Foster Failure...Again

In This IssuePublication Notes ................................ 2Going Forward .................................... 2 Brittany Events ................................. 3-4Luke and Charles ................................ 5It’s What We Do ............................... 6-8Gallery ................................................. 9Memorials ..........................................10Harness ............................................... 11

Go to www.americanbrittanyrescue.org for a complete and up-to-date listing of available dogs.

Brittany Tales:For the Love of Brittanys

1-866-BRIT-911 or 1-866-274-8911 FALL - WINTER 2018

From Mary Cantrell

The Humane Animal Welfare Society of Wauke-sha County (HAWS) is a non-profit organization established in 1965 that assists 8,000 animals and welcomes more than 35,000 human visitors each

year. As an open admission shelter, they accept animals regardless of age, health, temperament or breed. The full-service humane society offers programs and services that promote responsible pet ownership, preventing animal abuse and neglect in our community and beyond. HAWS promotes the humane care and treatment of all animals, in support of cooperative humane efforts throughout the state of Wisconsin with education, training, evaluation and mobile pet adoptions. Learn more about HAWS via their website (www.hawspets.org) or on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

In 2009, an ABR volunteer contacted me about fostering a dog who was in danger of dying. Ray was owner-surrendered to HAWS in Waukesha, Wisconsin, because his owners were downsizing and could only take their small dog with them.

Ray was heartbroken. He had been with his owners since he was a puppy. Although HAWS tried to help him, Ray stopped eating, drinking and inter-acting with anyone. In two weeks, he had lost 10 pounds.

Ray was dying. He needed a different environment. In stepped ABR leading Ray to me! From the moment Ray left HAWS, he created a close bond with me—no other dog has had such a close bond with me. I did not know that one day soon he would save my life.

As time moved on, Ray settled into our home and hearts. Then I got sick requir-

ing a Service Dog, Gus (an ARB Res-cue, too). Then my husband got sick. Gus (13+ years) is a wonderful Service Dog, but he was too sensitive for the

hospital smells. During the turmoil, Ray began alerting me that I was about to have medical emergencies. Long story short—Ray was trained and certified as my second Service Dog. He graduated the same month my husband passed.

I am a Professor and Ray (now 9 years) is around many students/peo-ple a day. One evening, while check-ing a student’s work, Ray kept cir-cling the student, gently moving him to a seat. Both of us were confused. Knowing the student was diabetic, I asked him to check his sugars—they were close to 400! Thankfully, with quick work, he was able to quickly bring his sugar down! Since then, Ray has alerted four diabetic students. Ray is my miracle dog!

Thank you for not one but two miracle dogs!

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Publication NotesBrittany Tales: For the Love of Brittanys Newsletter is an intermittent publication of American Brittany Rescue, Inc., and distrib-uted free of charge to volunteers, those who adopt through the organization and by re-quest at www.americanbrittanyrescue.org.

American Brittany Rescue, Inc. is a reg-istered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 1991 as a cooperative effort of Brittany owners, breeders, trainers, and fanciers fostering a responsibility not only for their own dogs and the dogs they pro-duce, but for the breed as a whole through education, rescue, fostering and placement.

ABR’s Mission is to provide the leadership and expertise via a network of trained volun-teers to take in stray, abandoned, surrendered and/or impounded purebred Brittanys, provide them with foster care, health and tempera-ment screening, as well as, an opportunity for any necessary rehabilitation, and to insure their health and placement into new homes.

BOARD OF DIRECTORSCheri Wilson, Board ChairTerry Mixdorf, President

Terrie Johnson, Vice-PresidentDiana Doiron, Treasurer

Tina Leone, Co-TreasurerTiffany Dexter, Secretary

Michelle FalkinburgNancy Hensley

Sandy OelschlegelMonica RuttMaria Smith

Ryan Waterbury

NEWSLETTER TEAMShirley BigelowPatricia Gillogly

Monica RuttPatricia StockdillCharles B. Warren

American Brittany Rescue, Inc822 Wild Ginger RoadSugar Grove, IL 60554

1.866.274.8911americanbrittanyrescue.org

newsletter@americanbrittanyrescue.org

2018 and Going ForwardTerry Mixdorf, ABR President

As the year comes to a close, it feels like time passes faster and faster for me!

2018 was another wonderful year with our rescue. We have added to our volunteer base, rescued many Brittanys within and outside of the US and, because of all your support, we had the funds to help restore the health and mobility of several Brittanys this year. It’s a blessing when we can do these things for those who just need that extra special help. The Senior program is now up and running as well.

What will 2019 bring? One never knows for sure, except that there is a team working on a new and improved website! It has been a desire for YEARS to do this, but we needed the right people, right technology, etc. to be able to even start looking into it. Our current website has served us well for so many years, but it is outdated (in technical terms) so it is time. In 2019 you may see some slight changes as we work on this and we will be sending updates as things progress.

I want to personally thank EACH AND EVERY ONE of you who has volun-teered your time and energy to keep American Brittany Rescue strong. I also want to personally thank EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR financial sup-porters for believing in our rescue so that we can continue saving lives.

2019 ABR Calendar AvailableThanks, again to Andrea Bock for the great images and stories compiled in our new calendar. Available on the website for $20.

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ABR at American Brittany Club Nationals

HAVING A BRITTANY EVENT?We love that you are putting aside some time to get out the word about ABR and our wonderful Britts! If you are doing an event in your area, we want to hear about it and will post the dates, times and locations on our website, Facebook, Twitter and ABR Calendar of Events. PRE-EVENT - Please fill out the online form athttp://fs20.formsite.com/brittanyrescue/Event_Submission/index.html POST-EVENT - Please send us your photos with a brief description to events@americanbrittan-yrescue.org so we can share via social media. Also add your event to our newsletters at newsletter@americanbrittanyrescue.org.

The ABR Family provided many lovely items for our drawings. In addition to offering some great swag for those attending, these donations help draw attention to our booth and our mission. Donations from the raffle tickets go to defray costs not covered by adoption fees.

The American Brittany Club was estab-lished in 1942 as a member of the Ameri-can Kennel Club and is the recognized breed sponsor by the American Field.

The club is composed of many regional or local clubs located from coast to coast. Most hold a licensed AKC trial for cham-pionship points in the spring and fall sea-sons. Many hold a specialty (conforma-tion) show also. The regional clubs hold meetings to discuss mutual problems, fun trials, training sessions, hunting tests and other events of interest to their members.

The purpose of the American Brittany Club is to promote cooperation and friendship among the breeders and own-ers of a Brittany and to encourage the highest standards in breeding, training and showing of Brittanys in the field and in the show ring; to discourage the breed from becoming split into groups of “field dogs” and “bench dogs” and to strive to keep it forever a “dual dog”.

The American Brittany Club holds their National Specialty Show, National Championships and National Gun Dog Championships in the Fall each year. The ABC holds a Summer Specialty Show and three regional Futurities (for both field and show). The ABC sponsors the following Classics/Championships: Quail, Pheasant, Prairie Chicken, Chukar, Grouse-Woodcock and Gun Dog.

A monthly magazine is published and sent to all members of regional clubs and members-at-large as part of their mem-bership dues. The magazine contains reports of trials, shows, and club activities as well as articles on care and training of the Brittany. There are also articles of general interest. It carries a listing of ken-nels, dogs at stud and trainers.

Yearly membership is $50. Membership in one of the regional clubs carries an automatic membership in the American Brittany Club. You may join a regional club or as a member-at-large. Contact an ABC Director for the club nearest you. For American Brittany Club Membership Applications go to www.TheAmerican-BrittanyClub.org.

Brittany Events

While the event offers numerous and di-verse competitions, the best benefit is the time and experience shared by the dogs and their handlers—some who start at an early age.

Special and sincere thanks to Mariann Jackson who again provided the ABR Quilt as our centerpiece.

Congratulations to Kim Tees of Raymond, Maine, on her winning ticket!

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ABR - IL Hosts 15th Annual PicnicFrom Lynn Zadkovic

The main attractions at ABR-IL’s 15th Annual Picnic were cur-rent foster pups Prince and Wrigley. No one could resist the sweet faces, cute personalities and inquisitive antics of these four-month-old Brittanys. Cooler weather did not dampen the spirits of 52 attendees and their 24 Brittanys who gathered at the Greene Valley Forest Preserve in Naperville, IL, on Sep-tember 8, 2018. The picnic offered a chance for volunteers, adopters and potential adopters to mingle and learn more about the wonderful Brittany breed.

Attendees enjoyed a great barbecue lunch of burgers, brats, hotdogs, pulled pork, side dishes and desserts prepared by Lou Pignotti, who is a professional chef for the Hyatt Regency Hotel at O’Hare. He was assisted by his wife Nancy Pignotti, who is the shelter coordinator for ABR-IL, and their daugh-ter Jessica and grandson Rohan. Lunch was included in the registration fee of $10 per person, $15 per couple or $20 per family. Registration was hosted by Kathy Prezoisi and Diane Kindler. Kathy said, “It was a wonderful day for our annual picnic! Seeing everyone again just lifts my spirits.”

Additional funds were raised by the sale of raffle tickets and si-lent auction bids for attractive gift baskets, gift cards, and dog-gie gear that were donated by picnic goers. Also, ABR-related Plush Puppies, magnets, books, notepads, and leash holders were sold. The raffle was coordinated by Dorene Glotz and Lynn Zadkovic, and Julie Glotz assisted with sales. Maury Brancamp announced the raffle winners. Jessica Peretti took orders for personalized dog tags. Thanks also to IL Coordinator

and ABR Volunteers Deb and Ted Giesler. Lunch registration, raffle, auction and general sales brought in $1109 which will be used for the care of ABR foster Brittanys.

After lunch, everyone, along with their Brittanys, gathered for a group photo. Nik Zadkovic used his drone to get a unique perspective for the photo. The buzz of the drone taking off got the attention of all the Britts to look at the camera. Picnic pho-tos were also taken by Maury Brancamp and Dorene Glotz. ABR-IL coordinator, Deb Giesler, said that she always enjoys catching up with the adopters and hearing their stories about how their Brittanys have become part of the family. ABR-IL invites all to next year’s picnic which will again be at the

Greene Valley Forest Preserve (Napierville, IL) on September 7, 2019.

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Luke & Squirrel

Luke and I are still succeeding. It’s going on five years now. He has become a lot more cooperative, maybe just more ma-ture. Wouldn’t want to say old. Eight or nine is no big deal for a Brittany, right?

Our total successes are crossing streets, and not dragging at the end of the leash. That’s a 25-foot Expando leash, but still. He completely “gets” the idea of waiting at street crossings and busy driveways. He is also polite at heeling while crossing. He understands that he will get all 25 feet as soon as it’s safe and I give him the word.

Moving beyond that we also understand how to deal with the last hundred yards or so home off-leash. We cross Contra Costa Boulevard and I unhook him. There’s a safe 75 feet or so before we need to cross a neighborhood street. He knows to wait for the word and then when I see it’s clear, then home again, home again.

Usual successes—he won’t hit the end of the leash hard any-more. There are, however, exceptions. Squirrels are always tempting. I can usually get him to drop casually acquired dead animals and chicken bones. (He’s less willing to drop the Ken-tucky Fried.) Pedigree longer than mine...and he eats garbage. Oh well. Also true for my old Cocker Spaniel. It’s a canine thing.

Another success is when we walk in the country on the 50-foot string he rarely gets tangled up. He can even, usually, come out of a thicket the same way he went in. Going around a tree or something in a circle, he can usually unwind himself if I tell him “wrong way”. When I do have to untangle him, I can almost always detach him completely while I do so. Now, if there was a deer, turkey or squirrel to distract him...

He got loose after deer last year. Long story. The short part was the usual...me trailing in far behind. After half an hour or so I found myself a hundred or so feet up the hill a quarter mile or so from the start of the chase and who appeared having circled back. That was the good news. The bad was I couldn’t communicate to him where I was now, so off he went again. Well, I clambered down the slope and after another fifteen minutes or so and he finally checked back in. Success.

Now about snakes. I think Luke has some snake smarts. Last year he was acting funny at a hole. I went to look. In the hole were two more holes, apparently gopher holes, in its wall. Between them, about six inches apart, was a snake, out one hole and in the other. Presumably he could have given it a nip and pulled it out, but he didn’t. Then, on another occasion he gave a respectful distance to a coiled rattler at the base of a tree and rattling. He called my attention to it and we both left

it alone. The other day we came across another rattler, strung out in traveling mode on the trail. It never rattled and neither of us annoyed it. We could go around at a respectful distance and did. All very good news...and a reminder to folks that a class on rattler avoidance is out there if you have any doubts about your dog’s proclivities in that regard.

Luke has also succeeded training his people well. We have the clocks. He has the time. Meals. Walks. He knows. And he comes over to tell us. First, it’s the look. Then, it’s the paw. If necessary, he gets emphatic and talks about it. And at supper, he has the drill. He gets fed of course, but everybody knows the good stuff is on top of the table. So, first he comes to me and does the nose on the knee and “the look”. We have agreed that he gets the last bite of anything he’d like.

As for Johanna, that takes a little dog song. Floor show. He sings for her supper. As for talking he does all the right dog stuff and we just have to understand. There is one bark for “squirrel in the yard – let me out” and another for “suspicious people, give me some backup, eh?”

People skills? He loves almost everybody like a dog and almost everybody loves him right back. All we need is love, right?

Charles B. Warren, ABR Brittany Tales Team

Luke and CharlesThe Ongoing Experience of Being Trained by a Brittany

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It’s What We Do: The Story Begins...Vet Cindy Barker O’Dell (Bargersville Veterinary Hospi-tal and Wellness Center) and her husband Matt O’Dell of Bargersville, Indiana, have been involved in rescue work since 2013, when they received a call about twenty-two bird dogs being pulled from a financially stressed field trial site and breeding operation. They were all young and healthy but the O’Dells needed to research and then reach out to other reputable rescue organizations in order to place so may dogs. Included in the population were four Britts. This was their first contact with American Brittany Rescue and Terry Mixdorf.

Since that time Cindy and Matt have received many calls from Morgan and Johnson Counties (Indiana) when assistance is needed with rescues. They work with many hunting breed rescues because they feel these organiza-tions understand the uniqueness of the breed is key to successful adoptions. They seem also to accumulate a col-lection of “fosters” at their own property, as well, rather than placing them in a less than perfect situation.

In 2016 the Morgan County Shelter contacted the O’Dells about a neglect/owner surrender of several dogs. Britts Lincoln, Louie, Leo and Lori were in an elevated wire pen in a dark barn. “I called Terry,” says Matt, “and she said, ‘Go get them!’” The dogs were brought to the Vet Hospi-tal where Lincoln and Lori were found to be heartworm positive. There were dental problems, anxiety and general issues related to neglect to treat initially.

Upon arrival Lincoln, Louie and Lori were very timid, finding comfort in their crates and reacting adversely to change or strangers. Leo, on the other hand, seemed to shake the experience off and trot off into the next phase of his life. Lincoln and Leo were adopted locally from the Vet Hospital. Louie went to fosters Jim and Reni Fruits, and later was placed in New York. Lori needed time.

Terry contacted Bob and Pat Gillogly, who worked with Matt to transport Lori from Bargersville to meet Terry in Rockford, Illinois. Preparing Lori for transport became stressful for the O’Dells and for her. Putting on the har-ness and wearing the harness just put Lori over her limit. She became ill and retreated further. Finally, the O’Dells put together a plan where she was sedated (without the of-fending harness) and secured in her crate with orders not to open the crate under any circumstances until it was in a secure location, as they feared if she escaped, she would never be seen again. During the ride she did not make a sound. She stayed with the Mixdorf family, slowly becom-ing accustomed to freedom and other dogs, until October 2018, when she found her forever home in Minnesota.

Here are their stories:

LeoAdopted by Janette and Bob Evans, Indiana

We adopted ABR rescue Jake when he was 4 and I knew I’d be losing my dog Ginger Jo, probably within a couple of years. After Ginger passed, we just had Jake. I can’t have just one Brittany, so I started scouting the ABR news. That’s when I found Leo, Lori, Lincoln and Louie.

I loaded up my dog-loving girl-friends, and we drove 100 miles to check them out. Found the clinic and Matt introduced us to Leo and Lori. I’ll admit that my boy Jake is king size at 75 pounds and very tall for a Britt, but Leo and Lori were shockingly small! Matt and Cindy O’Dell were doing a great job with them, but coming from such a horrific situation, it was a hard fight.

Both Leo and Lori were extremely timid and sat facing the corner of the room. Matt suggested that Leo was the more adjusted and ready-to-adopt dog. I scooped up Leo and put him on my lap. Stroked him and fiddled with his feet. He calmed down and tolerated me petting him.

My pals and I discussed what I’d be get-ting myself into. He came from a “breeder” that had four Brit-tanys in one small off-the-ground cage. Probably explains why they’re so small. At one point, Leo weighed only 11 pounds. He was now four years old and up to 16.

Didn’t matter. I was in love with this little guy. We all decided it was doable. I made arrangements to go back for him the next week. Besides, I hadn’t told my husband about this yet.

Hubby was not happy at first, saying, “This dog will have brain damage and probably have lots of health issues.” I talked him into going back to look at Leo again. (HA!) He fell in love with the little guy too!

Matt had to give Leo another bath as he’d gotten sick on the ride to the clinic. Not a good sign as we had over a two-hour ride home. We finished up the paper work and started home. Leo did a perfect job on the ride home. Introducing him to big Jake was a bit tense at first, but they are now inseparable.

Leo, continued to page 7

LouieAdopted by Selina, Ralph, Bella,

Buddy & Kobe Perfetto

There is so much to share. Everything Louie does and every milestone he reaches is a big deal to us.

We picked up Louie on Saturday, February 25, 2017, from Jim and Reni Fruits. They had fostered Louie for approximately two months, knew the trauma he had been through and had been working very hard to show him love and patience. When we first picked him up, he was scared. I knew it would take time for him to relax but I just didn’t realize how traumatized he really was. We had a long day of traveling and wanted to make sure he had something to eat. He was too nervous to eat so we bought chicken nuggets to tempt him to eat, but he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t drink water. He wouldn’t look at us. He wanted nothing to do with this whole situation.

When we first got home with Louie, he was understandably scared and nervous. He again didn’t want to eat and made sure he was as far from us as he could possibly be. We had a kennel upstairs and downstairs, so he had his own safe space and he seemed to like that. We learned from the beginning it was go-ing to take a long time to gain Louie’s trust. When we took him outside, we had to keep him on his leash for a few months. The first time I let him run free it took 2-1/2 hours to get him back into the house. Thankfully we had a fully fenced yard!

When he ate everybody had to sit completely still, no talking, no moving or he would run away terrified. We learned that we had to speak softly and eventually we were able to move

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It’s What We Do: Leo, continued

Leo is chipped and has gained weight. He now weighs in at 29 pounds and looks great. He has 13 teeth missing and the rest are pointed like shark teeth. My vet says that’s probably from chew-ing on cage wire.

So, I’ve had Leo for over a year. He’s smart and very happy. He has the cutest happy dance ever that involves prancing and ear flapping. Jake’s not too sure about it. Leo makes me smile every day and while on golf cart rides, everyone wants to pet the big dog and the ‘puppy’.

…and we all lived happily ever after. Thanks, ABR, Cindy and Matt O’Dell!

around him without making him nervous. He didn’t want us to pet him or come very close. Over time I made my way towards his crate and would sit outside of it to pet him and talk to him. He started slowly trusting us. When he was extremely nervous, I would pick him up carefully and hold him tight, give him kisses and tell him it was OK. That always seemed to relax him for a bit.

Louie never ever slept, he always had one eye open, terrified something was going to happen. We started seeing signs of him trusting and being happy a little bit at a time. It was a very slow process, but it had to be at his pace otherwise it would’ve never worked so well.

Louie now is such a happy relaxed boy. He is living out his puppy years at the age of 5 and loves to play every day at 3:30 am. He follows my husband around in the morning before work, has some ice cubes from his cooler and then tries to rally his brothers and sister to play.

He has his own special spot on the couch and you cannot sit in it or he will stalk until you move! He now LOVES to cuddle, and we hold him like

a baby. He’s 29 pounds, so he’s easy to baby. Louie sleeps on our bed so soundly now that we’ll hear him snoring. He loves playing and palling around with his two Brittany brothers and sister and will not go outside until we give him a kiss, he liter-ally waits at the door looking up at us until we do.

Louie traveled across the country like a champ, although we did lose a seatbelt in the process—he’s a chewer! He likes to go out in public but gets nervous when a male speaks to him. We are always trying to introduce him to new things, our goal is to have him always feel safe and loved.

He truly is a happy boy and we love him tremendously. Since the day we brought him home, our house has literally revolved around Louie. Still does. It took about 1 year for Louie to really re-lax and trust us. It was a very slow process, but it was worth every second. I hope and pray he forgot about his horrible life before. The accomplishments that seem little to most people are the ones that mean everything to us for Louie’s progress. He is such a sweet, adorable special boy and we are so lucky to have him in our family. We love this little peanut.

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It’s What We Do, continued

LincolnAdopted by Kenneth & Bonnie Hall, Indiana

We met Lincoln and Leo on December 2016 at Bargersville Veterinary Hospital & Wellness Center. Leo was on the way

out with his foster family. We began fostering Lincoln in January 2017. He weighed only 18 pounds. Today he is a failed foster and weighs 28 pounds. We feed him a special diet food sug-gested by Cindy.

When we got him home and the first night, we put him in his cage. During the night he started to cry, so at 2 am I let him out and he went right in our re-

treat room and laid by my (Ken’s) chair. To this day that is his comfort place. He loves to go into Bonnie’s sewing room and sleep under her sewing table when she is sewing. He also loves to have his tummy rubbed and to ride in the car—especially in his Camaro! He sits right up and looks out the window.

Although he seems to want to be near us, he is still very timid. We are still working out how to handle this issue. A surprise to us was that he was already house bro-ken. When putting his leash on to go out he really fights it, though, and so I pick him up to take him outside. He will not walk on his short leash. When he is out-side, he will not come to either of us (yet) when we call him, but if he is on the 20-foot lead he will come to me because I have a treat.

Lincoln is a great Brittany. We love him and so are glad Matt and Cindy gave us the opportunity to foster and adopt Lincoln. Terry also has been so helpful.

Dori (Lori) Adopted by Mike and Jane Letcher, Minnesota

I had a red & white French Britt. I was looking on the ABR page and missing her. I saw Lori’s story. She was a traumatized dog. I saw she needed a quiet home and I am retired. I have a friendly Golden and a rescued cat, Lizzy, too. I got Lori October 20, 2018 and renamed her Dori which means “gift”.

“She was the last one to be adopted. I knew I couldn’t do any more with her...she needed to start in a new home, a quieter home and one that would give her the patience she needed to come full circle,” shared Terry Mixdorf.

“I really like letting a dog totally relax and relearn honoring their instincts,” says Jane. Buddy, the Golden, has turned out to be a nice bridge for Dori. She would follow him outside. She ate by her bed. He sleeps with tv and/or lights on, as Dori looks for shadows in the corners. She like cartoons with no

volume, if we are home. Cat Lizzy, rescued when her owner became ill, was much like Dori, surviving a difficult time. She, too, was a live critter that Dori saw with me. Lizzy is nice company for Dori, as well.

Successes continue in small steps. Dori is now on a half dose of her calming medication. We recently clipped her nails and I brushed her for only the second time. I left a rope on her collar. Today I petted her, and she didn’t squirm. I will do that each day now. Each morning Dori barks, runs and wags her tail for breakfast and she slowly emerges from her shell.

When I think of her in that barn...I am anticipating eventually holding her in my chair. Lizzy on one side. Dori on the other. And Buddy at our feet.

DORI UPDATEJanuary 8, 2019

“Dori came out of the bedroom this morning. She let me pet her.”

Jane Letcher

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ABR GalleryBrittanys Without Borders

After LOTS of deliberation and going back and forth, the Board has made a unanimous decision on the winning drawing!

Congratulations Frank and Della Fabian for their drawing of a globe and congrat-ulations to Katherine Taylor who had the wording we are going to use which is “Brittanys Without Borders”. The winners received our new and improved Plush Puppy.

Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry! Because of ALL your talent, you made this decision extremely difficult thus the longer than usual time it took to make it! You are all the best! What a talented group of volunteers we have!

Lessons from Misty

Editorial Note: While we try not to be redundant in stories we share via the printed newsletter, the online newsletter, social media and the website, Misty’s story reminds us of our responsibilities to not only be good friends with our dogs, but also good dog owners.

Misty was supposed to be a foster. She was 13 and her human had died unexpectedly a year before and now the teenage neighbor who had taken her in could no longer keep her. She was obviously not pure Brittany, but ABR coordinator Michelle Falkinburg wanted to help her anyway and Misty needed to be picked up quickly. We had just lost our Brittany, Abby, to lung cancer and wanted to look for a younger dog, but fostering Misty seemed a way to have a dog in the house while we looked. Misty was obese, at 42 lbs., she needed to lose at least 8; she had severe hip dysplasia in both hips and the arthritis to go with it. Even her front legs were weak from being so heavy for so long. She could not even mus-ter up a trot. Her liver enzymes were high, dogs get fatty liver too! She needed a lot of rehab. Misty had a Brittany heart and disposition—she was a super sweet, feisty girl (her nickname became “Miss Bossy Pants”) and we fell for her very quickly. We adopted her and my husband took her swimming every day—the pounds came off slowly but surely. With laser therapy, Adequan and a green bean and raw food diet she had 2 great years of increased mobility and gave us so much love and happiness we didn’t miss having a younger dog at all.

Misty taught us important lessons: have a plan for the care of your pets if you die or become incapacitated even if you are young and healthy (Misty’s owner was in his 50s and single when he died); don’t feel guilty about putting your dog on a diet - it can buy them years of pain-free life. And a senior dog has so much to give. Even though Misty was with us only for two and a half years, we would do it all over again. We miss her every day and are grateful that ABR opened their hearts to a Brittany in spirit if not in DNA.

MemorialsGone From Us,

But Always in Our Hearts

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JerseyFrom Nancy, Brian, Caroline & Georgia Irwin

We adopted Jersey nearly 10 years ago, when our kids were 3- and 5-years-old. So excited to have a dog of their own, they squished their love into her from the very beginning. As a young dog, Jersey loved running, taking long walks and chasing critters in the back yard. Her favorite indoor game involved tearing around the house, land-ing at our feet, until someone yelled, “Boing!” and the game would start again.

In her senior years, she was a great snoozer—legs in the air, tummy out-stretched after digging her blankets into submission. She loved convertible rides and would seemingly age in reverse on trips to the mountains. She was always gentle, quiet and willing.

We will miss her sweet presence in our home and in our lives. Thank you for bringing her into our lives. She was a gem.

George’s BenchFrom Richard Quist

George was a rescue in 2009. He lived here in Florida and went to the Estero Bay Preserve State Park with me almost every day. Sadly, on March 1 this year, an alligator nabbed George and drowned him. I did retrieve his body, cremated it, and then was told by several friends that they wanted a memorial for George.

In 2013, the Park placed a bench in the park and we named it George’s Bench, with a plaque. It can be googled at Estero Bay Preserve at George’s Bench. One friend even created a second plaque and over 30 people, including a park ranger, attended the memorial.

The dog pictured on George’s Bench is our new Brittany, George II.

Best Harness Ever!From Miranda Jindra, Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Production Notes:Sincere thanks to the printed newsletter team, Board of Directors and readers for your patience and support during our delayed publication. We strive to bring the great stories of our amazing Brittanys to you in a timely manner. Oc-casionally, there are events in life that cause us to shuffle our obligations. Your patience and support is greatly appreci-ated as we get back to our regular production schedule. Keep sending us your stories and pictures to share throughout the year. Contact us if you would like to join our team as we are always looking for new ideas and content. We love you all!

Patricia Gillogly, ABR Printed Newsletter Coordinator

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In 2014, I was a first-time Brittany owner fresh out of college with a LOT to learn about being a good mom for our Brittany puppy Piper. One thing that proved especially challenging was finding the right gear to fit her. It was difficult to find some-thing that didn’t push against her neck, rub between her front legs, or fit her in an odd way because of her deep yet slender chest. So, began my quest to find gear that was 1) comfort-able for her, 2) effective for polite walking, and 3) secure and strong for the “there’s a bunny!” moments we encounter while out walking. We’ve tried several “strappy” harnesses, “around the belly” leash loops, and a head halter harness, to no avail. I was most surprised by the harness with 4 buckles and straps in many directions that did not fit well and rode too high up on her neck despite the claim of being a “V-neck” harness.

This summer of 2018, Piper turned 4 and now has a one-year-old sister named Penny. I recalled seeing a very simple harness at agility class recently. After a quick Google search I found the harness brand was Julius-K9®. I ordered the belt harness that they offer, their simplest one, and...it is perfect! There are several sizes to choose from and the sizing guide online was very clear about which I needed. Once we received the harnesses, they were very easy to adjust to fit, the belt material is strong, and they sit low on the neck, yet not on the shoulders to impede with move-ment. They are simple, which may be what I was missing all along in my search for gear. Julius-K9® sells additional pieces to add to the harness such as chest pads, side bags, and customizable Velcro strips to replace the Julius-K9 logo on each side. The harness goes on easily over the head, with a strap going under the belly with one sturdy buckle on the side of the dog.

It took me 4 years to find a harness that worked for us, but now we can walk comfortably, securely, and happily together, so I’d say it was worth the wait.

Julius K-9® Measuring Diagram

Julius K-9® products are available in several colors and styles directly from

the company and also available at Am-azon (smile.amazon.com). Addition-

ally, accessories like car tethers, LED flashing lights. side bags and changeable patches are of-fered. Patch options to include a message such as “Ask to Pet” or “Do Not Pet” or “Adopt Me” as well as official designations like “Therapy Dog” and more. Convey your dog’s personality with messages like “Diva”, “Master of Disas-ter”, “Sweetie” or even design your own patch. Several videos are available on YouTube.com demonstrating how to properly measure, fit and use of the harness.

American Brittany Rescue, Inc822 Wild Ginger Road

Sugar Grove, IL 60554

NON-PROFITORG.

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

PERMIT #86DES MOINES, IA

Do you have a helpful health tip to share? Grooming hacks?

Training suggestions? Dietary suggestions?

Send them to: newsletter@AmericanBrittanyRescue.org

Share pictures, experiences, celebrations and insights with us at

newsletter@AmericanBrittanyRescue.org.

ATTENTION - PLAN TO ATTENTD!

2019 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic

February 22, 23 & 24Schaumburg Convention Center,

Schaumburg, Illinois

Whatever your passion—whether it's pheasants or quail, con-servation, bird dogs, shooting, cooking wild game, or passing on our hunting heritage to the next generation, 2019 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic has something for you!

Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic is a trade show that focuses on wildlife conservation, upland game bird hunting (pheasant and quail), dog training, and wildlife habitat management and res-toration. In connection with the trade show, Pheasants Forever will hold seminars on habitat improvement, pheasant hunting, shooting sports, wild game cooking, dog training, conserva-tion and lots more! ABR Volunteers are always on hand with dogs, sharing our mission and showcasing our breed. Visit us at booth 936.

For more information about the event, hotels and local sites, check Pheasants Forever website at www.pheasantsforever.org.