Category: progress updates

Toby who loves playing with bricks

REHOMED

progress update: 12/02/2022

Hi Helen I wanted to give you an update on our dog Toby, we adopted from you about 7 years ago.
Poor Toby had, had a awful start and was scared of lots of things, I know you worried about us taking him on even though we had had rescue dogs before.
I must say it was touch and go at the beginning as he had many issues.
I want to thank you and I thank Toby every morning, he is the most wonderful dog and having his best life now.
We moved to West Wales to a smallholding with 9 acres, Toby considers himself guardian of all the other animals and checks on them including the cats, which he hasn’t lived with before.
He is very gentle, funny and well behaved.
Hopefully he will live to be a very old gent.
Big thanks again. X
Continue reading “Toby who loves playing with bricks”

Sam

Sam has now found a home !!

progress update: 02/12/2021

Sam has been having visits from a lady who does agility and over the last couple of weeks of daily visits has become friendly with her.
He has improved massively in the last few weeks with me being able to put a lead on and off him without fear.
Even progressing to letting her hold the lead while I walked alongside.
I decided that for him to continue to become more confident it was time for him to move to her house.
Understanding Collies well he has now become her best friend, loves her older Collie and even though still herding her husband has started to realise he is not a threat.
He will take more time to become a really confident dog but is in the best of hands to continue to do so in his new home.
In the future he will be doing Agility .

progress update: 02/11/2021

Sam is coming on well with me but has a long way to go yet. Today we tried walking him with Lianne with me taking the lead at the times when I knew he would need me to.
He did very well in the park with Lianne and with me out of sight, until he met a group of people with their dogs.
He is fearful of some men particularly those in dark clothes, and there were two very nice chaps walking their dogs in this group who were wearing black.
All too much for him and I spent time sitting with him and persuading him to walk on.
Once we got going again after a little while I gave the lead to Lianne again and he calmed down.
He looks for me all the time for reassurance and is reluctant when he knows I am not close by.
I can almost give him a proper hug now without him flinching at his neck area being touched.
One big step forward is that he let Lianne put his lead on.
This doesn’t sound much but it is where Sam is concerned.

progress update: 10/10/2021

It was D Day on Sunday when Sarah and I managed to get both a collar and harness on Sam. He had a couple of days getting used to the feel of it and today went out for his first walk. After a few minutes of chewing at the leads, he quickly found the dog news on the verges and lamp posts of far more interest. Did not react to the cars, a jogger or people walking past. We walked to the Rec and friendly and interested in all the dogs he met. Soon he was pulling on ahead in his excitement at all the new smells . No reaction at all as we walked past the men working on improvements at the Rec or the digger dragging it’s bucket across the pathway. I stood near the main road to see how well he would just wait and for 10 mins he waited patiently. We met a lady and her Chihuahua who greeted calmly . He was a little weary of the lady holding out her hand with a treat but previously to that he gently touched her hand with his nose.

So pleased with him. In the weeks he has been here he has grown in confidence with new people and just loves the dogs that have come and gone to new homes.

So, you have never had a dog, live in a flat with no garden and think it a good idea to have one. Which dog would be the most suitable ?? Oh, of course a very young working Collie from a Welsh farmer !!!
This is how Sam came to live in our area with a couple who then put him in a garage with no windows when they found him too much too handle…….. No wonder he was too much for them having come from a farm where more likely tethered as no interest in herding. Then finding himself in a town with noise, traffic, inside a house with a TV blaring etc etc and terrified of a being on a lead.

Luckily for Sam he was handed over and is now with me. After two days he would let me stroke him but not take the lead off, which he had on for a week, until unclipped from his collar. I still can’t put another lead on him but that will come in time. He is a lovely dog who just needs time and a Collie experienced home. He and Heidi got on straight away and Sam was so pleased to have dog company. She chewed his collar during their rough, young dog play and today I will try to get both a collar and lead on him. I understand why he doesn’t like the feel of it knowing that like other dogs in the past who were tied up or treated roughly he is frightened. He will come on in time and be a confident dog who likes walks . He is very loving and pleased to see the people he has become used to. It only takes a couple of days and he is jumping up to say “Hello “