Bernie in Florida— ADOPTED!!
Bernie has found his forever!! Bernie has a new mom and dad, a human brother, and three doggie siblings (two Frenchies and an English Bulldog) with whom to share the rest of his life. He is already very loved and spoiled as all Frenchies should be. We are absolutely thrilled for Bernie and his new family!
Meet our 3-year-old handsome fella, Bernie, who is now available for adoption. Bernie was a breeder dog in a puppy mill. He was taken in by a woman who then surrendered him to FBV after finding out he needed anal polyp surgery in addition to being neutered. She sadly was unable to afford both surgeries. Since being with FBV, Bernie has been neutered and had his large polyp resected as best as the vet could without risking further injury to his colon. There is a chance that his polyp may return in the future.
Bernie is such a sweet guy! He gets along with just about every dog and person he meets. Even his foster mom's birds don't seem to bother him, but it is unclear how he would do with cats. Bernie would do best with other dogs that like to play; he may annoy older dogs who want to be left alone.
Bernie is a total Velcro dog. He doesn’t want to just lie near you; he wants to plant roots in you. If one of the 3 resident dogs are lying by his foster mom, he will lie on top of them to be as close as possible to her. When she is working on her computer, he will sleep in his crate that is very close. And it’s not just her he will vie for affection; he will cuddle with anyone willing to let him. He loves his entire foster family!
Since he lived in a cage for years, Bernie is still learning to be a dog. He now is starting to like bully sticks and other high value chew bones, like Benebones. He doesn’t play with toys yet but that may change. Bernie does not know any commands but will easily come when called because he always wants to be near people. He also startles easily, for example when his foster mom sees him start to raise his leg to mark and yells “no,” he will run in his crate as if to hide.
He should never be left alone outside, even in a fenced yard. One night his foster family was sitting around their fire pit which is outside the fenced yard and he scaled their chain link fence to be with them. He wasn’t trying to get away but only to be with them. However, he is capable of escape and hurting himself. Outside a fenced yard, he will require being leashed and is already leash trained.
Bernie can be protective of his crate while he is in it with a toy or his food. He will growl to tell other dogs to back up. He would do best being fed in his crate with the door closed until he is finished. Once he is out of his crate, he is no longer protective of food or toys.
Bernie will go potty outside every time he is taken. However, he will mark in his foster home as he was forced to do his business where he slept and lived as is common in mill dogs. He has never peed in his crate so when he can’t be watched or when his humans go out, he stays in is crate, which he does not mind at all. He wears a belly band, so he doesn’t pee on furniture, and he has only had one poop accident in his foster home. His training will be a work in progress in his new home, but Bernie loves treats and praise so positive training is working and needs to be continued.
Bernie is truly the sweetest, most adorable, loving cuddle bug. All he wants is to be loved but is patient if you are busy. His foster family has yet to hear him bark. Bernie is very gentle and submissive which makes him so endearing to everyone who meets him, canine or human.
