Whiskers & Tales: Sophie

My previous post featured Sophie, a Jack Russell Mix, and today she's the subject of a Whiskers & Tales post! Sophie was a rescue by her mom, Sarah, who is the Vice President of Big Dog Rescue Texas, an awesome non-profit organization founded in 2008. BDR is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming unwanted dogs of all sizes that have been abandoned and neglected. But they don't just rescue BIG dogs. There are so many dogs in need out there that they expanded to all dog sizes and breeds. I'm thankful for that because I found my Rosie, a chihuahua/Jack Russell mix, through BDR! I'll share Rosie's photos in another post :)

Big Dog Rescue aims to provide a loving foster home, quality food, medical attention, and behavioral training for each dog in our care. Best of all, they promote the spaying and neutering of animals, advocate
for the animals in need, and are against killing healthy, adoptable animals.

I asked Sarah to write about her little Sophie as well as about Big Dog Rescue because I want more people to know about BDR and other rescues that are out there, sometimes behind the scenes, providing unconditional love to so many neglected animals that suffer the inhumanity humanity often displays toward animals. Here's what Sarah has to say:

Just a wee little pup

I found out about Sophie through another rescue.  Sophie along with her 5 other littermates were dumped in the overnight box at the old Town Lake Animal Center when they were 4 weeks old.  When the staff discovered them the next morning the box was filled with blood and Sophie was the only one moving.  They were a litter of parvo puppies and she was the only survivor to last in that dreaded box all night long.  A rescue was contacted immediately and they worked on her like crazy.  At one point she stopped breathing for 10 seconds and they thought they had lost her.  The little fighter that she is pulled through and kicked the nasty parvo virus.  When the rescue put a plea out that they needed a foster for this little girl, I just knew I needed to foster her.  After one night with her I called them up the next day and said I wanted to adopt her.

For her first year she had quite a few medical problems from having a low immune system but it has now almost been three years and she is as healthy as any dog out there.  She is feisty, playful and loves to terrorize my cats.  Everyone that meets her thinks she is just filled with a bundle of personality.  She also has her favorite blue ball that goes everywhere with her:)  I have always had male dogs and Sophie is my first female dog and she has definitely earned the position of the princess of the household:)

Smiling :)

Sophie and her blue ball!

Sophie's custom portrait

In regards to Big Dog Rescue we are growing every day but we still have the feeling of a small family.  In 2008 Big Dog Rescue was incorporated a a 501c3 rescue.  Julie Johnson, the president, primarily saved giants, with English Mastiffs being her favorite breed.  In 2010 I met Julie while I was trying to trap an English Mastiff that had been roaming loose in my small town.  After spending a month together almost every night, leaving food out and resetting the trap, we grew to become friends.  We both also realized that we had the same mission in regards to saving animals.  As of April 2011, I joined Big Dog Rescue as the Vice President on the board.  Since then we went from a Big Dog Rescue to an All Non-Bully Breed Rescue.  We pull dogs that range from 2 pounds to 250 pounds.  Basically our motto is that all dogs that have big hearts deserve saving.

We are a small rescue and every one of our dogs is fostered in a home environment.  We feel that it gives the dogs a more personal touch living with a family versus being in a shelter type environment.  It gives us more time to train each individual dog along with housebreaking a dog. 

Since going to all breed rescue last April, we have officially placed 238 dogs in their forever homes. 

Our biggest struggle is finding great fosters that want to take a dog into their home, show them love and help find homes for them.  We don't receive any funds from the city or have any grants so our rescue is soley based off of adoptions and donations.  All dogs that are pulled into Big Dog Rescue have all of their medical care paid for when taken to an approved vet. 

Our website is www.bigdogrescuetexas.org which will show all adoptable dogs along with happy tails and links to our wish list, along with foster and adoption applicatons.  We can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BigDogRescueTexas.

We have a great group of fosters and we try to keep it a fun group.  We hope to expand to help more animals in the very near future.

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Thank you SO MUCH, Sarah, for sharing your story and for all you do with Big Dog Rescue! I know there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who would say THANK YOU as well- not just to you but to all the fosters and adopters who have passed through and continue to help BDR.

Please consider visiting their website and donating, whether it's money or pet supplies. And find them on Facebook, give BDR a "Like" and help to "share" stories of pets who need forever homes.