Liebchen - Staying With Owner

Name: Liebchen

Age: Estimated 8 years

Sex: Female (altered)

Breed: Poodle

Location: Anaheim, CA area

Vet Info: Liebchen is confirmed spayed and heartworm negative.  She is up to date on vaccines and is next due for her rabies vaccine in June, 2016.  Her owner's daughter writes that Liebchen needs daily eye drops for the rest of her life to prevent glaucoma, and that funding may be made available to support her eye care needs.  Liebchen weighs 10 pounds.

Owner Info: Liebchen is a beautiful little girl whose 90-year-old owner just passed away.  His daughter is unable to keep Liebchen as she has three very large dogs, two of which may injure Liebchen.  She is desperately hoping for rescue or a new home for Liebchen as soon as possible.  No other family members are able to help.

Liebchen is an indoor dog with run of the house, and her owner's daughter gave us details about her being housebroken:  "My Father was in the hospital for 7 weeks, during which time we had to keep his animals at his apartment. Although we have had numerous people going into the apartment multiple times per day to potty and play with dog and cat, Liebchen started urinating on the living room carpet. I believe it was her way of expressing her frustration at the situation. Thus, whomever adopts Liebchen will need to start off with reminder potty training to get her back on track."

Liebchen is good with both men and women, but small children will likely frighten her.  Her owner's daughter writes that she can be possessive of toys, treats, or food, and she gave us more details:  "My Father was very frail and did not make Liebchen mind. As a result, she would "protect" him by standing on his lap, and would try to bite me if I tried to pick her up (while she was on his lap)....When Liebchen still had her vision, sometimes she would go into protection mode (for Dad) and would launch herself at me. She has bitten my finger once (and broken the skin), as well as biting my shoe (while my foot was in it). This behavior appears to have stopped once her vision went away."  

She also tells us that Liebchen will bark at other dogs, but she has not put her in the situation where she has been with other dogs.  Her suspicion is that Liebchen would do better in a household where she is the only dog.

Liebchen has made progress with her socialization!  Liebchen's owner's daughter writes, "Overall, Liebchen is a very healthy little dog who loves to play and enjoy life. She is in need of a home where someone will establish rules/expectations and not let her dictate who is in charge. I believe the vet also indicated she has had a heart murmur for years, but this has not seemed to cause her any problems...I hope you can help us find her a great home. She has become a very nice little dog as her socialization has progressed."  

Liebchen's owner's daughter gave us more details about her vision:  "We believe that Liebchen is almost completely blind. One eye has had a full cataract for years. The second eye developed into a full cataract in December 2014. I took her to an opthamologist on 1/7/15 to see if we could have cataract surgery done. The Dr. conducted an exam of her retinal function too and said that she has Progressive Retinal Atrophy. One eye has zero retinal function. The other eye measured at 47. The Dr. explained that he does not like to do cataract surgery on dogs with retinal function less than 50. Apparently, some dogs have as high as 900 for this test. He went on to say that we could do the surgery but it would be a matter of months before she was completely blind again. We discussed it and felt that subjecting her to the trauma of surgery, etc. was not a good idea."

Update 4/23/15:  We've heard from Liebchen's owner and she's settling down but is quite frightened around other people.  At this point, they're hoping for a permanent home for sweet Liebchen.

"Liebchen is settling down a bit over here with us. Am working with her on crate training, taking her for lots of short walks each day to ensure she gets enough exercise and teaching her commands like "step up"  and "step down" to get her used to her new environment. She is really frightened around other people, I suspect she knows I am trying to place her. At this point I am not looking for a foster home for her.....but rather a permanent home with someone who has experience with frightened blind dogs. She really needs a lot of support right now (is really fragile emotionally) and bouncing her around foster homes would be a really bad idea right now."

Khalua - Staying With Owner

Name: Khalua

Age: Estimated 4 years
Breed: Cocker Spaniel

Sex: Female (not altered)

Location: Puerto Rico

Vet Info: Khalua is not spayed.  She is up to date on vaccines including rabies and is heartworm negative.  Khalua's rescuer writes that the vet suspects she has glaucoma and that she is completely blind.  She is trying to raise money to take Khalua to an eye specialist and have her spayed.  Khalua weighs approximately 25 pounds.

Owner Info: Khalua is a beautiful blind Cocker Spaniel who was abandoned at a church.  She was saved by a good samaritan who rescues many dogs in Puerto Rico and does her best to try to find them placement.  As of 3/17, Khalua is in foster care.  She is an indoor dog confined to one area of the house.  She is not housebroken but is leash trained.  Khalua also has a skin allergy, but other than that, her rescuer writes that her overall health is very good. They've only had Khalua a short time, but they gave us details about how she is with other dogs:  "I didn't know her very well yet but when I rescued her she was in my car with 2 other dogs and she was ok. In the clinic she's been normal with other dogs. She was a little anxious when I rescued her (which they believe is due to all the changes she has gone through)...  but when I'm with her she's loving and receptive. Since today she's with a foster family with 3 dogs and the lady told me that she was stumble into the house which is normal but  tomorrow we will talk again and will let you know how she's doing."  Here is her update from 3/18:  "About Khalua, she's doing very well with the other dogs in her foster home." Khalua has shown no aggression and is not possessive of toys, treats, or food.  Her rescuer is hoping Khalua can have a better life here!  She tells us, "I'm a dog rescuer in Puerto Rico and have many other rescued dogs in different foster cares / boarding.  I assumed that Khalua was dumped for her disability. I would like to bring her the opportunity to have a new happy life that I cannot bring her because I don't have the space/economic resources to take care of her. She deserves a better life."  

Update 5/28/15: We've heard from Khalua's contact and Khalua recently had four beautiful puppies!  All of the puppies have rescue in the US.  Khalua is still very much hoping she'll find rescue, too!  

Khalua was pregnant and any of us, including the vet didn't notice until she was almost ready to give birth. She had a beautiful 4 puppies. They're almost ready to fly to the US to find new homes. I'm still looking for a home for Khalua but, here in PR, is almost impossible. I'm very sad with all this situation.

Cindy - Adopted

Name: Cindy

Age: Estimated 1 1/2 years

Breed: Shepherd Mix

Sex: Female (altered)

Location: MA

Vet Info: Cindy is confirmed spayed and up to date on her vaccines, including rabies, bordetella, and DA2PP.   She is heartworm negative per her good samaritan, but this has not yet been confirmed.  She is on heartworm preventative.  Cindy weighs approximately 40 - 45 pounds.

Owner Info: Cindy is a beautiful girl who was saved from a kill shelter in TN by good samaritans.  Poor Cindy was found under a church.  She was shot in the face with shrapnel by some young children and became partially blind.  Her good samaritans have blind dog experience and thought it would work out, but unfortunately, Cindy doesn't seem to like other dogs, even though she's loving, sweet, and very gentle with people of all ages.  They are very much hoping for rescue or adoption for Cindy. Cindy is an indoor dog confined to one area of the house, she is housebroken and leash trained.  Cindy sits and comes, and she also knows up-up and down-down for stairs!  Cindy is good with people of all ages and is overall healthy.  She is not possessive of toys, treats, or food, but has snapped, snarled, and growled at their other dogs when they approach her.  She seems nervous around other dogs and will shake out of fear, and they are doing their best to keep everyone separated. Cindy's good samaritans say that she is very sweet with people and does well with children!  They write, "Other than the dogs she does very well. She walks around the house if they are outside and she loves to snuggle on the couch to sleep.... Please help us we tried to do the right thing and give her a loving home but we are unable to do so with Cindy."

Avery - In Foster Care

Name: Avery

Age: 5 years

Breed: Hound/Shepherd Mix

Sex: Male (altered)

Location: Southern NH

Vet Info: Avery is confirmed neutered and heartworm negative.  He is up to date on vaccines and is next due for his rabies vaccine on 6/5/16.  Avery weighs 35 pounds.

Owner Info: DOB around January 2010. Avery is a very handsome fellow whose owners had twins last summer and are overwhelmed caring for them and working full-time without any family in the area.  They feel they can no longer give Avery the time, love, and attention he deserves and they've made the difficult decision to reach out to rescue. Their families are unable to take him. Avery has no vision in one eye and very limited vision in the other. His owners were told it's a genetic condition that requires no medication or further intervention, and that he would go completely blind.  They write that "that may be the case at this point, although at times you would never know. He seems to be able to see shadows and navigates well for his level of blindness!"  Other than that, they tell us that Avery has been in great health.  Avery is an indoor dog with run of the house, he is housebroken and leash trained.  Avery knows the commands Sit, Wait, and Come!  He is good with people of all ages, male and female dogs, and cats, and currently lives with a male border collie.  His owners write, "Avery is a little uneasy when he first meets other dogs (he sometimes growls but has never been aggressive) but warms up quickly. He's only been around cats a few times years ago and there were no issues."  Avery can be possessive of treats, and his owners gave us more details: "Avery sometimes snarls when we give him a treat and our other dog gets too close. He has never been vicious though and this has only happened a few times. Because of his blindness he startles and sometimes barks when his back end is touched unexpectedly.... He's never bitten anyone and he's been great with our two nine month old daughters. ....He has snapped at our other dog if he gets too close to his food (a concern of ours for when our girls start to walk)." His owners also wanted us to know, "A couple more things to know about Avery which I didn't mention on the form. He had a lot of anxiety and much of stems from going in and out the door. I'm not sure if this is because he's blind, but he gets very worked up about it and will bark and pace. I think I wrote that he's a creature of habit so most of it happens around breakfast time, dinner, and last thing at night." Avery's owners feel he adapts well to new situations and would do well in a home with another dog.  They tell us he's incredibly loving and outgoing around strangers and wants to be a lap dog!  

Update 4/13/15:  Avery's owners have tried their best, but they write that they are completely overwhelmed with Avery's needs and know they aren't the right family for him. They will be surrendering him to the humane society on Wednesday, 4/15/15.

Gentle Ben - Adopted

Name: Gentle Ben

Age: 4 years

Sex: Male (altered)

Breed: German Shepherd

Location: Northern California

Vet Info: Ben has been blind since birth. He is neutered and current with vaccinations. He is heartworm negative. Ben weighs 90 lbs. His caregiver writes “he is in perfect health.”  

Owner Info: Gentle Ben is a purebred German Shepherd who was rescued from Craigslist nine months ago when his owner was deployed to Korea and could not find someone to take him who understands blind dogs. His current caregiver wrote, "He is a great dog but I took him in to foster him to see that he did not get put down and to train him so that he would be more adoptable. I have had him for 9 months. My husband and I are close to retirement and need to reduce the "dog print" in our home. We love Ben very much but he is our fourth dog and we now travel a lot." Ben is an indoor dog with run of the house. He is house-broken and leash-trained. Ben's caregiver has spent many hours training him and now Ben knows commands, sit, stay, lie down, go to your bed, drop it, “watch” when off leash and in potential danger, come and stop! Ben is described as shy and good with men, women, teenager, and kids, as well as male and female dogs and cats. His caregiver has 3 other dogs, 1 cat, and “various foster dogs have come through the house." She said that Ben is “fine when new animals come into the house when he is introduced and he is not surprised.” If he is off-leash and meets a small dog, he can react and snap out of fear, not aggression. She described an incident where this happened on an off-leash trail walk. A small dog ran up to him and growled at him. Ben picked up the small dog in his mouth and then put him down again. The small dog got a skin laceration from being in Ben's mouth. Ben then laid down in a submissive posture and was confused by what happened. He has never shown this behavior while on leash and meeting new dogs and has never acted out with the dogs in the house. For this reason, his caregiver says he cannot be off-leash in a dog park or environment where there are other dogs around and he feels insecure. Ben's caregiver wrote that a lot of people do not believe that Ben is blind when they first meet him. "Since he has blind since birth, he has adapted flawlessly to his disability and goes about his business as though it doesn't exist."  She says he is very adaptable and wrote, "He adapted to his home with me immediately, mapping out the whole fenced property, and the entire of the inside of the house within a day." She feels that ideally, he would have a companion dog to help him along. 

She wants us to know that "his new owner will be richly rewarded with a pet that is completely tuned in, reliable, gentle and attentive."

Fiona - Adopted

Name: Fiona

Age: 11+ years

Breed: Dachshund Mix

Sex: Female (confirmed altered)

Location: Houston, TX

Vet Info: Fiona is confirmed spayed.  She is confirmed heartworm negative and her rescue writes she is up to date on vaccines, but this has not yet been confirmed.  Fiona weighs about 10 pounds.  His rescue writes that Fiona has bilateral cataracts and she appears partially blind.  

Owner Info: Fiona is a beautiful and very sweet little girl who was involved in a hoarding situation.  She was living inside and not allowed to go outside, even to potty.  She was found in a back room lying in a dirty bed.  She and her 30 housemates were saved by a small rescue, and she's currently safe in a temporary foster home.  Unfortunately, the foster home is only able to keep her for one more week, and then she'll have to into boarding.  The boarding facility is loud and geared towards younger dogs.  Her rescue is very concerned about how frightening and upsetting this will be for her, and they say that they "just can't bear the thought of her returning to boarding."  They have been unable to find another foster home for Fiona. They're very much hoping for a BDRA foster home or a forever home for sweet and tiny Fiona! Fiona is an indoor dog with run of the house, and she is housebroken.  They're not sure if she's leash trained as she's older and has only been walking around the temporary foster's back yard.  She is good with both men and women, male and female dogs, and cats.  Younger children may frighten her.  She is not possessive of toys, treats, or food.  When answering the question about whether the dog has bitten her snapped, her rescue writes,  "unknown if she has ever bitten or snapped at anyone but doubtful. She is elderly & has a number of her teeth missing."   Other than her blindness, they tell us that she still has a lot of life in her and is overall healthy... and an excellent eater!  Fiona adapts well to new situations and her rescue tells us she's always her usual loving self!  " She went from the hoarding situation to a boarding facility & then to a foster's home. she has maintained an adaptable, loving disposition even through all of the changing environments."  They want us to know that "Fiona is a precious tiny girl & deserves so much more than she's been given. I desperately want for Fiona to have a family who will love & care for her in her senior years."

Update 3/15/2015: Just a reminder about Fiona, we've heard from her contact and she'll be heading to boarding very shortly.

"I have a feeling she's on her way to boarding soon even though her foster acknowledged she knew it wasn't a good environment for her. I'm so worried about her... constantly on my mind... Thank you for checking in."

Bella - Adopted

Name: Bella

Age: 8 years

Sex: Female (altered)

Breed: Cocker Spaniel

Location: Chattanooga, TN

Vet Info: Bella is spayed and up to date on her rabies. She has been blind since birth. She is in good health. She has been on HW preventitive but the vet has no record of a HW test. The vet staff described Bella as "very healthy, sweet, smart, and gentle." 

Owner Info: From June of 2014: Bella was surrendered to a Tennessee rescue group by a couple going through a divorce (who had her since she was 5 months old), and the rescue group reached out to BDRA for assistance in finding a new home for Bella. She is 7 years old and weighs 35 pounds. She is housetrained and leash trained. She is an outgoing dog that is good with people of all ages and also good with cats and dogs. The rescue wrote: Bella is a sweet girl who loves everyone. She adapts well to her environment and her blindness does not curtail her ability to live a good life." In June of 2014, Bella was adopted! 

March 2015 Update: Bella's family is moving and won't be taking Bella with them, so now Bella is back with the rescue group, and needs a new home again. The rescue wrote: "Bella is still as sweet as pie but has gained quite a bit of weight. She has been groomed monthly and the adopters have taken great care of her, with the exception of weight gain (now, in 2015, she weighs 47 pounds). Bella is in foster care, and acclimates so quickly, wagging her little nub."  

George - Staying With Owner

Name: George

Age: 7 weeks

Breed: Doberman / Bernese Mountain Dog

Sex: Male (not altered)

Location: NC

Vet Info: George has not yet been vetted.  He weighs 12 pounds.  They write that he is a healthy puppy other than his vision problem.

Owner Info: George's owner has been working with a small local rescue for help with vetting and learning how to live with a blind dog.  The rescue tells us George's owner has decided to keep him.  They will let us know if anything changes.  

Chewbacca - In BDRA Foster Care

Name:  Chewbacca

Age: Estimated 10 years

Breed:  Brussels Griffon

Sex:  Male (altered)

Location: OH/KY/WV border

Vet Info: Chewbacca is neutered. He is not up to date with vaccines. He has tested positive for ehrlichia.  In addition to his eye surgery, Chewbacca's paw pads were frostbitten and he has been hospitalized since being found only a few days ago.   He also has skin issues from the severe matting.  Chewbacca weighs 8.9 pounds.

Owner Info: Chewbacca was rescued a few days ago after being found frozen in a driveway one morning when overnight temperatures got to -10.  He was severely matted.  After being groomed, they realized he had already lost one eye and the other had a detached retina.  That eye has been removed.  His good samaritan is trying to pay for his vetting out of her own pocket and he is currently hospitalized in the clinic where she works.  They are very much hoping for rescue.  Chewbacca is an indoor dog and appears to be housebroken.  He may not be leash trained, but they don't yet know a lot about him.  He is not possessive of toys, treats or food and has not shown any aggression.  

His good samaritan gave us more details about him:

"The day we found him his eye was protoposed and retina was detached so it was extremely painful and we had to get it out. I have had him out everyday with me while working. He still is just laying a lot. He is on some heavy pain meds for his eye and paws. His skin is horrible from where he was matted so severely so he has been getting daily medicated baths to soothe him. He tolerates it well. Today was the first day he had contact with another dog and he started to wag his little tail- but the other dog wanted nothing to do with him. I have been hand feeding him and so has some of the other staff. He has not been around any men except today my 16yr old son came to see him and nothing spectacular happened. I spend a lot of time with him bc he loves to be held. He responds very well to my voice - he'll lift his little head up and try to find me. If I didn't have the larger breed pups I would keep this little guy in a heartbeat. Attached is a picture I took of him today before I left. As you can see there is a lot of swelling where we just took the eye- that is normal." And she adds, "He just really needs security, safety, and love in his final years. He is a sweet heart!"

Update 3/2/15: We were able to confirm Chewbacca's neuter today, and check out his adorable new photo!  He's giving a staff member kisses!    Here's an update from his good samaritan: "Today was the first day I actually saw him "perky" and he had his tail up. He's definitely feeling better. I also decided to take him outside this morning bc it wasn't as cold as it has been and he pottied immediately."

We asked about how Chewbacca is with other dogs and cats and his good samaritan wrote, "He has had very limited interaction- because we are a vet clinic and never know how a dog will react, we don't do nose to nose. The dog the other day was an employees dog. I have no idea how he would be with cats. Honestly as his personality comes out we are finding he's quirky and laid back. In his interaction with the employee's dog, he just started to wag his little tail!  :)"