future intakes (MALE OR FEMALE) Bouvier des Flandres Davis, CA

future intakes

UDATE 2021:
In the past couple of years, most intakes are from owners who have met a castrophe, often ones who have died. These dogs tend to be very nice , well behaved, well cared for middle age or senior dogs. They are treasures for an adopter.

ADOPTING DIRECT FROM SHELTER OR SURRENDERING OWNERS

to adopt any dog from me, you must fill out the club adoption application found at http://www.scbdfc.com so I have information needed to see if your home is a match.  also please tell your vet to expect a phone call since vet is a critical reference. please don't feel insulted that we ask for personal information and references.  we have a duty to the dog's welfare.  (also I have to obey club rules).

 I especially urge all adopters to keep checking http://www.petfinder.com and http://www.petharbor.com for Bouvs in shelters. I am seeing more and more shelters that wait to turn an attractive, highly adoptable, dog over to Rescue. These shelters want to do the adoption themselves, so if you want this dog, you need to be willing to adopt directly from the shelter. In the past couple of years I have mediated quite a few direct-from-shelter adoptions. All these adopters have been very pleased with their dogs.

During the past year we've had a number of intakes that we have placed directly out of shelters or directly from owners seeking placement help.  Sometimes we already know just the right home, usually someone who has adopted before, and other times we send out e-mail to an established waiting list.  If the dog is in a shelter, many of them go on basis of "first come, first served", so it's crucial to be willing to contact the shelter immediately. That may mean that you find yourself second or third in line, but sometimes those ahead of you won't actually show up at the appointed time.  Please remember that Bouv Rescue doesn't make the shelter's rules.

Also remember that if the dog doesn't closely resemble the photos in the breed books (photos of properly groomed beauty show champions), the shelter will usually list the dog as a "Bouv mix" rather than as a purebred.  Many of these so listed are in fact purebreds, but look "different" from the book photos because they are long neglected in grooming, improperly groomed (my own dogs would be that), or maybe even clipped down.  For all the long haired breeds, grooming makes a huge difference in appearance.  Also a lot of Bouvs get mis-identified as something else, such as "sheepdog" or "poodle mix".  Look at the photos of all "large" dogs at your local shelters : you may discover a Bouv.  And if you find some other dog that is irresistable and whose behavior suits your home, DO adopt that dog and save that dog's life.

THE FUTURE IS UNPREDICTABLE

Future intakes are totally unpredictable. I keep lists of waiting adopters and send out e-mail notices when a new intake comes to me or to the Southern California rescue group, or when an owner seeks help placing their dog, or when a probable Bouvier appears at a shelter. Those of you willing to adopt directly from the shelter will be promoting yourself to the head of the line. Almost all of my direct-from-shelter adopters have been very happy with their adopted dogs.
Those of you who live in Southern California, or who would be willing to drive there to get a dog, please contact the SCBDFC Rescue Chair, Judy Kasper at (951) 780-0419 or , preferably, by e-mail at addmbouv@yahooo.com . You can also look on the club web site at http://www.scbdfc.com and fill out the adoption form there.

Those of you outside of California, you probably should be working with American Bouvier Rescue League, ABRL, whose web site is http://www.abrl.org, which includes their application form.

NO LONG DISTANCE ADOPTIONS

I do NOT do long distance adoptions, meaning not outside Calif and (sometimes) Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. All adopters must come to meet the dog and must be commited to returning the dog if the adoption does not work out. You are better off to adopt within your local area, ie a distance you are comfortable driving, so that you can meet the dog and spend enough time with that dog before making the decision to become responsible for that dog's welfare and happyness for the rest of that dog's life. It's a more serious commitment than marriage is because your spouse got along without you before he met you and could get along without you now" (from a song that might be before your time).

MORE INFORMATION

If you live in N Calif and are seeking a Bouvier to adopt, it's an advantage if you contact me before a new dog is actually posted. Some of my fosters get placed with waiting homes before getting posted to my Petfinder account. In the past few months , I've made several adoptions without ever posting the dogs on Petfinder because someone I'd already interviewed seemed to be so very right for that dog.
If you've been looking for a Bouvier for a while, you already know they don't come up very often. So you do have to be prepared to wait for the right dog and then you have to be ready to act. You also have to have a clear idea of what "right" is for you, and I can help you to explore that idea. Also if you don't know the breed, you are welcome to discuss them with me or come to my home to meet a few
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I have listed future intakes as being spayed/neutered, up to date on vaccinations, and housetrained because I won't place a dog until those conditions are met. Listed as "male" since there was no way to say "either sex" ; in reality I do get more boys than bitches, but of course I do get both genders. While most Bouviers are fine with other dogs, a few don't get along well with dogs of their own gender. A very few need to be the only dog in their home.
 Most Bouvs are "guilty until proven innocent" where cats are concerned. So anyone with a cat has to be extremely careful for the first month or longer. Supervise vigilantly or have a dog proof barrier separating them.

Most Bouvs are very good with children who are older and dog-savvy or are well supervised by adults. I rarely place dogs in homes with children under 5 years old, because children that age rarely are cognitively and emotionally mature enough for a dog and parents rarely provide the degree of vigilant supervision needed with children that age. (and I won't even consider supervision by anyone other than a parent or grand-parent as possibly being adequate .)

Occasionally I have a dog available who has special needs, either mentally or physically. While most Bouvs are confident and trusting with people, a few are timid -- I've been seeing more of that lately. dogs originating in puppy mills (large scale breeders selling through pet stores or over the internet) or backyard breeders can be expected to have health problems and social behavior problems. (there's a research paper in recent issue of Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association that confirms this).

I am ALWAYS completely candid with prospective adopters about the specifics of any dog I foster and especially am very frank about any qualities some would find undesirable. But please remember that a dog's behavior is very much influenced by the personality and behavior of the people the dog lives with. Dogs are constantly learning and reacting to their experiences. There's an old trainer's saying "Every handler gets the dog he deserves" , but I say that to a large extent "every handler creates the dog he deserves" . Ultimately you have to make wise choices in acquiring a dog (ie dog whose intrinsic qualities match well with the person's qualities and abilities) and then for the rest of that dog's life you have to consiously mold that dog closer to your heart's desire. Most dogs who wind up in Rescue are there because someone failed at one or both of those tasks.

Adoption fees

The normal adoption fee is now $450 and the fee goes to the Southern California Bouvier des Flandres Club's Rescue program ( I am now the Northern California "director" for that program, so I am under club rules). That covers costs of spay/neuter, vaccinations, heartworm test and prevention.  (Some dogs have had added expenses, but adopter gets the benefit) . If the idea of paying an adoption fee turns you off, then go directly to the pound or the "free to good home" ads in the newspaper or craigslist. But be aware that the annual costs of ordinary care (food, grooming, preventative health care, training classes, etc) for a Bouv are pretty high, probably around three times the SCBDFC adoption fee. Vet costs for serious illness or injury can be shockingly high ; get a good pet insurance program if you don't have a healthy savings account.  Occasionally the club will approve a reduced fee, but that is usually because the dog is very old or has current or future veterinary needs that will require extra effort and/or expense from adopter.