Delaware Valley Bichon Rescue would like to thank Bichon Rescue of Tennessee for their incredibly generous donation of $5,000.00 in support of our rescue efforts throughout PA, DE and NJ. We are very grateful for their generosity as we endeavor to find good homes for bichons in need! We would also like to thank the supporters of the online auction, which is in large part the reason that this donation was possible. Many thanks to all!!!

Delaware Valley Bichon Rescue is a non-profit organization that depends ENTIRELY on the public for donations. We receive NO funding from any government agency. Our only source of income is you...our fellow dog-loving friends! DVBR pays for ALL vet care for each dog prior to adoption. Anything that needs to be done is taken care of before the dog is placed. In the case of a young, healthy dog, these services include spay/neuter, rabies shot, distemper, heartworm test and physical exam.

Below are a few of our MOST needy cases. With only a few notable exceptions, all of these dogs are currently leading happy, healthy, normal lives WITH their new families. They have been given a new lease on life. Unfortunately, this often comes at tremendous financial cost to our rescue. This is why we need YOU to help us with our rescue efforts!

You can make a donation to the rescue using PayPal by clicking here or you can make a check payable to "DVBR" and mail to P.O. Box 2411, Cinnaminson, NJ 08077. Remember that all donations are tax deductible

Holly & Penny joined a DVBR foster family after their owner was found unconscious in her home. She suffered from UNDIAGNOSED diabetes and died about a month after she was taken to the hospital. Holly & Penny had lived with this woman their entire lives and were terribly confused and upset when they arrived in their DVBR foster home. Both girls were littermates and were 14 yrs. old when they arrived! While Holly was in good health and a pretty spunky little girl, Penny was blind and very nearly deaf. Rather than allowing Penny to live out the remainder of her life in total darkess & unable to HEAR as well, DVBR decided to have Penny's cataracts removed so that she would at least be able to SEE. This surgery cost the rescue well over $3,500.00 due to some preventative measures that were taken to ensure the best result possible, as well as some complications following surgery. We are happy to report that both Penny and her sister Holly are currently living with their wonderful adoptive family in Maryland and are very happy little girls, and Penny can SEE now. Bichons often live into their high teens or early twenties, so we are pleased to have been able to restore Penny's vision and give her the best possible quality of life in her golden years!

Cammy arrived in August of 2005. His family had an appointment to have him put to sleep but as a last resort chose to contact us to see if we would take him. Although we were not told in advance about Cammy's assorted medical problems, it turned out Cammy was BLIND and also diabetic. We knew about the diabetes but were not told about the blindness in advance. Cammy has been in foster care for a year now. He is a wonderful dog & would be a welcome addition to any home, but sadly, most people are frightened of adopting a dog who is diabetic. It's really not a big deal, but it makes people apprehensive. DVBR paid for Cammy to have cataract surgery to restore his vision, so although he remains diabetic he can now SEE! The total costs associated with Cammy's eye surgery and ongoing care have cost the rescue over $3,000.00 and this does NOT include the expenses associated with his diabetes. Such care would not be possible without generous donations from the public! We requested a donation from his family to help offset these surgical costs, but no money was ever received.

Willie first joined us at DVBR back in 2003. He was one of FOUR bichons turned in by the same NYC family! Willie and his brother Sammy went to live with a local couple in Marlton, New Jersey. Sadly, a couple of years after the adoption was finalized, they had to return the pair after falling on hard times. During his SECOND visit with us, we realized that there was something wrong with Willie and took him to the vet. It turns out Willie had become diabetic. One of the complications of diabetes is the development of cataracts and eventual loss of sight.

When Willie returned the second time around, his diabetes was out of control and he was BLIND. We quickly got his diabetes regulated (he gets twice daily insulin injections now), and then decided to take him to the veterinary opthamologist to see if anything could be done to restore his sight.

Willie had cataracts in both eyes removed. The opthamologist said diabetic dogs respond VERY WELL to eye surgery because for some reason the cataracts caused by diabetes are softer than cataracts that form for other reasons. Therefore, the prognosis was EXCELLENT!

Willie has had his cataract surgery and can SEE now, but the procedure to correct his vision and remove his cataracts cost the rescue about $1,400.00. Again, Willie is living proof that DVBR needs YOU to be able to do everything we can for the dogs we take in!

Charlie came to DVBR in late 2004. When he joined us he weighed in at a whopping 38 1/2 pounds! That is MASSIVE for a bichon with his body structure. His family was - quite literally - killing him with kindness! They were feeding him to death! They were an older couple who really didn't exercise him much either. As a result, Charlie had a LOT of excess weight, and was NOT accustomed to a lot of activity.

Immediately after Charlie's arrival we noticed he was limping on one leg. What started out as a significant but intermittent limp quickly turned into total lameness when Charlie blew out his cruciate ligament while playing with the other dogs in his foster home one day. We had him on a diet, but he simply couldn't drop weight fast enough. He was having a blast playing with his new buddies, but he was dragging around a LOT of extra pounds. After he blew out his ACL he needed orthopedic surgery to fix his leg - and he needed it FAST!

We took Charlie to an orthopedic specialist up in Jackson, New Jersey. Dr. Norris of VSDS confirmed our worst fears and recommended surgery for Charlie right away. Between previous vet visits and this surgery, the rescue paid out fees totalling $2,300.00 for Charlie's ongoing care.

Charlie is completely recovered now, and living happily in Delaware with his NEW bichon brother. He went from 38 1/2 pounds down to 30 pounds prior to going off on his NEW adventure with his NEW family! He was well on his way to being a slim, trim, healthy little boy when we said our goodbyes to Charlie and wished him well in his new forever home. However, he is a great illustration of how far our funds must stretch! We collected a $200 adoption donation for Charlie, but SPENT well over $2,000.00 on him before he left our care! DVBR really needs the support of the public if we are to be able to absorb such tremendous costs!

Frosty & Misty were a pair of bichons who came to DVBR during the summer of '03 after their former owner went thru a rough divorce. After the divorce, she found herself with little or no money, working LONG hours to make ends meet. Frosty & Misty were alone MOST of the time, and when their owner took Frosty to the vet & discovered he had a bladder stone and would require surgery, that was the proverbial 'straw that broke the camel's back'. The pair were given to us. Our FIRST order of business was to address their medical needs. Frosty & Misty were inevitably adopted by a wonderful family in Pennington, NJ, but not until they had cost the rescue a daunting $2,500.00 in veterinary expenses! You can help to offset expenses such as these - which could easily CRIPPLE a small rescue - by taking a moment now to make a small donation. Every little bit helps!!!

Robert (pronounced Robare) & Renny were a pair of older bichons with a tragic story. They lived in the home of a backyard breeder. When the elderly owner died, Rober & Renny were left out in the yard to fend for themselves, where they spent LONG hours, warding off mosquitoes and fleas! All the brown fur you see in their 'before' photo was due to their constant chewing. This was their fate for a LONG six months, until we were notified about their predicament. DVBR stepped in to rescue the pair. Bichon PAIRS can be a challenge to place, and ELDERLY bichons can be an additional challenge. Put those two challenges together, and you have a daunting task! Luckily, after spending some time in foster care, they were adopted by a wonderful family in Delaware. As you can see from their 'after' photo, they are definitely pampered pets now! As ALL bichons should be! Rober & Renny cost the rescue well over $1,000.00 before they were adopted. Their veterinary & grooming care were non-existent in their old home, so we had a LOT of 'catching up' to do before they could be adopted. They are yet another example of the importance of donations from the public! Please help us, so that we can continue to rescue dogs who may have had a very unfortunate life prior to coming into rescue.

Precious went from spending 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week, with NO access to shelter, food or water, at a row home in Philly....to a life in the lap of luxury! Along the road however, Precious required surgery, shot updates and various other veterinary care. The rescue spent about $600.00 on Precious and received an adoption fee of $200.00.

Wesley is no longer with us. He passed away as a result of cancer. Wesley had a nerve sheath tumor that would have required amputation of his leg, as well as part of his vertebral bone. He was in a significant amount of pain and the prognosis - even WITH surgery - was dismal. It was decided that it would be best for Wesley to die with dignity. The MRI that was necessary to diagnose Wesley's medical condition came with a price tag of $2,100.00. A special plea to the public was met by approximately $1,000.00 in donations. We are very thankful for the generosity of all those kind souls! Wesley was a dog we rescued from a Staten Island shelter about two years ago. Sadly, we had no idea how short his small life would be when he entered our lives.

Bianca is an 8 yr. old female bichon who needed bladder stone surgery. Her family contacted us because when it became evident she would need a SECOND surgery, they were not able to afford it. We agreed to help them, and provided them with financial assistance to address Bianca's medical needs. Upon completion, our contribution to Bianca's surgery came at a price tag of about $700.00. We thoroughly screened Bianca's family before providing this assistance to make sure they were providing her with a GOOD home. Sometimes it is in the best interest of the dog to STAY with his/her family, rather than being relinquished to rescue. This was one of those rare cases.

Stoli... When we took in this old man, he needed to have nearly EVERY tooth in his mouth pulled! Stoli had a rampant infection that had traveled thru his entire body - ALL originating from his rotten TEETH! He was actually bleeding when he urinated, but the vet said there was nothing wrong with him - other than a mouth full of bad teeth. Apparently his family did not believe in dental care! Stoli has been given a new lease on life. Since bichons often have a life span of 18-20 + yrs, Stoli's got lots of life left...and now he will be MUCH more comfortable during his golden years. He is yet another example of why public support is CRUCIAL to our rescue! We don't want to have to pick & choose only the HEALTHIEST dogs. That's not what rescue's all about.

Heidi was with us during the months of February & March, 2002. Heidi's story is heartbreaking. She was dumped by her first *family* at a local shelter. The shelter had very limited ability to vet their dogs, and Heidi was adopted by a family long before the extent of her medical problems was known. Shortly after this 2nd family had Heidi spayed, they noticed that anytime pressure was applied to her abdominal area - such as when they would pick her up to pet her, urine would leak out of her. After many trips to the vet Heidi was turned over to DVBR. What we had initially thought to be bladder stones turned out to be something else entirely. Heidi had bladder stones that went untreated for such an extensive period of time while she was with her FIRST family, that she had enormous amounts of scar tissue in her bladder. That scar tissue was blocking the exit of urine, so Heidi's bladder was ALWAYS filled to capacity and she was ALWAYS uncomfortable. We took Heidi to a specialist who performed surgery, hoping to clear away the scar tissue & give Heidi a 2nd chance at a normal life. Unfortunately, Heidi did not survive this long ordeal. Some may question the wisdom of going to such heroic lengths for ONE dog, but DVBR believes that rescue dogs should be treated the same as our own PERSONAL dogs. Heidi was a YOUNG dog and had a LOT of life left to live. She died very prematurely thru NO fault of ours. The blame for her short life can be laid squarely on the shoulders of her FIRST family. Heidi's medical bills climbed to about $1,800.00 before she died. She is a sad illustration of the fact that DVBR depends on the generosity of the public in order for us to keep doing the work we do!

Willie... His family contacted us when it became apparent to them that he would need a second bladder stone surgery. He had already had one surgery several years before, and was now in need of a second. The family could not afford it, and we took Willie into rescue. In addition to Willie's surgery, we had to work hard to stabilize the ph of his urine. Aside from needing a special diet, Willie ALSO had to take supplements to further stabilize his ph, and he had to drink ONLY distilled water. This three-step treatment plan was crucial to make certain that Willie's bladder stones did not return. The cost of Willie's veterinary care during his stay with us topped OVER $800.00. We received an adoption fee of $200.00 for Willie. He is now living happily with not one, but TWO doctors down in Virginia. They are CRAZY about Willie, and in addition, they have the resources to deal with his ongoing medical care! Willie is a lucky little guy!!

Sammy was one of FOUR dogs that DVBR took in, all from the same family in NYC. These dogs were victims of a divorce situation. All four dogs were in need of veterinary care when they arrived, but Sammy's needs were daunting. Sammy had cataracts which left him with severely impaired vision. In addition, Sammy had diabetes and required twice-daily injections of insulin to keep him happy and healthy. He ALSO needed to be kept on a special diet. After a couple of trips to the vet and a lengthy stay in foster care, we placed Sammy with a family in Marlton, NJ. Not only did they adopt Sammy, but they adopted one of Sammy's lifelong companions as well! Sammy and his brother Willie are happy little guys now & are the center of attention in their household! Although we spent a lot of time and money in order to address Sammy's medical needs, knowing he would need ongoing medical care for the remainder of his life, we didn't feel it was appropriate to ask his new family for an adoption fee. We knew they were taking on a big commitment by agreeing to provide Sammy a wonderful home for the remainder of his life, and we were grateful to them for letting him be reunited with his brother, Willie! Once again, Sammy illustrates the ongoing importance of DONATIONS if our rescue is to continue operating!