Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Blog the Change: Big Fluffy Dog Rescue

While going through my Google Reader feed last night, I came across Dakota's Den's Blog the Change  entry. Intrigued, I found out that the blogging event happens quarterly, with the first happening today! One of the purposes of this blog is to raise awareness for dog issues and rescues, so I couldn't imagine a more perfect event to participate in.

It wasn't hard to think of what cause I wanted to blog about. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue (BFDR) came to mind for a couple reasons: they are very active and do amazing work, and Penny is a big fluffy dog herself! BFDR focuses on rescuing large and giant (and hairy) breeds like Great Pyrenees, Bernese Mountain Dogs, and Saint Bernards and all their crosses, though they occasionally get the "pocket" pup of 40 or so pounds.

Big Fluffy Dog bonus: They are fantastic footwarmers in the winter!

I first came across BFDR on Facebook, while looking at Pyr rescues. As you well know, Penny is 50% Pyr, so I've cultivated quite a fondness for the breed. If you look at BFDR's adoption list, you will see quite a few purebred Pyrs as well as Pyr mixes (and what they call "Pyre-nots", dogs who look deceptively like Great Pyrenees mixes), so I found myself visiting their site daily. 

Part of BFDR's magic is that they truly embrace social media. With the help of weekly transports and dedicated volunteers, BFDR is able to operate over a wide region on the East Coast, spanning from Maine to Virginia (and lately, including Tennessee). BFDR also runs a Southern Dog Connection, a program that brings dogs from the south to more adoptable regions in New England. This cause is very near and dear to my heart. I went to school in Louisiana for two years and can't even count the number of stray dogs and cats I would see roaming around the city. To know that there are programs like this gives me some hope for all of those skinny, haggard mama dogs I saw looking for food. 

What blows me away is how the administrators are able to communicate in a grateful, thoughtful way while maintaining a sense of humor. I've volunteered at an animal shelter in the past, and have friends in the rescue and foster community. It gets rough out there. REALLY rough. How an animal is found, the abuse endured, the shocking reasons people surrender their companion animals--it really wears you down. To handle all of that, AND to answer questions asked multiple times over the period of a few hours positively, well, that just takes some really special people!

Recently, there was a litter of five pups surrendered to BFDR. They came to the rescue orphaned under the very worst of reasons. Not only did BFDR fundraise and find foster homes at breakneck speeds, they kept those who had been following the story in the loop with daily (or near-daily) updates. I really don't know how they do it.

Rudy, a male Lab/Pyr mix in need of a home. (Photo credit: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/25102130)

Please consider fostering, adopting, or donating to Big Fluffy Dog Rescue.  Visit and follow BFDR at:



Blog the Change

35 comments:

  1. You've done good today...You've taught me about the great work being done by a group that was new to me...I love BFD's but don't feel they're that suitable for the climate here, so I have to live vicariously through photos like those on the BFD facebook page

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    1. Thank you! And I hope Penny and I as a team can do the same sort of good you and Gizmo do one day. You two are amazing!

      BFDs are definitely fun dogs! But yes--Penny gets hot when it's 65 degrees in our house (we keep it cool in here...but apparently only human cool) and she doesn't even have as extensive of a coat as a lot of Pyrenees and Pyr mixes! There still seem to be a lot of Pyrs in the south and deep south, but I'm guessing they're there for farming purposes. Poor things! I hope they get plenty of water...

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  2. Thank you for participating in Blog the Change Day! You're right -people who do rescue work are very special. They spend their time and money feeding, housing, and transporting homeless animals in order to find them forever homes. To be able to do that and not be worn down by the constant influx of stray and abandoned animals is truly amazing, and I admire them greatly. Thank you for letting us know about BFDR!

    Vicki Cook
    Team BTC

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    1. Thank you for hosting such a great event!!! I am so happy to participate, and looking forward to the next BtC Day.

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  3. What a wonderful post! BFDR sounds like an amazing group of people. We need more people like them in the world, don't we? Thanks for telling us about BFDR and we'll pass along their story and info!

    -Grizzlebees and Dillinger-

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    1. Yes--please do spread the word! They keep such a positive, humorous air in the face of the horrors they encounter day to day. BFDR is such a joy to follow.

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  4. We have heard about BFDR before; great work!

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  5. This sounds like an interesting rescue! I would love to go hug a big fluffy one of these days.

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    1. If you don't mind the extra shedding, hugging a big fluffy is very satisfying, especially when the fluffy decides to turn around and give you some ear kisses. I love hugging dogs of all sizes and coat type, but you can give a big fluffy a few extra hard squeezes, which is nice. :)

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  6. We are big fans of BFDR as well (I even have a t-shirt!) We found them on Facebook and I have transported for them. They really do manage to maintain a fabulous sense of humor and whimsy in the face of all the horror they see - they are a true inspriration.

    Thanks for righting about them and sharing the good work they do.

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    1. Woohoo! More fans! I didn't even know they had a t-shirt.....I need to find one! How was your transport experience? I'd really love to hear about that with all the potty breaks, distressed dog sounds, and other things I'm sure I'm not thinking of. Do you do it alone?

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  7. I love all of the giant fluffy breeds, they are all gentle giants. They sound like an amazing group! Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. BFDR is a fantastic group. They are really interesting to follow even if you don't have pets or if you don't have room for a fluffy yet.

      GIant fluffy breeds are so gentle and surprisingly tolerant of random annoyances. They are also great to have on chilly, wet wintry days. :D

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  8. What an impressive organization! I'm sold! You're right, it gets pretty rough out there in the rescue world. These people sound like very special superstars. I wish them the very best success in all their endeavors!

    Thank you for blogging the change for animals!
    Kim Thomas
    btc4animals.com
    cindylusmuse.blogspot.com

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    1. Superstar is right! I find the volunteers and administrators of BFDR really inspiring in their attitude. It really makes you realize how important it is to put drama and horror aside for the good of the animals rescued.

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    2. Oh!! And thank you for hosting this fabulous event!

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  9. Sounds like a terrific rescue. It is a wonderful things to find groups that you can really work with and enjoy working with to help these pets in need find great homes. We're a fostering family here at www.poochieproject.com and will always support a great rescue. Thanks for posting!

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    1. Oh wow, how awesome! Fosters are amazing people, too. So many lives are saved because of people like you, and I can't applaud you enough.

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  10. I am so glad you could participate in your very first Blog the Change event by featuring such a worthy cause. Big Fluffy Dogs have some different needs than smaller breeds and require people who understand them. It's great this rescue is able to help so many of these beautiful animals in need.

    Thanks again for spreading awareness and highlighting a terrific rescue!

    Kristine
    Team BTC

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    1. BFDs definitely do have different needs, as I have learned over the past few months of being Penny's mom. BFDR is amazing with how quickly they can get a homeless dog set up, even if it is just in boarding for the timebeing.

      Thank you for hosting this event! I am so excited to write for the next one.

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  11. Oh My!!! I came by to tell you to stop by Dakota's blog tomorrow for a surprise and then I saw this lovely shout out and your wonderful BtC4A post! I LOVE the topic you chose...fabulous! We are following you now too!
    This is Dakota but since you are on Blogger it is showing up as my mom and Cody from our other blog.
    Barks and licks and love, Dakota
    www.dakotasden.wordpress.com

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    1. Thank you for introducing me to this amazing event! AND you have a surprise? :O We are excited and can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. :)

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  12. A great thing to blog about. It's harder to find homes for big dogs.

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    1. It is, even though big dogs come with lots of good things! BFDR does amazing things, and we are so glad they exist. :)

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  13. Pyrs are great dogs. Your blog takes me back to my childhood. We used to rent a cottage on Cape Cod for the summer. The family who owned the cottage had a Great Pyrenees named Sue. Sue roamed free. Whenever anyone had a barbecue all they had to do was light he charcoal and Sue was on her way. It might take a while depending on how far she had to travel but she was there, drooling away. You not only had to keep your eye on the franks and burgers, but also the buns. She'd grab a bagful and take off a speeds you didn't think a dog her size could manage.
    One of the kids in the owner's family followed her once and found she had a whole stash of bags of buns in the woods. To hare with wild life? Make breadcrumbs? Only Sue knew.
    I'm glad to hear BFDR is doing such a great job and introducing more people to these big fluffy dogs

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    1. Thank you for that story! I'm smiling reading over it again. Sue sounds like an amazing dog. Pyrs get a bad reputation for being aloof and lazy, but they can be such big goofballs too, just like your Sue.

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  14. The dogs are really cute. Love it! Thanks for sharing this to us. This is really helpful for dog owners.

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    1. Oh, I'm so glad!! Make sure to friend them if you are on Facebook or Twitter. They post useful things for dog owners in addition to the dog placement and care they already do.

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  15. This post was very nicely written, and it also contains a lot of useful facts.I enjoyed your professional manner of writing the post. Thanks, you have made it easy for me to understand.

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    1. Thank you so much for the compliment! I tend to feel like I'm rambling, so I was happy to read this today. :) Thank you for your visit!

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