Bouvs Available for Adoption

Bouvs available in N. California

as of August 19, 2008

Dogs fostered by me (Pam Green) currently :

Dogs in this section are being fostered by Pam Green (530) 756-2997 in Davis, Calif. Please phone only between 10 am and 6 pm California time. I do not usually consider placements more than a day's drive from Sacramento, Ca. All dogs placed by me must be guarranteed to live as house-dogs and cherished companion dogs.

• Max (back again) : a former foster dog has been returned to me and is available for adoption to an experienced home.
• photos and information about Velvet, a sweet but timid young bitch, available for adoption. Updated 2/03/09
• Picasa is a very sweet, gentle , and trusting middle-aged spayed bitch, who arrived at the pound after her owner died. As of 8/19/08, she has been with me about a month. See her page for more details. Update : adopted and doing well in home of adopter of an earlier one of my foster dogs.

 

• The story of Hazel, a backyard puppy mill breeding bitch abandoned by her owner and rescued (4/13/06) by BCNC.   Warning : this story is not a pretty one !!

 

other dogs being fostered or referred by BCNC :

• (mid Nov, 2007) BCNC is expecting two dogs, one male and one female, who will be needing medical care prior to placement. I can't post information on them just yet, but you can phone BCNC Rescue Chair (below).
  • Update 2/02/08 : the male "Bo Diddly" is a very sweet older male (8 years old) , now sucessfully treated for heartworm infestation and neutered. He is being fostered by Barry Leece and Cameron Riegel (see below). He probably should be the only male dog in his home. You can see some photos of him on Petfinder.com ; I put him on my petfinder list as a courtesy listing.
  • Update 2/02/08 : the bitch "Sandy" is a dignified and well behaved older bitch (8 years old), now nearing the end of her heartworm treatment and will soon be spayed. She is being fostered by a BCNC club member who did the hard work of springing her and Bo and a second bitch (who she has adopted herself) from a backyard breeder. You can contact Sandy's foster home through myself or through Barry Leece. You can see a photo of her on Petfinder.com ; I put her on my petfinder list as a courtesy listing.

For information on these dogs please refer to contact information within each dog's section. Or For more information, contact BCNC Rescue Chairperson, Barry Leece at (925) 784-2190 or (925) 456-0686 or e-mail at < BouviersRUs@comcast.net >
 
BCNC and I have recently agreed to divide responsibility and authority so as to enhance the welfare of the dogs and to preserve what remains of my sanity. BCNC is the first resort for rescue of purebred Bouviers. Anyone seeking to surrender a dog or to adopt a dog should contact BCNC first. I will remain as an alternative rescue intake and foster for dogs BCNC cannot take or does not regard as part of their mission statement, including Bouvier crosses. BCNC and I will be working independantly but with a great deal of co-operation.

dogs being fostered by other groups or individuals :

The information below comes from information supplied by owners or friends of owners or by the current foster home of the dog.

• none currently

How to meet and adopt my foster dogs :

For an appointment to meet any of the dogs being fostered by Pam Green, please PHONE Pam Green at (530) 756-2997 between 10 am and 6 pm (Calif time). Remember that you have to phone us, then meet the dog, before you can adopt the dog ! ! ! I am also likely to want to visit your home to inspect fences and other safety issues and to help you prepare for the arrival of the dog.

Also please understand that we do NOT place dogs on a first come first served basis. All our placements are intended to carefully match dog and adopter to ensure the maximum welfare of the dog. So you may not get the dog you want or even several dogs you want. I try to be upfront with people about any reservations I have about their home as a home for some particular dog or for a dog generally. Sometimes the reservation relates to something you are able and willing to change and sometimes not. If that makes you unhappy, you are welcome to look for a dog fostered by someone else. If you go to some pounds, they will ask you very few questions and they may tell you very little about the dog. If you go to some irresponsible breeders , they will ask you no questions beyond whether you are paying by paper (cash) or plastic (credit card).

For those dogs which are sponsored by the Bouvier Club of Northern California , the adopter will be signing the BCNC Adoption Contract and paying the BCNC Adoption fee as described below. For BCNC dogs , contact BCNC Rescue Chairperson, Barry Leece at (925) 784-2190 or (925) 456-0686 or e-mail at < BouviersRUs@comcast.net > For those sponsored by me personally, a similar contract and fee will be required.
For dogs sponsored by other organizations or individuals, you must ask that organization or individual, as indicated in that dog's description.

ADOPTION FEES

The BCNC Board recently (October, 2007) approved an increase in our adoption fees to $500 , up from our old fee of $350.
The $350 amount had been set (in 2003 I think) to be in line with covering the costs of the basic care needed for each rescued dog (spay / neuter, Rabies and DHLPPv shots, heartworm test and continuing prevention) plus a small share of the extraordinary care costs that some dogs require. Our average costs for care of rescued dogs are probably currently in the range of $600 to 750 ; I personally know of several dogs whose medical costs have exceeded $1500 and some that have been several times that much. The $350 fee was also set to be in line with the guidelines recommended by a consensus of Rescue groups of one-third the price of a responsibly bred "pet" (non-show , non-breeding) puppy. In my personal opinion , it is also more in line with being at least one third to one half of the annual costs of maintaining such a dog with good quality care : currently it costs $800 to 1200 per year to provide good quality food and medical care to a large dog such as a Bouvier.
The $500 fee is intended to allow the club to subsidize more of the foster homes' expenses (food, heartworm prevention, gasoline) that the homes have up to now supplied themselves, and to better enable the club to pay vet costs for those dogs with extra needs.
While $500 exceeds the amount that backyard puppy mill breeders and accidental litter breeders ask for their puppies, you have to remember that those puppies often come with hidden time bombs of behavior problems due to lack of socialization and medical problems due to lack of testing of the parent dogs. With a well fostered rescue dog, you are getting a dog whose behavior and medical status are much better known, and of course unlike the puppy the rescue dog has already been spayed or neutered and is current on vaccinations and heartworm prevention and has had a good education in being a civilized housedog.. And $500 is still only about a third of what you would have to pay for a responsibly bred "show" puppy, whom you will probably still want to have spayed or neutered and whom you certainly will have to teach to be a civilized house dog.
The $500 fee is intended to be a "flexible, sliding scale" fee. The club will be adjusting fees downwards for those dogs who have significant medical or behavioral issues, and the fee may be waived altogether in some cases (the very old dogs or those with issues requiring major ongoing costs or effort from the adopter). The fee issue may be re-considered at our Dec 9 Xmas party and general membership meeting.
 
UPDATE : at the December General Membership meeting it was voted by a very large majority to keep the top fee at $500 for dogs that have no serious "issues" that we know about (any dog may of course develop problems later on, as the future is always unpredictable). Fee reductions can be made by consent of one member of the Rescue Committee (which would normally be the Chairperson) plus one member of the Board. This should be done before the dog is advertised for adoption, because of course we are not going to let this degenerate into haggling or bargaining. Reductions in price may be available for exceptionally worthy adopters for whom the higher fee is a hardship, but normally if an adopter is not able or willing to pay the fee in two or three installments, it is too hard to believe that the adopter could deal with the costs of veterinary care. Remember that it currently it costs $800 to 1200 per year to provide good quality food and medical care to a large dog such as a Bouvier.
 
I will keep my own adoption fee for my personal project dogs at $350 as long as I can . Unlike BCNC , I do not receive any charitable donations to subsidize my expenses on my foster dogs, but fortunately my own income exceeds the rather modest lifestyle of myself and the less modest needs of my own dogs. I do accept donations from adopters and from surrendering owners (indeed I expect donations from surrendering owners unless they are really broke)
 
Adopters , if you want to save some adoption fee money (or even if you don't) , do NOT overlook your local or not so local shelters and consider adopting directly if you feel confident of your own ability to evaluate temperament. You can find Bouvs by searching on Petfinder.com under "Bouvier des Flanders" and under other breeds (Giant Schnauzer, Old English, Poodle cross, Irish Wolfhound cross, etc) that Bouvs get mis-identified as. Most shelters charge $100 to 150 including spay/neuter and vaccinations, so that is a real bargain compared to the BCNC fee or even to my private placement fee. Some charge even less, especially if the dog is already altered when it comes into the shelter. When you adopt directly from the shelter, you are also usually promoting yourself to the head of the waiting list for that dog as chances are no one else will have applied before you or will show up at opening time of the day the dog is first available. At the shelter you can probably make sure that you will be the adopter of the dog that you have chosen. When you apply to rescue, it is always possible, even likely, that someone else is ahead of you or is rated higher in suitability for that particular dog. Most applicants to Rescue will have to wait for their dog.
Now of course Rescue has the ability to do a better job of matchmaking than most shelters, and likewise Rescue has the resources to do more training and veterinary care than many shelters. Shelters vary a great deal according to their resources and according to who is making shelter policy. Some shelters do screen (interrogate) adopters carefully and carefully match them to adoptable dogs, and some do not. Some shelters evaluate the dogs behaviorally (though probably with less predictive value than the evaluation results of several weeks in home living in an experienced foster home), and some do not. Some shelters have an on-staff veterinarian and can evaluate and treat health issues , and some do not. Some shelters have enough volunteers that they are able to do a fair bit of basic training, and some do not.
For a thoughtful and very systematic guide to adopting direct from the shelter, carefully read Sue Sternberg's excellent book "Successful Adoption". This book is geared to helping you select an unquestionably people-friendly dog who has the highest safety profile. A lot of the dogs she rates in the "grey zone" will be fine in the hands of a really knowledgeable person, but are probably not a great choice for an inexperienced person or in a family with young children (young children are inevitably both inexperienced and lacking in the judgement and behavioral self-control needed for anything but the most tolorant of dogs).
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dogs previously fostered and placed this past year

(see what you missed !)

• Mijoux, very sweet senior neutered male Bouvier. He is an affectionate and well behaved dog who gets along well with other dogs. Intake date 2/20/08. Update : he has been adopted.

 

• Sadie of Reno, probably Bouv X Labrador, spayed bitch, available for adoption. Sadie is a very sweet dog, a bit timid with strangers and loud noises, but very well behaved and easy to live with. UPDATE 2/2/08 : she is now a lot more confident and welcomes guests. She is a very pleasant dog. Update : she has been adopted.

 

• Freddie, an 11 month old puppy who looks somewhat like a Bouvier but probably is not one. He is very sweet and very cute and way too smart for the average owner. UPDATE 2/2/08 : he is now about 2 years old. Update 4/27/08 : Freddie's need for a home has become critical. If not adopted by end of May, he will be euthanized. UPDATE 5/5/08 : Freddie has been ADOPTED.

 

• "Bubba" , a 4 or 5 year old neutered male, went into BCNC Rescue when his owner died. He has been placed through BCNC. I have no photo or details about him other than that he was a very sweet dog.
• Grover, fostered by me. He is a great dog for a sophisticated trainer and calm pack-leader , but NOT suitable for a less experienced person or one low in "Alphatude". UPDATE : I am keeping him because I really like him and he fits in well with the rest of my pack.
• Max is a 2 and 1/2 year old neutered male Bouvier (with registration papers) who came to me as an owner surrender. Owner was going through divorce and house foreclosure. Her relationship with Max seems to have been one that fostered anxiety and co-dependancy, but he has actually turned out in foster care to be a basically normal dog. He was a bit inclined to be timid with strangers and clingy with familiar people when in presence of strangers. I've taken him out in public when I can to work on this and also have worked on him not being clingy or pushy at home, and the results have been a great improvement He's a nice dog, though he is not suitable for a beginner. At this point he is ready for consideration by adopters who are experienced in training and are naturally calm and consistant leaders. UPDATE : adopted 3/3/07. UPDATE 3/13/07 UNadopted. Max has separation anxiety and needs to be in home where there is a second dog for company. He is just fine if he has doggie company. UPDATE : his adopter RE-ADOPTED him and is working on solving his problems. UPDATE : adopter continues to report things going well and that she has"learned to be more firm with him."

 

• Plato, a 4 or 5 year old neutered male, cropped and docked, very nice looking, current on shots and heartworm negative. Plato is highly affectionate, "a love sponge", and he is playful and somewhat exuberant. He has shown a strong herding drive in his former home. He is probably not the best choice for a first-time dog owner, but then very few Bouvier would be.
  UPDATE : Plato was adopted just before Christmas and his adopter reports all going as expected. She is a very Bouv-smart adopter, and well prepared.

 

• Nemo, a very gentle, calm, and extra large black shaggy dog who may or may not have any Bouvier genes in him. He would be a wonderful companion for anyone seeking a gentle and affectionate and very laid-back dog. He is an excellent candidate for adjusting to living with cats. He is timid with people until he gets to know them. UPDATE : Nemo has been adopted ! and his adopters are thrilled with him. He is now trusting and affectionate with all family members and very quick to learn. UPDATE : his adopters say they don't know how they ever lived without him. UPDATE 2/2/08 : they continue to send me e-mail and wonderful photos.

 

• In early November, BCNC took in two owner surrender Bouviers, Cody neutered male 5 years old and Summer spayed female two years old, both produced by the same irresponsible son-of-a-human who has produced several litters, including several dogs we have had to rescue. These two are being fostered by club Tresurer , Cameron Riegel, phone number (925) 456-0686 home or (925) 784-2190 work or e-mail camersonshomes@comcast.net I have not met these dogs, but should do so at the club Xmas party on Dec 9. Cameron indicated that the two dogs are very attached to one another and it would be best to place them in a home together.
  UPDATE (12/09/06) : these two dogs have been adopted together into the same home, as they needed to remain together. The adopter lives near Cameron so he will be able to help adopters in any way needed. Because Cody had noticably shaky hips and to facilitate Summer's adopters in adopting both , his fee was discounted (see above for BCNC;s new fee policy) while hers remained at the top level.

 

• Kacee, an exceptionally delightful 11 month old senior puppy, sweet and petite, was adopted directly from the Nevada Humane Society in Reno after a month at that facility. Several people from my prior adopters list had been watching over this little girl to ensure that she would be bailed if not adopted in a reasonable time. I don't know who actually adopted her, but will be asking the shelter to give my contact info to the adopter so they can use me as a resource.

 

• Matisse, formerly "Hunter", a young male Bouv was adopted by one of my waiting homes directly from the Nevada Humane Society in Reno after I sent out a notice about her to all waiting homes. His adopter is delighted with him, and she appreciates having been able to promote herself to head of the list by going directly to the shelter instead of waiting for BCNC to rescue and foster the dog. She had been hoping to adopt Phoebe, whose adopter is actually another Reno area person from my waiting list but who was better prepared for that dog. Matisse's adopter also saved herself the very substantial difference between the shelter's bargain basement adoption fee and the considerably higher BCNC fee.
  Adopters , do NOT overlook your local or not so local shelters and consider adopting directly if you feel confident of your own ability to evaluate temperament. You can find Bouvs by searching on Petfinder.com under "Bouvier des Flanders" and under other breeds (Giant Schnauzer, Old English, Poodle cross, Irish Wolfhound cross, etc) that Bouvs get mis-identified as.

 

• Sweet Pea aka Phoebe, cropped and docked Bouvier bitch , taken by me as an owner surrender, now being fostered by club Rescue Chair , Carol McElhenney. UPDATE 8/24/06 : Phoebe has been ADOPTED by an experienced Bouv person, whose old Bouv had passed away.

 

• Blake, photo and description of Blake, a recently rescued (6/13/06) young neutered male Bouvier. UPDATE : Blake was adopted and re-named "Luc" (Luke) in late July and his owners are thrilled with him. Seems like a perfect match. UPDATE 2/07 : his adopters are still thrilled with him.

 

• Onyx, a seven year old Bouv, currently fostered in S. Calif, but may be coming to be fostered by me (to receive health care at the UCD VMTH) in N Calif. after 4/01/06. UPDATE : no , he is staying in Southern California with Kathy Santana,who is SCBDFC Rescue Chair. phone is (951) 681-0599 and e-mail is <ojsantana@msn.com> . Please see his page for more information. UPDATE : Onyx remained in S Calif and has been ADOPTED by one of my adopters who lives half-way in between the two club centers.

 

• ASHLEY : 9 month old spayed bitch, timid and submissive.
  Ashley was very timid and afraid of people when first rescued. She has made a lot of progress during her first 4 weeks. She will become a very pleasant dog for a gentle and low-keyed family, ie no shouting, no wild gestures, no anger. For her story see Ashley's page. Ashley will not be ready for adoption until Fall of '05, as I want her to have become really confident about people before she goes to an adoptive home. UPDATE 10/19/05 : Ashley, renamed Annie, has been ADOPTED and is doing well in her new home. UPDATE 12/11/06 : poor Annie was killed in an accident when she escaped from her owner's vehicle at a freeway rest stop and ran out onto the freeway. Owner is devastated by the tragedy and I am grieving too.

 

• SADIE, young spayed bitch, playful, and very responsive to training.
  Sadie was rescued from the Stockton Animal Control a couple months ago. She is a very loving dog, very responsive to training, but is energetic and needs excercise for mind and body. She would enjoy Agility ! For more information , see Sadie's page.
  UPDATE : Sadie was ADOPTED in June. (note: this is not the same Sadie that I am currently fostering as of 2/2/08).

• My "du Clos de la Fourière" ("from the enclosure of the animal pound") Rescue, for Bouviers, Bouvier crosses, and Bouvier "pretenders", is now on Petfinder.com at http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/CA899.html. I joined Petfinder to get needed extra exposure for those dogs who are not purebred Bouviers and thus are excluded from the Bouvier Club of Northern California's rescue program.
• Bouvier Club of Northern California
• Southern California Bouvier Des Flandres Club :   http://www.scbdfc.com.
• Bouviers Available in Southern California
• Bouviers s_available for adoption being fostered at locations _outside_of California