Toffee the Bernese Collie Puppy~Adopted

Toffee is one of a litter of seven puppies rescued toward the end of July; Taffy, Toffee, TicTac, Twinkie, Twister, Tootsie Pop and Turtle. Born in mid-April, they are a great mix of breeds: Border Collie, Australian Shepherd and Bernese Mountain Dog.

These angels started their rescue journey at the public shelter in Mobile, Alabama.  Melissa rescued them (she only pulls dogs that are about to be euthanized), but before she did, she asked for assurance that they had no health issues.  The shelter vet assured her that they only had ear infections.  Imagine her shock when they arrived with sores and bare spots, obviously suffering from mange!  A very experienced rescuer, she knew exactly how to treat them and had them restored to health in just a couple of weeks.  But then, just when they were about ready to be adopted, Melissa found out her grandmother was dying and had to fly to Montana.  What to do with the seven puppies?

Fortunately, our wonderful Amy found out about them.  Within a matter of hours, Amy picked up the puppies, then Sarah got them from her and drove them to Val-U-Vet of Deltona.  There we confirmed that they were cleared of mange, and completed their vet needs: spay/neuter, shots and exam.  The next day, I got them!  And what a joy they are!

Toffee is the largest of the girls, 15 pounds at 14 weeks.  When you hold her and put her paws on each side of your neck, she squeezes and holds on like she never wants you to put her down.  You can see more photos in her photo album.

I am fostering these precious pups in Winter Park.  If you think that you might want to give Toffee her forever home, please first read our Dog Tips, then review our Adoption Process and e-mail me at holly.thedogliberator@gmail.com

July 29th Update:

The puppies are doing wonderfully.  They are fully crate trained, with no “accidents” even at night!  The first night they were a bit restless but since then have slept until I’ve woken them at about 6:30 am.  What a blessing!

August 1st Update:

It’s off to camp they go! The puppies are spending the week at University of Doglando as part of their kids’ summer camp program. There the campers will work with them on basic commands, socialization skills and even introduce them to swimming! This is a fantastic opportunity. Already lovely puppies, I can just imagine how they will be after a week of one-on-one attention and training! I’ll be updating the campers experiences on our webpage, Bernese Collie Puppies Go To University of Doglando.

August 2nd Update:

Today I dropped by University of Doglando to speak with the kids briefly.  I was amazed at the difference in the puppies already.  They’ve learned to sit, stay and come.  When it came time to swim, Toffee (called Luna by her camper) was a little trooper, keeping her head up and her paws moving.  But what struck me the most was her calm.  Toffee has always been the most hesitant of the puppies.  She wants to come to me but she gets scared and moves off to the shrubs.  I wasn’t surprised to learn that when the time came for the kids to pick their puppy, she went and hid.  It make me sad.  One of the boys is caring for her.  What did I see just 24 hours later?  Toffee sitting calmly at his feet while Teena explained to them how they were going to teach the dogs to swim.  She was completely relaxed, content to be with her boy!  And when it came time to swim, away she went!  Oh, she is simply wonderful!

August 4th Update from University of Doglando:

I just received this great update from Toffee’s foster, Douglas.  I hope it makes you smile like it did me:

“When we were told we were gonna get to choose a puppy to train for a week I could choose all of them were great puppies, so while I was trying to make up my mind and everyone else was trying figure out who should get what dog is noticed a black fluffy dog wandering of behind this shed. I went back to find Toffee (now Luna,) cooling off in the shade. When she saw me she got up and came to me. I picked her up and knew right away this was dog I wanted to train. Luna is not only smart and playfull but is full of love and kisses. I’ve taught her to sit on command and lie down. She is also bell train which means she rings a bell on the door to signal she wants to go out. Another trick I’ve taught her is to sit and wait by the door till I say ok. Even if I go out of sight she will sit and wait. Luna loves to play with other dogs and people too. If out it the sun she usually will lie down in the shade if she gets too hot. Its sad that I have to see her go but happy to know i’ve prepared her for her next home. ”