My Mother was a Vet, and when I was a little girl, we took in a rescue Newfoundland named Brutus.

He was Enormous. (He was not ‘within the breed standard’ as my mother politely stated.)

And Brutus needed a home, because his current owner was unable to care for him.

So my Mom stepped up to the plate and said we’d take care of him.

He was large, and friendly, and worried about his new living situation.

Now instead of a Dad and living outside all of the time, he had a big lawn, a line from the porch to the shed, and three women of varying ages taking care of him. (Four, if you count Gramma, who was determined to win him over through the time-honored tradition of giving him bits of Meatloaf.)

At the age of 9, my first dog was 40 pounds heavier than I was, up to my chest, and enjoyed pulling. He had also never really been walked on a leash, or fed by hand before.

My mother was determined to teach us responsibility, patience, good Dog stewardship skills, and she was determined that she and her daughters would never live in fear of any dog, no matter what their size or temper. (She didn’t know it, but she had turned both of her daughters into Dog People from the Let’s Go!)   We were lucky in one sense..Brutus was just full of love. In another sense we had our work cut out for us because Brutus was also full of pulling-power! It took over a year for him to learn to walk on a loose leash, and to not take our hand off when we fed him. And it was so worth it! He was a super-dog pal, and the best friend a little girl could ever have.

After Brutus, I’ve always had a big heart for big dogs.

So I’ll tell you right now: if you have a big rescue dog and you need help, I’ll cut you a serious discount.

Because big dogs need homes.

Large dogs don’t get rescued nearly enough because people mistakenly think they can’t handle a big dog

…and nothing could be further from the truth.

Later on in life, my large rescue dog Charlie (Rhodesian and Chow mix) taught me how to give love to a dog who simply never had anything good happen to him until he was rescued by a Samaritan. Charlie had fear issues. He was aggressive towards anything that moved, and yes, a few of my friends were scared when they met him. But with gentle leadership and patience, he became a well-behaved dog, and lost his fear along the way! I was able to take him wherever I roamed, and I knew that he would be good.

I’d like you and yours to feel the same way about your canine companions.

It was Charlie who taught me so much – and it is for dogs like him and Brutus that I do this work.

There are dogs out there that deserve a second chance, and there are owners out there who can’t afford a trainer.

Do you know anyone like that?  Are you someone like that?

Is there someone out there who wishes they could find a trainer to help them out a bit, but they don’t have the resources except to go from week-to-week with food and treats and flea stuff and heart-guard?

If you do know someone like that, my sister and I have set up the Catherine Murray Scholarship for Larger Rescued Dogs. (Better known as The Charlie and Brutus Fund)

This is available to 4 families every season: Spring, Summer, Winter & Fall.

Send a link to this page to your friend who needs help, and have them contact me!