Bernie Up For Adoption In Thornton: 'Bold, Spunky' Chihuahua

THORNTON, CO — A chihuahua named Bernie is up for adoption in Thornton through the animal welfare organization RezDawg Rescue. The nonprofit rescues stray, feral and abandoned dogs who are struggling to survive on Native Reservations in the Four Corners Region. The rescued animals are then vaccinated, spayed/neutered, treated for any medical issues and placed into a foster home.

In Bernie's bio, RezDawg volunteer Jackie Vlcek wrote that he's "lots of personality in a compact little package."

"Bernie is bold, spunky, bonded to his people and protective of his turf. Bernie loves walks and going for rides in the car," Vlcek wrote. "His ideal home would be one with no other dogs, or possibly another small dog. He prefers adults to children and expects to be treated like the king that he is."

Bernie is currently being fostered in Thornton. For more information about how to adopt Bernie, visit RezDawg's partner website. You can also support dogs like Bernie through a donation, or by becoming a foster home.

(Stay up-to-date on Boulder news with Boulder Patch! There are many ways for you to connect and stay in touch: Free Newsletters and Email Alerts | Facebook)

Steven Sable, RezDawg Rescue's communications director, said many dogs and cats are in danger on reservations, and there are simply not enough resources to help those animals.

"Some of these animals have just horrific backstories," Sable said. "There was a dog named Jack not too long ago that came in that had a horribly broken hind leg, and when we x-rayed it we found out he also had shotgun pellets near his spine."

As RezDawgs has become better known on reservations, many are taking newborn puppies — that in some cases would've been left for dead — directly to volunteers at the organization's local clinics.

"We focus primarily on relieving the animals' suffering by taking them off the [reservations] and finding them loving homes, but we're also involved in ending the problem completely, so we do regular spay and neuter clinics," Sable said.

He said the clinics at the reservations are low cost, or in many cases, no cost.

Thanks to donors, foster homes and volunteers, RezDawgs rescued more than 1,600 animals last year.