Taking Chances on Internet Rescues

A year and a half ago, a fellow "Great Pyrenees person" sent me a picture of a Pyr in a shelter in Kentucky. New to Pyrs, and totally in love with them, I was obviously a clear target  :0)  This particular Pyr was probably featured on a internet group list . He had been surrendered for the third time to a shelter and was likely slated for euthanasia shortly as his time had run out. I saw a rather unflattering picture of him, and decided that if transport could be arranged from Kentucky, that I would take and foster this Pyr until a good home could be found. A week later at 1:30 am, the transport had arrived and I made the 25 minute ride to the meeting point. A tired couple loaded a cooperative Pyr, and a funny looking Mexican Hairless dog that had missed his connection, into my car. I talked to the dogs all the way home, and was impressed with what a good listener the Pyr, named "Bear" was. The Mexican hairless, on the other hand, was quite vocal and not a good listener at all. When we got home I settled in the Mexican Hairless dog and decided to take "Bear", the Pyr for a walk to stretch his legs out after his very long trip from Kentucky to Virginia to New Hampshire to New York. I was impressed with Bear's gentle, intelligent demeaner and his willingness to make the best of any situation. We had a fun walk and I found myself thinking about ways to fit him into the family. As you can probably guess, Bear is now a permanent member of my family. We have, in fact turned down quite a few offers of homes for him, and even a tidy amount of money from people who saw in him as the "perfect dog" . When people come to see other dogs that I am trying to place, I now have to hide Bear because once they see Bear, they want him or a dog just like him and the other dogs suddenly seem less desirable. He is the perfect combination of intelligent, fun, protector and companion. When I look back I can't help but marvel at the way he came to me. A picture on the internet and a plea. Who would have thought that this magnificent animal ever could have been in such a place in his life? I guess the moral of the story is that if Bear could have been there, there surely must be others just like him out there too, needing someone to just say "Yes" and take a chance. In return, there is is much that they give us.

Check out Bears pictures in our photo gallery from the list on the left.

A new group that will help you find the perfect Great Pyrenees dog for you has recently been formed. It is the National Great Pyrenees Rescue. They will have a web site up and running soon and I will have a permanant link to their page on my blog as well as my website shortly.

Comments

[Gail]

Hey Elise,
I was wondering what shelter you got "Bear" from?
We don't have Pyr's, but I have 4 dogs, two of which were rescued from distant shelters and were discovered via the internet.
"Midge" is a Red Heeler that came from the Bowling Green/Warren County H.S. in KY. I was looking for a *really needy* pupster and saw her pic marked "URGENT!!* The staff there were fabulous with corresponding with me (Ask for Deanna or Lorri!), did great temp-testing, treated her for heartworm,had her spayed, and made excellent transport arrangements. I was able to pick her up right in town, and after an overnighter in Cincinnati, she arrived within 10 minutes of her ETA! (This was the fun part:Several of the transport drivers emailed me after hand-off, telling me what a great girl she was and how lucky we both were to have found each other :)
The year previous, my mom adopted a dog from the same shelter and "Cody" has now been with her for over 4 years. Same story.
A year and a half ago, we adopted "Tom", supposedly Catahoula/Red merle Aussie mix (looks like a 70 lbs red merle Aussie!)from a private rescuer who pulled him from the Chattanooga, TN pound where he'd been languishing for 3 months. His transport arrangements did not go as smoothly, and, I will admit, he came with "baggage". After he was on his way, the rescuer said "he's afraid of men...oh...and he doesn't like riding in cars at all."
Well, he hopped into our car, ate the cookies I was giving him, and slept all the way home from PA where we met the driver.
He idolizes my husband and grandaughter. Not perfect with strangers, but we're slowly making progress. I don't push him. He certainly isn't perfect, but he's still our "Tom Boy."
I'd say that anyone with a sense of adventure, and an even stronger sense of committment, might want to consider a long-distance adoption if they find shelter staff that are honest and communicative. I did...and I've not regretted it for a minute.

Gail