Learning how to be a couch dog is hard...

Dogs in the Dew household get on the couch...not even going to try to lie and say that they don't. We always laugh out quickly the fosters figure it out too.

Well, poor Lolli was behind the learning curve- 7 fulls days before she even placed a toe on the couch. Tonight, she quietly climbed up there. She has had Brian and I shaking our heads all night as we watch her try to figure it all out. I think these pictures say it all...she still needs a bit of practice.

Dashing Diesel

Diesel, a very handsome 1.5 year old English Mastiff, arrived in rescue today from Alamosa, CO. He is a very happy and loving boy. He is spending his first night with the Dew family, and is loving all the ladies that live there- he and Lollipop became fast friends. Diesel wasn't too sure of the males in the household so they are being kept separate for the night. Diesel is just fine with that, as that he gets Bree & Lolli all to himself! He is such a affectionate boy!

Who's The Boss?

Tonight I decided to walk adorable Lollipop (see below post) and her foster brother, Deacon, over to Kari Bastyr's house, BDHP's Behavior Director. In an earlier post, you may remember that Kari owns Jasper, the tallest Great Dane any of us have ever seen here at BDHP.

Note the size difference. Lolli weights 118lbs, Jasper weighs 160lbs and Deacon (not pictured) weighs about 185lbs



All 3 dogs began to play bow, testing the water soon after this picture was taken. It quickly became evident who was the boss! LOLLIPOP. She quickly put Deacon in his place, hurting his feelings enough that he ran to me and hid. Next, she took on Jasper and his crazy antics:



Incase he was confused as to who was in charge of this play session, and all further interactions for that matter, Lollipop pulled this maneuver:



Once she was done playing (note, Deacon was still hiding under my legs), she decided it was time to rest. Jasper, being the wise old soul that he is, decided he would take her little rest as an opportunity to stand above her. It didn't last for long...she quickly informed he wouldn't be doing that either!



Jasper is thrilled to have a new friend who isn't intimidated by his size!

Does it get any cuter than this?

Meet Lollipop! Isn't she cute? Check out that underbite

Lolli came into rescue tonight as a stray, so we will post more once we get to know her better. She adores other dogs, and they quickly bring her out of her shell. She and her foster mastiff brother spent a few minutes trying to bring the backdoor down with their wrestling mastch. She has bonded very quickly to her foster mom and is a perfect little shadow.

Lolli is a prescious Mastiff...drool, counter surfing and all!

Happy Hour for The Hounds

What are you doing Monday, January 26th?

Come join us for Happy Hour For The Hounds and Comedy Show!

Location: McCabe's in Southlands (Aurora, CO)-6100 S Main Street
Pre Registration Tickets: $20 per person, $40 per couple
Door price: $30 per person, $50 per couple
Entertainment: Comedian Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, Poker Hands, Specialty Giant Breed Drinks

We are going to raffling off a pair of skis and having a silent auction for an autographed game stick from an Avalanche!

Please email bree@bigdogshugepaws.com

Jasper goes to school!

Kari Bastyr, BDHP's Behavior Directors is mommy to a rescue dane by the name of Jasper. Once you meet Jasper, you never forget him...he is so tall! In fact, he is only 1.5 inches shorter than the Great Dane in the Guinness Book of World Records!

Kari and Jasper were invited to the Logan school to visit with kindergartners who expressed interest in dogs and dog training. Their experiential teacher invited Kari to come speak and asked if she could bring a dog.

Jasper was a big hit with students and staff alike. They could barely get out the door when we were done. The kids asked very important questions like, "How do you teach a dog to sit?"... "How do you become a dog trainer?"... "How do you walk a big dog?"... "How much does Jasper eat?"

In fact one little girl was terrified of dogs, and after an hour with Jasper, she was giving him treats and hugs.

We love opportunities to introduce the community to the giant breeds. We would love to hear from you if you have any ideas of other places where we can show how truely gentle these giants are!

Jack + Maya= True Love

Jack caused a lot excitment with all of our adopting families...and the Gaspari's are the lucky one's who are now able to claim Jack as their own!

Jack has a new BFF in Maya, his new 9 mo old English Mastiff sister. Lindsay said they were playing so hard that furniture was moving around the room. We are so excited for Jack and his new family! We look forward to seeing them at Cherry Creek Park!

Medical Emergency for Rogue the Great Dane

Rogue is a stunning black Dane who just made his way to our rescue a few days ago. Sadly, Rogue bloated last night. Thankfully he is being fostered by a family who recently had their own personal experience of a dog bloating, so they immediately recognized the signs and were able to rush Rogue to the ER!

Rogue came out of surgery late last night and the doctors are very optimistic!

As you might imagine, GDV surgery is not inexpensive. If you would like to donate, please email greg@bigdogshugepaws.com if you want to use a credit card. If you would like to donate via a check (made out to BDHP, Inc,) it can be mailed:

Bree Dew
3400 S Grape St.
Denver CO 80222

Please keep Rogue in your thoughts.

Ozzie has crossed the Rainbow Bridge

Dear Ozzie,

You left us this week. Even though we knew it was coming, and even though we thought we were prepared, nothing could have prepared us for how truly heartbroken we are.

As soon as I laid eyes on your at the C.A.R.E Transport, I secretly knew you would be ours. You were confused, skinny, painful and so, so smelly. Heather, Lindsay and I did our very best to get you cleaned up, and Dr Rob did his very best to make you healthy.

You will be so greatly missed. We will miss you falling asleep with your tongue sticking out of your mouth. We miss your short moments of excitement where you would yank items out of our hands or off counters and shake your head as hard as you could.We will miss your toothless flea bites. We will miss walking around the house and hearing the faint wag of your tail as we pass by.

Daddy told me this morning you visited his dreams last night, I am so jealous!

On your behalf, we will thank Dr. Landry, Dr Bentz and the entire staff at Mountain Ridge Animal Hospital for taking such good care of you. Dr Rob went above and beyond (as usual) and made time for you in his schedule no questions asked…even on his days off.

We will also send your love to all the volunteers, from multiple rescue organizations, who took care of you as you made your way to BDHP, Inc. We will also thank BDHP for understanding that Senior dogs deserve love and a happy home too! They see the beauty of a Senior dog, just like we do.

We are so thankful for your peaceful passing, and know you were greeted by all of the other Dew dogs that went before you.

Love,
Your Family, Bree, Brian, Bobbie, Sadie, Zach & Deacon Dew

Boom Boom the Saint

Boom Boom has come a very long way since coming into rescue in early November 2008. At the time, the majority of the pads of his feet had been ripped off and left untreated. Needless to say, we were all horrified at the life this sweet boy had been forced to live prior to coming to BDHP,Inc.

Over two months later, Boom Boom is thriving. He is a big beautiful boy with very soulful eyes! He is living well with a housefull of other dogs, and adores his foster mom. We are very anxious to find Boom Boom his forever home! Are you it?

Sonny's New Year Resolution

On the website you know me as Sonny...but I will let you call me "Honey" like my foster mom does. But the nickname I am trying to get rid of is "Large Marge". So I am a little top heavy? Who knew this was a problem? Seriously people, diets are hard. Exercise is hard! Give a gal a break.

Thanks to Sonya, my favorite foster mom, we have decided that my New Year's Resolution will be losing weight! I am going to work really hard, I even am going to try those underwater treadmills. Sonya tells me it will be fun, though the jury is still out on that!

I've been in rescue for quite some time, though I can't understand why. I am a sweet, kind and quite wonderful. That seems like a pretty good combination to me! So, while I am walking on that dreaded treadmill, I will be day dreaming of my new forever family! Feel free to email wecare@bigdogshugepaws to get started on that adoption application!

Snow Day in Denver CO

I heard a lot of commotion in the backyard and found our normally very calm and subdued foster dog, Dolly, having the time of her life. She and her mastiff foster brother have been running and wrestling ( and tracking in snow) all morning!

While this activity may seem normal to most, it is not so for Dolly. Before coming to rescue, Dolly lived her life with a backyard breeder who gave her no human interaction. When she came to our home, everything was new! It terrified this poor girl so much that we had to keep a leash on her for the first 48 hours just so we could catch her!

It's been over 2 months now, and Dolly is a completely different dog.While she will always be timid in new situations, she has really come out of her shell. She loves her foster family, the other dogs and provides comic relief on a daily basis! She is a complete love, and we hope the right family comes along who can see her for the wonderful dog she is!

Meet Myles

Sweet Myles is the newest addition to our BDHP foster program and is eagerly awaiting a new forever family. He is a 1 yr old Saint/Great Pyr mix...turns out that is a great combo! When was the last time you saw such a face?

Myles is a happy boy who loves everyone and everything he meets. He was found wandering a major highway in New Mexico and thankfully was rescued by a good samaritan. Now Myles is safe in his foster home just waiting on his forever family! We can't wait to see who that lucky family is!

Ozzie Update

Ozzie & his brother Deacon



From Bree, Ozzie's new mom:

It's been a few weeks since Ozzie officially became a "Dew", via becoming a member of the BDHP's permanent foster program. Both Brian and I breathed a little easier when he became ours. Oz had become so attached to us, the thought of making this old man adjust to a new family was heartbreaking.

Ozzie has learned to climb on the couch, though sometimes he needs some assistance getting his legs back out from under him. He loves ice cubes, but prefers if we hand deliver them instead of making him get up and come to us at the freezer door. He is most excited in the morning, where he whines in excitement and flea bites us. The funny part is he has no teeth, so he basically just gums us. We also have to be careful with socks, which he will happily eat if given the chance.

His dementia is sadly becoming more prevalent. There is more random barking at none existent things, and confusion which results in accidents in the home. Though, one look at that old man with his tongue sticking out the front of his mouth makes all well. To try to counteract the dementia, we have also added a vitamin regime which is known to be helpful with senior dogs who have dementia.

Brian and I are so thankful he is a part of our family. Last night he wiggled up to me on the couch, laid his head on my chest, breathed a deep sigh and snuggled in. It reminded me again of why I love this organization!

Turns out you can't resist this face!

The previous post about O'Malley with his adorable mug must have worked :)Adorable Omalley found his forever home! His new name is Buddy!

Got Sign Language?

Meet Haley and Gypsy...not only are they beautiful Great Danes, but they also are deaf.

Often we find that people don't even realize their dog is deaf....they surrender them to rescue telling us, "he can't learn" or "she is too stubborn". It is always heartbreaking to know these dogs are so sorely misunderstood. Deaf dogs are as capable of learning as a hearing dog. Through sign language, they can even learn to distinguish between toys.

Here is a great website to visit to learn more about teaching sign language to deaf dogs:

http://www.deafdogs.org/training/signs.php

We are sure there will be families out there that can appreciate their uniqueness and realize what truly special girls these are-Until than, they are safe with us!

A POEM TO MY FOSTER DOG:

By Diane Morgan

I am the bridge Between what was and what can be. I am the pathway to a new life.
I am made of mush, Because my heart melted when I saw you, Matted and sore, limping, depressed, Lonely, unwanted, afraid to love.

For one little time you are mine. I will feed you with my own hand I will love you with my whole heart I will make you whole.

I am made of steel. Because when the time comes, When you are well, and sleek, When your eyes shine, And your tail wags with joy Then comes the hard part. I will let you go--not without a tear, But without a regret. For you are safe forever-- A new dog needs me now.

Roughing it....

Deacon (13 mo old Mastiff) & his rescue brother, Zach(4.5 yr old Great Dane)

Turns out dogs beds are not good enough for these two, they prefer leather!

How can you not love this face?

Hi, my name's O'Malley! I am a 9 mo old Irish Wolfhound mix! If you look deep into my eyes, you'll learn everything you need to know about me. I'm mellow, gentle, and laid back......way back. I love to soak up affection and sun, romp in the snow, and lay by your feet. My foster family has a couple of cats, which I love to cuddle and gingerly follow around the house. I give soft kisses to my people, my cat buddies and my dogbuddies, too!

My coat is soft and scruffy at the same time, and peppered with white. My ears and beard are trimmed in chocolate brown to match my eyes, and I love to be groomed. I like my crate too! I bond quickly with the other animals around me because I'm so submissive and sweet. I'm just a mellow, happy guy!

Maybe you know someone who couldn't live without me?