Tess
My little wonder dog, Miss Tess, passed away at 5:00 a.m. this morning. She went very peacefully, with pats and love to take with her. I am not sure what happened. It was certainly a very quick event - she cried out last evening, was unable to really move but while I was trying to figure out what to do, she became more peaceful and was just resting. My brother, who was wonderful, came over and we watched over her during the evening. I finally went to bed and got the other dogs out of the room with me. She slept peacefully until about 4:45 and then started to get a little restless, and breathing became a bit more labored but not greatly difficult. Steve got down and was patting her at that point and she just took one little breath and passed away. She was a joy to have and was certainly active right up until yesterday, she never missed a meal and she was the alpha bitch in our house and never let anyone forget it. Thank you Carol for letting me have her as part of our family.
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Tess has found a forever home
Tess is one of the remaining FL 14 who are available for adoption. I will be traveling to FL in the near future and will be able to bring them back with me to meet their new homes on my way North from FL .
I have done my best to explain their personalities and needs (scroll down for specifics), and trust me they do have needs, but these dogs will make the adjustment to new homes, It will, however take love, time and patience on the new home's part. These Borzoi will likely never be "normal". In their previous life, they learned not to trust and to fear human touch. They didn't even know how to want to be loved. They only knew fear of everything and everyone.
To be quite honest, we have never before encountered the level of fear these dogs present and it has been a difficult and long road to bring them around to where they are today. Thank you Sharon & Jim Anthony foster parents extraordinaire We expect they will step back considerably in their new homes. They will be fearful of everything and everyone. Their new homes will have to work to gain their trust. One very odd thing about these Borzoi is that they seem to forget from one day to the next who they trust and if someone in the home is gone for say a weekend, they will not necessarily remember them. That person will have to start over but, each time gets easier and they remember quicker. If a stranger comes into the home they will flee from the room. These Borzoi are not by any means dumb or unintelligent. They are very smart and learn other things quickly but their fear is so strong it overcomes them. Structure and consistency as well as love and patience will be key to success with all of these Borzoi.
It is likely these dogs will never be comfortable or happy outside their homes. Strangers coming into their homes will probably always strike fear into their hearts but that is OK. They will just go into another room until the stranger leaves. If someone visits regularly, they will probably, in time, get used to them and hopefully make friends but this will take lots of time.
I personally have lived with a Borzoi who displayed some of their fear related issues. She had other issues as well to overcome . Abuse being one of them. It took us a long time to gain her complete trust but we did and I can honestly say, we were never sorry for one minute we did. Each step forward brought smiles and joy to us.
Sometimes there were two steps forward and one backwards but, Willie never stopped trying. We loved her all the more for her courage. She never did get over her fear of strangers and would just retreat to her room ( my office) when company came. So be it. Not the end of the world. No we didn't take her places, she was quite happy to be left home. I expect that will likely be the case for these Borzoi but we also know they have learned to want love and they now are trying to trust.
Believe me when I say, the love of a Borzoi this needy is different because you really have to work for it. It is earned, not given freely as from a normal Borzoi or even a normal rescue. As they take steps forward you will take pride in their courage and accomplishments. When they finally make that big break through, you will want to jump for joy. We all appreciate more what we have to work for than what is given. If you are considering adopting one of our FL 14, know you are in for a ride. You will have to pour your heart and soul into the dog. Please be honest with yourself. Do you really have the time, love and patience to put into a Borzoi who will at first run from you? If not, that is OK, trust me! But if you really do, than what I can say is you will be greatly rewarded.
Today, one of the WVA Rescues was sent to the bridge. Triss was with me for 8 weeks before I let her go to her new home. Triss was the worst off of the WVA rescues mentally. Her home, Sally and Pat Hennessey had their hands full and it took them a LONG time to make progress but what she wrote me today brought tears to my eyes. She said " I have never loved any dog as deeply as I loved Triss" and she thanked me for trusting her with Triss. This will be the reward of adopting one of our FL 14.
If you believe you are up for a ride and the rewards at the end of that ride, please fill out our adoption application and email it to me. or contact me at cbackers.nbrf@gmail.com
Thank you,
Carol Backers
Tess
Tess is a nine year old very small Borzoi Girl. We are not kidding when we say small. At 30 pounds, she can walk under some of the other Borzoi. She could gain a few more pounds but, she is not going to grow. She is house/crate trained, rides well in a car and is good with other dogs and cats. Tess has made it very clear she much prefers women to men so a single female or all female home would be perfect for her. She is just as cute as can be and loves her "Princess chair" or the bed. Tess could be either an only dog or could also go with other dogs. Tess is not a dog for a first time Borzoi owner and is frightened of strangers. She does pretty well on lead but is still frightened and may try to get away if scared or confronted by strangers. A firm grip on her lead at all times is required as if she got away, she would not be caught. Her new home will need to walk her on lead in the yard until Tess is comfortable in her new surroundings. Shipping is not possible for Tess.
Tess has trust issues but we believe in the right home may warm up sooner than the others. At least that is our hope. She is not as dependent on the other dogs as most of the FL 14. Tess can not be bounced so please consider carefully and realize she will take patience, love and time to adjust. As with the others we expect a two month time frame before you will see the dog under the fear. Patience and love are the keys to their hearts. Tess wants very much to be loved, to not live in fear and would love to trust. She is trying hard and has made a lot of progress in her foster home but as with all the FL 14, their new home will have to work to gain her trust. If you have room in your home and heart for an Older Lady Borzoi, please consider Tess. She surly will not take up much room and we sincerely believe once you gain her trust, she will be worth every effort put forth.
