The Trials &Tribulations of Pyr Rescue

by Patti and Jeff Bechtel

If you have read the article "Rescue Tales From The Summer of '95," you'll know that we recently played a part in the successful placement of five beautiful Pyrs. But what we want to impart to you now are the behind-the-scene events of a family new to the Rescue circuit who have found themselves in the role of a halfway house for Pyrs of all shapes and sizes. Having two dogs of our own had settled us into a pattern of feeding, walking, grooming, playing, and lots of good scratching behind the ears. One day the pattern was shattered.

It all started with a phone call and the simple question, "Would you be able to keep a Rescue dog for a day or two?" to which we said, "Okay." Our first Rescue dog was a puppy. Since our dogs are older, it had been a while since we had to deal with paper training, chewing, and other puppy related traits. The first thing we had to do was introduce this active bundle of fur to our dogs, but their acceptance of this newcomer was quickly given. Ads in local newspapers and on the Internet yielded a large number of interested callers. We screened each caller with respect to Pyr-related traits. Suddenly having a dog in the house that doesn't know it shouldn't run through the garden, shouldn't cry all night, shouldn't chew on everything, and just generally doesn't know what you're talking about was a bit rattling. Being quick to adapt, we began grooming, crate training, socializing, and playing with our boarder. Then came the day when some prospective Pyr people showed up to look at the pup. After only several days we had become attached to this pup and the questions in our minds were many. Will they properly care for, train, play with, and love this dog and make it an integral part of their family? Will the dog respond eagerly to them? After a couple hours of interaction the answer was yes, and with a tugging at our hearts we wished the pup and its new family a fond farewell. However, the phone calls continued and we collected info for future rescue efforts.

Just as life was returning to normal, the phone rang again. "Could you drive three hours to pick up an older Pyr from the Humane Society?" "Okay." This time we had to put out some money and sign some papers in order to retrieve a dirty, matted, smelly Pyr with a bloody ear from being in a dog fight and start the process all over again. Our spirits were lifted when, after several hours of grooming and a bath, a shiny-coated representative of the breed stood proudly in our house, ready to romp and play with our dogs, who at this time were thinking, "Not again." Being a middle-aged dog with some training and a lot of smarts, she was easy to control and learned quickly from her new environment, even to the point that she led us on a half mile chase through the neighborhood when we let her off the leash once. Again came the phone calls and another prospective family showed up at our door. It was love at first sight for both parties. We waved good-bye to another successful rescue.

By the time dog number three arrived at our house, we were acquiring the tricks of the trade, having stockpiled numerous leashes, collars of all sizes, extra crates, extra food and treats, and a myriad of chew toys for the discerning Rescue Pyr. We have a database of potential families and contacts in the tri-state area. Our dogs have come to realize that these visitors are transients in need of a little love and attention. This rescue was a younger dog with no training at all but a great disposition and more energy than we have ever seen in a Pyr. She was quickly placed with a veteran Pyr owner.

Pyr number four was a breeze and Pyr number five is currently residing with us.

Over the summer we have been involved in placing other Pyrs which never actually had to be boarded at our home. Our budget has been adjusted to deal with the temporary outlays of money and supplies which are reimbursed by the Club or the new owners. Though we don't own a kennel, we are able to care for one Rescue Pyr at a time. Each dog has its own needs which must be addressed, such as being ungroomed, injured, frightened, or untrained. People ask how we can do this without becoming attached to the dogs and we respond that we can't, but that each dog receives the love and attention we lavishly bestow upon it. Then we know we have made a difference when the sparkle returns to their eyes and we can gladly give them up to a good home. We realize that we can't keep each and every dog ourselves so we take photos of each dog and their new owners for our scrapbook, and new friends are made along the way.

We will continue to perform Pyr Rescue and urge anyone with an interest not to be daunted, but to become involved. Pyr Rescue puts us in touch with new people and dogs with amazing and varied personalities, and we enjoy doing it. Hopefully, you will too.

East Penn Pyr Rescue, Inc.
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