ABR Expands InternationalRescue Efforts

In This Issue

Publication Notes ................................ 2

It’s What We Do .................................. 2

Ultimate Breed .................................... 2

International Stories ............................ 3

Picnic ................................................... 4

Gallery ................................................. 5

Happy Anniversary ............................. 8

Honoring ............................................. 9

Vestibular Dog Disease .....................10

Rainbow Bridge ................................ 11

Wooftrax.............................Back Cover

A Facebook message led to the launch of ABR’s exciting new pilot program and a much happier life for over a dozen American and French Brittanys. The message regarding a Brittany in a Spain shelter needing help (It turned out that the dog was not a Brittany and another rescue stepped in to help him.) sparked discussions among ABR Board members regarding whether ABR can and should expand rescue to dogs in countries beyond the United States and Canada.

Board research revealed unspeakable conditions for dogs in many other countries due to uncontrolled breeding, a lack of resources, and a mindset that dogs are disposable property. In Greece alone, over one million stray dogs, many of them hunting breeds such as Brittanys, have been abandoned by their owners because they are not good hunters. Shelters are overpopulated, and dogs are starving, abused, and sometimes poisoned to death. While overseas rescuers exist, they lack financial resources to be successful. Fortunately, they are willing to work with ABR to meet the common goal of helping Brittanys in need. The Board realized that it could leverage ABR’s 25 years of experience in rescue and successful adoptions to broaden our mission overseas.

Mary Willis, a good Samaritan who helps coordinates rescues with groups such as ours and Above and Beyond English Setter Rescue is a seasoned international rescuer, experienced in navigating the logistics and politics of international rescue. She connected ABR with three French Brittanys in Greece, who would become the first international ABR rescues, managing the communications in Greece and working closely with ABR International Coordinator Nancy Hensley.

Merida, Greece, shelter staff, Tina and Bruno Leone, May 2017

Go to www.americanbrittanyrescue.org for a complete and up-to-date listing of available dogs.

Tina Leone with Tarzan and Marcus at Dulles Airport

Meanwhile, ABR Board Member Tina Leone researched travel logistics and in February, Tina and her husband Bruno Grinwis flew to Greece to bring back Cinnamon, Elpida (Hope), and Muffin (now Opa). Throughout this journey, Tina was initiated into the complexities of international travel with dogs—especially three of them! There were many details to work through, including which airlines would fly dogs internationally, securing pet passports and international health certificates, ensuring proper crate size, and preparing for cleaning the crates after landing. She also learned that at the layover in Paris, they would need to collect their

baggage and the dogs and move them to another terminal without the assistance of a porter! It was not an easy trip, but due to Tina, Nancy, and Mary’s careful research and preparation, the trip went smoothly. Tina, her husband, and the three beautiful Brittanys arrived safely in America where they were greeted by ABR foster families who took the pups home to begin their new lives.

Brittany Tales:For the Love of Brittanys

1-866-BRIT-911 or 1-866-274-8911 SPRING - SUMMER 2017

BRITTANY NAMED ULTIMATE BREEDAt the start of March Madness, we launched our 2017 dog bracket: thirty-two loyal breeds going nose to nose for the title of reader favorite. They’re all great companions in our book, but of course there can be only one top dog. And the readers have spoken: the Brittany is the champion.

Reprinted by permission Garden and Gun Magazine, LLC

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Publication NotesBrittany Tales: For the Love of Brittanys Newsletter is an intermittent publication of American Brittany Rescue, Inc., and distrib-uted free of charge to volunteers, those who adopt through the organization and by re-quest at www.americanbrittanyrescue.org.

American Brittany Rescue, Inc. is a reg-istered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 1991 as a cooperative effort of Brittany owners, breeders, trainers, and fanciers fostering a responsibility not only for their own dogs and the dogs they pro-duce, but for the breed as a whole through education, rescue, fostering and placement.

ABR’s Mission is to provide the leadership and expertise via a network of trained volun-teers to take in stray, abandoned, surrendered and/or impounded purebred Brittanys, provide them with foster care, health and tempera-ment screening, as well as, an opportunity for any necessary rehabilitation, and to insure their health and placement into new homes.

BOARD OF DIRECTORSTerry Mixdorf, President

Tina Leone, Vice-President/Co-TreasurerMichelle Falkinburg, Secretary

Diana Doiron, Co-TreasurerRobin Egan, Chair

Tiffany DexterNancy HensleyTerrie JohnsonMonica RuttMaria Smith

NEWSLETTER TEAMShirley Bigelow

Jeanette BrancampPatricia GilloglyLindsay MunsMonica Rutt

Patricia StockdillCharles B. Warren

American Brittany Rescue, Inc822 Wild Ginger Road

Sugar Grove, IL 605541.866.274.8911

americanbrittanyrescue.org

It’s What We DoMary Schuler, Pennsylvania Volun-teer sent this information and pic-ture of a recent event that ABR-PA volunteers participated in. It was Healthy Pet Day, held on May 13 at Healthy Pet Products in Pittsburgh. Volunteers Sadie (with Roscoe), Mary (with Annabelle) and Bill and Karen (with Brinkley) are shown in the photo.

Another event, Hearts & Paws was held on June 17 in South Park, Pitts-burgh across from the police station. There were many rescues, pet-related vendors, a silent auction, and much more.

Sincere thanks to everyone who made these events possible and to those who dropped by to meet our amazing dogs.

International Rescues

Cinnamon’s StoryCinnamon’s story is illustrative of how different life for a dog can be in other countries. A woman from Athens was on a weekend vacation in the mountains, and while on a walk in the woods, a scrawny dog ran up to her and followed the woman back to the car. The woman’s travel companions wouldn’t allow the dog in their car, so they left the dog behind.

In the middle of the night, the woman woke her husband insisting that they go back for the dog. The next morning, they returned to the same spot, and Cinnamon ran right up to them again. They found a vet who agreed to hold her until their vacation was over, and then they took her back to Athens. They got her medical care and had her spayed. When she was healthy enough to travel, they turned her over to ABR.

Cinnamon was microchipped and her owner was traced. The owner had given her to his brother to go hunting. The brother gave her to someone else, and she was then abandoned. The owner was not aware that the dog had been abandoned, nor did he care. He did not want her back. It was evident that Cinnamon had spent weeks in the wild barely surviving.

Now Cinnamon is showing her true colors in her foster home. She is a fun, sassy girl with lots of energy. She loves to play and enjoys snuggling at night. After being thrown away and left to fend for herself, Cinnamon finally has the opportunity to live the life she deserves.

Autumn and Scott picked Opa (Muffin) up at Dulles Airport on February 20 to be his foster fam-ily. They fell in love with him immediately and decided to add him to their family permanently. Below is an e-mail Autumn sent to ABR Volunteer, Shirley Bigelow who was helpful in making the meeting happen.

Autumn and Opa

Autumn and Scott’s fur family,Opa, Selznick and Ingalls.

Hi Shirley

I just wanted to touch base to let you know how well Opa (Muffin) is doing. The reason we changed his name to Opa was that “Opa!” is a celebratory expression used in Greece to indicate joy and happiness. I thought it was a wonderful way to symbolize his new and wonderful life with us in the USA. He is such a sweet boy, smart and enthusiastic. His eyes are bright and his coat is so much softer! He graduated obedience training a few weeks ago and will continue to ‘higher education’ in June. :) He has some fear issues here and there, but we are working on building his self-esteem and confidence.

He and Ingalls loved each other almost from the beginning and now Selznick has bonded with him as well. They play tug ‘o war and snuggle now! Opa has settled into our routine and has a great vocabulary in addition to his training. He knows “feed you”, “go out”, “bis-cuits”, “time for bed” and more! We love him so much. Thank you so, so much for letting me know about him. We appreciate it a great deal.

Autumn Fenton and Scott Stark

WHAT’S NEXT?Because of the success of the trip to Greece, the ABR Board has decided to set aside a separate fund for future trips abroad. ABR has now conducted trips to Greece, Serbia and Spain. With each trip, the overall success of the program will continue to be evaluated. ABR of course remains deeply committed to helping Brittanys in America, and the separately-funded international rescues will in no way detract from our continued mission here.

HOW YOU CAN HELPABR volunteers are needed for all phases of international rescue, including travelers, U.S. fosters, and U.S. transport. If you are interested in being a part of this exciting project, please email abr.intldogs@americanbrittanyrescue.org. If you would like to donate to this project, please visit our website and indicate that you would like to designate your donation to the International Project.

The 2017 ABR Not A Pawty flyer describes some of the areas of assistance for this project, as well as options to help our traditional rescue mission.

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BRITTANY EVENTS ABR Hosts California Picnic!

Sincere thanks to Mike Chow, who photographed the picnic.

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14TH Annual

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ABR GalleryRanger George & AtticusBy Kristin Moffitt Davis

This is my ABR foster fail Ranger George. I’m sending the first pic to show how he was always smiling, even in his sleep. The second picture shows how we took walks during his last months. He had congestive heart failure and was not able to walk more than a block, if that, but he loved his walks and still wanted to go.

We bought a used baby stroller and he loved it! He would sit as though he was on a throne surveying his kingdom. His nose would be going a mile a minute as he took in all the smells he loved. It was wonderful to be able to continue his walks since he loved them so much. Sadly, we lost him last year and still miss him dearly.

Recently, I drove a forty-passenger bus full of senior citizens on a trip to the North Carolina mountains with my current Brittany Atticus as my copilot for the entire trip. He loved it and loved all the attention he received. He is a great traveler regardless of the vehicle.

Don’t worry, he was buckled in through the bus seat belt and through an additional harness buckle. Although there was no airbag on his side, he was safe and sound.

Harriet Louise HachmanBy Harriet (Brittany Wannabe) and Judi Hachman

OK, after several years wait-ing for me to grow beyond my 17 pounds, my parents became suspicious about my heritage. They assured me whatever they found out would not change their feelings about me, so I said to go for it. I was curious too.

WELL, the DNA results came back. Wow! What a shocker. I am 50% cocker spaniel; 25% miniature poodle and shh-hhh…25% chihuahua. I have absolutely NO Brittany traits. I could lie around the house and play ball and watch TV all day. Birds feel quite safe in our yard. And Mom and Dad love me more than ever.

“We all feel that this was the perfect adoption. ABR and Harriet brought us out of an emotional pit after Greta died. Greta was a real live Brittany with all the bouncy inquisitive traits of the breed. Keep it up, ABR,” shares Judi.

A Story About Casey the BrittFrom Patrick Goss, ABR Michigan Volunteer

I met with Tom Herbel a few weeks ago at his home in Canton, Michigan, as a potential business client. As it turns out we shared many things, including a love of Britts—and the Herbel’s have a very special one. Tom, Maria and son Luke have an 8-year-old female Britt named Casey.

We all know the many great qualities of the breed, great company, loyal, loving, fast, playful, agile, smart, etc. but Casey has yet another gift.

Luke is 24, attends college and has epilepsy. He experiences small seizures fairly frequently. Casey, as Luke tells it, is always “sniffing me out”. That means Casey will thoroughly sniff all around Luke’s head many times during the day.

Casey’s talent was brought to the family’s attention one day when Luke was about to leave to go to a 7-11 for a slushy. Casey was determined to prevent him from leaving by tugging on his pant leg and getting between him and the door. Not understanding Casey’s behavior, Luke left anyway and had a seizure while he was out. That’s when the Herbels knew they had a seizure sniffing Britt.

Not trained to do it as we may have seen in the media, but born out of love for her family, Casey continues to “sniff out” Luke and remain with him when she detects the onset of a seizure. This very special Britt also loves to hunt, but likes squirrels and rabbits more than birds. Although most want to point birds, for Casey you can add seizures to the list.

Chestnut and QuincySent by Aimée Boumiea, Maryland

Quincy (12)An ABR Rescue, enjoying the fall leaves.

Chestnut (12) Ready for his walk.

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Skylar M OsborneBy Larry & Cindy Pugh, Ossian, Indiana

My brother-in-law Merrill Osborne and my sister-in-law Jan Osborne raised Brittanys for many years. They gave us our first Brittany known as Little Star. We soon changed her name to Bucky because she would empty her water bucket and then flip it over her head and wear it around the backyard like the best bonnet in the Easter Parade. We started calling her bucket head and it finally became Bucky. She was the love of our life and a real blessing for 12 years. After her passing in 2014, we were lost without a Brittany in our lives.

We started watching the ABR site, wanting to find one close to Indiana. When three leads did not work out we talked to our new friend Terry Mixdorf and she told us about a roan Brittany in a shelter in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that needed a foster home A.S.A.P. She was a two-year-old stray in very bad health and was positive for heartworms. She needed a home and lots of love and care. We knew we could give her those things.

Jan Osborne and two friends who were rescued Brittany owners traveled to Tulsa to check her out. They all fell in love with her at first sight and said if we didn’t want her, they did! We were first in line and we arranged with Terry to have Jan pick her up for us and transport her to St. Louis, Missouri, where we met the next love of our lives. We named her Skylar M (after Merrill, who passed in 2014, and introduced us to Brittanys).

As we drove home to Indiana, we stopped often to see if she was still alive. We both thought she might not make it. We held her in our arms, told her to hold on and that we were taking her to her forever home where she would be loved more than she could imagine. When we took her to our vet we learned she had thirteen medical problems: heartworm (stage 4), severe starvation, hook- worms, ear mites, fleas, pneumonia and more. The biggest shock was revealed by a chest x-ray, where a bullet was discovered next to her heart where it appears to have been stopped by a rib. It appeared as if she had been shot point-blank and left to die. Her past is only for her to know.

Our message to her past: She lives! She is loved! She is wonderful! She is in her forever home! Without ABR, caring folks like Terry and the donations to provide care for special needs dogs, there would not be happy endings for dogs like Skylar and families like ours. Thank you, ABR.

The Adventures of GertieBy Pam Slaughter

We adopted our French Brittany from your organization about 10 years ago. She is a French Brittany with a long beautiful tail.

Over the years she has given us a couple of scary adventures. She was very skinny when we got her, then we discovered that she had really bad diarrhea. We took her to the vet many times but the solution could not be found. I felt so sorry for her as it was obvious how uncomfortable she was. After months of different meds and foods they x-rayed her and saw something in her intestines. She had to have surgery.

During the surgery, the vet found that she was blocked with pieces of a tire and aluminum foil. He said he had never seen anything like it. He had to remove a part of her intestine. Once she healed up she started gaining weight. The surgery however, must have been hard on her because she lost nearly all her hair. The vet was sure that I had shaved her. She gradually started growing hair again, but it took many years for her full coat to come back in. Now at 10-years-old she has a nice, thick and beautiful coat.

We live way out in the country and our dogs always run loose. Of course, I kept Gertie on a leash for a few weeks until my hus-band encouraged me to let her run. Just as I thought (you know, wives are almost always right) she took off like a bullet. I knew there was no way we were going to catch her, but we tried anyway. As we were looking for her we thought we could hear her pant-ing. The sound led us to an abandoned dry well which was not very deep. There she was looking up at us. My husband climbed down and hoisted her out. She wasn’t hurt at all. I don’t know that we would ever have found her if it hadn’t been for that well. Nowadays we don’t have to worry about her running off, she likes being inside in the air conditioning.

She has been a wonderful dog. She sleeps with me every night and loves to be wherever I am. People always comment on her beautiful coat and tail. I’m so glad she came to live with us.

Gertie

Skylar M

Darby Is a Thousand Mile Dog:Gainesville to Houston and Back AgainBy Jackie Byrd

Darby is 4 or 5. We pulled her from the Denton, Texas shelter; had her about a week and met her first adopters in Waco. They lived in Hous-ton. After about a month we got word they were divorc-ing and they could not keep Darby. A volunteer with ABR was traveling to Houston and brought her to Wylie, Texas, where we traveled to get her. We figured since she already knew us it would be less stressful. All the travel and change didn’t seem to faze her. She was still the happy-go-lucky Britt.

I had a vacation trip planned at the end of April so we kept Darby for the month. Her now forever home would be in Ker-rville, Texas, about two hours west of San Antonio. Her new mom met me in south Austin and Darby was on her way home!

This little girl is so giving, she just wants to love everyone! Hence all those miles and new people, she is a 1000-mile dog with 1000 kisses to match. She is proof that our little Brits are adaptable and, in her case, ride very well! Also proof that ABR will follow each dog until they find a forever home. We were glad to be a part of her journey.

Riley By Cindy Edwards, Nebraska

After losing my senior Brittany Chief the summer of 2014, I told myself I wasn’t going to get another dog and it would just be myself and Lab/Border Collie mix, Gabbi, 10 1/2 years old at the time. After my heart was already broken, it continued to break even more watching Gabbi grieve over the loss of her longtime companion.

It didn’t take long until I decided to start looking for another dog. Of course, I wanted another Brit-tany. I had never rescued an adult dog before but then I ran across Riley, 2-1/2 years old at the time, on ABR’s website. His story and pictures melted my heart and when I got to meet him in person, I instant-ly fell in love and Gabbi and Riley got along great, too.

Rescuing Riley has been the best thing I could have done. Not only for him, but for the two of us, as well. Gabbi was acting out and wouldn’t eat in the house...until Riley came along. October 23, 2014, was when he came “home.” You would never know that Gabbi and Riley didn’t grow up together and are the best of friends.

The second night I had him, he heard fireworks and was terrified and the following spring was also scared of thunderstorms. I bought him a thunder shirt, but he doesn’t need it anymore. He has always been a happy guy, but he has broken out of his shell and changed so much in these years. He is obsessed with going for car rides, loves lounging on “their” patio table (they think it is their table), running in the fenced yard, watching squirrels, going for walks, being brushed and especially loves his naps on his hu-man mom’s bed. Each day I can guarantee this dog will make me smile and laugh by something that he does. I can’t imagine my life without my little “Rescue Riley” in it. He truly rescued us!

Thanks to Mary Beth and Harry Ono for taking care of him and to everyone else at ABR for what you do for all of these special dogs.

Her second family wanted to be sure she was OK with kitties.

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My Two BrittsBy Rebecca Whitley

Seven years ago, one of my friends posted a picture of three puppies on Facebook. She asked if anyone wanted one. I had NO idea what kind of dog it was. Later that day, she arrived at my house with a beautiful freckled pup. I fell in LOVE.

Baylee turned 2 on 5/25. She actually came from a breeder. At the time, I wasn’t aware of any rescue, only humane societ-ies. Knowing what I know now, I’ll never go through a breeder again. I will always adopt from a rescue. She’s earned the name of “Velociraptor”! I assure you that she has calmed significantly!

Bristol, is 7. I tell her repeatedly, that she is the reason I volunteer and foster for ABR. I had no idea what a Brittany was until Bristol came into our lives. There is so much I can say about these girls and their breed. But, what I love the most is how well- socialized they are! They love to run, play, nap, and snuggle. It blows my mind how happy they always are.

Fostering for ABR is so rewarding! Thank you ABR for allowing my family of 4 (My husband and I, and our two girls) to volunteer and foster for the rescue!

Bristol

Baylee

Jen - The Wild ChildBy Sonny, Lady, mom and dad (Gloria and Dave Yarina)

Jen came to us as a foster dog, a product of a divorce. She had been left with the ex-wife and child, rarely obeying either.

A sandwich in your hand, fair game—she would snatch it with a run, leap, grab, gobble and gone. Food on counter (if you turned your back) disappeared in seconds. Tissue, also a passion, if it peaked out of a box or pocket, seized and swallowed. Jen raced around the house, toy (or something else) in her mouth daring you to try to catch her.

Who would adopt this foster wild child? We DID! Why? When Jen was good she was very, very, good. Jen would sit close by us; look up with her big, brown expressive eyes and gaze into ours with absolute devotion. When called to “come”, she was the first dog back in the house; asked to sit/stay she became a total statue. We saw the dog that Jen could be. She just needed more—well lots more—positive attention, exercise and a rou-tine she understood.

Jen has been with us now for 10-plus years, a great member of our family. She plays well with other dogs, has never destroyed a thing, and is usually trustworthy.

She has never lost the gleam in her eyes as you can see her brain working. Jen also charms every single male that she meets. Many are sure that she wants to go home with them. If they only knew—she would control them before they knew what happened!

Stats: 2-year-old, female, Brittany; extra-high-energy, mischievous; always on the edge of starvation.

Sanders andMillie By Carol Johnson

Both of our dogs are afraid of storms and prefer to hide in our closets for maximum safety! On this night, we also lost pow-er. Our daughter couldn’t bear them being scared in a closet in the dark. So, she donned a

miner’s light and climbed into the closet with them!

That is our female, Millie, hiding her eyes in the crook of Anna Claire’s arm and Sanders (our rescue who was fostered by Joy and John Matthews) peeking out from my husband’s slacks!

She stayed in the closet with them for hours, until the storm passed!

Happy Anniversary to Us!By Sandra Oelschegel

One year ago, on Mother’s Day weekend, 2016, we drove from East Tennessee to Champaign, Illinois to meet ABR President Terry Mixdorf and pick up our newly adopted dogs, Zeebo and Liberty. This was only a short time after we had to euthanize our two Brittanys Joy and Scout, only a few months apart, at the age of 15 years. That was devastating. And I was really lost without them. It was as if the house was dead. There was no life, no little feet, and no eyes following my movements around the house. No one watching me cook. So when I tell people that we got two rescue Brittanys from American Brit-tany Rescue, I know they think we rescued the dogs, but really, the dogs rescued us.

I read stories of adoptions that sounded ideal—everything goes smoothly and everyone lives happily ever after. But to tell you the truth, when we picked Zeebo and Liberty up, and drove away with them, I was shocked, and a bit apprehensive. They were pretty wild, and rightly so, in retrospect. We were strang-ers whooshing them away in a strange car! I wondered briefly if we had done the right thing.

We are lucky to have an almost 2-acre fenced yard, so at home we were able to let them really stretch their legs. We had ordered two 30-foot-long check lines from a hunting supply company so that we could let them be free in the yard but still be able to get them if they did not come. That did come in handy as they needed to have the come command reinforced a lot those first few weeks. The dogs were amazed at the big mule and the sheep that live in the barn and have access to the pasture adjacent to the yard. At first, they barked at them, but soon, with a few verbal corrections, they figured out that these strange new animals were part of the family. Spring is a wonderful time for birds at our country house—especially the Purple Martins and Barn Swallows. They swoop and circle low in the yard in search of insects. This was another thing that amazed Zeebo and Liberty, and they ran in circles, following the pattern of the swallow’s flight.

I took a week off from work dedicated to getting to know our new best friends. We tend to follow a strict routine, which worked well to settle them in and help them to feel more com-fortable. They quickly began to predict when we would get up, go to bed, feed the livestock and feed ourselves. We fed them at the same time and place every day and used the same word-ing for communicating to them, and soon they were listening and following our commands. Terry told us that they liked hu-man beds, to cuddle, and would “climb inside your skin if they could” and that is the truth. I have never had such loving and cuddly dogs. They are obedient, attentive, active, fun, funny and good natured, and I can’t imagine life without them.

Thanks to Rebecca Rockwell Wallace the ABR coordinator for Tennessee and Terry Mixdorf for connecting us with these two!

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LukeFrom Nancy Heggarty

I got Luke three years ago after being around my cousin’s Brit-tany, Max. Luke is a big part of my life. We do road trips and just hang out together. I’m not a hunter al-though Max likes to hunt quail in the desert. I first saw Miranda’s Fiber Friends on Face-book. I realize I won’t have Luke forever but I figured having a min-iature of him would be awesome. I started researching needle felting and chose her after looking through the various creations she’d done. It was about a six-month wait but well worth it.

Inspired By Brittanys Timeless Tags

Anyone who has ever experienced the loss of a pet knows the perva-sive sense of grief that never fully goes away. While treasured pets may leave a hole in our hearts, a new Dog Memorial Sculpture Project is being developed by the St. Charles (Illinois) Park Foun-

dation and the St. Charles Park District as a way for pet lovers to honor and celebrate those animals who have brought them so much joy.

“I was already aware of the love locks that people had placed on the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris, France, when I read about a group of pet lovers who had formed an impromptu kind of pet memorial by hanging pet tags on a tree in the Mayslake Dog Park in Oak Park, (Illinois)” says Park Foundation President Julie Miller-Longo.* “I had just lost my beloved American Brittany Lily and thought, why couldn’t we do that? My vision was to commission a sculpture of a dog upon which members of the community could hang their dog’s tags to memorialize these loyal companions and cope with their grief. The sculpture would also have artistic merit, as it would organically grow in beauty with each tag that would be added.”

The project gained traction with the St. Charles Park Foundation trustees, many who were fellow pet owners. Douglas Eageny, a self-trained sculptor who has had numerous works accepted in the Park Foundation’s “Sculpture in the Park” annual exhibi-tions, was a natural fit.

“I thought it was a very unique idea,” said Eageny. “I thought of families and small children who have lost pets and wanted to give them some place to visit where they could remember their happier days, perhaps even having walked their dog through this very park.”

“Timeless Tags,” a larger-than-life-size steel sculpture created by Eageny, will grace the Dog Memorial. Inspired by Eageny’s own Labrador Retriever Molly, the sculpture is festooned with welded steel loops of various sizes and depths where pet tags can be attached, allowing the memorial to grow and change over time. The sculpture will stand on a substantial concrete pedestal where cast bronze plaques of various sizes can be mounted, offering options for sponsor recognition—making it a perfect way for individuals, families, veterinarians, groomers, trainers, animal shelters, pet sitters and pet stores to show their support for this loving tribute to a pet. Addition of tags is not limited to those for dogs who are no longer with us. Any pet can be honored with a tag on the Dog Memorial.

Honoring Our Dogs

Pocket with Fiber Friend Luke

Fiber Friends are tiny, needle-felted animals handcrafted by Miranda Rommel in Oregon with wool, love and a whole lot of patience! Miranda felts all breeds and there is always a waiting list so planning ahead or practicing patience is essential. Good photos from the client is key, so sending lots of good images helps ensure the best possible rendering. Most communicating and sharing of photos is via email. The addition of accessories and toys are available to personalize the Fiber Friend portrait.

Contact Fiber Friends via the website at www.fiberfriend-sonline.com or send a message and facebook @pocket-pause. Visiting the website first and then contacting Fiber Friends with questions is encouraged. A deposit to hold a spot in the queue is required and can be made via the web-site or email. Prices are based on color and fur length.

Luke (above) and his Fiber Friend look alike(left).

By Miranda Rommel and Pocket the Corgi

“I love honoring elderly/deceased pets and also offer a ‘commemorative locket’ that can include the real pet’s ashes or a bit of fluff,” says Rommel.

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Vestibular Dog DiseaseBy Michelle and Kevin Sovel

Our Brittany Willow, was adopted from ABR 13 years ago as a pup. In March 2017, she was absolutely fine one minute and then she wasn’t. Suddenly she started stumbling and within minutes progressed to turning in circles, strange posturing, rolling and then vomiting. I thought she might be having a stroke or some other neurological problem. We were terrified we were going to lose her.

We first called and then rushed her to the Animal Emergency Center in Michigan, a 24-hour center. Upon arrival, the vet tech took her from my arms and directly back to the veterinarian. After examining her the vet later came in and explained what was going on. Her symptoms were likely caused by a process called Vestibular Dog Disease aka Old Dog Disease. He explained that she had horizontal nystagmus, which is a fast darting of her eyes back and forth. He explained that her symptoms could be caused by one of three things: a brain tumor, inner ear infection, or Vestibular Disease, for which the cause is unknown but can occur in any breed in older dogs. He also explained that typically vertical nystagmus is a sign of a brain tumor vs. horizontal which is usually an inner ear infection or the Vestibular Disease.

After further examination and an x-ray to look for a deep ear infection, she was diagnosed with Vestibular Disease. The vet stated that many people would euthanize the dog because of her age. However, he continued to stress to us that what she needed was time for it to resolve on its own. He did state that she had one of the worst cases he had ever seen because upon arrival she would just roll and roll and roll and was unable to stand. He advised that she spend the night there and gave her a tranquilizer to help her sleep and hence close her eyes to stop the constant motion she was experiencing. He went on to explain that we should see marked im-provement in the next few hours and over the next few days. He said she may be left with a head tilt but that the dogs usually find their new normal and live a good quality of life. We went home that night without her and then researched the disease.

We picked her up the next morning and he was right—she was better. She still had horizontal eye movements but to a lesser degree. She was prescribed Tramadol and Gabapentin until the disease abated. At home her support included using a leash and a towel sling as well as standing on her right to prevent her from falling and going in circles. We noticed that about every 8 hours or so she was markedly improving. She had to be kept in a crate when we weren’t home to prevent her from hurting herself.

After one week, she was almost completely normal and then wham, that night it happened all over again. How unfair, but in my research, I had learned that it could reoccur, but it is unusual to happen so closely to the first episode. This time, I could call my regular vet who had been notified by the first vet of her condition. She again advised all she needed was time and to hang in there. We did and within about 5 days she was finally back to normal.

Today, Willow is her normal sweet self and has completely recovered. She has suffered no repercussions, no head tilt and no lin-gering nystagmus from these episodes. I hope that this story gives others hope and that they too will give their dog time to recover instead of rushing to euthanasia should their dog be unfortunately afflicted by this.

*From Julie Miller-Longo

My husband and I haven't had any animals after losing our 2 Brittanys, Lily and Zig, quite a few years ago. They were both adopted through ABR and they were loved to pieces. The grief when we lost our Lily in 2012 was almost unbearable, as she was a truly exceptional girl, and she passed in her sleep, unexpectedly. After her death, I felt inspired to create something in her honor to memorialize her and capture her joie de vivre. I experimented with creating a sculpture myself, but soon real-ized it wasn't realistic, as I am not an artist by training.

Fast forward to now, and I'm writing to you as the President of the St. Charles (Illinois) Park Founda-tion, to tell you about the Foundation's Dog Memorial Sculpture project, Timeless Tags*, which at the very beginning sprouted in my mind as a mission to honor Lily. *See Timeless Tags, page 9.

Sponsorship Opportunities:The board is funding the project through sponsorships. Levels cleverly reflect the Dog Memorial’s theme. One can contribute at the “Grand Champion” or “Top Dog” level, become a “Fur-lanthropist,” “Pick of the Litter,” or “Bark-efactor”. More information about this project is available at www.stcparkfoundation.org/pet-memorial-project.

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Noodles May 2004 - March 2017It was late November, 2004, as my kids and I drove to India-napolis, Indiana, from Cleveland, Ohio, to pick up our new family member. His name was “Homer” but the kids at the foster home called him “Noodles” because of his long legs and constant energy. I met Marty at a designated spot and picked up this six-month-old bundle of energy. Noodles fit him per-fectly. For the next twelve years he shaped my life and truly became a family member. His personality made everyone who knew him love him. In the last two years he developed cancer, as well as some other health issues. There was never a moment of thought about caring for him—he was family. Finally, on March 31, 2017, he quietly crossed the Bridge at home with family. He is survived by Cloe, a 2008 ABR adoption and his companion, and Daisy the cat.

As I pass his dog bed (which I cannot yet move out) a tear comes. He might be gone, but will never be forgotten.

Len ReinholdNorth Royalton, Ohio

Ginger LouOur sweet Brittany GINGER LOU has passed over the Rainbow Bridge. She was fifteen years and one month on the day she left us. Yes, Ginger was partially blind as well as mostly deaf, but she loved to go on walks along the Mohawk River every day. The stroke that took her struck in her hips and she could no longer walk. She was cre-mated and buried in the Schenectady Little League Rose Garden, where family can go to visit and remember how fast she could run in her younger days. Her little “sister” Sofee Rose will miss her, too. Sofee is 11 and will join Ginger over the Bridge one day too.

Ginger Lou was our second Brittany. We have had five rescued Brittany family members. It will be hard for our house to be down to one Brit. Loving, sweet, friendly dogs. She will be missed every day. We will most likely adopt another Brittany as we heal from this loss. Thank you for helping so many Brittanys find wonderful homes.

Lillian E. Walsh A Brittany Mom and Lover

Gone From Us, But Always

in Our Hearts

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American Brittany Rescue, Inc822 Wild Ginger Road

Sugar Grove, IL 60554

NON-PROFITORG.

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

PERMIT #86DES MOINES, IA

2018 Calendar

Once again Andrea is gathering images for the 2018 ABR calendar and looking forward to another stellar year of showcasing our beautiful and handsome Britts. Good quality and resolution is important when submitting your Britt pics. If you would like your photo(s) to be considered for a larger presence in the calendar, please make sure the quality is good enough to enlarge—around 1MB, at least; send the photo in an attached file and not imbedded in the email body and include the year they were adopted. Also, in celebration of all the work that we have done over the last 25 years, if you have some great photos of Britts you adopted who have left us too soon, please include as well with the adoption year.

Thanks all! Please email your entries to brittrescue@comcast.net.

Walk for ABR on Wooftrax

If you have been on the fence about doing this, it is very easy to sign up. Download the app to your cell phone, designate ABR and start walking with your Britts. It’s a WIN-WIN for everyone!