Bex's Rescue

The Rescue

11 days of May 2006

5th	The Police and the Pound were called to a Town House in Sydney were a dog had been left behind in a very small yard after his owner moved house. The man from the pound had to get into the yard to save the dog. The very large and semi blind dog was guarding his yard from all of these strangers. After some time the dog was cornered and they managed to get a noose on him. The pound man then sat talking with him for around 10 minutes before he was able to pat and handle him. Once the dog arrived at the pound and was placed in a pen no one could get near him to check for a microchip or any thing else that could identify him. He was a very scared dog and would attack anything or anyone that came into his space.

6th	Someone Recognised the dog as being a Leonberger, it didn't take long for some very caring rescue people, such as Glenda Renshaw, the Schnauzer Club of N.S.W and Dawn Lambie. They immediately contacted every Leo owner from Queensland to Victoria, hoping that someone they knew would help this poor Leo. "within hours the word had gone around the world about a young blind Leo that was in the pound" everyone pulled together and worked hard to track down who this dog may be. Kind hearted Leonberger folk all around Australia and even the world, were offering to help in anyway they could. Including sending money for vet bills - to giving him a good home etc.

7th	Megan McDowell, a leonberger owner who also runs dch animal adoptions. Arrived at the pound to check out the Leonberger. Megan was the fist Leo person to get there and this e-mail is her account of what she saw. While Megan was at the pound Lyndsay Edwards of Victoria had a thought that maybe the dog was not a Leo at all, but a Sarplaninac (Sar - pla - nee - natz) so she contacted Alex Grahovac from southernstar in Victoria, who breeds this very rare breed of dog in Australia. Once Alex saw the photo of the dog in the pound, he felt very sick. It looked very much like one of his older females when she was younger. Alex was hoping he was wrong but he had this dreaded feeling that it was a Sarplaninac.

8th	After the work that Megan did winning this dog over on Sunday. The pound staff were finally able to get close to the dog and they were able to check for a Microchip. Well he was not a Leo but in fact turned out to be a 14 month old Sarplaninac, called 'BEX'. During the week no one could get out to see him, which was very hard. but the carers at the pound were wonderful and they all got to know Bex, who by now had won all of their hearts. He still jumped up on the wire when visitors came to the front of his pen. He looked very frightening to anyone who came face to face with him, including the poor man that came to fix the washing machine, which happened to be right in front of Bex's pen! Bex did not like him at all, he was jumping on the gate and making a hell of a racket! The repair man was scared stiff of Bex and soon he just left. The washing machine is still not fixed!.

13th	Beth meets Bex. I arrived about 12:30, As there were no staff around, I went in and sat next to him. My first impression was "My God, how the hell am I going to take this dog home" Within 15 - 20 min. he felt relaxed enough to settle down and with in 1/2 an hour I was patting him through the wire, he was really enjoying the company. I spent over an hour with him before Megan arrived - he barked at Megan but soon remembered her from last week. We soon went into the pen with him and played a game of ball, put him on lead and took him out on the grass for a play. He is a lovely boy and bounces around just like a Leo. He has many other Leo traits. Like drinking with his feet in the bucket!! He does need some training lessons,he doesn't seem to have much at all. Alex gave me some basic commands in his own language, I think it may be a lot easier to teach Bex English than me another language :O) Sorry Alex.

14th	Beth I took some brushes etc and some chicken necks with me today as he didn't seem to like the food the pound was serving. Only to find that he didn't know what a chicken neck was! After a few of them he was really starting to get the idea as to what they were and how to eat them. He polished off a 1kg bag of them and seemed most content ;o)

15th	Beth Bex is going really well also in his training and is a fast learner. His eye sight is not that bad although it makes it hard to read him with the blank look in his eyes. He steps over obstacles without a fuss.I have a feeling he is partly deaf, so teaching him by signals, sit, drop & heal etc. He can tell a visitor from a staff member at a good 60 odd feet. With the extra training he is learning not to "carry on" when he sees people, to leave the ducks lone, although He would love to have a swim in the pond. He is very much a big puppy and loves to play with anything he can get. I took our 5 dogs to meet him and he was great. They are all girls and he wanted nothing more than to play with them. This was only through the fence but it puts my mind a bit more at rest for the day I bring him home. I managed to remove the mat's out of his ears, his neck and body are now groomed, still have the pants and tail to go. He is looking better!

17th	Beth Knots finally removed from his tail and front legs. Given some Chicken Carcass's that kept his interest while I worked on his tail, which stopped him trying to play with the bush all the time. There is only the few knots underneath that the vet will shave out.

18th	Beth He sits when asked now which is good and he is getting better with being handled around the head, He is fine to pat etc. He still is not keen on his eyes been checked. I would say he has had people look at them before or had treatment for them maybe..

20th	Gail came from Qld today to meet Bex for the first time. Gail went up to his pen with out me for the first meeting. So she could see what he was like with strangers.Once I came and introduced them there was no problems at all Bex was a very good boy and showed Gail what a goofy boy he is around friends. She saw him in all of his moods from fast asleep to a silly puppy, big bad guard dog, thief and a clown! Within a few minutes of being around Bex outside,Gail was handling,playing games and taking him for walks etc. Bex was very relaxed around Gail and Gail was very good with him and kept him under control at all times. Gail came down to make sure that he could join her and the family on a 5 acre Qld property with her leonberger Mac and X wolfhound Jessie along with her 2 horse's. "Hasn't he turned out to be a lucky dog"

22nd	BEX is FREE !! Beth collected Bex this morning. He settled in the car just fine. Within two minutes I looked back to check, only to catch him removing the "Leonberger on Board" sign from the window! was that a hint? Bex slept most of the way. He is booked in to be neutered in the morning. We called into the Vets to confirm, and to make sure they understood that Sarplaninac's are also sensitive to anaesthetic and to pass on some more info that Alex had kindly given to us. The Vet was fascinated at what a Sarplaninac looked like, so she came to have a look. Soon all the Vets were out looking at him. Bex was good and just sat and watched. I am hoping that he will be a good boy tomorrow for them. I will stay with Bex until he is under. After we got home, He was re-introduced to the girls again and they had a play. Then he got a well deserved bath and blow dry. He looks and smells so much better and is a lot more happier!!