Finding Forever

My hunters and I were crawling through the brush, all looking for the birds I love to chase. I rushed through the bushes to get the birds going. I loved that part of my job …

Then BANG! That awful noise from their big sticks scared me. I ran off to hide.

When I finally looked around, I heard them laughing in the distance as they jumped into their van, and off they went.

Suddenly, I was all alone.…

So goes a fictional scene I made up. Sadly, more severe versions of this story occur too often in real life. Here are some examples of the stresses Brittanies have endured and how American Brittany Rescue (ABR) has come to the rescue.

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Worn Out And No Longer Appreciated

Daisy immediately switched to hunting mode when she entered our large backyard that first summer afternoon. She happily ran this way and that way into every nook and corner. She barked up the trees and gaily ran through the flowers. My wife and I chatted by the pool with our guests who had transported Daisy and Sadie, a Brittany they adopted, from the dogs’ Arizona foster home. Sadie sat by their side quietly, knowing she was on her way to her own forever home.

In a short time, Daisy appeared before me, sitting at attention, brimming with excitement in what seemed like utter happiness. She was presenting me with the large field mouse in her mouth! It was her offering of thanks for giving her a forever home. 

In the forthcoming months, Daisy showed off her apparent well-trained hunting skills. Our vet thought she also had born several litters in her short life.

According to her foster parent, she was found unmarked and wandering the country roads of Utah. This sweet eight-year-old female Brittany probably embarrassed the hunter, who stripped her of her markings and abandoned her in the woods. Or she was considered too old to hunt or to bear another litter and was let loose. This seems to be a common practice where, at season’s end, the hunter would not want further expenses wasted on a ‘has been’ non-producer.

The life Daisy had weathered brings to mind the irresponsible breeders who overbreed and wear out their females.  Unlike responsible breeders who love the breed and give the very best care to their dogs, these reckless ones fail to care for them properly… then they contact ABR.  Many times, these females need extensive medical attention, which is one thing, but the other and more harmful is the emotional and physical needs they have. “Over the years, ABR has taken in from those types of breeders Brittanies who were socially starved, never handled or, if handled, very roughly … taken away from their moms too soon so they don't know how to act or react to another dog so they struggle to live in a pack type environment. They are scared of everything, almost shut down,” says ABR’s president, Terry Mixdorf

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The Desert Wanderer

Tango wasn’t his original name. No one will ever know as this three-year-old was found emaciated and wandering California’s Mojave Desert. ABR rescued the scared Brittany from a high-kill shelter.

He endured two foster experiences before my wife and I brought him to his new, forever home. We can only speculate as to how this young, unmarked, underweight-but-healthy being ended up fighting for his life alone in such an inhospitable environment. Although potty trained and loving laps, he had no apparent training. I tried commands in every conceivable language I could find on Google Translate without any luck. He didn’t even know what a body of water was as he tried to walk across our swimming pool, only to sink straight to the bottom. With clothes and all, I jumped in and saved him – he didn’t even know the dog paddle

After I taught him how to swim and some basic commands (I felt like I was his mother), he enjoyed the rest of his life frolicking with Lexie and us “adults” in the yard, on walks, and at San Diego’s many dog-friendly beaches.

ABR state coordinator Rebecca Wallace reported a similar story about a “dog that came to us because he was stranded on a ledge along a lake. The only way he could have gotten there was to swim. He was very thin when coaxed into a boat; he was then turned over to ABR.”

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Unintentionally Deserted

This abandonment scenario is also quite common. It’s about persons who meaningfully care for their charge but no longer can. Usually, the keeper dies or ends up in a hospital with health issues. Unfortunately, no arrangements were made in these instances.

This is about Finley and the so-called Nevada City Thirty-Seven. 

The breeder suddenly died, leaving 37 perfectly healthy, middle-aged Brittanies in cages. Fortunately, ABR learned of this incident and quickly fostered these forlorn pups. 

That’s why Finley is safely beside me as I write this article. Although he never learned any commands and refuses to learn them, he is healthy and happy as a puppy in his forever home.

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I’m Still Here

Unlike owner-surrendered dogs, the dogs in these examples had no identification or were not microchipped. They are usually very scared or traumatized and do not choose their eventual destiny. None of the humans involved seemed to care whether they lived or not. Even if the dog was accidentally separated, the absence of a microchip or other identification implies a lack of concern.. 

In my imagined story, the dog withstands challenges and setbacks and ultimately achieves happiness through determination and strength — not only through his perseverance but also with the help of a village..

In real life, it also takes a village. In our case, it takes a village of ABR’s dedicated foster caregivers and financial support from dog lovers to prepare these poor Brittanies. They must be reassured and acclimated to a milder and loving new environment. Some need medical attention. Those who have lived in isolation need to be socialized and introduced to more of their kind. But through collective persistence, they ultimately find their beautiful forever home.

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