A Christmas note from a Brittany Rescue/Transport person

This just in as a reminder of why we do what we do for the wonderful dogs in our lives.  The Brittany Rescue group is one of the rescues I have had the pleasure to transport for.   Everyone I have meant in this incredible network has been some wonderful folks.  Thank you Connie and Happy Holidays to you all and safe transports for the New Year.

 Roy and fur babies From the Third Hill

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Happy Holidays and Thank You from the Brittany Transport Team!

The Holiday season traditionally is a time for giving to others and reflecting on life’s blessings.  In the spirit of the season, we send a heartfelt THANK YOU, for freely giving your TLC, time (and gas dollar) to transport & overnight rescued brittany dogs.  With your compassionate help, many brittanys were rescued in 2010.  (At last count, NBRAN & NEBR were on pace to adopt out 500+ brittanys in 2010!)
We are grateful to the many transporters who have made it an astoundingly successful year for rescuing & transporting … we could not be so successful without your compassionate help.

We’ve started a blog about some of the Happy Tales of the brittanys we’ve transported at http://brittanytransporttales.blogspot.com
Below is a special story from the blog … shared by Connie, who fostered Peyton.

Wishing you all the best in 2011,
Nancy Walker,  Kathy Boje,  Jan Skrocki

NBRAN / NEBR Brittany Transport Team
www.nbran.org          www.nebrittanyrescue.org
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"To the people who foster, transport, donate, campaign or look out for dogs in need, thanks to all of you. To the people who are thinking about how they might make a bit of difference, go for it."

NOTE:  Peyton was pulled by Connie from a WV shelter, fostered by her and then went on transport to the northeast in November.  Peyton now has a "fur-ever" family of his own.
  This is Connie's story ... 

This is my story, I would encourage anyone in the least bit interested to give fostering or transporting a try.  Please feel free to edit, I know I tend to get windy!!

A year ago I lost my Gypsy, a little liver and white "Brittney" girl. About that time I started looking at Petfinder, and the rescues, NBRAN included. I heard a lot about "other peoples problem dogs, something wrong with them for them to be at a shelter, you don't want to get involved."

Within 2 weeks we bought a little Britt boy, different color, different sex, from a breeder, great pedigree, champion stock.

I started transporting a few months later, got questioned about WHY are you spending your time and money to drive dogs when you have a farm full of your own animals and not enough time for yourself?

I didn't know WHY, but it made me feel good. I did it because I could, I guess.

Not long ago I got approached by NBRAN / NEBR, could I pick up a lost Britt from a shelter near my home and take him to boarding? It was Thanksgiving week, but the shelter wanted him out, but he didn't have a foster home yet. I picked him up, and he came home with me for the week. He was skinny, he jumped at every noise, cowered all the time and if he had a tail it would have been between his legs.

My two boys (the hunter, our Britt boy and the herder, our shelter Border Collie mix) welcomed him, shared their toys and home, and a couple days later he was not so scared, he was playful and getting confident. He had some accidents in the house, but learned quickly to be a good house dog.

A week later he had a foster home, and I transported him on his first leg of his journey. My husband was so attached to him by this time he couldn't go. I cried a lot that day.

Just two weeks later I learned his fur-ever family found him. I'm glad now to have been a part of his life, even though it was sad to let him go.

My point?

There are a lot of dogs out there that are not problems, or trouble, just down on their luck. Or their first people didn't know how to care for them. Or couldn't afford the chow any more.

In just one week I watched a dog change, saw him start to bloom. He is every bit as special and good as our pedigreed champion, actually perhaps better behaved!

This kind of thing wouldn't happen without the network of ordinary people who help out here and there when they can.

So to the people who foster, transport, donate, campaign or look out for dogs in need, thanks to all of you.

To the people who are thinking about how they might make a bit of difference, go for it.

You won't be sorry.

If I knew then what I know now, I don't think I would have agreed to buying our little champion. Not that he isn't a great boy, but he would have gotten a great home.

I would have jumped right into fostering the ones that got lost in the shuffle of life, and would now have a bunch of tearful days behind me, but would have also helped others find their best friends.

And along the way I think I would have been found by mine. 

CONNIE