Welcome to the Club’s Rescue and Rehoming page where we give some information about the club’s Rescue activities to help Bernese in need of new homes.
Parade of Rescued dogs with their new owners at the Spring Garden Party in 2023 (Fiona Hallam on the right)
The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Great Britain’s Rescue and Rehoming service is primarily in existence to help any Bernese Mountains Dog in the UK who is in need of a new home. We will take in Bernese of any age and we try to get a full picture of the temperament and needs of the dogs who come into our care. Reputable breeders should be willing to help with any Bernese of their breeding who is in need of rehoming and sometimes a phone call to the breeder is all that is needed to put this in place. When this cannot be then Rescue can step in.
If you are thinking of taking for a Rescue dog or feeling you might need to give up your own Bernese, and there are many very valid reasons for having to do so, people’s health and circumstances can change through absolutely no fault of their own, then please read the information on this page and then use the contact details below to get in touch.
For us the overriding, dominating and only important factor is the dog’s health and welfare needs and the reasons for these needs are of little consequence but, as they might affect the dog’s reactions in a new home, we ask people to be honest with us about the dog, and the situation he or she is coming from, in order to best assess its future needs.
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Contact Details
As you may be visiting this page to initiate a response to an urgent need we start with our contact details.
The BMDC of GB RESCUE & REHOMING is open for contact 365 days of the year and we are always willing to talk through any problems and to be asked to help with a dog at any time of day. Ideally some notice is preferable for dogs to be evaluated and matched up to a home to reduce disruption but sometimes dogs have to be taken with virtually no notice.
IF YOU ARE IN URGENT NEED OF REHOMING YOUR BERNESE, IN THE FIRST INSTANCE PLEASE CALL
Rescue CoOrdinator
Fiona Hallam 07916 306156
or email
rescue@bernese.co.uk
If the phone is not answered directly you should not have to wait too long for a reply but feel free to retry and email will normally be checked several times a day but to help any urgent message stand out please use “URGENT” at the start of the title if appropriate.
You may be contacted back by Fiona herself or Assistant Rescue Co-Ordinator Jeanette Green
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Services
Often circumstances dictate that rehoming is the only solution but Rescue can also help with advice and behaviour/training suggestions to perhaps address problems and remove the need to rehome or give lifestyle advice to help you with your dog but the priority always has to be the dogs in need of rehoming. For some people talking through the issues they are having can help to resolve them and the resources of the whole club membership can be utilised to help. Sometimes putting people in touch with an experienced person to talk to, local to them, can help to resolve their problems with their Bernese. Whatever the problem you and your dog are having it will not, well 99.999% not, be a new problem and someone will have dealt with it before and someone will be able to offer help.
Just to clear up a regular misunderstanding Fiona and Jeanette are not full time volunteers, although it seems that way at times, they undertake Rescue from home and have normal lives to live with their own dogs and Fiona has a full time job as well. We do not have an office or Rescue kennels and do not have a permanent stock of dogs in need of homes that people can visit. Some rehomed dogs go to temporary foster homes for a short period of time, a few go straight from old home to new depending on their assessments. Some people putting dogs into Rescue for rehoming give several months notice others make first contact with a ‘get this dog out of here today’ message. Every case is different and what is best for the short and long term welfare of the dog is the action taken.
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Funding
Even with all the volunteer help, sometimes money can help with travel expenses, trainer fees, vet fees both immediate and sometimes long term treatment has to be accepted. Thanks to enthusiastic fund raising and generous donations over many years the Rescue fund is very healthy but could rapidly drop in the event of some serious costs, for example in the modern world one dog could easily run up tens of thousands of pounds in veterinary costs. Sometimes older dogs may come with long term veterinary issues with ongoing expenses the club will help to cover. This is why donations are always welcome and fund raising is held at our events, many people make small or large donations with their annual membership renewal and all sums are gratefully received. Some people have made donations from their estates by including a Rescue donation in their wills.
All manner of sources of income are at play and all are very welcome as they mean we can make long term decisions and short term arrangements based entirely on the best thing for the dog and not have to compromise due to funding considerations.
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Volunteers
Rescue is extremely busy at times and Fiona and Jeanette, who are volunteers themselves remember, cannot be everywhere, all the time, so have to rely heavily on help from volunteers within our club. This is not just the obvious providing of a new home for a Rescued dog but volunteers are needed in all areas of the country to help with other things such as ….
- assessing of dogs prior to the rehoming,
- assessing of homes prior to them being considered as a suitable home,
- assist with collecting dogs, sometimes at short notice,
- help with transporting dogs, for example occasionally a dog has been moved across country in a relay operation,
- fostering dogs for a short period whilst arrangements are completed and a new home identified and checked out if necessary,
- an experienced person can just help and advise a new Bernese owner who may need reassurance with a Rescue dog they have taken on.
So, you might not be able to take on a Bernese Rescue dog yourself but you could still perhaps occasionally give some important help with Bernese Rescue. Depending on your exact role you may be asked to complete a simple form and sign a confidentiality statement and if you are interested in finding out more about how you might be able to help, please get in touch with Fiona or Jeanette for a chat. You will not be asked to do anything you are not comfortable with and volunteers are given guidance and support, where needed, and most people find this a fulfilling activity to help with, expenses can be paid as we know not everyone is able to fund their own costs but are still able to give really useful help if their expenses can be met.
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Rescue and Rehoming is a vital part of the club and over the last few years has rehomed an average of around 30 dogs per year. Whether volunteering to help or in need of help to rehome a Bernese, the process starts with your first contact by phone or email.