May 7, 2014 e-blast:
Fare Thee Well, Sweet Boys
Last night, we said goodbye to
Bubba (lovingly known as "Chance" - our Kissing Bandit) and Delray ("BooBoo" - our Country Bumpkin).
The boys' forever foster parents and I knew their time with us had come to an end. Chance had outlived his prognosis with
inoperable cancer and BooBoo had developed a severe neurological disorder making it increasingly difficult for him to stand
much less walk. Both had lost their spark.
They'd come to us together and together, they
left us.
Although our hearts are broken, we see the joy they brought us and that we brought them. Had we not reached out to them, their
lives would have been taken much too soon back at that rural pound two years ago.
It is for this reason I will always be thankful to Helen and Paul for the unconditional, unstoppable love they had for these
boys - from Paul building an old-doggy ramp for BooBoo to use as easy access from their back deck to his beloved grass below,
to Helen's quiet strength at the darkest hour holding it together for them and bringing them such great comfort and peace
simply by whispering "I will love you forever" in their soft beagle ears.
Last night's difficult loss marked the end of a chapter for Big On Beagles. We've come to the realization that we must sadly
hold off from taking any more beagles until we can get back on our feet again. For the first time in BOB history, we've run
out of funding. We raised so much for our homeless howlers, thanks to you, that we didn't hesitate to spend it on some very
deserving dogs. What little is left must be kept for the long-term beagles currently in our care.
So that makes sweet Hope the last beagle saved for the time-being. The two surgeries required for her Bilateral Mastectomy
will total approximately $2,500.
But hope is not lost - for her or for us. Like
her name, we're holding out HOPE for our quick return.
To all of you who support us, either as valued
monthly bobefactors or by way of heartfelt contributions when needed most or so often by way of both, that hope exists because
of you.
And never forget all that your support has already done.
You've saved 126 beagles since our little repair
shop opened for business over 12 years ago. We may be small but we're big. Every single dog is remembered by name and forever
imprinted on our hearts, whether they remained with us due to health issues or found families of their own.
Rest assured, hope springs eternal here at Big On Beagles and we've got high hopes for our Beagle Wiggle Walkathon on May
25th. Just maybe, it will be enough to rescue our little rescue.
On behalf of BooBoo and Chance, thank you for
the joy you've given and for the joy you'll surely give again.
November
7, 2012 E-Blast:
Bubba is HOME!!!
We'll let the video speak for
itself...
October 30, 2012 E-Blast:
We're still desperately looking for a miracle for our Bubba beagle boy.
Please click on his video below to see why he's worth our efforts.
Bubba is currently being boarded at our vet clinic in the Beaches, Toronto - Beaches
Animal Hospital. But he needs a real home.
We're looking, preferably, for a home without other dogs and one where you're home more often than
not, i.e. retired, self-employed, or working from home.
If you do have another dog, we certainly wouldn't rule you out but you would need to have experience working
with dominant dogs and be prepared to work with our trainer, gradually introducing the dogs as instructed. Of course,
we would arrange a meet & greet first to assess compatibility, and with our trainer present to provide her expert
opinion. We don't want to set Bubba up for failure and we certainly want to ensure everyone's happiness.
If you can't offer your
home to Bubba but still want to help, there are other ways to help! You can make a donation towards his boarding costs or
come down to our vet clinic to walk Bubba, giving him the human contact and attention he so dearly loves.
Please don't hesitate to contact us,
even if you just want to ask a few questions. We're here for our Bubba and we won't rest until he's happily curled up in his
new home tugging away at your heart with every kiss!
Bubba's Video:
October 23, 2012 E-Blast:
Dear Friends,
You
may recall the two country bumpkins - Vern & Delray - that we took into our rescue back in July. We nicknamed Vern "The
Smoocher" for obvious reasons. Vern is now Bubba, and Bubba is in Trubba...
On Sunday, we received upsetting news that his elderly foster mom was facing hip
surgery and could no longer care for him. She's heartbroken and we're at a loss as to what to do. Bubba is a 10 year old beagle
bundle of love on 4 legs. He stole our hearts the moment we met him. He just adores people. Unfortunately, he's not as adoring
of other dogs which makes it hard, if next to impossible, to find a replacement foster home.
We took Bubba in from a rural pound near Kitchener back in July. He and his sidekick
Delray (both around the same age/we're thinking they're brothers - same pudgy, stocky little body frames) came in as
strays. They were kennelled together at the shelter and got along just fine for the most part. However, when it came to feeding,
we've since learned the staff needed to separate them as Bubba would take over both bowls at all costs. Poor Delray took the
abuse, getting his ears bit, judging from the scars, and never fighting back. Although Bubba never seriously hurt Delray,
it was enough to know they shouldn't be kept together. Our guess is that these dogs had been on their own for a while in constant
search of food and that Bubba was the stronger mate of the two. It's likely something that could be worked on with a
trainer but that takes time. So rather than set him up for failure, we looked for a home without any other dogs. We were lucky
to find his foster mom. After meeting Bubba, you'd understand completely why we didn't want to give up on him.
So now, here we are again, frantically looking for a home without other dogs. He
has so much love to give and he is so worth saving. We've even got a trainer for him to help work on his crate training when
foster mom has to go out. He gets so very attached to people and so easily that he is somewhat anxious when his people aren't
within reach. This comes as no surprise if he was abandoned in the past by a negligent owner, as we suspect. The
same trainer (she's amazing - from the very reputable Mindful Behaviours) was so touched by Bubba's personality and rescue
story that she has offered to pay a visit to his next foster home to help with his settling in. She's also at our disposal
should we wish to gradually work on his socialization with other dogs.
Above is a pic of Bubba doing what he does best - kissing a doting human! The name "Vern"
that we chose for him at the onset just didn't stick with his foster mom. Isn't that often the case? She just started
calling him Bubba from the get go and it suited him to a T!
At the end of this week, Bubba will be taken from his foster mom. There are sure to be tears that day for all
of us, especially for her. But like I said, Bubba has so much love to give that he's more than ready to give his
heart away again. I refuse to let him down.
You're out there somewhere
and we have no intention of giving up on our BubbaBoo.
With hopeful hearts for a miracle for Bubba,
Marna Gale & the Gang at
BIG ON BEAGLES (B.O.B)
(Excerpt
from) July 18, 2012 E-Blast:
We're
thinking these two good old Southern Ontario boys might just be brothers!
But alas, Delray's brother looks like he's always had
the upper paw in the family. Maybe food was scarce in their previous life so maybe Del's brother felt the need to fight for
what little there was. Poor Del never fought back. The scars to his ears prove it. We'd hoped the boys could be fostered together
but after discovering the sibling rivalry issue, we had to find a second foster home with no other dogs for Mr. Tough Guy.
Quite a challenge but there was no way we were gonna give up on Del's brother.
Meet Vern (aka Bubba)
Vern is the name we
chose for him (his stage name) but he's getting Bubba now. He's also known as The Smoocher and for good reason! He loves giving
kisses to any human willing to pucker up!
He's an absolute angel
baby with people. And he deserves to be given a chance as we slowly work on his canine relationships.
Bubba has a significant heart murmur so
we had to bring in a cardiologist to get a further look before we could neuter him and remove a few rotting teeth.
An ultrasound revealed mitral valve disease otherwise known as a leaky heart. But
that's okay for now. There are no signs of heart failure. We just need to check his heart once a year and watch for any signs
of trouble. If we're lucky, Bubba will be with us for many more years.
We found a foster home for Bubba, by the way.
A lovely fellow senior who lost her beloved dog last fall.
He had been a bit of a grumpy pants with other dogs too.
Bubba went home to his new mom yesterday.
That's who
gave him the name Bubba. It just came naturally!
She'd already
whipped up her Bubba Baby a batch of homemade dog food the night before.
He had a sample before checking out his garden oasis in the backyard.
We're kinda thinking Bubba has won the jackpot.
We're gonna let the fur settle for Mr. Bubba so stay tuned for a pupdate in a little
while. Right now, he's hamming it up with his new mom! ( ;
Special thanks goes out to our friend Debbie
Parry for picking up these boys for us and for finding Bubba his foster home with one of her favourite neighbours!!!
