Charley's story
by Bouvier Rescue

On July 26, 2002, shelter liaison Martha Smith discovered a gray, shaggy dog labeled as a Briard mix by shelter personnel. Martha had doubts that he was a Briard and called Bouvier Rescue to come take a look. Shaggy dogs can become a bit generic looking—one breed begins to look like another.

We went to the shelter to see if maybe this fellow was a mislabeled Bouvier. His bio did not tell us much—"Briard-X - 2 year old neutered male, very friendly, found running loose"—but his pleading eyes and happy tail did. He wanted out and away from this place! He sure seemed to be a sweet boy.

As we studied him, we decided that he might have some Bouvier in him with his grayish double coat, beard, and long tail (the type tail we see in undocked members of the breed). He had a bit more leg than the average Bouv, but they do come in a variety of shapes and sizes. We decided that we could probably place him through our program, even though his " Bouvier-ness" might be a little in question. The one thing we knew for sure was that we did not want to leave his fate to chance. He definitely seemed to be a nice guy who needed a friend.

We learned from shelter personnel that he would be available for adoption on Friday, providing he passed his temperament evaluation on Thursday. We were told to call after 3:00 p.m. We asked if he had been scanned for a microchip and were assured that he had, so we put a hold on him for Bouvier Rescue. We left the shelter and got busy making the many phone calls it takes to get ready to take in the next dog—vet appointment, boarding arrangements, plans to get him groomed—and began searching our waiting list for a home that would suit his temperament.

Before we could call on Thursday, we got the happy call that "our boy" had passed his evaluation and was available for adoption. We went to the shelter, paid his fees, and loaded him into the car.

As we drove to his vet appointment to have him thoroughly examined, we settled on the name of Danny. It seemed to suit him. He behaved like a perfect gentleman in the car and the doctor's office—not a peep out of him. He was probably wondering what new adventure he was embarking upon now.

As the vet examined him, it was obvious that "Danny" had been cared for and loved by someone. Apparently they were lost to him now. At least he had us to care for him, place him in a loving home on a contract, and follow his well being for the rest of his life. His exam went well, a heartworm test was administered, shots given, and he was declared healthy and a "nice boy."

As is our policy, we asked that he be microchipped. We told the doctor that the shelter had told us he had been scanned and did not have one, so she inserted the chip and ran the scanner over him to verify that it was working. It was, and so was the one that he already had! We were both shocked! No one had expected this turn of events! The veterinarian was very apologetic and kindly did not charge us for the second chip.

We left the vet's office with Danny in tow and decided to go ahead with step two of the plan, which was to secure him at the boarding kennel that works with us. Again, he put his trust in us and happily trotted off with one of the staff while we explained the situation to the kennel manager.

Upon arriving home, we began to make calls. First, to Martha Smith and then to the Companion Animal Recovery people who could trace his chip, contact his owner, and have them contact us. Martha called back with information that the Dumb Friends League had a notice of a lost dog who matched his description, and the 2-year-old Briard-X named Danny suddenly became a 3-year-old, Old English-X named Charley! We could buy that! We were pretty sure he had to be that dog! We called the kennel and asked them to call him Charley, and sure enough he lit up!

We didn't have to wait long to solve the rest of the puzzle. His owner called almost immediately, confused but thrilled. It seems that Charley had somehow escaped his 6-foot fenced yard the previous Saturday while his owner was gone. No one knows how he got out, because he was with another dog and had never jumped the fence before.

Charley's owner had been diligent about notifying the various shelters in the Denver metro area and had even called the particular shelter where Charley was housed three times that week, but was told each time that he was not there. He was frustrated and angry, to say the least. It is always best to go look for yourself when your pet is lost. Charley had been adopted by him several years ago from the Dumb Friends League. Thankfully, they microchip their adoptees, and thank goodness we do, too! He might have been unnecessarily separated from his owners forever!

It was great to take part in a very happy reunion the following day. Charley began to bark in the back of our car as soon as he heard his owner's voice. He jumped and jumped and kissed his owner as soon as he was released. There was no doubt that Charley was happy to be home!

Only Charley knows how or why he found himself on the streets. He must have had a guardian angel with him. We were just thrilled for a happy ending! The "system" had worked, and we were able to reunite him and his owner. It's rare that we get the chance to put dogs back with their families!

The memory of Charley will stay with us as a constant incentive to continue the work of re-homing as many animals as possible from shelters. Although he wasn't a Bouvier, we are so glad we didn't turn away from those pleading eyes. Charley, his owner, and Bouvier Rescue are very thankful for All Breed Rescue Network and the work they do!

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