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The story of my rescue of Bart the WONDERFUL Beauceron
Sorry this is so long, but the story of rescuing Bart was one of the most heart-wrenching things I've done as an adult, other than adopting our human girls! There IS a happy ending, so don't fret while you're reading this!!
Last summer, a friend of a friend decided to get a Beaceron. She had never had a dog in her life. If you research Beaucerons online, one of the first things you'll read is that a Beaceron is NOT for a first time owner. They require training and discipline and an owner who is not timid. I have never met this friend of a friend, but the first word our mutual friend used to describe her was 'timid.'
So she convinces a breeder in MN that she is totally ready for this 11 month old puppy and the puppy is shipped to her. He is large, active and has a seriously scary bark. The woman freaks out because the dog is so strong and so playful, but she mistakes his playfulness for agressiveness and thinks he wants to bite her and her even more timid 14 year old daughter. I tell our mutual friend that my husband and I will come out the next day and take this dog to try to find a new owner. In the meantime, I figure out who the breeder is and call her. She is horrified that the woman she sold this puppy to is thinking the dog is being mean and wants him back.
The day we're supposed to go pick up the dog, we were just waiting for the woman to call so we can go pick him up. She never calls. The next day, I beg our mutual friend to find out what has happened. She calls me that evening and says she has bad news. I nearly fainted when she tells me that the woman was driving with her daughter and the dog (not in a crate) in the car and the dog lunges at the window to bark at a dog being walked by somebody on the side of the road. The woman freaks out, stops her car in traffic, turns the car off and gets her and her daughter out. It is 99 degrees that day. She calls 911 who send out animal control. It takes animal control a while to get there. By the time they do, the dog is lethargic. The woman says the dog is vicious and she wants him euthanized. That's the story the woman told my friend. I cried when I heard this. We were practically ON OUR WAY to pick up the dog when she did this. I was so angry, I can't even describe my anger at this woman.
I barely slept all night long, I was so upset, but in the morning, suddenly I think "What if animal control didn't put him to sleep?" So as soon as I could, I called where I think Bart would have been taken. When I called, they cagily asked, "Who are you?" I have no relation to this dog at all; I'm just somebody who was trying to save this dog from a stupid stupid woman who didn't research the breed and had no clue what owning a dog was like. They tell me, "Bart is just fine. He is a sweetheart." Again, I start to cry. I ask if I can come pick him up and arrange for him to be shipped back to MN. They talk to the breeder who allows me to pick him up. They told me when I got there to pick him up that THEY suggested to the wretched woman who left him in the car that he should be euthanized. They, however, NEVER had any intention of doing that, unless THEY discovered he was vicious. They just wanted her to believe that he was no longer alive so she couldn't try to come back and get him. They considered bringing charges against her for animal abuse due to leaving him in the hot car for so long, but they decided just to rid themselves of her and get the dog cooled down and safe.
Bart was the sweetest dog ever. OMG we LOVED that dog, but we already have 2 dogs, 2 kids and a cat. We just couldn't keep another dog, though we wanted to badly. I did not want to see him shipped back to the breeder only to be sold and shipped somewhere else. He had been through a lot (and we didn't know yet whether his time in the way too hot car had affected him negatively.) The breeder wanted me to ship him back the next morning, but the temperatures were expected to be in the 90s or 100s for at least 4-5 days. For that I'm really thankful now.
My problem after I brought Bart home to our house on a Friday was that we were supposed to leave for vacation on Sunday. That evening, with Bart sitting by my side on the sofa, his head on my shoulder, I sent out a plea for help from all the Beaceron breeders in the country that I could find online. I asked for help with Bart because I did NOT want to put him in a kennel during the time we were away. He had already been shuffled around too much. On Saturday night, a woman who took in rescues to her farm in rural Virginia agreed to take him, but she was expected in church that Sunday morning. The whole Beauceron community worked together to find somebody else to pick up Bart and take him temporarily until the woman from the farm could come pick him up. This intermediary couldn't take him to her home because her Beauceron was in heat. As it turned out, Bart went to the farm later that day and his health DID go downhill. He had had a horrible and tumultuous previous 2 weeks and he suffered because of it. His liver enzymes were out of whack, but he did recover. As far as I know (I last had communication with the Beauceron people in late fall,) he is still on the rescue farm with some miniature ponies, a rescued jack russell terrier and several other assorted animals. I went on our vacation knowing that Bart was in good hands.
Bart did definitely need some training, but he was eager, so willing to please and just a delightful dog. Our corgi hated him because the corgi had never seen me be so attentive to any other dog. Bart basically stayed on my lap (all 100 pounds of him!) or right by my side during those 3 days he was with us. My daughters LOVED him. I had no fears having Bart near them (I did check out his demeanor prior to letting him in the same room with the girls.) They still talk about Bart and how much they loved him. They were angry with my husband and me for not letting us keep him . Here's a photo I took of Bart on the second day he was with us. Obviously, he fit right in .
One more note: my friend who knew this horrible woman would not let me know this woman's name nor her address nor her email address. I am normally a very calm person, but this woman really made me angry. My friend also decided that the woman did not deserve to know that Bart was not killed. She felt the woman should live with the fact that she had caused a dog to be put to sleep. I do not believe they are friends anymore (my friend moved out of town after this happened.)
So, to make a very long story short, Beacerons can be wonderful, but you do need to be aware that they are smart, powerful dogs who will need a deliberate and strong owner who is willing to spend the time to train them. They apparently are extremely faithful dogs. Bart attached to me within 24 hours and I so wish we had been able to keep him.
Bart does look right at home with your daughter. It must be hard for a breeder to get a sense of a person without meeting them in person, it's hard to imagine shipping a pup off to such an unknown fate. I'd want to keep them all, or at the very least meet the people on their own turf!
I bought a blue heeler whose breeder did just that - I had to really convince the guy that his pup was going to the right home, and he did visit mine.
Sounds like this lady traumatized her daughter as well as Bart, why on earth would she have wanted a Beauceron in the first place? I've read that they are to be handled "with a velvet glove on an iron fist."
Thank you for sharing this story.
Last edited by norcalmom101; 07-01-2008 at 11:06 PM..
Reason: typo
Wow, what a story. Good job, cmac!
I think it *is* sometimes hard for breeders to "read" potential/prospective owners, plus a lot of times, I think people simply lie or carefully omit the truth.
And yes, why on earth did that lady want a Beauceron in the first place?
Maybe she was attracted to the elegant name, and clueless about the breed.
Looks like a really wonderful dog, but not for just anybody, that's for sure.
Wow, what a story. Good job, cmac!
I think it *is* sometimes hard for breeders to "read" potential/prospective owners, plus a lot of times, I think people simply lie or carefully omit the truth.
And yes, why on earth did that lady want a Beauceron in the first place?
Maybe she was attracted to the elegant name, and clueless about the breed.
Looks like a really wonderful dog, but not for just anybody, that's for sure.
From what I could ascertain, the woman wanted a Beauceron because she was a French teacher and wanted a French breed. I think a French poodle would have been better for her. I also felt bad for her daughter who have emotional issues and she was extremely small for her age. While Bart was totally friendly, to her he must have seem huge and very frightening.
Our corgi breeder never ships dogs anyplace and only will sell a dog to somebody who lives close enough for her to interview in person. We went to her house FOUR times and spent probably 8 hours talking to her. We got to meet our corgi when he was only 2 weeks old :-). Our Malinois came to us from Florida and that breeder did next to no talking to us about our intentions for the dog or what our house is like. I could NEVER do that. I could also never breed dogs because I would have to keep them all, too!
Do a disproportionate number of Beauceron end up in rescue due to their disposition? Do you have any info on Beauceron rescue groups?
When I originally started looking for one a couple of years ago they were not easy to find, and the only ones in my area I could find were about 3,000. That is how I ended up looking farther afield, and discovered they are easier to obtain in France.
I don't know if I would be able to care for one anytime soon, I have a dalmation mix who is jealous of my own children, although she loves them, and won't even let a man sit next to me.
The combination of her with a Beauceron might be a little too spirited, on the other hand she has so much more energy than any of us it could work out great for her. We will have a huge house, and lot, so that is not an issue, I just think my pup wouldn't be able to handle not being the dominant dog. We did do some dog-sitting recently, and she seemed fine with a low key male.
I think my situation with Bart was an unusual one. With all the people I spoke with, they had not heard to this kind of situation before (and there was nothing 'wrong' with Bart other than an owner who did not do enough research on a Beauceron's size and disposition.) I think that their expense makes the people who think they would like one do a whole lot of research ahead of time, so they know what to expect. Bart, I believe, cost $1600 (none of which that woman got back, of course.) I know there is a breeder somewhere in California, but I'm not sure where. In my night of desperately seeking shelter for Bart, I remember seeing the name of a breeder there.
Another smart smart dog that has not been overbred and is smaller than a Beauceron is a Malinois. They are used in Europe for police work quite a bit. Our Malinois is very active and OH so sweet. She is a real people pleaser and she just wants to be with me or any other member of our family. And she looks a little intimidating, so when hubby goes out of town, I feel safer. If hubby had more time, he would have done shutzhund or obedience of some sort with her. She is really smart. Our corgi is smart too, but he really has a mind of his own and has a stubborn streak a mile long.
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The story of my rescue of Bart the WONDERFUL Beauceron
. Here's a photo I took of Bart on the second day he was with us. Obviously, he fit right in 
.
