A dog’s

By Jade Lawton
The gentle giant was skin and bone, weighing less than 30 kilograms, when Bunyip resident Christine Bride rescued him in May.
The four-and-a-half year old Shepherd’s ordeal began last November, when his owner died and he and his sister were sent to a pound in the Hunter Valley, NSW.
Baron’s sister was adopted out immediately, but he was stuck in the pound for another two months before he was adopted – only to be returned within three weeks.
“That is normally instant euthanasia, but because he is so lovely the staff gave him extra time. But come May his (extended) time had run out,” Mrs Bride said.
The staff managed to send Baron to a woman who re-homed German Shepherd’s.
Mrs Bride had already been in contact with the woman and Baron was sent down on dog transport and arrived at his new home on 7 May.
“She emailed me a picture of him and I couldn’t get past his eyes, he just looked so lost,” she said.
“Then when he arrived you could see every rib and his hip bones like two mountains. His glands were up, he had infected ears and he had to go on antibiotics straight away.”
Mrs Bride investigated Baron’s past and discovered he had an impressive pedigree, with a champion German Shepherd for a father and German grandparents.
She also discovered he was an ‘atopic’ dog, allergic to a variety of everyday irritants like pollen and ants and needed his own special – and expensive – vaccine.
Baron has put on weight and Mrs Bride describes him as a ‘beautiful dog.’
“It’s funny you know, with the dogs you rescue I think they know. I’ve had some from puppies, but I think the dogs you rescue just understand,” she said.
Mrs Bride has rescued other German Shepherds in the past and said she wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.
Her compassion for animals also extends to birds. She has raised several sparrows and is currently hand-rearing a dove that fell out of its nest during the recent storms.
“I would recommend the Save-A-Dog Scheme and petrescue.com.au, they are brilliant. You know you are giving a dog that would otherwise be put down a home,” she said.