She had been abused by her former owner. She is all beardie an he coat has grown out now.  It took more than a year for Charlie to trust anyone but her adopted family (whom she loves).  She would give a warning, and nip at guests.

Charlie went everywhere with her family.  She even cheers at swimming meets.  But she never trust really trusted everyone, especially strangers, but is missed by many.

(c) by Mazie Blanks 

The rescue of Houdini, a two-year-old Beardie, was one that involved people from three countries linking together to find a home for a Beardie who needed one. The connections were made via the internet. 

I live in Atlanta, Georgia (USA).  While vacationing in Santorini, Greece in December, 1996, I was shocked to find a Beardie, whom I later named Houdini, eating garbage and living as a stray on the streets of this beautiful island. 

After finding a vet, Dr. Margarita Valvis-Roussou, who agreed to take Houdini into her shelter in Santorini, I rescued Houdini and took him to the vet's shelter. The vet sends many of the rescued dogs to a shelter in Germany, because there are not enough people in Santorini to adopt the strays. 

After hearing that Houdini would be headed for Germany, I decided to set up a home page on the internet so that Houdini could find a home before he arrived in Germany.  Within 30 hours of Houdini's home page being on 
the internet, he had found a home!  Annette Mertes, in Germany, contacted Bernd Meissner, who has loved Beardies for years.  He found a couple who wanted to adopt Houdini. Bernd's friends, co-workers, and other Beardie lovers throughout Europe contributed money so that Bernd could go to Santorini to pick up Houdini and take him to his new home in Germany. 

The story gets better.  Houdini had cloudy eyes when I rescued him. Bernd's vet in Germany treated him in Germany, and his eyes are now clear! 

Houdini's new parents adore him.  They cannot imagine life without that special Beardie boy! I visited Houdini in Germany five months after he arrived in Germany. There is now a "big Beardie smile" on his face! 

This was a story with a very happy ending, and it was one that was followed by Beardie lovers all around the world.  Donations were sent to the shelter in Greece.  The IAMS Company, who heard about the vet in Santorini, donated food to the shelter in Greece. 

Houdini thanks you all for caring about him and the other dogs in the shelter in Santorini.  He loves his new home in Germany!  There were three countries......three languages.....but one common bond. Everyone wanted to help Houdini find a new home.  The internet made that happen, and the response was amazing.  There were thousands of "hits" on Houdini's home page within just a few weeks. 

The internet has changed everything about our lives.  In this case, a dear Beardie boy who had been abandonded on a Greek island, was able to connect with a new home in Germany. 

You can visit Mazie Blanks Home Page and see more of Houdini.

Winston's Story 
by Barbara Marshall 

One of the most moving stories among the bookshelf of my rescued Beardies involved Winston.  I received a call about a Beardie in bad condition being kept in a basement.  Linda Aronson and I were horrified when we saw poor Winston.

He had no hair from mid-tail to his shoulders.  Raw, weeping sores covered his thin body.  His ears were also bdly infected.  He had the misfortune of being designated the "worst example of a neglected and abused animal that has ever come into the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine."  No one wanted to touch him (imagine that...a Beardie who lives only to be loved); the veterinarian put on gloves to examine him. To make matters worse, he had worms and a heartworm infestation. 

The initial prognosis was discouraging.  Amputating his ears and removing the inner ear were considered.  Winston would need constant monitoring and daily baths with a special shampoo to heal the infections.  Treatment could cost $2,000.  His quality of life -- his very life -- was in jeopardy. 

Donations immediately poured in.  A decision was made to try topical mediction on his ears before surgery.  My vet agreed to board and care for the dog.  Winston was there for three weeks. 

Despite his pain and neglect, Winston retained his typical sweet Beardie personality.  He was a trooper, only ducking his head when someone worked on his ears.  He never let anyone down, even though his owners and breeder had failed him miserably. 

He has since been placed in a new home, a 38th floor apartment.  He has truly gone from the depths of despair to the heights of happiness. 

"Smitty" (happy in his new home)

---

"Bridgett"  loves her new family

I was lucky enough to have a Beardie named Scruffy while growing up.  He was a serious dog, and extremely protective, especially of my mom.  When he died at age 9, I never thought I would meet another dog with so much character and soul. 

I had been thinking about getting a dog for a long while.  I kept coming up with excuses as to why I couldn't have a dog: my apartment is too small, the constant care, the expense, etc.  But last December after my mother became seriously ill and was hospitalized, I did a lot of soul-searching and decided that life is too short to wait for the "perfect time" to do anything.  Mom thankfully recovered and I went back to work, at which point I began my research on finding a dog.  Should I consider a Beardie?  Of course - it is the only dog to get.  After tooling around the Internet for a few weeks inquiring about how and where to get a rescue Beardie, making some wonderful new BDL friends along the way, I finally called Paul Glatzer on Long Island. 

I spoke with Paul on Monday, January 20, 1997 and told him of my desire to adopt a rescue.  He questioned me about my living situation (Greenwich Village), my previous Beardie experience (beloved Scruffy), and told me about the responsibility in owning a Bearded Collie.  Paul said he could not guarantee when a Beardie would become available that would be suitable for city-living, but I said I didn't care - I would wait for however long it took.  We then discussed my profession, and everything changed!  Paul is an ardent music-lover, and I am a composer-pianist.  I told him of how Scruffy used to sit under my piano while I practiced and that he put his paw on my pedal foot.  We also share a mutual love of opera and know a lot of the same singers.  I do think that the possibility of a Beardie ending up in a musical home made Paul feel a little more comfortable in trying to place a dog in NYC.  Our conversation ended with the same statement from Paul about not knowing when a Beardie would be available, but it was OK. 

Two days later, there was a message on my machine from Paul; a large, young stay-black male was found wandering in North Carolina - would I please call the rescuers Bob and Barbara Lavietes in Greensboro?  I was so excited I could barely think straight, but I called North Carolina and spoke with two of the nicest people in the world, whom I now consider dear friends.  Bailey, originally thought to be about two, but was really just out of puppyhood ,  had been placed in a shelter.  No one claimed him, so BCCA Rescue was notified and Bob and Barbara took him to their vet for a complete "clean-up" (ear infection, kennel cough, worms, neutering), where he stayed for ten days.  Other than these minor medical concerns, Bailey was in great health and happy as a lark.

Bob and Barbara could not get over his incredibly friendly disposition despite what he had obviously been through, and he charmed the pants off of everyone at the animal hospital.  It then came time for Bailey's passage to New York via US Airways.  He was loaded into cargo on a rainy Tuesday morning and arrived at La Guardia Airport an hour and a half later, tail wagging.  It was the day after my 34th birthday and a week after first speaking with Paul.

It has been an absolute joy to have Bailey in my life.  It has been a stressful, huge responsibility, and I have had to change my lifestyle to accommodate him.  But with all that I have had to change, it has more than been returned in the love that we have shared and all the goodness that he has brought. A quick "pee-pee" walk turns into thirty minutes because of all of the people on the street who stop to talk and give Bailey a hug.  New York is a friendlier place because of Bailey, whom Karen Norteman refers to as the "Mayor of Greenwich Village." He is a big, beautiful fluff ball, who thrives on affection and human contact, devilish to no end, trusting, and a brat.  All in all, a Beardie. I'm lucky and grateful to have him.