Last Call for Berner Day at Care-A-Lot
Hello List! Berner Day at Care-A-Lot Pet Warehouse is drawing close!!! The big day is August 3, 2003. I have been in contact with a few Berner friends locally and we are planning to arrive around 11:00 a.m., when the store opens. It would be great to be able to mob Care-A-Lot with the most beautiful dogs in the world!!! If you are within easy driving distance of Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia and you don't have anything else to do on Sunday, come on down!!! I would love to me some fellow listers!!! Besides that, if you shop with your Berner, you get a 5% discount on your total purchase. For those of you not familiar with Care-A-Lot, they are a large pet supply warehouse in Virginia Beach (I have no affiliation, I just love to shop there!) and they carry dog, cat, fish, reptile, small animal, and bird supplies. Their prices are very competitive and they also do mail order (www.carealotpets.com). Since Klarsson has come to live with me, we go there often for socialization and to buy food, treats, and toys. Needless to say, my dogs are spoiled (aren't all Berners?). Please email me if you plan to attend and/or if you need directions. I'll be glad to help you! Wendy Keene, Klarsson (Oh, boy, we get to go to CareALot and I get to see some of my Berner friends!) and Lilah (ho-hum, what's the big deal, everyone thinks I'm a miniature collie, anyway. I haven't told them yet that I'm a mini-Berner!!!) Hampton, VA
Berner Days at Care-a-Lot Pets Klarsson's Anniversary
Dear List; Just a reminder for those of you within easy driving distance of Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia, Berner Days at Care-a-Lot Pet warehouse is Sunday, August 3, 2003. I would love to have a big showing of Berners so everyone that visits the warehouse that day can see the most beautiful dogs in the world. Also, if you come with your Berner and you purchase anything, you will receive a 5% discount. Please email me privately if you want to join in, need directions, or any further information. Plus, this is an extra-special weekend for Klarsson and me. This is his one-year anniversary of coming to live in my home (I brought him home on August 4, 2002). I would like to take this opportunity to thank Laura Gilliam, again, for the opportunity to become a Berner mom. For those of your who don't know Klarsson, he was returned to Laura at the age of 14 months from his first family. When I started looking for a dog, someone who knew someone who knew that Laura had an adolescent male to place let me know about him and gave me Laura's number. We talked several times and I went to visit and before I knew it, I had a BMD in my car!!! It was a wonderful day, definitely for me, and hopefully for Klarsson as well. Klarsson has adapted well to his new home and his new experiences, although, he's still shy around people. Anyone who met him last year and has seen him recently has nothing to say but good things about his progress. I'm really looking for forward to being a Berner mom for the rest of my life!!! Wendy Keene, Hampton, VA Kasablanca's Making Thyme a.k.a. Klarsson (Mom, can we go to the Bark Park now?) Southern Puppibelle Lilah CGC (I'm the Sheltie and I'm the queen of the homestead)
Berner Days
If you are within reasonable driving distance of Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia, Care A Lot Pet Supply Warehouse (some of you are familiar with their mail order services) has a retail outlet right on the border of Norfolk/Virginia Beach. Each weekend day, a different breed is featured. August 3, 2003 is Bernese Mountain Dog Day. Show up with your Bener and get 5% off your entire purchase. I was wondering if anyone wanted to get together at a specific time and show Care A Lot what a bunch of Berners looks like. Maybe afterwards, if anyone is interested, we could have a little Berner picnic at a nearby park. Please reply to me if you are interested and I'll keep you posted on the developments. I have no affiliation with Care A Lot other than I love the place, they have the cheapest prices in town on all things pet (dog, cat, reptile) and have a large, pet-friendly warehouse where leashed pets are welcome, all the time. They have a website, www.carealotpets.com, if you are interested in pre-shopping... It would be really great to meet some of you since I'm new to Berners but have already decided I definitely need another one!!! Wendy Keene, Klarsson (Big Berner Boy) and Lilah (the right colored Sheltie) Hampton, VA
Leather Decorative Collars, Take 2
Dear List; For all of you who emailed me privately, I'm sorry that I forgot to add the website. I think I was tired by then and copied it from my Leolist friend but didn't paste it into the email. So, here it is... to http://www.collarbone.net Jeanne Schoech, please disregard the last website I sent you. It was the wrong one. Maybe I better give up email for the weekend!!! Wendy Keene, Klarsson (it's TOO HOT outside) and Lilah (I just want to sleep on the AC vent). Hampton, VA
Leather Decorative Collars
Hello List! A friend with Leonbergers forwarded me this website for a decorative leather, hand-crafted collar with the Bern crest on it. If you view the web site, click on the Leonberger breed for a picture of the actual collar (of course it would have the Bern crest instead). Just thought I would throw this out for those of you that are looking for unique items for your Berner buddies. Wendy Keene, Klarsson (BMD) and Lilah (the right-colored Sheltie) Hampton, VA PS: I have no affiliation with this man or his company. Just thought I would pass it along to the List as it seems that there are lots of people looking for all things Berner!
Dog in Distress - Update
Thank you to all who replied about Klarsson and his sudden onset of frantic grazing. He grazing, vomited, grazed some more, begged to come in and everything seems okay. He's been chewing on himself (could be those pesky hotspots that the previous owners had problems with which caused them to make the decision to shave him close to bald) and maybe he got a chunk of hair caught sideways or something. He doesn't seem to be having any more problems. However, someone suggested Gas-X for them and someone else suggested Tums. I have Tums for me but no Gas-X. Guess I will be adding that to the pharmacy here at the house. It appears that all is well and it was just a first-time Berner mom scare, I think Wendy Keene, Klarsson (what's all the fuss about, I just wanted to graze) and Lilah (geez, HIM again?) Hampton, VA
Re: venting
Andie; That's okay, at least they think yours is a purebred Saint. I had someone ask me once is Klarsson was a St. Bernard/Border Collie cross. Can you imagine. I just hope the female was the Saint and not the BC. Ouch!!! Wendy Keene, Klarsson (proud to be full-blood BMD) and Lilah (the right colored Sheltie) Hampton, VA
Re: 2 dogs in a suburu
Beverly; When I got Klarsson at age 16 months and about 29 tall and 110 pounds, I owned a full size 2-door coupe. 2 weeks after Klarsson came home, I traded in my 2001 Monte Carlo SS for a Ford Focus Station Wagon. While it isn't as tall as the Forester, I have comfortably fit Klarsson, his girlfriend Morgan (a 2 year old female English Mastiff weighing in at about 160 pounds) and my poor little Sheltie in the back of the car with, of course, the seat folded down (permanently). It works fine. I've even traveled with both dogs and their crates and their suitcase and my suitcase and cooler (crates were tied to the roof rack) and was plenty confortable. However, you end up with a permanent 2 seater (which is fine for me as I'm a single dog-mom). I looked at several station wagons and SUVs and found that the Focus had the most cargo room inside of the vehicles I was looking (including bigger than some of the SUVs). I look forward to getting my second Berner and I don't think I'll have to upgrade my car to have her. Good luck on finding something. Wendy Keene, Klarsson (I like MY car, Mom) and Lilah (I wish he would quit stepping on me) Hampton, VA
Re: Berner on TV?
I just saw a Berner's back end in a Flonase commercial last night and have seen one in the Progresso Soup Commercial this past winter. Also, I watched "There's Something About Mary" again not too long ago and Woogie's family had a Berner... Anybody know who these dramatic dogs might be? - Original Message - From: Jennifer Graves To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2003 5:23 PM Subject: Berner on TV? In the April Alpenhorn, there is a page (ad?) titled "Murphy goes to Hollywood" that says Murphy is in TV Ads and on a sitcom. Can anyone tell me what sitcom and which commercial Ch Sunshine's Feuer Ball Murphy is in? Are there currently other Berner's in TV shows or commercials? Jennifer Graves GECO Incorporated1859 North Rosemont StreetMesa, AZ 85205 Telephone: (480) 981-7379Fax: (480) 981-0088 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bleeding Ear
Hello L-er's: My Klarsson (2 yo neutered male) finally got his come-uppance from his 10-year old Sheltie sister. They were out in the yard at Grandma's house. Lilah (the Sheltie) was trying to play Frisbee with Grandma but Klarsson was much more interested in playing with her. He barked at her a couple of times to try and get her to play. She didn't want any part of it, so, he grabbed her by ear/neck. She whipped around and snarled at him and tooth-knocked the inside of his right ear flap. I now have a quad-colored Berner (add red). Anyway, the cut is long (about 2.5) but not all the way through. I managed to stem the bleeding (of course I'm covered in red as well) and he does okay as long as he lays still. However, here we are about 6 hours later and every time he shakes his head, the tip of the wound starts to bleed again. It looks like there has been a murder in my house (white painted walls, splattering blood from tip of ear while shaking head). Does anyone have any suggestions for closing/covering the wound so that he doesn't bleed all over the house tomorrow or do you think it will be closed by then? How do I keep him from scratching at it with his foot once it starts to heal and itch? Help!!! Thanks in response for anyone with experience with this! Wendy Keene, Klarsson (ow!) and Lilah (I told him to leave me alone, maybe now he will listen to me, uppity puppy!) Hampton, VA
Klarsson is a Working Dog!!!
For those of you who know Klarsson, or met him at the recent PVBMDC regional specialty, you know he isn't the bravest guy around. However, I have found that he will try to do things for me as long as nobody is watching him. One of the activities that I would eventually like to participate in is carting. We have a harness and have practice wearing it and walking around with someone else pulling the cart behind us for noise. That doesn't seem to bother him. However, don't get that scary thing too close, Mom, or I'll haul tail in the opposite direction. So, we are up to hooking the traces to leashes and dragging some small stuff around and I'm making him some PVC practice shafts and then hopefully some training wheels (based on Andrea Stefanac's design, thanks Andrea!!!). S, we were over at his Grandma and Grandpa's house yesterday (my parents) helping my mother do some yard work, cleaning out the rose bed and transferring the pine needles from under the tree to the rose bed for mulch. Mom has trimmed some of the branches off the pine trees so we don't hit our heads on the riding mower (huge yard) as we go around the tree. So, I get the bright idea that if Klarsson can drag a milk carton, he can pull a tree limb. I dressed him in his harness, took an old leash and wrapped it around the base of the limb (about 15' long but not really heaving) and hooked his traces up to the leash. Don't you know that with a little coaxing, some bologna and the almost the end of finger (didn't let go of the treat fast enough), he pull that limb all the way down the yard to the edge of the woods for disposal. I was so proud of him. Mom couldn't believe. Of course, no camera anywhere to be found to have photographic evidence of the historic event. Oh well, maybe next time!!! So, there is hope for Klarsson to someday be a normal Berner, instead of the shy, don't touch me, I don't want to do anything Berner that he has been. As an aside, for those of you who don't know Klarsson, he was rehomed with me this past August at the age of 16 months. Based on his behavior, I don't think he had much training in the social graces when he was a puppy. He doesn't like adults, especially men, tolerates children as long as they aren't squealing or flailing, and loves all other dogs. Wendy Keene, Klarsson (see, Mom, I can be useful!) and Lilah (the right-colored Sheltie) Hampton, VA
Happy Birthday Klarsson!!!
Today, Klarsson (Kasablanca's Making Thyme) is two years old! Happy birthday to him and the other members of the his letter (all his sisters, he is the only boy). Although he has only been with me a short time (since August 4, 2002), I am thrilled to be owned by a Berner and have enjoyed all my new Berner mom and dad friends. Klarsson's plans for today include: sleeping, riding in the car, shopping for a new toy at Care-A-Lot Pet Warehouse, sleeping, visiting Grandma and Grandpa for a little birthday party and sleeping. If you are a sister to Klarsson, please email us and let us know. So far, we only know two of them and there are five more of you out there!!! Wendy Keene, Klarsson (I'm not a puppy anymore says my Grandma), and Lilah (the right-colored Sheltie) Hampton, VA
Puppy Games
Hello All; I need some help from you long-time trainers out there on the L. I am instructing my first Puppy Kindergarten class at our training club. Klarsson gets to go along and be a demo dog and for a lot of the students, it is the first real BMD that they have seen. Anyway, we are trying to play at least one game each week and I am looking for suggestions for easy games that puppies can play, in a group. We did relay race tonight and we will play puppy baseball the last night. However, I have 4 more weeks to get through before puppy baseball night and wondered if anyone out there had a game other than relay race with the come command that is fun for the puppies and their humans. Thanks for your help!!! Wendy Keene, Klarsson and Lilah (the right-colored Sheltie) Hampton, VA
Re: Rescue BMD w/ issues needs help
I think in all breeds, unneutered males 1-3 yrs old is the highest demographic of owner surrenders. Eileen; I have a rehomed neutered male berner that was 16 months old when he adopted me. He is the sweetest, most wonderful dog, most of the time, but he did have issues. We won't talk about the week that I had to wear long sleeves because I bruises from my wrists to past my elbows on both arms following a discussion in my backyard about it being time to go inside. I won and have just tried really hard to be consistent with him. He is a good dog and I am thrilled to have him, even though he stills exhibits a fair amount of shyness around other adults, especially men. However, he's better now than he was 6 months ago when I got him. It's a patience and time commitment thing. I am happy to have him and wouldn't think about ever giving him back to the breeder, even after that discussion in October. I want to thank all of you for the ideas and information that I get from the list every day. It has helped me greatly, being a new Berner mom. I used to be a Rottweiler mom and boy, are they different!!! Wendy Keene, Lilah (the right-colored Sheltie) and Klarsson (I'm s spoiled, now) Hampton, VA
Another Berner in the Snow
Yes, folks, it is SNOWING in southeastern Virginia. I don't remember having snow this early here for many years. My 20.5 month old Berner went out and stared at the sky, trying to figure out what this hard stuff was, pelting him in the head!!! As you may remember, Klarsson is a rescue that I adopted in August. He is adjusting well and I've been reading him the emails from you folks up North about the snow and the Berners. I have noticed that on the mornings that it is really cold outside, I have a hard time getting him to come back in the house. He goes out, does his thing, and then lays down on the cold concrete. My Sheltie, on the other hand, wants to run back into the warm house because she is shivering (she has blown all her coat)... Anyway, Klarsson's first family lived near Greenville, SC so I don't know if he has ever really seen snow (read falling ice) before. He is pretty cute!!! So, maybe it'll snow a lot (about an inch) here so things will shut down and then I can take the dogs to my parents to romp (they have an acre and a half of yard) so he can REALLY get the snow experience. Wendy Keene, Klarsson (let it snow!!!) and Lilah (I'm freezing my Sheltie behind off!) Hampton, VA
Another Berner TV Star
While I was putting up the Christmas tree for my first Berner Christmas ever, I had the TV to make noise in the house. I had just sat down to look at the tree from a different angle (read tired of standing up) and there was a Progresso clam chowder commercial on. I caught a glimpse of a large dog at the beginning of the commercial and hollered at Klarsson, I think I just saw a Berner on TV! He came into the room and laid down (because he doesn't really care about some Berner on TV, he's the only Berner in the world, as far as he knows) and at the end of the commercial, the lovely couple comes out of the house (after eating their soup, I assume) into a snow covered yard with their (yep!) Berner running ahead of them. Just wondered if anyone else saw that commercial or am I seeing things (seeing how as I'm a new Berner mom and I don't recognize them very well yet. Yeah, right...) Wendy Keene, Klarsson (Mom, I'm tired) and Lilah (Mom, I'm old and exhausted!) Hampton, VA
