring in 2011 with a whole new slate of happy big dogs looking for new families in the new year.

If you would like to donate to the Home for the Holidays fund, you can chip in here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/home-for-the-holidays

Steel traps and puppy paws

2010-10-24T13:40:00.001-07:00

Meet Sunshine.

Sunshine is a 3 year old aussie/beagle mix we have taken in to rescue. Sunshine has charmed everyone she has met, including us, and despite being neither big nor fluffy, Sunshine has found a spot in rescue with Big Fluffy Dog Rescue. Sunshine has an injury though, that is causing her a great deal of pain and she needs surgery. This is Sunshine’s paw:

Sunshine’s front right paw was caught in a steel trap which are sadly still legal in Tennessee. Sunshine’s paw was mangled and as the vet explained to us, even though it looks like it has largely healed and she is only missing half a paw, she has severe synostosis of the metacarpal which is causing her excruciating pain and she cannot put weight on that paw. The plan is to try to salvage the paw by relocating the bad and removing the last toe to ease the pressure on the nerve, but if the surgery starts and the surgeon feels he cannot stop the pain for her, Sunshine will become a tripod. We are fundraising for Sunshine’s care as we want the very best for her and we have set up a chip in here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/sunshine-of-the-mangled-paw-needs-surgery

Please pass the word and thanks as always from the big fluffy dogs (and not so big fluffy dogs) of the world.

Cinnamon the Burn Victim needs help

2010-09-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

Meet Cinnamon. Cinnamon is a 5 year old non-descript brown dog from Tennessee. She is neither big, nor particularly fluffy, but we rescued her just the same. Cinnamon was badly burned, on purpose. She sat in a shelter for several days in this condition before she was rescued. The pain must have been unbearable.

As you can see, she has signficant burns across her body.

She has what would be termed second and third degree burns (in the vet world she has partial thickness burns and an area of full thickness burns) over 15-20% of her body. It is a miracle she was alive after this. She is now battling an infection and will likely require some skin grafting. We expect her to make a full recovery, but not without some extensive medical care and even so, she will have some scars that remain.

We have started a chip in for her care. If you would like to donate, you can do so here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/cinnamon-the-burn-victim-dog. She will also need a foster home at some point where she can recover. She is is in the middle Tennessee area now. If you would be interested in fostering her, please email chrissi@bigfluffydogs.com.

Thanks as always from the big fluffy dogs, and even the honorary ones.

What not to name your dog

2010-09-16T15:57:00.001-07:00

There are certain names you should never, ever name a dog. I'm not talking about names like Max or Buddy or Abby, of which there are millions each. No, I'm talking about unfortunate names. Like 'Virtue'. Exhibit A, from petfinder:

VIRTUE-MISSING!!
Saint Bernard: An adoptable dog in Franklin, TN
Medium • Adult • Female

VIRTUE WAS TAKEN OUT OF ANMIAL CONTROL ON 9-14-10. Virtue is a beautiful St. Bernard and is two years old. She is a very sweet and gentle dog who loves to be petted and will roll over for belly rubs. Virtue has gret manners, loves to go for walks, and enjoys playtime in the shelter yard. She does well with people of all ages and also enjoys the company of other dogs. Virtue is a friendly, good-natured dog who will be a great family companion! E-mail wcacangels@yahoo.com for more information!

It is sad that this dog is missing and was stolen. It is unintentionally hilarious that they are now posting "Virtue was taken out of animal control" and "Virtue missing".

Assuming that at some point you may lose your dog, here are some names to scratch off the potential name list for your next Fluffy:

Dignity
Destiny
Hope
Faith

If the words "robbed", "lost" or "stolen" are potentially giggle-worthy when placed in front of the name, don't name the dog that name. Really. We're just sayin'.

Also, if you have seen Virtue, call 615-790-5590. And try not to laugh.

Yokel alert - three strikes and you're euthanized, for barking

2010-08-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

Some days, I really wonder if I made a wise decision staying in the South. There are charming things about the South. The history, the landscape, the friendliness. There are things I hate about the South, chief among them, the attitude towards dogs. Add yokels to dogs and you get disaster. But I digress.

The City of Lebanon, Tennessee, which is for those of you who do not know, a second tier suburb of Nashville, has a vote coming on September 5, 2010, to determine whether to override a veto of an ordinance which would (sit down now) permit the euthanasia of problem barkers. Seriously. Should you not believe me, for your edification, the news piece on the subject can be found here. As a side note, this is part of an ordinance that deals with aggressive dogs and this appears to have been tacked on to the ordinance. Probably written by a cat.

In fairness to the city, it is entirely possible the media has this all wrong, but I can't get to the ordinance on line through their web site here to confirm. Perhaps some enterprising sort can make this work. So presuming the news got it right, this town wants to allow the city to grab Fido after three "due process" hearings and send him to his great reward at the end of the needle. Genius. I wonder if we can do the same thing to introduce an ordinance to euthanize morons after three due process hearings. The United States Supreme Court gets criticized for an old case in which they force sterilized someone saying "Three generations of imbeciles is enough." I'm not sure I disagree with that holding. But again, I digress.

Here's the yokel with the agenda:

"Mr. William Farmer wants to silence Fluffy, permanently."

So, let's let our friends in Lebanon, Tennessee, know that their Mayor deserves a huge shout out for common sense in vetoing this crap the first time and that if this particular segment of the ordinance passes, Lebanon, Tennessee, will be known as the small town with a heart of stone - enough to kill family pets who bark. That should make it hugely attractive to people who might want to move there or employers looking to relocate to a small town with a friendly atmosphere. A few thousand emails from the world at large might remind them that their actions will affect how the world sees them. It may also affect their bottom line if people stop doing business with Lebanon, Tennessee.

As a start, let's send the city councilmen voting on this matter on September 5, 2010, a polite wave of emails reminding them that this ordinance makes them look like a bunch of hillbillies. You can reach them here:

Ward One
Alex Buhler
1003 N. Cumberland
Lebanon, TN. 37087
615-449-3945
Email: abuhler21@bellsouth.net

Ward Two
Kevin Huddleston
224 Sycamore Street
Lebanon, TN. 37087
615-444-8042
Email: khut615@aol.com

Ward Three - this one is the sponsor, so be sure to say hi!
William Farmer
406 Martin Ave.
Lebanon, TN. 37087
615-444-0477
Email: wefarmer.Lebanon@att.net

Ward Four
Joe Hayes
517 Terry Lane
Lebanon, TN. 37087
615-444-4600
Email: j.a.n.hayes@juno.com

Ward Five
Haywood Barry
103 Oak Hill Circle
Lebanon, TN. 37087
615-444-6371
Email: Haybay1938@hotmail.com

Ward Six
Kathy Warmath
2032 Blue Ribbon Downs
Lebanon, TN. 37087
Home: 615-449-1907
Work: 449-0045
Email: kwarmath@charter.net

Remember to be polite, but firm.

We have started a facebook petition which you can sign here, if you are a facebook member: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/petitions/545#sign

Thanks as always from the big fluffy dogs of the world. Let's make the world a safer place to bark in.

Puppy avalanche

2010-08-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

It has been a late season for puppies, but we are buried under a sea of puppies in need. 31 puppies to be exact. All but three have medical issues that needed attention, mainly for respiratory infections and skin infections. All told, the cost to vet one puppy for just the visit, shots and basic health care is about $90 per puppy. In short, they are cute, but they are expensive.

Some photos of puppy cuteness:

A litter of nine from a domestic abuse case with their Mom:

and

Here's the chip in page for the puppies if you would like to help sponsor one. Thanks as always from the big fluffy puppies of the world: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/save-a-puppy-puppy-avalanche

Emerson the faceless dog update

2010-07-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

Emerson is on the mend. Thanks for all your prayers and kind thoughts.

Emerson is ready for a foster home to learn to be a happy healthy puppy. He is with me in Nashville, but he needs a foster with fewer and preferably no other dogs. He needs time to heal and Milo a/k/a Chaco the puppy is not leaving this poor guy alone. Emerson is easy to care for and needs antibiotics and prednisone twice a day, but that's it. He is extremely emaciated and needs to gain about 15 pounds. He does love his food.

Emerson has lupus which is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks itself. His face was severely blistered having been left in the sun which a dog with lupus should never do. His poor lip is permanently gone so he will always have a grimace now, but he is a sweet dog and loves to give puppy kisses. He also likes to clack his teeth when he is excited. Emerson is a puppy and is no more than one year old, if that. We are hopeful that he will recover and find a forever home. So far, so good, and he has improved greatly.

We are still fundraising for his care which topped out over $2000. If you would like to donate, you can do so here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/emerson.

Thanks as always from the big fluffy dogs of the world.

Dogs in New England that need fosters

2010-07-08T19:01:00.001-07:00

We have several dogs that need fosters in New England this coming weekend. If you are interested, email us at jean@bigfluffydogs.com or liz@bigfluffydogs.com.

This is Iris. Iris was attacked by a bobcat back in March. She has come a long way and is a healthy happy girl. She is fine with other dogs and cats. She is shy and needs time to break in to a new home.

This is Polly. She is a young female Old English sheepdog/Great Pyrenees. She is bouncy and active.

This is Banjo, a boxer hound puppy (he's the small one, LOL) who survived the Nashville floods in May. He is 10 months old and very playful. No cats!

This is Mallory. She is a 9 month old puppy, part Great Pyrenees, but mainly golden and shepherd. She will not be bigger than 50 pounds as an adult. She loves everyone and everything.

This is Maggie. She is a 10 month old Great Pyrenees/black lab/? mix. She is small at 45 pounds and we swear she is mixed with a Scottie. She has a goatie and wiry scruffy fur speckled with white. She is a love bug.

Emerson needs help

2010-07-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

We took Emerson into rescue last week. His pictures were enough to make us cry. Emerson is a young male golden mix who is currently at the vet undergoing a battery of tests to determine exactly what is wrong. The vet believes that Emerson is suffering from a disease that has essentially attacked the skin on his face, most likely lupus. This dog was rescued from a drunk and abusive owner who intended to shoot him. We sincerely hope that he is prosecuted, although it is out of our hands. It is crystal clear to us that Emerson was left to bake in the sun (a major part of his problem) and his skin blistered and peeled off, leaving him in this condition. His lips have been eaten away and he will be permanently disfigured. It is also crystal clear that this has been an ongoing problem for some time and his owner did nothing to help him and in fact, made it much worse. Despite all the pain, Emerson is a happy boy and grateful to be safe and comfortable. With care, he can expect a long and happy life. We are expecting vet bills in the $2000 range and need help as we are officially wiped out after two gunshot dogs, one broken hip and 6 heartworm cases.

We have started a chip in here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/emerson

Thanks as always from the big fluffy dogs of the world.

Newfoundland or Pyr mix?: a quiz

2010-07-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

We get a lot of calls about "Landseer Newfoundlands" or "Newfie mixes" in need of rescue. In reality, Big Fluffy dog has rescued exactly five purebred Newfs in the past 10 years. Newfs in rescue are rare. Great Pyrenees mixed with border collie or lab are incredibly common in the South, so when a shelter sees a black big dog they think "Newfie" when they should think border collie/Pyr mix. Great Pyrenees and border collies and labs are widely owned by farmers. They don't spay or neuter, so you end up with lots and lots of Pyr mixes which is what Big Fluffy Dog Rescue was formed to rescue originally.

Take this quiz and see how you do at identifying the breeds:

A. What am I? My name is Baxter.

B. What am I? My name is Freya.

C. What am I? My name is Sinjin.

D. What am I? My name is Susan.

E. What am I? My name is Lloyd.

F. What am I? My name is Floyd.

G. What am I? My name is Bear.

Answers:
A. Great Pyrenees/Newfoundland
B. Landseer Newfoundland
C. Great Pyrenees/black labrador retriever
D. Great Pyrenees/border collie
E. Newfoundland/border collie/Great Pyrenees
F. Great Pyrenees/border collie
G. Newfoundland

Emerson - say a prayer (graphic photos)

2010-06-29T20:50:00.001-07:00

We got an email late this afternoon about a horribly disfigured dog. One look at the pictures was enough to convince us that he had to be rescued. We do not yet know what the cause of his disfigurement is, but this poor dog we are now calling Emerson has lost part of his face. We will know more tomorrow, but this poor boy has clearly suffered. Say a prayer.

The sad fate of abandoned dogs in the rural South

2010-06-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

Recently, we took in two more dogs that have been shot. Many of you have expressed outrage and demanded to know how this could happen. The sad truth is that dogs abandoned in rural areas are all too likely to meet their ends at the barrel end of a gun. In many areas, there is no animal control to call and no shelter to take the dog to. To many people, a bullet is an easy solution. Other times, land owners shoot at dogs to make them go away without concern for whether they actually hit the dog. We suspect that Quincy is in the latter category.

and

He had surgery to remove the bullet and is on the mend. If you would like to chip in for his care which was very expensive, you can do so here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/quincy-was-shot

In the long run, we need to find a way to better care for our unwanted animals. It is hard on volunteers to constantly deal with dogs who have been thrown away and left to die, and the dogs that are out there that we don't find and rescue make us all say a silent prayer every night. Until we solve this, we are going to see dogs with wounds like these (all of these dogs were saved,so rest easy):

Hamilton the golden retriever puppy needs help

2010-06-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

Meet Hamilton. Hamilton is a 12 week old golden retriever/lab mix puppy in rescue with us. Hamilton is a perfectly wonderful puppy with a penchant for trouble. This time, it appears he has swallowed something he should not have and he is sick as the result. Hamilton needs to have surgery to fix what ails him. The vet estimates he will cost $400 for bloodwork and xrays and another $1100 for the surgery and post-op care.

The face of puppy trouble:

If you would like to donate to his vet care, you can donate here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/golden-retriever-puppy-surgery-fund. Thanks as always from the big fluffy dogs of the world.

Sophia and her baby have pneumonia

2010-06-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

We pulled 13 Great Pyrenees (some were mixes) from one shelter this week. All are very sweet, but the six that came in from the same farmer are sad cases. The owner told me without remorse or hesitation that she would not spend one dime on these dogs as they were worthless. Not once in their short lives have they been petted, had a treat or a toy, nor had they had so much as a single shot. No vet care ever, no shelter and they were dumped at the shelter when their owner was cited for letting them run at large.

Southern shelters are scary places. While many do the best they can, disease is rampant. All six of these dogs developed kennel cough, but Sophia and one of the puppies are very very sick and have developed pneumonia.

This is Bonnie. Bonnie is 12 weeks old and is a sweet, fluffy baby. She also has pneumonia and is in ICU.

This is Sophia. She is the sickest of the two and in the most danger.

We have started a chip in for their care as we expect their bills to top out around $1200 for their stay. Bonnie is turning the corner, but Sophia is still quite ill. If you would like to donate to their care, you can do so here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/sophia-and-baby.

Thanks as always from the big fluffies.

Dogs in the Middle TN area that need fosters

2010-05-31T19:41:00.001-07:00

These are dogs that need short term fosters in the Middle Tennessee area.

This is Stevie. He is a 6 month old small (25 pound) collie mix who is blind. Stevie is set to be neutered this week and will be ready to head north in 2 weeks.

This is Lucas. He is a 9 month old male Great Pyrenees mix. He is about 65 pounds. Lucas has completed heartworm treatment and needs a quiet place to stay for 3 weeks. He is currently with Serena.

This is Serena. She is a shy, 9 month old female Great Pyrenees/golden mix. She also just completed heartworm treatment and needs a quiet place to stay for 3 weeks. She is with Lucas at the moment.

This is Ellie. She is completely vetted and is in need of some socialization. She was abandoned with her brother in the flood waters. She is a 6 month old Saint Bernard/aussie mix.

This is Bodie. He is just coming off being crated for heartworm treatment and is ready to bounce again. He is 18 months old, 60 pounds and loves to bounce.

If you are interested in fostering any of these dogs, please email us at bigfluffydogrescue@gmail.com.

Help Save the Pits of Nashville

2010-05-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be aware that Nashville, like most places, has a huge overpopulation of pit bulls, amstaffs, and mixes. We also have many, many irresponsible breeders and pit fighters.

THOUSANDS of pits, amstaffs, american bulldogs, and mixes are put to sleep every year in Nashville alone, that doesn't include about 10 counties within 2 hours of here. Normally, they're on the streets everywhere you look. Now, post flood, most have been taken to animal control and have essentially been handed a death sentence.

Those that are taken to Animal Control would have fared better on the streets, but for the risk of ending up with dog fighters. Nashville Animal Control doesn't adopt out pits. They return pit bulls to owners, and theoretically allow a select few rescues to take them in, but no one seems to know who those "approved rescues" are. The shelter is always full, run after run, cage after cage, of pit bulls, or mutts labled as pitts. If an owner is unlucky enough to lose his or her dog and has to go check the lost and found, it's a traumatizing experience. Most dog lovers come out of that facility verging on hysterics if they know what goes on. Every one of the beautiful, sweet, friendly, healthy pits is going to die. There are pits of all ages, from 6 weeks and up, all colors, blue, red, fawn, white, merled, marbled, brindle, black. From the most desired to the least wanted, but they all stand an equal chance at life, which is 0%.

Now, the animal control facility has even more than usual. To their credit, the dogs are all being held longer. Rather than the usual 3-5 days, they'll all get 10-14 days if they came in after the flood. If they have a collar, name tag, or microchip, they'll be held longer, but most will still meet the same end. They'll be in a kennel for weeks, only to have no owner show up, and be put to sleep, never being given a chance to be rescued.

Calling and complaining to Animal Control will not help. It's been tried for a wide variety of problems but they just ignore it and make it harder for rescues to work with them for any breed.

We are sympathetic to the problems animal control facilities face and we do understand the reality. That does not excuse a systematic refusal to adopt dogs of specific breeds to responsible adopters and rescues without a careful analysis of the policy on which it is based. To date, there's been no willingness to have that discussion or explain in crystal clear terms to the public it serves just how many dogs are euthanized at the facility each year and how their rescued/adopted versus kill number is derived.

Our concern at this time is the dogs. The only thing that may help these poor pit bulls now (and in the future) is media exposure and nationwide pressure to examine how this breed is handled in Nashville. All of the surrounding counties allow them to be adopted or rescued. Most have a slightly different process of screening to adopt (as it should be), and the majority still get put to sleep, but at least they have a chance and some are adopted or rescued and go on to live wonderful lives.

We are hoping that Best Friends might help. They are reputable, widely known and have the media exposure, the resources, and the pull to help save these dogs. This might help, or it might do nothing, but at least we can say we tried. All over the country, people are doing any and everything they can to help the "Nashville Flood Dogs", but very few people even know about the dogs that need our help the most. There are a few local rescues that are reputable that work with this breed that would love to help the pits. They know the breed, and work with them regularly, but Animal Control turns them away.

Why does Big Fluffy Dog Rescue care?

We obviously don't do pit rescue: we aren't set up for them, we don't have fosters for them, and we don't have people coming to us to adopt them. That doesn't mean we turn our back to them in times of need. We take one into rescue every once in awhile when we are presented with a dog in such horrific circumstances we just can't say no, and we have taken in a few flood pits. "Our breeds" may be Great Pyrenees, Saint Bernards, and Newfoundlands and their mixes, but that doesn't mean we don't have an appreciation for other breeds, pits included. Any rescue should be concerned as the next breed that may be deemed dangerous or unadoptable may be your breed.

Most of the pits in need are sweet, friendly, wonderful, healthy dogs, who shouldn't be handed an instant death sentence because they were born with the wrong looks. Most may not be suited to just any home anymore than a german shepherd or a border collie. Most are strong, high energy dogs, but Shepherds are big and protective, border collies are very high energy and are prone to nipping/herding behaviors, but that doesn't mean they don't get a chance to find a home.

In the wrong home, a pit, just like a shepherd or a border collie, can be a risk, but in the right home, they are cherished family members.

*The answer isn't to kill them all to avoid a potential problem. The answer is to be careful who they go to, and set them up to succeed, not to fail.* We have already contacted Best Friends. If everyone that reads this would e-mail and ask them to help save the pits in Nashville, maybe we can help implement a change. If you do email them, use "Nashville Flooding- Pits in Need" as the subject line. Please be respectful as no rescue can save every dog and we do know this is a very long shot. There is no one person to send it to, but we emailed edfritz@bestfriends.org to the person in charge of pit bull education (or at least we think so as their site is not a model of clarity on who to contact). Anyone interested in reaching us on this subject can do so at floodmail@bigfluffydogs.com.

Below are a few examples of the dogs we're talking about. The pictures are not good, but they're all that's out there to alert the public as to who is in need.

There are always plenty of puppies. Babies and adolescents. From 6 weeks, to 9 months old, that will never have a chance to live, just like these, in the shelter right now.

And of course, there are plenty of beautiful adults. They all look sad, depressed, dejected, or terrified. They're old enough to sense when something bad is coming, and unfortunately, they're right.

Here are some pits in other shelters in the Nashville area. Some are directly related to the floods, others are now "flood dogs", as no one pays attention to them, they just want to help the "real flood dogs" all the "normal" dogs in shelters are being put on the back burner and forgotten about. I've included this to show how beautiful these dogs really are. This is what the dogs and puppies in the above pictures would look like, with a decent camera and someone that cares taking the pictures.

Nashville flood - rescue news

2010-05-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

By now, most of the world knows that Nashville was hit by devastating floods. Areas not prone to flooding were destroyed for miles in every direction. The national media dropped the ball on this, but as usual, animal rescue is hard at work. I have been pleasantly surprised to learn that Nashville is not New Orleans. We rescued our people and for the most part, our dogs. We have not seen staggering numbers of stray dogs or abandoned dogs left to fend for themselves. Most folks took their animals with them when they ran for higher ground. What we are being asked to help with is a tremendous number of owner surrender dogs by people who have lost everything, but want the best they can get for their pets. Most people will be living in rentals for years as the sheer number of destroyed houses is staggering. This is what Nashville looks like. Imagine this for as far as you can see. It's not fit for people or animals. My heart has broken as I watch devasted owners hand their pets over to us.

Now that the waters have receded and the people resued, we are rescuing dogs. There are dogs waiting for rescue in local shelters that we have no place for. While vets and boarding kennels here have been very generous, they can't afford to keep dogs for free forever or vet them for free. We are being inundated with dogs in local shelters. The shelters want to help, but they too, can only hold them for so long before they must be euthanized to make space for the ceasless stream of homeless dogs in need in the area. We have a good pipeline going, but we are out of funds to vet and board dogs. If anyone would like to contribute, we have a chip in set up here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/flood-relief-for-dogs-in-nashville.

These are the faces of some of the dogs we have rescued. You will note that most are far from being big or fluffy. We rescue big and fluffy, but we value all dogs regardless of breed, and in this time of need, we will open our doors to all dogs in need. We are limited only by funds and space. Please spread the word. Thanks.

Wade playing with Baxter:

Stevie the blind puppy:

Tabitha and Luke, owner surrenders:

Moby, rescued from the flood waters:

Trash dogs: Macon County TN strikes again

2010-05-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

I get asked on a regular basis why the South has so many unwanted dogs and cats. I tell people that the biggest reason is cultural. Simply put, the South as a whole does not value animals as companions and does not care to spend any public funds to ensure their care. I can say this because I am Southern and I don't give a damn whether saying this makes me look bad to those who would turn a blind eye to the reality of the lack of animal welfare here. In the rural areas, the situation is grim. There are sections of the South without any animal control officers and what can happen to unwanted dogs is horrifying. Elijah is one such dog. He came to us just before Christmas in 2008 and he had been shot 16 times, ultimately losing part of his jaw and his front leg as a result of his injuries. This is the face of an abandoned dog in the rural South:

For obvious reasons, rescues in the South have a vested interest in working with local governments to improve conditions for dogs and cats. We work hard to be reasonable and we do understand the limitations. We ask for very little. Which brings me to the point of this post. Sometimes, you just have to rattle the chains to get change.

Macon County, Tennessee, is a tiny county with a big animal problem. Elijah was found shot and lying near death in Macon County. No one there cared to press charges despite a pretty good idea of who was responsible. I gritted my teeth and moved on. Macon County has no animal shelter at all. Concerned citizens met to discuss the possibility of creating one. This is what the county commissioners had to say (source, "Commissioners Vote to Pay Down Debt, Lisa Spivey, Mason County Chronicle):

"Dog pound guidelines were approved by commissioners, though it may be a few months longer before the pound is operational. Mayor Linville reported that the county still needs to purchase some equipment and a truck, and was unsure if they have the money to do everything needed, and pay a salary for the animal control officer, prior to the new budget.

The mayor read the revisions to the dog pound guidelines, requested by commissioners at their previous meeting, so that dogs that accidentally get loose that are being kept for breeding purposes are not spayed or neutered. Changes include “No dog, unless otherwise approved, shall be released in any event from the pound until such dog has been vaccinated, spayed or neutered and a tag placed on its collar.” Commissioner Scott Gammons asked if other exceptions should be made if dogs have a collar.

“Common sense,” some remarked, would have to be used by the animal control officer. “There’s going be some coon hounds, some fox hounds, the animal control guy is going to have to use some common sense,” said Ray.

Commissioner Larry Tucker stated, “I helped the City of Lafayette start their programs years ago. You can spot, more or less a pure bred dog… We ran into that situation with a Black Labrador….Dr. Chitwood’s, a real expensive dog.” He suggested that of 1500 dogs, probably three were worth something, and that “you could spot them.”

“The other 1497 were just trash dogs. Somebody might love them and all, but they’re not full blooded.” He explained many would be covered with ticks and fleas, and some poor and run down. “You just have to use commons sense,” he concluded."

I am not making this up. This is why we look like morons to others.

So, I think a letter writing campaign is in order. I would suggest email, but I have no addresses for commissioners and doubt that they have email. I would suggest that anyone sending letters to the commissioners do so respectfully. It benefits no one to send flaming missives as they will simply dismiss what you have to say. Addresses are below. Alternately, you can email an editorial comment to: rbschronicle@nctc.com. Please pass the word. Perhaps they can be shamed into action. Elijah deserves better than he got at the hands of Macon County, Tennessee.

Dist 1-Billy Bransford 4853 Long Creek Road
Lafayette, TN 37083 615-666-3785

Dist 2-David Crowder 1783 Oakdale Road
Westmoreland, TN 37186 615-666-5994

Dist 3-Vernon Biggs 538 Green Grove Road
Westmoreland, TN 37186 615-666-8972

Dist 4-Jeff Hughes 64 New Harmony Road
Lafayette, TN 37083 615-666-7207

Dist 5-Billy West 5895 Akersville Road
Lafayette, TN 37083 615-666-4088

Dist 6-Phillip Snow 201 Gamaliel Road
Red Boiling Springs, TN 37150 615-699-3891

Dist 7-Jerry Ray 1801 Willette Road
Red Boiling Springs, TN 37150 615-699-2113

Dist 8-Scott Gammons 5259 Old Bottom Road
Pleasant Shade, TN 37145 615-633-4299

Dist 9-Larry Tucker 1845 Tucker Road
Lafayette, TN 37083 615-666-2094

Dist 10-Mike East 1977 Austin Road
Lafayette, TN 37083 615-666-6410

Dist 11-Ralph Doss 762 Poplar Grove Road
Lafayette, TN 37083 615-644-5179

Dist 12-Tony Boles 1867 Bethany Road
Red Boiling Springs, TN 37150 615-699-3883

Dist 13-Annette Looper 908 Forest Circle
Lafayette, TN 37083 615-633-2139

Dist 14-Ron Morey 601 Courthouse View
Lafayette, TN 37083 615-666-4941

Dist 15-Ronnie C. McDuffee 442 McDuffee Lane
Dixon Springs, TN 37057 615-633-4649

Dist 16-Helen Hesson 805 Golf Club Drive
Lafayette, TN 37083 615-666-4330

Dist 17-Wendell Jones 1413 Flippin Drive
Lafayette, TN 37083 615-388-5145

Dist 18-Robert Grant Malo 222 Blue Sky Circle
Lafayette, TN 37083 615-688-4424

Dist 19-Benton Bartley 2551 Highland Road
Red Boiling Springs, TN 37150 615-666-3878

Dist 20-Rosetta Day Driver 8324 Old Hwy 52
Westmoreland, TN 37186 615-666-3734

Flood updates from the Nashville swamp

2010-05-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

The river here crested on Monday evening. It will be later in the week until the river falls below flood stage. Until today, it has largely been a rescue people operation. It is now time for assisting dogs. For people expecting a repeat of Katrina, we are not seeing it. There are many dogs in need, but they are getting help faster and we are not seeing the starved dogs chained to flooded houses. What is happening is that many dogs are being turned in to shelters and we are being asked to help. The rural areas are not yet accounted for and we do not know what to expect there, but we do think we will find a great many dogs in need there. The scope of this disaster is just now unfolding. On to the dogs.

Meet Moby, our first flood rescue. Moby was plucked from the waters of the Harpeth River. His owner says the goats he worked are gone and there is no reason to keep him, so we have "Moby" in rescue.

This is Fern, who was rescued from the flood. She was injured by debris and is now all patched up. She is doing well:

Lest anyone think BFDR is prejudiced against non-big fluffies in this time of crisis, our second flood victim dog was a 6 month old cocker spaniel/dachshund mix. We have 22 dogs coming in, including a litter of pups. More dogs are expected in the coming days.

Our most pressing need at the moment is for funds to cover boarding and vet costs and you can chip in here if you are so inclined: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/flood-relief-for-dogs-in-nashville. We are also running low on frontline and capstar.

The flood has altered the landscape in my very urban neighborhood and things I expect to see no longer are recognizable. There is beauty in the receding water, but it is hard to reconcile the destruction with the calm post-flood picures.

Downtown across the river:

A heron behind the house:

Trees emerging from the flood waters:

Stay tuned for updates...

Catastrophic flooding in Nashville - dogs need our help

2010-05-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

Nashville has had nearly 10 inches of rain today and the flooding is biblical in proportion. We are expecting another 4 - 6" of rain overnight. Many of our fosters are experiencing severe flooding as are many homes and businesses in Nashville.

The video is amazing but does not do it justice.

We are expecting that many dogs will be displaced and in need of help. We know that as of 10:20 p.m., we have 18 dogs in need. There will be more. We will need foster homes, boarding funds, vet care and basic supplies like crates. We are activating our emergency plans now and will be turning to our volunteers to help.

If you would like to help, please contact us at bigfluffydogrescue@gmail.com which we have set up to deal with flood-related needs.

We have also set up a chip in to start fundraising to help rescue dogs. We expect the initial costs are going to be for crates and vet care and then for transport costs to get dogs to safety. If you would like to donate, you can do so here. If the link is broken, you can go directly to this url: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/flood-relief-for-dogs-in-nashville

Thanks and send boats!

Dogs needing foster in Tennessee

2010-04-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

And so as not to leave out the Southern volunteers, these dogs need fosters in the Tennessee area:

1. Iris, a young female, injured pyr. She was a working girl and was attacked by a bobcat in the field. She is recovering nicely. She is very sweet, very shy. She is surprsingly housebroken and does well with other dogs, cats and kids. She is set for a spay next week and will likely be a month long foster as she still needs to recover from her injuries. You can clearly see the scars she suffered from the claws of the animal that attacked her. She is ready for a foster now.

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2. Callie, a 5 month old shep mix. She weighs NINE POUNDS and was nearly starved to death. She is coming straight from a shelter so we don't know much other than she is severely emaciated and in need of TLC. She will need a foster ASAP.

3. Aslan is a 2 year old male Great Pyrenees. He is a calm sweet dog and needs a quiet place so he can finish his heartworm treatment as he is mildly positive. He is set for treatment on Tuesday May 4 and will need a foster where he canhang out and be quiet for 3 weeks starting on May 6.

4. Jacob is a nearly 2 year old male Great Pyrenees. We have had him now for almost nine months. He looked like this when we got him:

Now, he looks like this:

He needs a finishing school foster to help him be the best dog ever. He is ready to go to a new foster any time.

5. Milo needs a foster. He is a 35 pound Eskie. He had a dislocated hip, but he is all better now. He needs to finish his vetting and he will be ready to go to a new home soon. He has excellent manners and does well with everyone, kids included.

6. Lucas needs a foster. He is a 9 month old cocker spaniel Great Pyrenees (yes, you read that correctly). He needs to finish his vetting and he needs to go through heartworm treatment as he is mildly positive. He will need a quiet place to hang out while he goes through heartworm treatment. He needs a foster home now.

We also have two dogs in the Knoxville area that need fosters. One is a 6 year old three legged golden spaniel mix that is very sweet and the other is an 8 month old male Great Pyrenees puppy. If you are interested, let us know. Thanks as always.

Dogs needing foster in New England

2010-04-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

OK kids. Here's the list of dogs which need fosters in the New England area. If you are interested, let us know.

1. Mary, 11 month old Saint/lab mix. She is sweet, great with kids, great with other dogs. Not good with cats. Perfect in the house otherwise. Weighs in at 65 pounds but could stand to gain 15. Very sweet. Needs foster now.

2. Baxter, 11 month old Saint Bernard mix. Big boy. Very friendly and good with other dogs and cats. Needs foster now. He has grown since these pics were taken.

3. Ollie, 5 year old golden pyr boy. Very sweet, very active. Awesome dog. Good with everyone except the bossiest males. Needs foster now.

4. Collie shepherd pups. There are 7 of them and they are now 14 weeks old. 4 are tan and black and 3 are black with white feet. Males and females. Typical collie pups. Active, friendly, smart and curious. Need foster next week starting on Wednesday, 5/5/10.

5. Bodie, 18 month old male Dalmation mix. Very sweet, very well behaved. 65 pounds or so. Good with most other animals, except the bossiest of males. He needs a foster on Wednesday 5/5.

6. Samson, 20 week old male lab/dane/pointer/boxer mix puppy, 50 pounds. Very sweet, slightly shy. Has done well with everyone we've put him with. Needs foster now.

7. Freddie, 3 year old male great Pyrenees/golden mix. This is a very big boy. He loves the ladies, small dogs and cats. Excellent indoor manners. Needs a foster Wednesday evening.

SOS - Tori the pyr puppy needs emergency surgery to save her life

2010-04-29T17:21:00.001-07:00

SOS! We have a very very sick puppy heading in for emergency surgery in the next hour. More details to follow, but we need to raise $2500-$4000 very quickly to save her life. More details to follow, but Tori is a 12 week old pyr puppy with intussusception. Basically, her intestines have telescoped in on themselves and she has a serious blockage which will kill her without surgery to try to save her life. She went from being playful and fine this morning to unconscious and unresponsive ten minutes ago. The vet has transferred her to the Manchester Animal Hospital where she will undergo surgery in the next hour. This is a seriously sick puppy and we want to save her life. We do have funds for contingencies like this one normally. However, the hoarding case we took in six weeks ago has seriously depleted our reserves. If you can help, the chip in link is here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/tori. Please say a prayer for her.

Tori yesterday:

and

Harley the elderly Samoyed needs assistance

2010-04-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

Meet Harley.

He is a very sweet, very senior Samoyed and before his shave down, was the very model of fluffy. Harley is believed to be 10-11 years old and he has had a few issues crop up during his time with is. The first, his teeth, we repaired. The second, the hot spots, we got under control with a shave down. This, the third, needs more help. Harley has a growth on his back foot that needs to be removed surgically and biopsied. We are hopeful it is nothing major, but we have to know before we can send him to a home. Cross your fingers.

The estimate for his surgery and the lab work is $450.00. If you would like to contribute, you can donate here. Thanks as always. We could not do it without the help of all of our friends.

http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/harleys-biopsy

Honorary big fluffy needs help

2010-04-21T05:47:00.001-07:00

We have taken a small fluffy dog under our wing that has some special needs. Bailey is a middle aged teacup maltese with an eye problem and the worst teeth we have ever seen. The eye problem will be treated with eye drops, but Bailey has severe dental disease and is slated to have seven teeth pulled today to get the infection under control. Obviously, we don't typically rescue little dogs, but Bailey needs our help and we love all dogs. We have set up a chip in to help defray the cost of his dental work which is estimated at $500. If you would like to donate to Bailey's care, you can donate here. Thanks as always.

Dogs needing short term fosters in New England

2010-04-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

OK kids, here's the list of puppies/dogs needing short term fosters in New England:

1. Charlie, adopted, needs overnight foster:

2. The corgi/pyrs, Dakota, Connor and Colt, wading through applications, need 1 week foster:

3. Jada, the pug/lab, pending adoption, 3 day foster:

4. Duncan, the springer spaniel, 4 day foster:

5. Toby and Tori, adopted, 3 day fosters:

6. Josie, pending adoption, 4 day foster:

7. Stephen, pending adoption, 4 day foster:

8. Samson, pending adoption, 4 day foster:

9. Lucy, 1 week foster:

Let us know if you're interested! Thanks as always.

Paris the senior puppy mill Mom needs help

2010-04-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

Meet Paris.

Paris is a much older Great Pyrenees girl that we have taken in to rescue. Paris has had a sad life before she came to us. She spent her life cranking out litters of puppies for a Mennonite puppy mill living life on a chai. At the age of 6, she looks 12. Her poor body is worn out.

Unfortunately, Paris is suffering from her lack of care and has two significant (and expensive) problems that must be addressed. The first problem is that her teeth are shot. Her front teeth are exposed to the root and need to be pulled. This is most likely caused by chewing on the metal chain she lived on.

More troubling, she has recurrent mastitis that we have not been able to clear up with antibiotics. On Monday, Paris will have surgery to drain her teats and take some biopsies of tissue to be certain we aren't dealing with mammary tumors.

The vet estimates she has probably had 10 litters in her six years of life. Pyrs have an average of 8-10 puppies per litter, so you can do the math.

We want to give her the best chance possible to live out her years healthy and happy. The vet estimates her care will cost $650 for both surgeries. If you would like to donate to her care, you can donate here. Thanks as always for your help. We could not do what we do without your support.

A not-so-brief guide to rescue organizations and the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture

2010-04-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

There has been a great deal of discussion about a bill working its way through the Massachusetts Legislature, HB 3704. Who is pushing this bill? The Massachusetts Federation of Dog Breeders and Responsible Dog Owners, for one. But more on that below. First, the bill:

The State of Massachusetts is proposing legislation to amend the code related to the importation of dogs into the state by rescues. The proposed legislation reads as follows:

An Act relative to the regulation of animal shelters.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

To Amend Chapter 129 of the General Laws by inserting the following:

Section 39E: Animal Shelters and Rescue (rehoming) Organizations

SECTION 1. Definitions:

“Shelter” – Any 501 (c)3 organization or other IRS not for profit status organization that finds homes for unowned animals.

“Rescue Organization” – A 501 (c)3 organization or other IRS not for profit status organization other than a shelter as defined in this act that arranges for transfer of unowned dogs and cats to temporary or permanent homes in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

“Department” – Department of Agricultural Resources

SECTION 2: The Department may promulgate rules and regulations for the operation of shelter and rescue organizations operating or conducting business in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts regarding the transfer of ownership of domestic animals, including but not limited to their importation, transportation, housing and medical treatment.

This seems fairly harmless on the surface, but let's look at this. Section 1 is fluff and just defines rescues which the Massachusetts code has heretofore not done. Section 2 is the meat of the law and where eyebrows should go up if you think about it.

"The Department may promulgate rules and regulations"... Interesting. Haven't they always had the power to promulgate rules and regulations? Why the new bill? Here's why:

1. The old laws did not specifically apply to rescues. Instead, everyone was lumped into the definition of a "pet shop" which clearly did not apply to rescues. (Ch. 129, Sec. 39A).

2. The state had never promulgated rules about dealing with rescues and relied instead on an emergency order signed by Gov. Romney in 2005.

3. Massachusetts law mandates that emergency orders are in effect for only 90 days unless public hearings occur. Chapter 30A, section 2. These hearings never occurred.

4. The Dept. of Agriculture already has the authority to regulate to control infectious diseases in domestic animals now. MGL Chapter 129, section 2 states in part, “The director may make and enforce reasonable orders, rules and regulations relative to the… the prevention, suppression and extirpation of contagious diseases of domestic animals… No rules or regulations shall take effect until approved by the governor and council”.

And so now we come to what is so troubling. Notice that nowhere in the new section which deals specifically and only with rescues does it say what it does elsewhere: that regulations shall take effect when approved by the governor and council. This to me means that the Department of Agriculture is looking to have the ability to pass rules without oversight as they pertain to 501c3 rescue organizations. I do not see them making the same rules for pet stores and breeders.

So, you might ask yourself, why the selective desire to enforce rules against just rescues? Good question. I don't know. This email response to a rescue from 2006 from the then public rep for the Department of Agriculture, Brad Mitchell, is enlightening:

"Mitchell, Brad (AGR)Brad.Mitchell@state.ma.us>

you state " And no one should expect anything for free on either side." So, what are these shelter and rescue groups bring to the table to offer. You might want to consider asking WHY the rug has been pulled out from under them. This is business,
non-profit or otherwise. No free lunch for anyone. My experience with a lot of these groups is that they expect a free lunch and for people to simply bow to them because they are doing gods work. Time for an attitude change."

Nice. Guess what Mr. Mitchell does now? He's a lobbyist for the Massachusetts Farm Bureau.

So, next ask yourself, who is in charge of inspecting rescues? That would be Mr. John Kenney who is also the legislative liaison with Yankee Siberian Husky Club.

What organization does Mr. Kenney support in his spare time? The Massachusetts Federation of Dog Clubs and Responsible Dog Owners, where he serves as a Director on behalf of the Yankee Siberian Husky club. What do they support?: "With new dog legislation being worked on and introduced almost daily, we need to be extremely pro-active in order to ensure that our hobby/sport of breeding and exhibiting dogs is protected." See http://www.massfeddogs.org/Membership.html. What recent legislation did they oppose?: Making the debarking of dogs illegal. This is the man who has been in charge of investigating rescues. He supports breeders and opposes a prohibition on the debarking of dogs. Fabulous.

So, back to the question at hand. What does the Massachusetts Federation of Dog Breeders say about HB3704? See here for yourself. Most terrifying: "It's flexibility will permit changes to be made more easily when necessary.

Translation: no public hearings. Anyone else see a problem?

Now let's apply all this to an actual rescue. In this case, the rescue was us, Big Fluffy Dog Rescue, and the State of Massachusetts seized one of our dogs last fall. The details are not riveting, but we had a dog in Framingham who got out and was impounded by the local Animal Control Officer. Five weeks later, we got poor Micah back and the following are the actual emails sent by Jean Harrison to Michael Cahill, the director of the Division of Animal Health at the Department of Agriculture. They are placed below unedited (except to remove email addresses and phone numbers) for your viewing. The statements made by the Department of Agriculture regarding its legal authority to regulate rescue are in our opinion, illogical and simply inaccurate. Rescue does need regulation. There are plenty of well-intentioned fools out there. However, leaving an organization with a documented, strong, anti-rescue bias in charge with no oversight does not seem a good idea to us.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jean @ Big Fluffy Dog Rescue [mailto:xxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.com]
> Sent: Wed 12/23/2009 2:02 PM
> To: Cahill, Michael (AGR)
> Subject: Micah
>
> Mr. Cahill:
>
> Micah is now out of Massachusetts. I have asked for and never received a copy of the order of quarantine on more than one occasion. Our attorney also asked for and never received this order. Mr. Kenney has given me conflicting reasons for the dog's impound and I believe we are entitled to the written determination of the department as to what provision of the law we have allegedly violated. I have also been informed that our attorney was told that our organization was known to have sent sick dogs to adoptive homes, so I would ask for clarification on that point. The vets we use are outraged at that claim as are we. While it is certainly true that there is no system that could ever be foolproof, the dogs we place are always in good health to the very best of our knowledge. If there has been a problem, we have never been informed and I take our reputation very seriously. Any claim that we are known for sending unhealthy dogs is not only outrageous, it's potentially defamatory and I am unwilling to simply allow such a slight to pass without comment. If I have misunderstood, I apologize, but I am certain you can see why we are very unhappy with this claim.
>
> Mr. Kenney was unable to explain to us the basis for his authority to impound the dog with any consistency. He initially informed me that the emergency order from 2005 serves as the basis for all his actions. I asked him how that could be true in light of the memo from 2007 which stated that the order had been rescinded. I also asked him how that could be the case when Section 30A renders emergency orders effective for 90 days absent public hearings, which to our knowledge, have never occurred. The rabies certificate/health certificate issue raised recently is also meritless as the dog had a valid health certificate and a rabies certificate which were provided to Mr. Kenney immediately by the State of NH and the vet which originally issued it, although he denied having it when he spoke to me. Section 145B only requires proof of vaccination which this dog clearly has. Section 138A only requires health certificates if the dog was brought into the state for commercial resale, which this dog clearly was not. I am now of the opinion that Mr. Kenney seems to have some grave dislike for rescue in general in light of my discussions with rescues across the New England region. Having discovered that he serves as the AKC representative on state issues makes me question his actions. I have also discussed the issue with the USDA and they do not believe Massachusetts has any jurisdiction over the health cert issue at all as interstate transport of animals is governed by them and your statutes are silent on the issue of whether a dog brought into the state but with no change in ownership or plans to sell the dog. We did previously ask the USDA whether a new certificate was required when we brought dogs to Tufts for treatment or when we sent them to trainers, and we were informed that no such requirement existed because there was no transport in commerce absent a change in ownership and a sale. Mr. Kenney informed me that the requirement relative to importation of dogs into Massachusetts only applied to rescues which I found unusual. He stated that it did not apply to private owners or to breeders who shipped a dog to an owner, or to anyone who purchased a dog from out of state. If that is indeed the case, I presume there is some rational basis for the distinction between a 501c3 rescue and a seller of dogs for profit or a private owner. I would like to know on what law he relies and what the basis for the distinction is and if any findings have been made, I would like a copy of the factual findings and determinations on that issue.
>
> The rescue world at large is very upset over Micah's case. We cannot possibly comply with conflicting rules between border states and the federal government, nor can we comply with unwritten rules and orders which have no legal effect and force. To that end, I would appreciate a copy of the quarantine order so that I may understand what the basis of the state's claim is. I will of course be happy to pay any costs incurred in copying the order if you will direct me as to the amount of the fee and where to send it. I will await your reply.
>
> Jean Harrison

On 12/23/2009 11:31 PM, Cahill, Michael (AGR) wrote:
>
> Ms. Harrison.
>
> You have raised a number of issues here. Many seem to be based on incomplete information. I will do my best to shed some light on the current situation, and the resulting enforcement actions.
>
> I have double checked with Inspector Kenney and Attorney Demakakos, and to the best of everyone's recollection, none of us had received a request from you or your attorney, Mr. Ross, for the quarantine order that was issued. I will email you a scanned version in the morning.
>
> My initial conversation with Attorney Ross was rather heated. It is possible that my description of the current requirements and their justification as an infectious disease preventative, in conjunction with my concerns about Big Fluffy Dog having violated a cease and desist order that was issued last year, may have been misconstrued as an indication that you had sent sick dogs to Massachusetts. I apologize for any misunderstanding.
>
> Order 1-AHO-05 was never rescinded. The memo you are referring to from 2007 rescinded a different order that was issued to address animals being rescued from areas affected by hurricane Katrina specifically. The memo does not refer to Order 1-AHO-05.
>
> You reference “Section 30A”, regarding emergency orders. I will assume you had intended to cite Massachusetts General Law Chapter 30A, section 2, regarding administrative procedure. The 90-day window which allows for public hearings following the enactment of emergency regulations is an important provision, though not relevant. Emergency regulations are quite different from reasonable orders issued by the Director of Animal Health under authority granted by MGL Chapter 129, section 2. MGL Chapter 129, section 2 states in part, “The director may make and enforce reasonable orders, rules and regulations relative to the… the prevention, suppression and extirpation of contagious diseases of domestic animals… No rules or regulations shall take effect until approved by the governor and council”. You will note that the statute distinguishes between orders, rules and regulations. Order 1-AHO-05 was not intended to take the place of regulations; it is actually little more than a policy statement.
>
> MGL Chapter 129, section 1 defines a pet shop as, “every place or premise where birds, mammals or reptiles are kept for the purpose of sale at either wholesale or retail, import, export, barter, exchange or gift”. MGL Chapter 129, section 39A exempts only the following operations from the requirement of licensing as a pet shop, “a publicly or privately owned zoological park, a publicly owned animal pound, an institution, as defined in section one of chapter forty-nine A (scientific research), to persons selling, exchanging or otherwise transferring the offspring of their personally owned animals, or to horse or cattle auctions”. According to these statutes all shelters or rescues operating in Massachusetts would need to be licensed as pet shops. Although the activity of shipping an animal across several states with the intention of placing it in someone’s home as a pet is essentially the same for both pet shops and rescue organizations, the Department does acknowledge the divergent missions. In response to requests by shelter and rescue organizations to be distinguished from pet shops, while recognizing the need to maintain the necessary protocols designed to mitigate the risk of importing infectious disease, order 1-AHO-05 was issued to avoid the grouping of these operations. The requirements within the order mirror those found in 330 CMR 12, the regulations for operation of a pet shop.
>
> The Department did receive a copy of Micah’s health certificate that was issued when he travelled from Tennessee to New Hampshire. Although it was noted on the health certificate that the dog had received a rabies vaccine, that certificate was only valid for 30 days and had since expired. 330 CMR 10, the Department’s rabies regulations state the following, “10.02(4) - Only certificates issued by the licensed veterinarian who administered the vaccine shall be considered proof of a dog or cat's vaccination status”. A copy of the vaccination certificate was requested, and a fax number where a copy could be sent was provided, but no certificate had been received. As a result, it was necessary for the veterinarian to vaccinate the dog in order for it to meet New Hampshire’s import requirements.
>
> I do agree with your assessment that MGL Chapter 140, section 138A is limited to importing only those dogs in commerce, and that it does not apply to this situation. However, your organization did fail to comply with the provisions of 330 CMR 3: Shipment of Dogs into the Commonwealth. I am puzzled by the fact that Micah had received a valid health certificate for travel between Tennessee and New Hampshire, but you won’t acknowledge that Massachusetts might have a similar requirement. Since the entirety of 330 CMR 3 applies directly to this situation, I will not bother quoting individual sections. I will point out that section 3.04 allows for quarantine for up to 90 days for violations. Below, I have provided a link to these regulations for your convenience.
> http://www.mass.gov/agr/legal/regs/animal_330003.000_import_dogs.pdf
>
> I’m not sure who your contact was at the USDA, but I’m afraid they’ve misled you. In my 16 years with the Department, it has always been clear to me that USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service focused on animals entering the country. The USDA leaves matters of state import requirements up to the individual states. The only interstate shipment issues that the USDA does involve themselves in are related to animals destined for commercial resale, which we’ve already established that Micah is not a part of. This is likely why you were told that no requirement existed within USDA’s regulatory framework. Since the USDA does not exert any authority over shelter or rescue organizations, or private sales, it is up to the individual states to enact the appropriate statutes and regulations to safeguard animal health in their respective states.
>
> I’m afraid that you also misunderstood the information provided to you by Inspector Kenney. The rules that apply to shelters and rescues, but not to private sales by breeders, are those found within order 1-AHO-05. Specifically, the requirement to isolate an animal shipped into Massachusetts for a period of 48 hours in a facility approved by the Department. As I mentioned earlier, this mirrors the requirements for pet shops. As quoted above, “persons selling, exchanging or otherwise transferring the offspring of their personally owned animals” are exempt from licensing as a pet shop, and therefore breeders are exempt from the requirement of the 48-hour isolation period. As you will see in 330 CMR 3, the import requirements apply to all dogs entering Massachusetts for any purpose (with only one specific exemption for “performing dogs under direct control”).
>
> You will find that most New England states have followed Massachusetts’ lead by requiring registration or licensing of all shelter and rescue operations. I believe Vermont is the only New England state who has yet to enact any such rule. We were told by New Hampshire’s Department of Agriculture that Big Fluffy is licensed there. Had you been registered in Massachusetts as required by order 1-AHO-05 (which you were alerted to through last year’s cease and desist order), all of this could have been avoided. I’m sure after doing the appropriate research you will find that all of the Department’s actions in this case were required by statute or regulation. I’m sorry that you feel you cannot possibly comply with our requirements. Please be advised that should you wish to transport any animals into Massachusetts in the future you will be expected to do just that.
>
> Feel free to contact me should you have additional questions.
>
> Michael Cahill
> Director
> Division of Animal Health
> MA Dept. of Agricultural Resources

>

Subject: Re: Micah
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:43:25 -0600
From: Jean @ Big Fluffy Dog Rescue
Organization: Big Fluffy Dog Rescue
To: Cahill, Michael (AGR)
CC: Demakakos, Michael (AGR)

Mr. Cahill:

Thank you for your email. I appreciate the information. As an initial matter, Big Fluffy Dog Rescue has never been served with any cease and desist order and I would suggest you have someone check your Department’s records. We have never received any such order and if one is floating around, that is news to us. If you would forward a copy of that to me, I would appreciate that as well. With regard to the quarantine order, Mr. Ross sent me a copy of the letter he sent requesting the information. I do not have it here, but I did request a copy from Mr. Kenney twice.

I also appreciate your explanation, but as a lawyer with an extensive administrative law background and years of government regulatory work, I disagree significantly with your analysis. Your own people are telling everyone, in writing, that the emergency order is what gives the Department the authority to act to restrict the importation of dogs. That emergency order is, in blunt terms, toast and I think we all know it. Reasonable orders of the director are a different animal, but that is not what has been done here and even if it were, since a fine is involved, public hearings are required pursuant to 30A § 2. That said, if there is a reasonable order promulgated by the director, it's never been provided and the only thing anyone has ever seen is the emergency order. With all due respect, the Department’s website relies on 1-AHO-05 which is entitled “Emergency Order” for its authority to regulate rescues. See http://www.mass.gov/agr/animalhealth/emergency_order.htm. § 129 from which the director derives authority requires governor and council approval. Your director cannot issue orders with punitive provisions without some applicable rule or regulation which has gone through the public hearing process. If that has been done, I would be most surprised as no one has ever been able to provide me with any such regulation or rule and a diligent search has failed to turn up any such document. If one exists, please by all means forward it to me and I will alert the rescue world at large.

The health certificate issue is a bigger issue and one that needs clarification. Health certs are required by federal law for the interstate transport of dogs in commerce. APHIS has so thoroughly preempted the field that I do not believe any state has the authority to regulate in this area and even Hawaii has special rules through APHIS. See 9 CFR 2.78 for clarification. 330 CMR 3 is preempted by 9 CFR 2.78. I defer to the federal law where they have so thoroughly preempted the field and there is extensive case law on this point. One thing to note here is the phrase "in commerce". The USDA controls exclusively the interstate transport of animals in commerce. I was not misled and I do understand explicitly what APHIS’ role is and I think you are misapprehending the essence of the issue at hand. When we sent Micah to Massachusetts, the dog was not "in commerce" and he clearly was not there for resale. The APHIS representative is correct in telling us no health cert is required from their end. There was no change of ownership, there was no fee involved, no payment involved and it is essentially the same as if I took my dog to Florida for the holidays. There is no requirement that anyone obtain a health certificate under those circumstances and Massachusetts’ laws are pretty clear on that point as they only require it when the dog is for resale in the state. 330 CMR 3 also conflicts with Ch 140 § 138A and statute trumps rule or regulation under basic conflicts of laws principles. When Micah originally traveled to New Hampshire, $150 was paid to the transport company. That's commerce in the classic definition and the USDA requires a health certificate. That's the distinction. MA also has different rules depending on whether the dog came from a contiguous state. That is a flat violation of the dormant commerce clause. I am also unpersuaded by your analysis of the distinction between pet shops, private owners and breeders as applied to the situation at hand. I see no rational basis provided for the distinction and as you are doubtless aware, the regulation and the conduct to be regulated must be rationally related. The definition of “pet shop” provided in 129 § 1 also does not apply to Big Fluffy Dog Rescue as we do not have a place or premises in your state where dogs are available for sale, barter, exchange, or gift. Taken in its entirety, I have grave reservations about the constitutionality of the approach taken by Massachusetts and suspect strongly that a federal court judge would agree.

As for the rabies certificate issue, the vet that provided the vaccine initially informs me that a copy was provided as requested by Mr. Kenney before Thanksgiving. I have no idea why Mr. Kenney claims not to have this information, but it has always been available. I also spoke to New Hampshire about this, and they also inform me that documents were sent to Mr. Kenney at his request which I presume includes that information. The health cert itself references the tag number and the type of vaccine. I had Micah revaccinated yesterday just because the vet there informed me that it would be less trouble and so we did. New Hampshire already has a copy of his rabies certificate. I also think your rabies control law really has no application to this particular case just based on a plain reading of the statute. Your laws are clearly from another era and do not have much to do with the current situation.

Big Fluffy Dog Rescue is a small rescue. We specialize in exactly what our name implies and we bring dogs in to our program from many states, yours included, and not just the South. As I told Mr. Kenney, we want to comply with the rules, but the rules are vague to non-existent in your state and they conflict with each other and federal law in my considered opinion. Mr. Kenney informed me in our last conversation that it was illegal for us to even adopt to Massachusetts residents, even if they come to our New Hampshire or New York fosters to get their dog. This is preposterous and frankly, would be absolutely unconstitutional if it were true. Unlike other people Mr. Kenney has spoken with, I am neither ignorant of the law nor afraid and I am telling you as clearly as I can that your inspector is making some very dubious claims to the public. If Mr. Kenney is telling you something different, Mr. Kenney is not being forthcoming and I am prepared to prove it. I have spoken in the past few weeks to more than twenty rescues that have had dealings with Mr. Kenney and every one of them has the same story. I can certainly understand that you might question the word of one person, but twenty will be harder to dispute. Make no mistake that I heard Mr. Kenney very clearly and can back up my statements if necessary. This is not a misunderstanding.

I confess that I am more than irritated that I am being told we failed to comply with a cease and desist order that has never been served on us and about which we have no knowledge. I am absolutely confident that you will find if you search your records that you have no record of ever having served such an order on us if it atcually exists. We are not difficult to find as we are a registered 501c3, are a chartered non-profit and are licensed. I don’t have a clue what that order was for or why it would have been issued if it does exist. We do not ship dogs in to your state ever. We have used vets and trainers in Massachusetts for years and freely admit to doing so and I do not believe there is any violation for doing so. Other states do not have your rules and those that do, have held public hearings at which representatives of our rescue have participated and which we generally support. I am not happy about this event with Micah and I am feeling exceptionally uncharitable about the shifting logic and disingenuous behavior of Mr. Kenney. My long years of administrative law experience indicate to me that everyone is well aware that there are significant legal flaws in the provisions on which your Department relies and the trick has been to fill the gaps as needed with the hope that no one will point out the lack of legal authority to act. If our organization is being cited for a violation of an order of no legal force and effect as it appears we are, this coupled with an out of left field claim of a violation of a previous order to cease and desist, means I will have to take steps to resolve this once and for all. The lack of clarity and transparency in this process is problematic and I am disturbed that there have been so many conflicting reasons provided for Micah’s seizure and now a previous cease and desist that I know nothing of suddenly is mentioned at the zero hour. Should you wish to fax any documents to me, my office fax is xxx-xxx-xxxx. I wish you a peaceful and happy holiday season.

Jean Harrison

>

Need help for gunshot dog

2010-04-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I really hate people. Meet Jasper who was shot at relatively close range in the side. It was discovered when his rescuer went to bathe him. We have no idea who did it, but the wound is recent and will require microsurgery to remove the bullet. This is not the standard run of the mill surgery as it is lodged near the spine and our vet will not touch this procedure. However, the bullet is causing problems (can't arch his back to go potty and it is causing occasional bouts of weakness in the back legs) and we need to try to get it out. This is our skinny new boy:

The wound itself does not look like much, but it is a hole in his side that he didn't have before someone unloaded a .22 in his side. This poor boy is a poster child for what happens to dogs who are abandoned in the woods and don't have food.

We have $400 available for his care and need to raise $1600 to cover his costs. If you are interested in donating, you can donate here. Thanks as always for your help with the big fluffy dogs of the world.

Puppies needing fosters in Nashville

2010-04-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

We have several dogs in need of fosters in the Nashville area. If you can help, email Jean at jean@bigfluffydogs.com or anna@bigfluffydogs.com.

Jason:

Aussie girl puppy:

Tucker:

Female pyrenees/lab puppy:

Need emergency foster help for hoarding case

2010-03-28T07:52:00.001-07:00

We have a hoarding case on our hands. This is a case where the farmer simply lost control and could not feed them. There are also horses involved in this case, but they are being cared for already by horse rescue. There are 24 Great Pyrenees and their mixes in need. They range in age from 4 months to 8 years old. If you can help foster, please let us know. We would also love to have some farmer help as several of these dogs have been used as livestock dogs and are not yet accustomed to being indoors. This is in the middle Tennessee area so fosters need to be reasonably close to the Nashville area. Spread the word. Here are some pictures of the dogs in need:

Dog happiness

2010-03-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, dogs just need to play in the rain. Not all rescue is heartwrenching and sometimes it's important to remember that we do it because we love dogs and they love us.

This is Ollie and his friend Devon. They are looking for their forever homes and are happy friendly boys. If you are looking for a pair of Great Pyrenees to join your clan, you'd be hard pressed to find a pair better than these two.

2010-03-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

These boys need short term New England fosters:

Charlie (top left) is a 5 year old male Great Pyrenees. Very sweet, and very friendly. Loves to give slow motion hugs. He is an awesome dog.

Devon (top right) is a 2 year old male Great Pyrenees. Very calm, very friendly and just an awesome boy.

Joseph (bottom) is a 7 year old male golden retriever/Great Pyrenees mix. He is an amazing dog and very calm and easy going.

If you are interested in fostering any of these boys, let us know. Thanks!

Belle needs an emergency amputation - warning: graphic pic

2010-03-20T19:51:00.001-07:00

It has been a bad spring for terrible injuries to dogs in need for our rescue. This is simply one of the most gruesome wounds we have seen and we apologize for the graphic photos. Belle is a young border collie/Great Pyrenees mix. She was injured more than two weeks ago when she was hit by a car and she has a gaping open wound with a broken bone exposed and sticking out. The lady who rescued her does not have the funds to provide appropriate care and has asked us to take her in. Belle is in severe pain and needs immediate care. The leg must be amputated and she will need aggressive wound therapy at this point. We are scheduling emergency surgery as the wound is now infected and time is of the essence. We are anticipating a $2500 bill for her care and are starting a chip in for anyone who wants to help. She will also need a foster home in the middle Tennessee area to recuperate in that can keep her quiet and calm for 10 days before she can go to a regular foster home.

This is Belle:

As you can see, the wound is catastrophic and her rescuer has tried to use horse wound care spray to keep the infection at bay. If you would like to help donate to her care, you can do so here. Thanks and feel free to cross post.

Puppies

2010-03-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

We have lots of puppies and they need fosters. All these pups are vetted and ready to go except for the three Corgi/pyr pups (Conner, Colt and Dakota). If you are interested in fostering any of these dogs, let us know. They will be heading up to New England on March 23 (except for the corgis who will need another week). There are more than these, so if interested, let us know. Most just need a Saturday to Monday foster in Tennessee, then a Tuesday evening to weekend foster in New England.

Conner:

Colt:

Dakota:

Carson:

Amelia:

Betsy:

Carley:

Daniel:

Edward:

Frederick:

Gabby:

Hunter:

Help save a puppy from euthanasia

2010-03-04T13:15:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year. Puppies are coming out of the woodwork and we are having trouble keeping up. We have been asked to take in 27 puppies this week, of which 21 are in shelters with fees that must be paid in order to take the dog. BFDR is running low on pull fees as we have already taken in 22 puppies and are hiding puppies where we can, inluding boarding. For those that do not know, some shelters have a fee that is charged to take the dog out of the shelter. Some provide services for those fees or give a partial credit later upon proof of rabies shots or spay and neuter, but many do not and consider them to be the equivalent of an impound fee. In short, we need to raise some money to get these guys sprung from the puppy big house and into foster homes before they are euthanized. Fees range from $35 per puppy to $90 per puppy and vary from shelter to shelter. It kills us that we could save so many but for money and foster homes. At the moment, the problem is cash (although we would never turn down a good foster home). If you are interested, the chip in for pull fees is here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/puppy-shelter-fees-to-save-their-lives.

Donation for a puppy fee comes with naming rights and our and the puppy's gratitude. Here are some of the pups in need of rescue now:

and

and

There are many more and they are all shapes, colors and breed mixes. No donation is too small as it all adds up in the end. Thanks from the big fluffy puppies on death row.

Kilmer the elderly Newfie needs a retirement home

2010-03-04T13:08:00.001-08:00

We have been asked to help find a permanent retirement home for a very elderly Newfoundland named Kilmer. Kilmer is a 13 year old Newfoundland which is quite old for the breed. His owner decided that he no longer fit her lifestyle and so she was given to a relative. This relative is very concerned about finding Kilmer the right home, as hers is not a good fit. Kilmer is losing his peripheral vision and the small dogs in her home scare the bejeezus out of him when they scamper into his area as he can't see them coming that low down. He has also tripped over them. As a result, Kilmer is now living outside on a deck. This is no life for a sweet old boy. He is sweet and as you can see in his video, spry for his age.

You can see Kilmer in this video clip. If you are interested in adopting Kilmer, please send an email to us at jean@bigfluffydogs.com.

Puppies in need of fosters in New England

2010-03-03T11:51:00.000-08:00

We have multiple dogs in need of fosters this week in New England, so fosters, if you see a puppy/dog you want to foster, let us know. They are all wonderful.

Meet Cameron. Cameron is flawless. Absolutely, perfect. In the house, with other dogs, with cats, with people. 5 star dog. Probably a lab x, but was supposed to be a Great Pyrenees x. He weighs in around 60 pounds.

This is Lucas and Logan. They are 8 month old goldren retriever husky mixes. They are about full sized at 65 pounds, they are not very tall, but are stocky and fluffy. Very very sweet.

We also have the three corgi Pyrenees mix pups. 2 boys 1 girl. Very small, very fluffy, very sweet.

and

We have one very sweet, very big male Great Pyrenees named Freddie. Freddie is a big, sweet, plodding boy who believes his job is to guard the kittens. He is a little bossy with big males, so would be best in a home with no big dogs.

If you are interested in any of these dogs, let us know. Thanks as always.

Update on our injured pyr mix

2010-02-26T20:18:00.001-08:00

She has made it through surgery. This is what we started with:

After several hours of touch and go surgery, she is stitched up and resting. She has multiple puncture wounds on her face, neck, legs and butt. Her teeth are a mess - she has an abscess on the right side of her front gum line and her front right upper canine is split in half and the pulp/nerve is exposed. There is dental surgery in her future, but we are now hopeful that she will survive. Here she is this evening:

We have upped the estimate of her treatment to $3000 now given the severity of her teeth injuries. Whatever happened, this girl had the battle of her life. If anyone would like to donate, they can do so here. Thanks as always to everyone for their prayers and donations. We could not do what we do without either.

Cameron needs a foster in the Nashville TN area

2010-02-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

Cameron is a 9 month old border collie lab puppy. He is a good puppy, but he is a puppy. He needs a foster home that has a wood privacy fence as he is perfectly happy to climb chain link. He also requires a crate and a commitment to use it as he will do puppy things, like eat delicious leather shoes.

Cameron is eager to please and very sweet, but he needs someone who will teach him how to be a good boy. He is fully vetted and gets along with other dogs. He is in the Nashville TN area.

If you can help, please email Anna at anna@bigfluffydogs.com. Rescue always covers any medical needs but we expect none from Cameron.

Ruby needs a place to call her own

2010-02-07T20:30:00.001-08:00

Meet Ruby. Ruby is a small brown dog we took in before Thanksgiving last year when she had puppies. The puppies have since been placed. She has a long way to go still.

Ruby was shot multiple times. She has pellets all over her body because someone used her as target practice. We are preparing to have surgery to remove the pellets in her face because they are bothering her and cause pain.

Not surprisingly, Ruby is timid and very shy around new people. The one thing Ruby does not need is a home with a marshmallow who will baby talk her. She needs someone who will matter of factly help her transition to a new life. Babytalking encourages her to be afraid and living in fear is no life at all.

We want Ruby to have the very best home possible. She would be best as an only dog with no small children. She weighs 25 pounds and is a beagle Italian greyhound mix. We think she is about 3 years old. You can see her video here. If you are interested in fostering or adopting Ruby, please email us at anna@bigfluffydogs.com.

Newfie help

2010-02-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

We took in two Newfoundlands last week. They were owner surrenders. We were presented with happy pictures of healthy dogs as the dogs we were getting:

What we actually got was this:

We also got a $675 vet bill to address their immediate health issues and to sedate them and get their fur into a manageable state. We have started a chip in to help with their costs. You can contribute here to the fund to care for the Newfies.

Jackson needs surgery to save his life

2010-01-20T19:35:00.001-08:00

Jackson is a 10 week old Great Pyrenees puppy. He has had a rough start to life as he was abandoned by his owners, but he was doing well and his foster Mom had done a wonderful job with him. This afternoon, Jackson had a dramatic turn and went from playful happy puppy to barely functioning puppy. Jackson has an intestinal blockage caused by the intestines telescoping back on themselves, blocking the intestinal tract entirely. Jackson has vomited non stop and the vet's initial assessment of a stressed out puppy has turned out to be in error. Jackson will need surgery to fix his intestines or he will die. We estimate the surgery will cost $1800 - $2000. We certainly had not prepared for this and are wiped out after several heartworm treatments and orthopedic surgeries. We are hoping to raise the funds to be able to save his life. Help if you can here: http://bigfluffydogs.chipin.com/jackson-needs-surgery-to-save-his-life. Thanks as always and say a prayer for Jackson.

STOLEN DOG ALERT! Rescued dobermans stolen, rescuer stabbed

2010-01-19T13:46:00.001-08:00

What is wrong with the world? Please be on the lookout for 12 dogs stolen from a Johnson City, TN dog boarding facility. There were nine dobermans stolen, one min pin, a black lab and a shepherd mix. I do not have photos yet, but will post any updates we get. This facility houses for Pilots n Paws, the volunteer rescue group that matches traveling pilots to dogs needing to get to rescue. Whoever did this deserves to be strung up.

Read the full article here.

Update: 9:27 a.m.:
Cool School for Dogs’ owner, Brad Josslyn, and his niece, Ashli Thomas, say that in five years, they have never been robbed. The two are rattled about losing 12 dogs overnight. Thomas works there, and stays in an apartment at the business. She said she heard the dogs barking about 3:30 Tuesday morning. She said this is normal, but when they didn’t stop barking, she went to investigate. She found the downstairs light on, which is unusual, and when she got downstairs, she saw a man at the back door. He was holding a knife, and he swung at her, slashing her side. The man got into a white utility van with no back windows, and the driver took off down W. Market street toward Jonesborough.
Josslyn says the backyard gate lock is gone, and the back door’s lock had been busted. Thomas and Josslyn say there were nine Doberman Pinschers taken, one hound mix, one Black Lab, and one Miniature Pinscher. One dog had three legs, and another was blind. The dogs were all rescued, waiting to be adopted.
Thomas says a man came to their business Monday afternoon, telling her that he heard they sold Doberman Pinschers. She told him that they do not sell the dogs, but they rescue them, and they are available for adoption. The man asked how much one in particular would be, and Thomas said it was not for sale, but gave adoption fee information about other dogs. Thomas and Josslyn say they believe the man is connected to the robbery, but he was not the man who cut Thomas with a knife. Josslyn fears the dogs were stolen to be sold for research.
Some of the dogs that were stolen have micro-chips with barcodes, so if they are found, they can be scanned and returned home.

Update at 6:29 a.m.:

11 Connects’s Dana Wachter reports police now think 12 dogs were stolen from Cool School for Dogs.

Here’s the first report:

Johnson City Police are investigating a report that two men broke into a canine training school and boarding facility, stole nine dogs, and injured a woman.

The alleged crime happened at Cool School For Dogs, 3548 West Market Street, at about 4 a.m. Tuesday, police said.

According to a police bulletin issued by Washington County 9-1-1, a woman at the business was assaulted by two men who loaded 9 dogs into a white service van and left on Highway 11-E headed toward Greeneville. An emergency dispatcher told 11 Connects the woman was “cut” by the two men but later refused medical treatment.

Save a dog from dying in the snow

2010-01-06T20:40:00.000-08:00

I am a Southern rescuer of big fluffy dogs who originate in the mountains and who are acclimated to colder weather than the average dog. Given where I live, I don’t see dogs frozen to death or suffering from hypothermia because it is rarely that cold. This week I am seeing something I never wanted to see. Dogs dying from the brutal cold. Meet Holly, the schnoodle:

Holly came to us at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. She had been found lying with a yellow lab on the side of a road. When they brought her to my home, she was unresponsive and nearly comatose. She was also emaciated and beyond dehydrated. Her core body temperature was 96 degrees, which is more than five degrees below normal. Imagine if your temperature was 93 degrees and you have the idea. She was so cold she wasn’t shivering. She was a hair’s breadth from death and she lived only because someone took the time to pick her up and get her immediate medical attention. We don't generally rescue schnoodles, but it is up to everyone to keep dogs out of harm's way and a frozen dog is a dog in need.

Since Holly’s unexpected detour into my life, I have been frantically trying to get dogs indoors. I know that as the winter storm predicted descends on us tonight, there will be dogs dying alone, scared and so cold they can’t stop shaking. It makes me physically ill to think of it. It's so preventable. If we had the funds to board dogs to get them out of the cold, as well as fosters for the short term, we could save more dogs from facing the elements.

I am setting up a Polar Bear Fundthis evening to try to literally buy time for dogs to get inside in boarding. If you can, consider fostering. For any rescue. I don’t care if the dog freezing outside is a three-legged junk yard dog, no dog needs to be tied up, outside without any hope of warmth. Please pass along to all and spare a thought for those dogs outside. We have a list of 15 dogs that need an indoor place to be and I suspect there will be more that we are asked to help tomorrow when the night time temps are expected to drop to the single digits. If you would like to donate, you can do so here.

Here are some concrete things you can do to help dogs stay safe:

1) Buy straw/hay for dogs that have no inside home. Do NOT use blankets as they get wet and just transfer heat loss faster.
2) Take a dog in as a foster, wherever you may be. Believe us, any rescue will be grateful for your help.
3) Sponsor a dog. The average cost of a boarding spot is $18 per night. On a night when the temps are dropping to zero, that saves a dog’s life for less than a large pizza.
4) Encourage everyone to bring their dogs inside. It's that simple.

Please pass this email along and foster and foster or donate as you can.

The following dogs are some in need of a warm place:

Cassidy the bait dog

2009-12-28T07:48:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, Big Fluffy Dog Rescue took in a 28 pound non-descript, short-haired Tennessee brown and brindle mutt. When I got the call that there was a small black dog with a broken leg in danger of becoming a bait dog in a dog fighting ring, I said we would take her in to rescue. When I finally saw her, I knew we had made the right choice, even if what we thought we were getting and what we got were miles apart. After all these years of rescue, I confess that I have grown somewhat jaded and not much shocks me anymore. However, the absolute inhumanity of anyone taking a sweet, injured dog and throwing her to a dog trained to kill other dogs makes me weep for the state of the world. Cassidy is lucky. She found us. Even though we don't do small dog rescue. Even though we rescue big fluffy dogs. We are first and foremost a dog rescue. Cassidy is a dog in need.

Cassidy lost her leg on Christmas Eve as there was no way to salvage it. She was in pain and ill and the surgery was complicated. She has come through with flying colors. She is happy and sassy and sitting on my sofa, a little brown mutt in a sea of big white fluffy dogs. She is excellent with other dogs, she is fabulous with the cats and she is so excited to have a home she is nearly delirious with happiness. She will need a better foster home than I can provide as she is subject to Sunshine ambush (a lurking 75 pound lab/pyr pictured below and in the video) at every moment and poor Cassidy's leg won't take the abuse. If you are interested in fostering, please email me at jean@bigfluffydogs.com. She is in Nashville, TN, so any foster needs to be local and capable of taking care of an amputee.

Cassidy has a $1400 vet bill that we need help with. If you would like to donate, you can do so here: donate to Cassidy. All donations are tax deductible as we are a 501c3 rescue. If anyone would prefer to donate directly to the vet, she was treated at Vet Med Animal Hospital and their phone number is 615-553-4156. They will cheerfully take donations for her care. We appreciate any help as this one was not on our radar and we were ill-prepared to handle a dog with these needs over the holidays.

You can also see a video of Cassidy here: Cassidy and Sunshine

Natchez 2007-2009

2009-12-11T13:14:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, we lost Natchez to kidney failure a week ago. This has broken our hearts as his death was so unnecessary. We are hopeful that his death will prevent other deaths and alert people to the dangers of self-medicating dogs without understanding the dangers. Natchez died of kidney failure as the result of tylenol poisoning. Aspirin and tylenol may seem interchangeable, but while aspirin can be safely given to a dog, tylenol and ibuprofen and other similar compounds cannot. Small doses can be fatal. If anyone ever has a question as to whether something can or cannot be safely given to a dog, check with your vet first. Do NOT take anything on the internet as gospel as there are sites with serious misinformation all over the web. Natchez fought valiantly, but ultimately lost his battle. The vet was wonderful and while merciful, their services were not free. Please remind people not to self-medicate (dogs or people). The risks are not worth saving a few bucks.

As for the bill incurred by Big Fluffy Dog Rescue, feel free to donate here:

Big Fluffy Dog Rescue needs help

2009-11-28T19:18:00.000-08:00

I am heartsick today. Natchez was returned to us on Wednesday by his adopter (allergies), but they apparently didn't notice he was suffering from being poisoned (tylenol) and in the throes of full renal failure. Our wonderful vet has done all that can be done, but it just does not look good. Please say a prayer as he is a young sweet mastiff lab mix and he deserves a chance to live.

Micah is still being held by the State of Massachusetts with no end in sight. They will be demanding that we pay "impound fees" for their illegal seizure.

Connor was playing with Missy the Great Pyrenees and she fell on him and broke his elbow this evening. He will require orthopedic surgery. Sigh.

After this day, I decided that I was going to quit. The trauma has been high lately and I am worn out. Rescue is something we do because we love dogs, and certainly not for any other purpose. This is a money losing proposition on all fronts. Then my fellow rescuers reminded me that I can't quit, slaves have to be freed. They are right. What we need to do is raise funds to fight to get Micah back and Connor a new elbow.

I am asking for help for Big Fluffy Dog Rescue because I think we are going to need it. We have exhausted our reserves for dogs with special needs. We need to raise funds for Gabriel who has gone blind to see if we can restore his sight by fixing the lens on his eyes, we need funds to pay for the care for Natchez, and for three orthopedic surgeries for dogs in foster homes waiting on us. Donations can be made here

Thanks you as always for your kindness and for being a friend to the big fluffy dogs of the world. We could not do it without you.

Micah has been seized by the State of Massachusetts

2009-11-25T19:08:00.001-08:00

The State of Massachusetts has seized a dog from a trainer helping us with a dog for being unlawfully in their state. We sent him from NH where we are licensed to Massachusetts for work with a trainer to address his fear of being inside. We have tried to work with them, but they have refused to even inform us as to what the problem is. First, they told us he did not have a health certificate to get from NH to MA (not required by any rule or law). Then, silence. They have hinted that either we don't own the dog or that we are "selling" dogs in MA. They have stated that Big Fluffy Dog Rescue is disreputable. It is outrageous. We'll fix this through the courts, but tonight, say a prayer for Micah who is on Day 9 in an animal shelter alone and scared. This is not what we had planned for him.

Help us spring the boys from puppy prison

2009-11-11T19:09:00.001-08:00

Meet the boys, Jesse and Frank. Jesse and Frank are in puppy prison. They were abandoned at a boarding kennel in need of major medical care. The vet has given us a big break, but the bill exceeds $900 even with the break. These two boys are very sweet and they would love to go to a home. For now, they are in jail running up a bill. Help as you can and thanks from the big fluffy dogs.

Clyde the Senior Pyr needs a foster

2009-11-10T07:59:00.000-08:00

Clyde is an 8 year old Great Pyrenees who has spent his whole life on a chain outside. He has been turned in to a very high kill shelter in Kentucky. We will take him if I can find a foster or sponsor for boarding as we are overloaded with boarding dogs right now. He gets along well with other dogs, but he deserves a chance at a sofa in his senior years. If you are interested in fostering/sponsoring Clyde, please contact me at jean@bigfluffydogs.com. His petfinder link is here.

Big Fluffy Dog Rescue needs help

2009-11-04T18:36:00.000-08:00

We have had a rough few weeks. First there was Ian the Great Pyrenees who arrived on a Sunday with a fever of 104 and climbing. Ian had a severe peridontal infection and a hole in his sinus. He is now fixed at a cost of $650.

Then there is Missy. Missy is currently costing $65 a week for care for a severe case of demodectic mange created by owners who put her on steroids for a year. She has a long term skin infection we are slowly gaining control of with expensive antibiotics and weekly dips. We estimate her total care to be over $1800 by the time we deem her well enough to go home.

Then there are the two Great Pyrenees in Alabama used for target practice and treated for wounds and boarded for two weeks at a cost of $1200.

Now we have the two adorable baby Great Pyr girls who have parvo. We estimate that we will spend around $600 each if we are able to save their lives.

This does not include the dogs we have with orthopedic issues or in need of heartworm treatment, nor does it cover the boarding costs we have incurred trying to save a sudden influx of foreclosure big fluffies when no foster home was available.

If you would like to donate to assist our mission, you can do so here: As always, we thank you for your interest and support. Without you, none of these dogs would ever have a chance.

Reflections on the dogs of the past year

2009-10-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that there is a serious animal overpopulation issue in the South. The real problem stems from a fundamental failure to spay and neuter pets. In many rural areas, there is no animal control or humane society to take in unwanted pets and animals are dumped in rural areas left to fend for themselves. A very fortunate few are rescued, but many die from accidents, starvation or even predation. When a Great Pyrenees is abandoned, terrible things can happen. Last December, we were contacted about a young Great Pyrenees mix that the caller thought had been hit by a car. When we got the dog to the vet, it was obvious the dog had been shot at point blank range and had somehow managed to survive this brutal attempt to end his life. Elijah, as we named him, was severely maimed and near death. By the time the surgeries were finished, Elijah lost part of his jaw and his front leg, and bullet fragments were removed a hair's breadth away from his heart. Our goal as a rescue is to ensure that no dog ever meets this fate and if we are fortunate enough to make it to the finals of the Mutt Madness contest, our project is designed to save dogs like Elijah before they end up in his condition by creating more space to take in unwanted livestock dogs. Since the odds are not in our favor to win the whole thing, we are thinking that we will establish the Elijah fund to raise money to board dogs in need when we have no foster space available. Sometimes, the only thing standing between safety and abandonment or death is $15. Look for details in the coming days. Elijah was fortunate in finding rescue, but many others are not so lucky. It is our hope that as we head in to the holidays, that everyone will stop and say a prayer for the dogs out there alone and afraid, hoping for a human to step in and save them. for those who wonder, Elijah is happy and well and living life as a tripod.

Landscaping help

2009-10-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, dogs want to help. When mulching the yard, be sure to let your big fluffy dogs assist. They are wonderful at aerating your mulch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svkNeQFviNo

Mia needs a foster home

2009-10-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

Mia needs a foster home. She is a 7 year old female Saint Bernard and she is just a doll. She is ready to heard north and she needs to grow her butt fur back before she goes to her new home. If anyone is interested in fostering her, let us know. She gets along with everyone and everything.

Mutt Madness

2009-10-13T19:58:00.001-07:00

It is absolutely amazing, but we are a finalist in the Rachel Ray Mutt Madness contest. This contest has some amazing rescues included from the very little I have seen and all are deserving. We are one of 64 rescues competing for $50,000. $50,000 is a big number for a small rescue. So you say to yourself - what would you do with the money if you won? Bess our Great Pyrenees said she would buy greenies and hoard them, but she was voted down. Below is what we submitted to the panel of judges and what we want to do:

In the past two years, we have seen a staggering increase in the number of livestock guardian dogs in need of rescue as the economy has faltered. Farmers are losing their farms either directly because of drought conditions or because of economic issues driving them into foreclosure. The media has noted the dramatic increase in abandoned dogs because of the rise in foreclosures, but the plight of the abandoned working dog has not captured anyone’s attention.
In the South, we are seeing a huge number of Great Pyrenees in need. A relatively rare breed in most places, the number of Great Pyrenees in high kill shelters in the South is staggering as a simple review of Petfinder listings shows. However, a working dog in need does not automatically translate to a companion dog which has created a uniquely difficult to place category of dog. While we have always maintained that the Great Pyrenees is one of the most physically beautiful breeds, a working dog in the South has usually not been socialized, is frequently in poor condition, does not trust people it does not know, and has absolutely no idea how to blend in to a family as a companion dog and is therefore extremely hard to place. As the result of this unusual need, we have developed a program that allows us to save these dogs and put them into appropriate homes and we work with the local shelters to identify candidates for our program that would otherwise be euthanized as unadoptable.
In 2007, we rescued and placed 136 Great Pyrenees. Of that number, 112 dogs were working dogs that had either been turned in to kill shelters or abandoned by their owners and were deemed not companion material by the shelter. We quickly realized a traditional foster home was not going to work to help us place these dogs as our fosters are not set up to deal with a working dog that has to be transitioned from work to home. With the assistance of a group of Pyr-loving farmers and volunteers, we have set up a sort of halfway house for working dogs. After an initial evaluation and full medical screening and care, the dog is divided into two groups: truly working dogs and those that have potential as companion dogs. We have determined that approximately 15% of all the Great Pyrenees we took in to rescue in 2007 were truly working dogs and these dogs were enrolled in a working dog program we developed that evaluates their strengths and weaknesses as livestock guardians over six months. The graduates of this program are highly sought after livestock dogs by alpaca farmers, goat farmers and sheep farmers and are placed on farms in pairs under a strict set of guidelines. Those deemed companion animal material are sent through a sort of boot camp to learn to be a pet. The “Big Fluffy Dawg House” is a sort of dog dormitory where the dogs learn to be comfortable inside a building that looks something like a home. A routine is established and the dogs learn to be crated and are slowly integrated into the pack to interact socially with other dogs and learn how to be dogs of leisure. As they grow more comfortable with new people and other dogs, we move them into more home-like surroundings and expose them to the nuts and bolts of modern everyday life. Finally, the dog goes to a regular foster home for finishing school and they are listed for adoption. Once listed, the dog goes to a foster home in the New England area via transport. At the end of this process, a family adopts a wonderful, well-adjusted beautiful pet and the dog has a forever home with people who love him or her. We are seeking funding to expand our program and build a better dog dormitory to help us save more of these beautiful dogs.

Jackson needs emergency foster in Nashville area

2009-10-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

I recently went to a local shelter to take a Great Pyrenees puppy out. Sharing the kennel space with the puppy was Jackson, a young male catahoula mix. Jackson was very excited to see me, and he gave me kisses and leaned on me for petting. When I put him back in the kennel and shut the door, I swear the dog cried. It broke my heart to leave him there, but I do not have a spot for him. Jackson's owners dropped him at the shelter and he is still waiting for them to return. It is so sad that he still waits patiently for them to come back. Even though he is not our typical breed, he is very sweet and we will take him in to rescue if we can find someone willing to foster him for the short term. Rescue will pay for any medical needs and all vet costs, frontline, heartgard, etc. Jackson is probably 50 pounds, and gets along well with other dogs. His time is up today and he will be euthanized if we cannot find a place for him.

Why do we rescue dogs?

2009-10-05T18:13:00.001-07:00

It's simple really, we love dogs. Who can resist a cute puppy in need? Not us.

Sparky needs a home

2009-10-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

Sparky is not our typical dog. Sparky is a nine month old border collie who happens to have an extra dew claw, so the shelter called and asked us to take a border collie/Great Pyrenees mix. Sparky is not a border pyr, but he is wonderful. Sparky's former owners are idiots. He was hit by a car at 16 weeks and they didn't want to pay for the surgery he needed to fix his two broken back legs. The neighbors were horrified and paid for the surgery. Sparky's owners then could not be bothered to do the necessary post operative therapy, so when he started to drag a leg when he was nine months old, they sent him to the pound. We took Sparky from the pound and had his back leg operated on again, and now he is running like a typical puppy. Sparky weighs in around 45 pounds and is as big as he will be. He will never sit normally as the result of his injury, but there is no reason why he cannot lead a normal life. He loves to run, swim and play and he absolutely adores children. I want him to go to a home with kids and that will love him for the wonderful dog he is. A fenced yard is a must for this boy.

Today's lame excuse to drop your dog at the pound

2009-10-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

Overheard at a local high kill shelter: "We are moving across country and it would not be fair to her to take her with us." Really? Not fair? No, not fair is having a needle in her leg 3 days later as she wonders where she is and why her family is not with her.

We are looking for a foster for her so her last days are not in a place filled with bewildered dogs.