Some months ago, Bear was facing death before his life had really started, through no fault of his own. At 2 1/2, the happy, healthy Great Pyrenees dog became a pawn in a domestic dispute, and one of the family members brought him to be “euthanized” to spite another. Fortunately for him, the vet had a better idea and called PyrPaw Rescue, who came and got him into foster care. Bear, who soon had his own blog, went on to enjoy training sessions, fun outings, and the good things of life in his foster home, and just recently moved in with his own forever family.
Founded by longtime lovers of these furry working dogs, the West Coast Great Pyrenees Foundation and PyrPaw Rescue work to find and keep forever homes for Great Pyrenees. “When we looked back at our own experiences, as well as foster families and adopters we’d met, we knew that we needed to do a little bit more to provide support to help keep the dogs in the homes they had and out of the shelter system,” says PyrPaw’s Lisa Brett.
“What if we were able to help build a taller fence, so that a family didn’t feel they had to give up their beloved Pyrenees? What if we had a Pyr Buddy program, so that there was someone you could reach quickly for answers and support?”
In recent weeks, she says, besides getting Bear happily settled, PyrPaw helped a family stay together: “An elderly couple were in tears at the thought of giving up their 2-year-old male Pyrs because they were getting aggressive with one another, and they felt they were just not strong enough to deal with the challenges. But our volunteer trainer (we fondly refer to him as the Pyr Whisperer) gave some quick activities to try with the pups, and some long-term goals also. They are thrilled that it worked, and are so happy that they didn’t have to give anyone up.”
Then there was the pair of wandering Pyrs in the street. PyrPaw’s volunteers picked them up, contacted Animal Control, and hit the social network to find where these dogs belonged. Meanwhile, says Brett, their owner (a farmer in the area) was frantically trying to find them. “You know how this ends,” she says. “They went off into the Central Valley sunset happily ever after.”
If you’d like to learn more about Pyrs, or help these great dogs get and keep happy homes, PyrPaw would love to hear from you: 1.844.9PYRPAW (1. 844.979.7729).
