Bear's (fka Fred/Red) Story

A giant came to live with us back in February via an epic effort by our New Mexico volunteers. His mom had a new baby with genetic defects and while he had to stay in Silver City his mom and new baby remained in the hospital in Albuquerque. With Red struggling with his temporary quarters and no sign in sight of getting to return to Silver City, his mom made the difficult decision to do what was best for Red and surrendered him to 2nd Chance Vizsla Rescue. 

Red had the face of a Vizsla but weighed 80 pounds and his bones were big and heavy. Standing on his hind legs he was over five feet tall. He was ill-mannered, had been in two different dog pounds prior to his latest adoption, and was being given up again at the age of three years. Not a great start. 

His weight, size and exuberance made him almost impossible to control. We dug in and started down a very bumpy road to fostering a maniac. I pulled out my copy of “Dealing With Difficult Dogs” and started chipping away. His name was Red but we called him Fred. He didn’t come anyway so it didn’t matter what we called him. For all his flaws he was very social and loved playing with other dogs. We have a French Bull Dog, and Fred would play with her for hours, always gentle, conscious of her small size.

After three months Fred had learned some manners and landed a permanent gig in Montana with a lady who speaks fluent Vizsla. She’s the perfect mom! He has a new name, Bear, two dogs and two horses to hang out with. I last heard that he was doing well - going on trail rides, playing with his buddies, cruising around the stable. Our big boy is living the dream! – Dani

PS - We did a DNA test on Bear and are awaiting results. Any guesses?