Bertha, 170-pound mastiff from area shelter, is now at new home
By Noel Brennan
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CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — A 170-pound mastiff who spent nine months at a north suburban shelter is now in her brand-new home.
It took a little bit of help from a couple of social media influencers.
For nearly a year, the dog, named Bertha, went overlooked at a shelter in Northbrook, Illinois. Potential adopters thought she was either too big or too old.
But now, she has made her trip more than 2,000 miles to Oregon.
CBS News Chicago first met the 7-year-old mastiff at Border Tails Rescue in Northbrook last week.
“She was a breeding dog in a puppy mill, and so she came to us after being kept in a cage her whole life,” said Border Tails founder Harleigh Garcia.
The shelter had trouble finding Bertha a home until a dog-loving social media duo — Eric Noxon and Joey Masloski — stepped in to help. They go by Eric & Joey on Instagram and TikTok.
“We travel around the United States. We run with shelter dogs,” said Masloski. “We get them groomed, post them on social media. We get them adopted.”
Eric and Joey posted videos about Bertha, which April Gaudenti watched from home all the way out in the country in Oregon, east of Eugene.
“I cried. I’m not a crier,” Gaudenti said. “So I saw her and, you know, they were talking to her and telling her story, and I just started crying.”
Bertha seemed a perfect fit — just a little far away. So the dog hitched a ride with Eric and Joey.
When asked if they had any pointers for traveling cross-country with a 170-pound dog, Eric and Joey both advised keeping the windows rolled down.
They were on the road for three long days — 33 total hours of driving time. Bertha, a canine known as an unmovable mountain, made it to the mountains. And Gaudenti sent a video of Bertha enjoying her Oregon grass.
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