THE BERNESE BREEDERS ASSOCIATION OF GREAT BRITAIN.

established 1983
 

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More dogs helped by Bernese Welfare .....

◄  Max didn't like being told what to do by his owners - he either ignored them or fought against any kind of hands-on management they attempted.  He knew he was strong and fast and his owners decided they could no longer cope with the dog they described as "our delinquent" and so Max was handed into Bernese Welfare. 

Max certainly was a dog who had become accustomed to doing ONLY what he wanted to do, but firm and consistent training soon paid dividends.  Max had some health issues with his eyes and legs which needed investigation, but once on medication and showing improvement Max was rehomed.

▼  A multi-breed rescue charity contacted Bernese Welfare to ask if we could take two heavily pregnant Bernese bitches that had been relinquished into their care. The kennels didn't have the facilities to cope with an influx of crossbred Bernese puppies due to make their way into the world ANY day so of course we agreed to take the bitches.  Three big, fat, heavy-set puppies, Brook and her two brothers Monty and Mole, made an appearance just 2 days later, born to Ella, the more mature of the pregnant bitches.  The previous owner of the two pregnant Bernese bitches also owned an adult Flatcoat Retriever male who had not been neutered - so ..... was HE the dad?  We can't be sure and will probably never know but it is likely their father was a dog of size and substance.   The mother of the pups proved to have an excellent temperament and enjoyed being a Mum and relished all the attention lavished on her during her maternal role.  Brook and Mole were black and tan with a small patch on their chests, whilst Monty was marked like a purebred Bernese. We felt there would be a good chance of someone wanting to adopt a purebred Bernese being interested in offering a home to one of these large, substantial pups.   All three pups were lavishly reared and carefully socialised and they were all successfully rehomed as was their mother a little later when fully recovered from her pregnancy and maternal commitment.

                ▲  Baby Brook                                  ▲   Brook at 8 months old in reclining mode

                                                ▲   Baby Monty                               ▲   Grown-up Monty with his 'girlfriend'

                                                                                ▲   Baby Mole                  ▲  Bigger baby Mole

▼  The second and much younger (likely under 1 year old) pregnant Bernese bitch, Jane, gave birth a few days later and it was a very different experience - very traumatic for her and everyone involved.  A lengthy and tiring birth took many hours and left the mother confused and upset and very tired.  Eleven tiny, skinny little black and white puppies with Border Collie or Springer Spaniel-type markings arrived and they looked totally different in size and type and stature to the 3 older pups (above) born to the older bitch;  it was obvious this litter didn't have the same father.  Their mother didn't want to nurse the puppies or be with them and it really wasn't her fault, she was no more than a puppy herself.  After much soul-searching and discussion with the vet, the decision was made to euthenise the 8 male puppies and retain the three bitch puppies for the mother to rear.  Collie and spaniel type crossbreeds account for a substantial percentage of dogs housed in  all-breed rescue organisations throughout the UK and so are notoriously difficult to find homes for, but bitches are sometimes easier to place than males and we thought it would have been unkind for the mother to lose all her babies.  A  tough decision but without doubt the correct decision.  Sadly, a couple of days later as the 3 little bitch puppies were just finishing suckling from their Mum under supervision, Jane took exception to one of the puppies simply crawling past her front foot and she snapped at the pup and killed it - and she meant to.   Jane was immediately excused any further contact with the puppies and the two remaining bitch puppies were hand reared with a little help from a spayed-but-willing foster-Mum who couldn't feed the pups but was delighted to adopt the puppies and help with cleaning and cuddling them.    Jane was rehomed when given a clean bill of health, and was much happier and at ease being allowed to grow up as an only-dog with no responsibilities.    The two bitch puppies soon showed very different temperaments and activity levels to the older litter of 3 pups - Maddie and Su were highly active, super-intelligent and lived for two things - eating and chewing!  They chewed EVERYTHING they had access to into shreds without discrimination - if  moved or not they would gnaw it and were thereafter referred to as The Termites!

▲ Maddie and Su - the Terrible Termite Two!