Mad Pup

Gosh can't believe how much big boy Tolley has changed since he was last here. He is growing more and more confident by the day and is becoming a very loving and loyal young boy. He is definitely a mummys boy and looks at me with the most loving eyes at times. Tolley has clearly had a very isolated past. On walks he is scared of traffic and groups of people, in the house he is scared of many electronics and household items: Hairdryer, straighteners, vacuum, duster, chargers.... just to name a few. Its awful seeing him like this and it does make it difficult to do everyday chores as he is so petrified he will go to attack them and if not kept an eye on he could end up causing some serious damage to himself. This is something I am going to discuss with our behaviourist and hopefully there will be a solution, I'm thinking it will involve desensitising him to the objects but this could take a long time. Tolley is improving on walks and now only stops occasionally in fear from cars but with a few treats in my hand and a "Good Boy!" he knows to carry on and that them words mean he gets a treat! He caught this on in a day so I am very impressed and proud of him so we will definitely get somewhere with him... I don't care how long it takes! 

Other than that Tolley is just a mischievous pup, he loves chewing things, especially whats not his... i.e shoes haha. Think some more toys are needed for this big man, donations appreciated ;). His favourite trick is to pull out the dog bed into the middle of the floor and mess it up which does end up quite messy as the bed consists of the bed itself, a pillow, a blanket and a duvet (yes they are spoilt). Overall anything soft he loves and he doesn't understand that not all toys are his! I do love him though, especially when he looks up with his big mischievous grin. I can't help but smile as I know how nervous he can be and he is really coming out of his shell. 

Tolley is going to be undergoing tests at the vets due to having an odd gait and possible hip problems. This could end up in two ways, either no walks and just mental stimulation, or a gradual exercise plan to build up his muscles. This will obviously determine what type of home we are looking for, for him. Whereever he goes though the owner must be prepared to work with him and be rewarded with plenty of love. Tolley absolutely loves the girls but does get too excitable at times and does bark if he wants to play and they don't so he really does need a home with a very playful dog who will give him confidence when out and about and allow him to reach his full potential. 

I think that is all about Tolley, I will post some pictures up at some point, I still need to get some new ones but since he is barely still it is hard. Anyway just a bit of an update on my life (boring part so please feel free to stop reading now), as you may be aware I am currently studying for a HND in Animal Management, after talking with a behaviourist and Kathy I am now looking into studying canine behaviour in hopes of being a  dog behaviourist in the future. Anyway I'll keep you all updated on that as I progress and hopefully being part of the rescue will help me build my own little business up in the future... its a bit of a dreamlife away but we can only dream. 

One last post a friend of mine and a lady who adopted a very special dog earlier this year is currently in the process of releasing a book about pet bereavement and will also be doing seminars around the UK so I will help in promoting this as she rescued our old girl Mabel who we thought would take ages to rehome and is a very special and inspirational woman! So watch this space I will keep updating when it is properly released but if you would be interested in pre-ordering one let me know and I'll pass you onto her :) Oh and I'm getting a copy of this book so expect a review on here ;) 

Lucy, Tolley, Tinks and Sal x 

Dog Swap

Now before I actually start I would like to say that this does not normally happen in fostering and in this case has been of no problem to either of the dogs. 

I can't remember if I said in my last post but due to the school holidays coming around we were having Tolley for the week next week. Unfortunately Tolley has managed to get through the fence at his fosters house trying to get to their neighbours dog so we have decided to get Tolley early. Now Pippa is great with most dogs but I think the size of Tolley unnerved her a bit and she was very nervous with him around. We decided it was the fairest thing for her to go to Tolleys old foster as she is great with kids and will be good with the five year old grandaugher visiting. Now Pippa loves everyone so didn't care about being moved and Tolley has stayed here before and was scratching at our gate when he realised he was coming to our house! Now we don't have to keep worrying about having Tolley when the grandaughter is over as he is now staying here as our foster. I have told you about Tolley before but I best add a bit about him. 

Tolley is an 18 month old full border collie, he is a lovely dog but very very nervous and highly strung! He is so scared of everything but is getting better with people he knows. He has been so confident here as he obviously remembers it from last time. I find it very hard describing dogs I hardly know so I will just copy his profile from the website.:

Tolley needs a mature, calm, quiet home with Collie experience where he will be used for Obedience work or Working Trials as he is so intelligent.  THIS IS NOT A FAMILY PET HE NEEDS A JOB TO DO.

Tolley is a super tricolour Pedigree Border Collie aged 16 months who has been brought up from a pup with children.

This is a fantastic dog for the experienced Collie lover, he is a very loyal and affectionate boy who just needs some sympathy and understanding.  He is only young and is immature for his age so he has all the time and ability to improve in the right hands.

Tolley needs a very patient owner who will allow him time to grow and mature because prior to coming into rescue he had very limited experience and lived a sheltered life without much exercise.

Tolley is a nervous, highly strung dog who needs calm, confident handling in an environment with a lot of patience and love.  If he gets over stimulated he fails to make the right decisions about situations and his behaviour becomes erratic.  This will cease as he matures in confidence and experience.  As part of his nervousness he is anxious about cars and strangers he passes in the street.  When out and about he is on high alert at all times and cannot relax.

He is still mouthing as if teething, and humping people's leg - these are both behaviours that indicate a highly strung, nervous dog.  He needs to be treated fairly and with kindness and rewarded for good behaviour.  He cannot tolerate being bossed around in a dominant way as he is very sensitive.  Full family commitment is needed to owning a dog so please check everyone wants a dog

 He is extremely affectionate and kind.  Due to the previous owner not giving him enough exercise and leaving him alone he is now anxious about being left.  He would be OK rehomed with another kind dog (s) who will play with him.

Tolley needs 3 hours each day to be devoted to him by a knowledgeable owner who will give him  attention, training and exercise.  Apart from that he needs peace and quiet in a low stimulation environment with quiet human or dog companionship.  FOR THIS REASON HE WOULD NOT SUIT A HOME WITH THE NOISE AND CHAOS OF CHILDREN.

He lives inside the house most of the time but enjoys many hours in a safely fenced and locked garden with access to the house for shelter. (note there are a huge number of dogs stolen from gardens so security is paramount as these often end up in dog fighting rings)

Tolley needs a big, well fenced garden as he loves to be outside.

All the usual collie stuff - this dog wants to please so is very trainable and learns quickly.

Would suit Obedience.  He is too nervous for flyball or agility, that would blow his mind

Tolley is dog friendly and has lived with another dog.  House trained, nervous of strangers outside the house and traffic so he needs a patient, calm, confident handler. 

Tolley is  CAT FRIENDLY he ignores cats and has lived with a cat.  We will only rehome him where the cat is very calm and confident with dogs and the owner prepared to work to introduce the animals properly and be very patient.

Tolley pulls on the lead so strong, fit owners needed, he travels well in the car.

This dog could live outside as he loves being outside in the garden.

So thats Tolley, overall hes a great dog but does need a very experienced owner, preferably with collies. Now due to an odd gait of his back legs Tolley is due to the vets tomorrow and we are going with a behaviourist who is working to help us with Tolley.

Now before I go I must add a bit about Pippa, in the 2 weeks she has been with us I have fallen  for her and cried today giving her over, even though it is only down the road and I'm sure she will be happy there. Today Pippa came to work with me and stood outside attracting everyones attention and cuddling our dressed up big dog along with any people that came by, including children of all ages. She does need to learn to calm down around children and not jump up but other than that I can't fault her. I really do love her and I will continue posting how she is doing as she is nearby and I will insist in being responsible with rehoming her! 

Lucy, Tinks, Sally and Tolley x

Not Much to Add

So seen as I haven't posted in a while thought I'd do a quick post now. Not going to lie I've been feeling really rubbish and drained and at the moment I just want to sleep haha. 

So Pippa is still here and as settled as ever. I can't add much more about this perfect dog that I haven't told her already. She is just a typical young girl with a mischievous attitude. She is a real scavenger and eats just about everything she can so things can't be left out on our kitchen sides. Its resulted in a bit of an upset tummy due to her eating one and a half tubs of butter... not at once thankfully but she is one silly girl. With a couple of days being fed rice though she was fine and I'm pretty sure she would do it again if she could! We are in the process of gradually upping her food so hopefully that will stop her scavenging behaviours.

Really don't think there is much more to add but my brain is so fuzzy at the moment even typing this is not making much sense to me. So I will leave you with that and keep everyone updated. 

Lucy, Pippa, Tinks and Sal x

Pippa Off Lead

Can't really add much about Pippa, I still feel she is the perfect dog. Today we all went to the fields where she had a good run with Tinks and was brilliant. She really does have brilliant recall and even when she went to chase a magpie after a quick whistle and shout she bolted back over to me with a big smile on her face. We did encounter one person and although I thought Pippa may jump up at her she didn't, she just stood by to say Hello. So all I can do is add more photos and another video.

2 Months Later and Oscar is Gone!

Thats right, Oscar was rehomed to the farmer and his family! They all loved him and he will be a well loved member of the family, and he will fit in nicely with the daschund pup. Oscar was clearly overwhelmed that people had come to see him so pounded all over them, nibbled their hands until they were red and the words at the end of the viewing "We'll have him" really did make me smile. Oscar will spend the rest of his days out every day working on the farm, a dream life for any dog I'm sure. Can't explain how happy I am for the little man. He is a very special dog and deserved the very special home he got. His new owner has said that he has settled in good and is getting along with the pup so I am now at peace knowing he is happy. 

So now I want to introduce Pippa. Pippa is a 15month old Springer Spaniel x Pointer and is beautiful. She is in rescue through no fault of her own and has no issues! She is good with children as has lived with a 2 year old, good with dogs, good recall, easily trainable, housetrained, can be left for a couple of hours without destroying anything and she loves everyone! She is really anyones dog. I can't even describe her as she is too perfect. She is just an all round lovely dog. She has settled in here just fine and has made friends with Tinks quite easily, she hasn't even retaliated to Tinks first meeting snapping or old Sallys growling. I really am impressed with her. As she is still young she is full of life and has a lot of energy to burn but as she is good off lead a good run twice a day will be fine for her. She loves her walks and although she does pull at first she does settle down and walks nice on a gentlelead (a head type collar). I think all I can do now is leave you with pictures and a video so you can see the beauty yourself! I do need some better pictures as it was hard to keep her still today but I'll get them at some point this week. 

 

Waiting for a Viewing

So we are still waiting on a viewing for the person who applied interest in Oscar. He is a farmer who has recently lost his terrier and is wanting a young, energetic terrier to take out with him when hes at work. He has a 13 week old Daschund and should be able to give Oscar everything he needs but this is definitely one that is relying on the viewing to see what they think of him. Hopefully it will go well and if they really love him he will be going as all necessary checks have been done and he seems the right person for Oscar. Obviously it all depends on how the viewing goes. Fingers crossed it will be soon though, the person is hoping to come tomorrow so lets hope for the best! 

Oh and if anyone would be interested in buying a raffle ticket with all money going to West Yorkshire Dog Rescue and if you are local to Huddersfield let me know. £1 a ticket and some brilliant prizes :) 

Thats all for now, I currently have little parrot boy asleep on my shoulder with his little leg around my body... I do love this sweet boy and will miss him when he eventually finds his forever home 

Lucy, Tinks, Sally and Oscar xx

Playful Oscar

Thought I would share this of Oscar playing with our Kong Wobbler yesterday. I don't think he understood the concept to be honest and was just trying to lick them out of the hole but it is funny to watch. Hopefully Ozzy will be having a viewing over the next few days so everyone keep their fingers crossed for our lovely cheeky man.

I'll end with a funny Oscar story: 
Today when we'd come home from the supermarket we'd left the bags in the room as per usual while we unpacked them. I was just taking some bits into the kitchen and came back to Oscar helping himself to some Naan breads... We still have half of each of them left for tea tomorrow. Just had to laugh at him though, he is so cheeky and will do anything for food! 

Lucy, Tinks, Sally and Oscar x

Cheeky Little Boy

Don't feel like I've spoken enough about our lovely Oscar recently. So today I thought I'd spread a few little random bits of information about him: 

• Oscar loves following you around the house, specifically when your in the bath. Oscar will stand on the bath tub and eat all the bubbles... probably not too healthy for him but it is funny to see him with bubbles around his head
• Oscar is such a snuggly boy. At night Oscar will curl up in bed and not move all night
• Oscar and Tinks... match made in heaven. Together they are absolutely nuts and can run around with each other for ages, both with big grins on there lips.
• He loves food! So much that now we have started just feeding him once a day he will look in the kitchen with sad eyes all morning as if asking for his breakfast. 

Oscar is Oscar... hes the most unique dog with such an individual, crazy personality... he really is amazing. If you can look past the first meeting of the crazy boy leaping all over you and nibbling at you in excitement and realise at heart he is a big softy then you will love him! On first meeting him you see a dog that you wouldn't believe could be controlled but when you've lived with him so long you realise he just loves to lay down on the sofa with you on the evening for  a cuddle. If hes not walked in the morning Oscar does tend to be all over during the day but after a walk he will happily curl up for a while. Overall I do love Oscar, at first I didn't feel any particular bond to him but now our bond is growing and he is currently looking at me with his big loving eyes, wagging his tail at 100mph... this boy will really make the perfect family pet.

We do have another person interested in Oscar but we are awaiting a homecheck and need to find a little more information out before we can sort a definite viewing. The home sounds perfect for a dog like Oscar but theres just a couple of things we need to iron out as Oscar does need the perfect home. 

Tolley has now gone back to his original foster. During his time with us I learnt a lot about collies. Tolley in particular is a very much outside dog, he would not suit a family home, rather a small holding where he will have run all day. I've learnt that boys will be boys and in the house both boys were dominant in the house, leading to problems... oh and never try separate dogs in the wrong way as you will get hurt! People tend to get bit for a reason and I am a strong believer for that, so when I got nipped trying to keep the boys apart it was my own fault for getting in the middle of them both. One day I will learn, its not the first time that has happened and doubt it will be the last but I am learning... I just care more for the dogs than I do myself haha! Now I will leave with some pictures of Oscar and Tinks cuddling at night! If I leave the room, Oscar will tend to go up and curl next to her, which is so cute to see! Sorry for the quality... my phone doesn't really like the dark 

And one other note for life in general.... just smile!