Welcome to our "Happy Tails" page! While nearly ALL our "tails" are happy, some of our dogs have exceptionally touching stories. They came to rescue under special circumstances and we are particularly proud of how well their lives turned out! This page is dedicated to those special dogs.

We want to take a moment to offer our enormous gratitude to the special families who have adopted these dogs. Many people who contact rescue are REALLY looking for a perfect, INEXPENSIVE dog. Others however, understand what rescue is all about. They truly want to RESCUE an unfortunate bichon who has had a rough start in life. They share our commitment to rescue & are willing to make the necessary sacrifices for their new friend! We are truly grateful that such special families exist. They make our job a little easier.

Please check back often as we plan to add dogs periodically. These are not ALL our special stories! Click here to read about some of our very special FAMILIES (who aren't camera shy!)

Corey was rescued from a Lancaster puppy mill. He had spent the first four years of his life caged in a barn 24/7. He was terrified of everything. He spent two months with us at the rescue, and then was placed in a WONDERFUL home where he has a brother Zak (also a bichon), a kitty friend, and a BIRD too!

Corey is living with a fellow rescuer who understands the obstacles facing a dog who has had such a rough start in life. Corey is blossoming everyday! To look at him now, one would never be able to imagine the deplorable condition he came to us in!

Lily was a backyard breeder dog. She was caged until 8 yrs. of age, when she had worn out her usefulness. Then she was dumped at a local shelter. We stepped in to rescue her from certain death. Most folks don't want to adopt 8 y/o dogs afraid of their own shadow.

After ONE LONG YEAR of foster care & rehabilitation, Lily is established in her wonderful new home with her bichon-brother Lincoln. Lily has TWO homes now - one in Easton, PA, and a second home at the Jersey shore! She's come a long way!!

Bet you're wondering what Nicki is doing on the bichon rescue website! Well...every now & then we are asked to place a dog that is NOT a bichon. Nicki is one of those dogs. She is a chow-shepherd mix. Her owner worked LONG hours, had NO backyard, and realized Nicki deserved better. He asked us to assist him in locating a home for Nicki and that's just what we did. Nicki now lives in Huntingdon Valley, PA. She gets two walks a day, lives with a school teacher who comes home everyday at lunchtime to play with Nicki, and has summers off! Nicki couldn't be happier!

Freud (now known as Sammy) came to DVBR on 4th of July weekend, 2001. When we arrived at Freud's home to pick him up, we were shocked by what we saw. The home where poor little Freud lived was a filthy, disgusting mess. Freud was banished to a dark room in the home, languishing away, all alone, in his crate. We would not be surprised if Freud had NEVER been groomed, because the stink was UNBEARABLE!!! It took us about 4 or 5 hours to get Freud to the condition you see on his BEFORE photo. At one point during his grooming, we feared we would actually cut off a body part! The fur around his penis was SO matted that urine just collected there...it had nowhere to go. Slowly and carefully, we shaved Freud down completely, and he was looking fairly good, except for the brown fur that covered half his face! This was actually tear staining, probably due to the fact that he had never been groomed! The staining had never been taken care of, and consequently, had gotten worse and worse, until he looked like a brown dog!

When we spoke to Freud's former *family* they stated that they would like a "pretty dog" and that Freud was ugly, and always would be. No amount of grooming or TLC would make Freud an attractive dog. These were the words of his former family. As you can see from his post-adoption photo, NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!!! Freud - now Sammy - is a beautiful little boy who now shares his life with his bichon-brother, DJ. He is dearly loved now, and it shows!

Jessie came to DVBR in July of 2002. Her family contacted us about her because Jessie was suffering from an obsessive-compulsive disorder. She was chewing her tail incessantly. Nothing they did would stop her. It MAY have started as a behavior associated with stress, because Jessie was crated nearly constantly. Boredom was probably the initial cause. However, by the time we got her, it had become an ingrained behavior. Jessie's foster family worked with her for an extended period of time in an attempt to teach her alternative behaviors. In addition, she was given TONS of stimulation and was NEVER crated. After awhile, Jessie was ready for adoption. Jessie is a happy little girl these days, living with her new family up in Massachusetts. She NEVER bites her tail anymore and is an important, valued member of the family! Jessie's FIRST family was on the verge of having her put to sleep when they contacted us. Jessie is a great illustration of the fact that with proper care, nutrition, grooming and love, there is hope for ALL dogs! We are so glad they called US, instead of calling the vet to have her put to sleep! Jessie's story is truly a happy *tail*!

Joey had been living in a fairly nice home. However, when the woman in that home got herself a new boyfriend, life for Joey changed dramatically. The new boyfriend didn't like Joey walking on the floors in the house. They were hardwood, and Joey had nails that this new boyfriend thought would scratch the lovely floor. So...Joey was left in the basement. So that he wouldn't get into trouble, he was chained to a pole. Maybe 3 or 4 times a day, Joey got to leave the basement to go outside to the bathroom. This was the ONLY interaction he had with his family. If Joey was reluctant to go BACK to the dungeon after he went potty, the boyfriend would kick him down the basement steps. When we took Joey into rescue, he had already recuperated from TWO BROKEN LEGS....undoubtedly resulting from his frequent kickings, and falls down the basement stairs. Joey is a sweet little boy who is a typical bichon...fun-loving and affectionate! He is now living with one of our most trusted volunteer families who had initially planned to foster Joey until a suitable home could be found. After hearing about Joey's misfortune - and meeting this free-spirited little boy - they simply could not part with him! Joey now has three other bichon brothers that he gets to play with all day long...and he has a doggy door...so he can go in or out anytime he pleases! Joey lives in Warminster, PA.

Scooter (formerly known as Gabe) has a very unique story. We don't actually know much about Scooter's background. We were contacted by a woman in Philadelphia who had FOUND Scooter - then known as "Gabe" - wandering around as a stray in her backyard. It was obvious he had been on the street for some time. He was filthy and matted. He DID have a tag - but amazingly - it was impossible to locate his family using the information on that tag! Interestingly, Scooter picked a GREAT home, because this Philadelphia woman's full-time job, coincidentally, was working with the homeless population in the city! (human...not canine) Due to her extensive background working with homeless HUMANS, she knew just how to locate a place that could assist Scooter. She called us, and a short time later Scooter was in foster care. Scooter now leads a life of leisure in Warminster, PA and is a budding therapy dog.

Sugar's family obviously didn't care much about what happened to her. When they moved away, they abandoned Sugar. They left her in a local park and she took up residence under a park bench. That's where she stayed until a good samaritan took notice of her. That person took her in temporarily, then called us. When Sugar came to DVBR she was TERRIFIED of men. Slowly but surely, she has gotten over her fear. She is now an outgoing, friendly, affectionate little girl living with her former foster mom in Cinnaminson, NJ!

Phoebe (the bichon) and her sister Peony came to DVBR in January 2002. The two girls had spent their entire lives in the home of a single Philadelphia woman. One day, while on her way to a party, that woman had a massive heart attack and died. Her family was left to make arrangements for her pets. Unfortunately, the family did not know WHAT to do with them at first, and poor Phoebe and Peony spent over a month living in their former home all alone, with neighbors coming in twice a day to feed them, but NO other human companionship! When the two girls arrived at their foster home, Phoebe (THE BICHON) weighed in at a mind-boggling 35 lbs. For a tiny little bichon with legs only about 3 inches long, that was a LOT of excess weight! Poor little Phoebe couldn't do much. She couldn't get up on the furniture because she was so fat...her belly dragged on the ground and she looked like a pot-bellied pig!

After six months in foster care, Phoebe was down to a nearly-svelt 22 pounds! That was an AMAZING accomplishment! She looked like a normal bichon! Unfortunately, Phoebe & her sister Peony were adopted three times, but all three times they were returned by their adopters because Peony (the terrier) has some issues with men. She's terrified of them! Finally, after the third try, we split the girls up. Phoebe now has a NEW brother and is living up in Massachusetts with a wonderful new family. Peony is ALSO a very lucky little girl - because SHE gets to live right where she started - in her foster home at the rescue! Both girls are very happy with their new families.

Oakley was 6 yrs. old back in July of 2001 when his family decided they MUST have a new puppy! They quickly shuffled Oakley off to the vet's office to be put to sleep. Luckily for Oakley, the vet was having NONE of that nonsense! He called DVBR and we went immediately to get Oakley. Oakley was supposedly dog-aggressive, and of course, we ALL have dogs...so we scrambled and looked over our waiting list of potential applicants to see who might be willing to adopt Oakley IMMEDIATELY! A great family from PA stepped forward to accept Oakley into their home, and Oakley has lived happily ever after since then!

Bailey is a very recent addition to our adoption family! She was abandoned by her former *family* at a shopping area/farmer's market in the South Jersey region. Some good samaritans took her home temporarily until they could locate a rescue who would take her in. Not long after they brought her home, the REASON she was abandoned became evident. Bailey had bladder stones and required EMERGENCY surgery to address her medical needs. Amazingly, these good samaritans gave the okay for Bailey's surgery, and paid most of the bill themselves! After Bailey had recuperated for a couple of weeks, her temporary family contacted bichon rescue and we took Bailey into foster care. Shortly after, Bailey was adopted by the Slotterback family of Haddon Heights, New Jersey. Bailey embarked on her new life with the Slotterbacks the day before Easter, 2003. It seems her being abandoned was truly a blessing in disguise!