Other News & Updates

Meet Benny, a sweet senior guy who believed to be between 12-14 years old.
Benny has been in the care of an awesome NBRAN Special Needs Foster Family since May 2016 due to his ongoing medical issues. When Benny first came to NBRAN he was severely Lyme positive, which he was treated with high dose doxycycline and seem to improve greatly.
However after a few short months, Benny began to have issues with his hips, making it difficult for Benny to get up and down. At first it was thought to be a result of the Lyme's, however tests and x-rays showed severe arthritis in both hips and parts of his lower spine, requiring medication to help keep him comfortable.  It was also thought that he may possible have a slight hear murmur, but the veterinarian did not see cause for concern at the time.
As time went on and symptoms continued, Benny was reassessed for his heart murmur and it has been revealed that he does have increased enlargement of his heart, and again, this too required additional medication. Benny continues to show his never ending Brittany Spirit despite his aches and pains as he enjoys going on walks with his Foster Mom, June, who has just recently registered him as a service companion so she can take him shopping, swimming at the local senior complex or just out to lunch with the girls.
Originally found as a stray near Venango, Pennsylvania, Benny was rescued from a shelter by a kind hearted volunteer who took him home nightly to easy his nervousness caused by the shelter environment. The shelter worked tireless to try and locate his owners, only to find that his owner had passed away months before and family members simply did not want him.
Because of NBRAN, Benny is forever loved and safe in a long term Foster Home where he will be well cared for, for the rest of his days!
You can support Benny through our Nom Nom Popcorn fundraiser.

We adopted Louie, formerly Tank, in April 2013. My husband and I were so excited to add a dog to our house, but we forgot to ask our cat, Otto, his opinion. Luckily, he has always been good with dogs and Otto and Louie have been buddies since the beginning. Louie was a very energetic pup, and that made him an excellent partner to take on runs and walks! 
Now a five-year-old, Louie knows the routine and is excited to go to the park and play frisbee, but he also enjoys snuggling next to us on the couch. He is part of our family, and we are so thankful to the volunteers and fosters who cared for him and his siblings and brought him up from Arkansas so that he could live with us in Columbus, Ohio. 
Thank you, thank you!
Karey, Ian, Louie, and Otto

Where Are They Now - Blossom 
Meet Blossom.  On July 4, 2016, while everyone was BBQ-ing and preparing for evening festivities, Springer Spaniel Rescue, Inc. (SRRI) was contacted by the Animal Foundation/Lied Animal Shelter (Las Vegas) about a critically injured one-year old female Brittany (mixed with golden retriever or lab). A Good Samaritan brought this poor baby to the shelter after seeing her struck by a hit & run driver! SSRI immediately contacted National Brittany Rescue & Adoption Network (NBRAN) about this severely injured female. NBRAN immediately committed to the pup's medical needs and offered to take the pup into rescue. SSRI offered monetary and volunteer assistance as well.
   Two SSRI volunteers sprang into action and travelled to the shelter to pick this young pup up and take her to a local rescue-friendly vet. Unfortunately, their first stop was not to be their last, as the poor girl's fractured pelvis was too complicated for this vet to handle. These seasoned volunteers immediately transported the pup, now known as Blossom, to the only 24/7 surgery facility in Las Vegas, where she was evaluated, stabilized with pain medications, and put under round-the clock care while waiting for the orthopedic surgeon to arrive the next morning. The SSRI volunteers stayed as long as they could with Blossom, but finally had to leave for the evening.
   Once Blossom's orthopedic surgeon examined her, he found her fractures were worse than initially thought - she had fractures on both sides of her pelvis. Fortunately, the surgeon felt the fractures were both totally repairable. Blossom's devastating injuries dictated that she undergo surgery as quickly as possible, which left no time to fund-raise prior to critical surgery.
   Blossom's emergency surgery was a huge success! The surgeon had to implant a plate on one hip and screws in the other hip. Blossom now has enough metal to set off the security alarms at the airport!
   Long time NBRAN Volunteers, The Everson Family, stepped up and Fostered Blossom through her healing. Blossom’s back right foot, that had gotten run over by the car and was knuckled under for a long time. It was brought up that they may need to amputate it at one point. Her foster mom and sister worked really hard with her. And at every doctor’s appointment they were impressed with how well she was healing. And eventually she started using that back foot more and more. At the end of the two months she was allowed to start walking on her own. We “walked” on a leash for the next month and slowly started giving her more and more freedom to act like the puppy she was. Now she runs like the wind! You would never know she was hit by a car or has metal rods in her legs. She is such a trooper and truly amazing!
   In addition to her Foster Humans, Blossom lives with Bronco and Bear. Bear lived through Blossom and her presence has given her humans a lot of comfort since Bear went to the Rainbow Bridge.
   With that – we are happy to announce that Blossom was officially adopted by the Everson’s on February 10, 2018!   Welcome to the best FOREVER, sweet girl. 

Where Are They Now - LILY
In March 2016 I was asked by the Northwestern Regional Director for NBRAN if my husband and I would be interested in Fostering a six-year-old female Brittany, Lily.
   On the coattails of a Foster during the month of January, a nine-month-old Brittany puppy (think – walking two strong Britts in the snow at the same time!), I was reluctant.
   Numerous telephone calls later, the short version of the long story is that Lily came to NBRAN as an owner surrender, covered in fleas, and likely had multiple litters of puppies. Lily spent some time as a Foster and was adopted. A month later, Lily became riddled with anxiety and acted out when left alone during the day. She ate trim, door knobs, and routinely escaped from metal crates.
   When her Forever Home decided they could not adequately care for Lily, she moved in with a behaviorist that often assists NBRAN at her kennel. Lily spent a few weeks with a fabulous lady by the name of Lynda Martin, who identified that Lily would do well paired with a submissive male companion. Enter my family.It was thought Lily would thrive in the company of Utley (our three-year-old male Brittany), and that she did.
   Almost two years later (March 2018), the Foster Dog that I didn’t think I wanted to Foster for the short turn, turned into the most perfect addition to our family. On the day Lily arrived, Utley helped her unpack her toy bag. From that moment onward, she has been the best little dog, not causing a shred of destruction to our home; still routinely escaping from crates and slipping out of harnesses. She is a wonderful companion and we all love her to pieces.
   My husband and I recently relocated from Pittsburgh to the Detroit Metro area. The move didn’t bother Lily in the slightest and she remained a consistent source of support for all of us, including Utley! Lily has gone camping, fishing, and hunting with us. She has joined Utley with training sessions and LOVES to find birds. She refuses to get off the bed at night once she’s settled in; loves to sleep on down blankets; and prefers her meals topped with a little sprinkle of egg, cheese, or applesauce.
   Fostering and Adopting from NBRAN is a truly rewarding experience and each journey ends differently from dog to dog and person to person. 
To submit your own story, email marketing [at] nbran.orgdata-mce-href="mailto:marketing [at] nbran.org" target="_blank".

We are always looking for ways to keep our Britts safe. We also know that these creatures are smart, and often times, one step ahead of us.

Microchipping is important, but so is the information on their collar. Here is a good reminder from the folks at Gun Dog Supply.

For Fosters and our own Brittanys, we highly recommend the 3/4 in. Day Glow Center Ring collar from Gun Dog Supply. It holds up under the toughest Brittany Testing Conditions and starts at only $4.99.

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I am always amazed at what some folks want on their dog's ID tags. We get some really interesting ones with information that really has no place on a dog tag. We will put anything you want on your ID plates, but keep in mind that the main purpose of an ID plate is to get your dog home safely if he gets lost. In our opinion, anything else has no place on a tag.

Most folks that find your dog are going to want to call you. This means that including phone numbers is the most important thing you can do. I list every possible number that I have so that they will have multiple numbers to call in case I am not at my home phone.

On my dog tags, I have my cell phone number, my house phone number, and multiple office numbers. That way no matter where I am or when my dog is found, there will be someone there to answer the call. Cell phone numbers are the best. After that, put your home, work, and any additional numbers that might help. Some examples would be your family, close friends, or hunting partners (anyone that might be around if your dog gets lost when you are not available).

The next most important information would be YOUR name, not your dog's. Having your name on the tag will make it easier for the person calling to get the right person on the phone, especially if you list a work number. Having your dog's name on the tag does more harm than good. Many folks are not really aware of the number of dogs that get stolen every year. It's pretty high. Having your dog's name on the tag makes stealing your dog that much easier. It really doesn't do the dog any good, nor does it help anyone that finds your lost dog. If they get close enough to read the tag, then they can call the number on it. At that point you can tell them the dog's name if needed.

For folks like me that travel, I also want the City and State listed. This way if I lose a dog in North Dakota and my tags say "Starkville, MS," the person that finds my dog knows that this dog is lost and a long way from home.

After that, you can list your street address, but it is the least important line. Most folks are going to call. They may not have an easy way to get the dog back to you, and even if they do, they'll need to make sure you are home before they come over.

We also use a few other things on our tags to help get our dogs back. "Needs Daily Meds" is one of my favorites. It adds a certain amount of urgency to getting the dog back home. If folks know that your dog needs medicine and that it's daily, they will be in more of a rush to locate you. "Reward if Found" is another good one. Just keep in mind if you put it on there, be ready to pay up when someone locates your dog. We have done this for years and the few times I have lost a dog, I could never get the person to take the reward. I did buy dinner one night for a couple of hunters that found my lost brittany named Maggie.

Now you may be asking, "How do I get all this information on a 4 line tag?" Well, I can't, so I double tag my collars.

My first tag includes:
NEEDS DAILY MEDS
STEVE SNELL
1-662-324-2410
1-800-624-6378

and the second tag reads:
REWARD IF FOUND
STARKVILLE, MS
1-662-615-5520
1-662-324-6050 
 

-Steve Snell, Gun Dog Supply

On June 17, 2017 approximately 30 Brittanys (and their humans) met up at Greenway Off Leash Dog park in London, Ontario, Canada for the 3^rd Annual Brittany Brigade in the Park. 

The event had a rocky start with a severe thunderstorm right at the 2 pm start time, followed by tornado warnings (with sirens!) but for those of us who were already there, we were able to safely ride out the storm in our cars. 

By 2:20 pm the skies miraculously cleared and more and more cars started to arrive with their eager Brittanys inside….anxious to get out and run in the mud!  By 3 pm there were almost 30 wiggly Brittany bottoms running around the 3 acre fenced in park enjoying the sunshine, the mud, some excellent bushes for flushing out birds and a temporary pond that Mother Nature created that day for them to cool off (and boy…was it HOT!) 

Brittany owners from Ontario and Michigan were in attendance and everyone enjoyed meeting fellow Brittany lovers and their dogs.  At 3:30 pm (and for a very brief time) the Brittanys stood still long enough for a group photo (miracles do happen!). We are looking forward to the 2018 and the 4^th Annual Brittany Brigade!  Hope to see you there.

View more photos at our online gallery.

Do you have a Brittany event or fundraiser coming up?  cass.mcclintock [at] gmail.com (Contact us)target="_blank" and we can post it on our Events page.