Daisy Goes To The Seaside Whilst Dande Goes Shopping.....

Carrying on in the series of ‘Practical Days,’ yesterday it was Daisy’s turn for a trip to the seaside. Another stray with no history, we stopped her being destroyed in a local pound for allegedly being aggressive.

In all the time we have had her she has been superb, apart from her tendency to want to grab the lead as you enter her kennel. Yesterday was a perfect opportunity to see if that behaviour was caused by being stressed in the kennel environment or something deeper rooted.

Jumping into the back of the Defender herself, she never looked at the lead the whole time, in fact I’d go as far as saying she was perfect.

She loved all the smells and sights and was far more affectionate than I thought she would be, always offering cuddles and giving kisses, whether you wanted them or not.

It was fantastic watching her play with a random balloon that had found its way to the waters edge. She was so gentle and tried hard not to burst it, there was such a look of disappointment on her face when the inevitable happened.

She happily passed people and even a group of children who were doing some kind of activity digging the sand and running up and down the dunes. Not once did she react.

If she saw another dog, she was interested but by no means aggressive and even when a group of three Collies went by barking at her, she still was just curious. That incident took her focus away slightly, so we had our own jaunt through the sand dunes, which I think she enjoyed even more ploughing up and down the hills and through the grasses.

From what we saw, there was nothing to say that Daisy could not adapt to life in a home, as long as the people were experienced in American Bulldogs. I think she longs for that ‘closeness’ of someone and would be a great fun dog to have around.

You can see how much fun she had in this video, and if you would like to express an interest in Daisy email foreverfoster@shak.org.uk

 

Having been such a superstar with Nima a couple of weeks ago on a trip to the beach, I wanted to see how Dande would cope in a slightly busier more formal atmosphere.

He was still a little scared of getting into the Land Rover and continued his 100% record of travel sickness, but once we arrived at the small retail park he was in his element. By chance we bumped into SHAK volunteers Jax and Darron, and the little man was delighted to see familiar faces.

A trip to Pets at Home followed, where he made a new four legged friend and loved exploring all the isles, even if they weren’t specified for dogs! Eventually he settled on a squeaky cup cake as being the best item in store, which Rachel bought him as a souvenir.

He really did us proud, reacting once to a dog in a situation between isles where he perhaps felt a little bit trapped in, but that was complimented by being great with every person he met.

I think he was exhausted going home, even after just half an hour being out and about, but he had taken in so much and encountered so many new things. It is great seeing him progress.

 

 

Two Amazing Boys Go To The Seaside And Show Us So Much......

Today was ‘Practical Day 2’ and unlike the last fantastic day we shared with Casper and Dande, the sun decided not to join to us. Instead of the beautiful blue skies and red hot sunshine, we were accompanied by miserable grey skies and a drizzle that just showed no letting up. It didn’t stop us having an equally amazing experience with two incredible boys.

Both of the boys Rachel and I took out to assess today, have been let down by people. They have been written off and whilst they aren’t overlooked at the kennels, they get at least two walks like all the other dogs, but their quaint little ways mean that not everyone can walk them. Cheech especially lives in a very small world, that in turn made me determined to broaden that horizon today.

Rocco’s bubble is bigger, but only because of the training dummy he carries like Casper. He was booked into be destroyed at six months old and has been in rescue ever since.

Today we started with Cheech. The plan was just to get him to the beach and let him soak it all in, literally. My original plan (more on that later) was to take some different dogs out, so in my van was Nima, Sky and Sam. All really sociable and all great dogs to introduce others to company.

Putting Cheech in the crate in the van, Nima was immediately across to see him. His reaction was perfect, a little kiss through the bars. He travelled the whole fifteen minute journey in the crate with the other three loose around him. Not once did he complain. It gave me confidence that he was going to cope with the world he was about to discover.

On arriving at the beach, we decided that maybe bringing another dog may just be a little too much for him as we wanted the trip out to be completely about him. So, we set off and he pulled straight to the sea. You can see the result right at the start of todays video. On the beach less than a minute and the sea was over the top of our wellies, but we couldn’t stop laughing.

Cheech was amazing after that, sniffing and exploring everywhere. He was fascinated by the seaweed, I think he sniffed nearly every piece on the beach, which we had pretty much to ourselves.

One lady approached us; this is the first big test I thought. I shouldn’t have worried; he saw her and then quietly took himself off to as far away from her as his lead would allow. No drama, no chaos, just adjusted his course and carried on looking for things to explore.

At one point I got a call of our vet Emily and I had to stay in an area where I got reception. Cheech ploughed on, digging around the rock pools, he didn’t realise I wasn’t there. I set out to catch up, then he noticed me approach. Well, see for yourself in the video.

When we eventually turned around to head back, another lady approached with two Retriever’s off lead. Cheech clearly saw them approaching so I deliberately stood behind him and followed his steps one by one. As the contour of the beach changed, he couldn’t see them because of a rise in the sand. I nudged Rachel to watch his movement, discreetly and so quietly that you wouldn’t have noticed, Cheech made his way to the other side of Rachel, again stretching the lead to the limit. Afterwards, I explained what I had done. The fact that I had deliberately marked out where his path was going and compared it to where he was now striding ahead. Even though he couldn’t see the woman or the dogs, he had made sure he was safe.

Just as we were about to turn off the beach and trek through the sand dunes another lady appeared with a black Labrador that was off lead and a little boisterous. He ran straight up to Cheech, stopping about five feet away. I cringed thinking “here we go” but our little Staffy just froze before taking sanctuary behind Rachel. Incredible to see and a really heart-warming moment.

Back at the van the others were pleased to see him and I think that he was pleased to see them too.

That’s when the day took a worrying turn. Whilst doing a fifty three point turn to turn around down a narrow country road, it turns out that the connection from the gearstick to the gearbox had broken. A trek back up to a point where I was able to get signal to call the AA was well worth it, as the yellow van was there within the hour and he was able to make  a temporary fix which allowed me to complete my intricate manoeuvre and then make the twenty one mile drive back to my local garage.

Determined not to lose such valuable time or begrudge a dog some valuable time at the kennels, we quickly went to my house first and picked up the Defender. Dropping Sky and Sam, then the van off, we put Cheech in the back, Nima in the front and headed back to the kennels, after a brief but beautiful meeting after each other didn’t realise the other was so close.

The dogs I’d originally planned to take out would maybe not take to being lifted into a higher vehicle too well, so instead I suggested Rocco. I will take this opportunity to remind him how he was when I went to collect him.

Rocco has always been great with other dogs, but he instantly loved Nima. Getting them straight out together, it was reminiscent of Dande last time out and beautiful to see.

For maybes the first twenty minutes of his walk, Rocco checked she was ok, then Rachel, then me, at which point he would loop around behind me before striding out ahead. The only breed of dog I have ever witnessed ‘count’ so well is a German Shepherd, but Rocco was amazing. He had a job to do and great scenery to take in NOT ONCE did he look for or ask for his dummy which was hidden in the safety of Rachel’s waterproof coat.

Anyone who has walked Rocco will tell you that if you stand still for too long on a walk he will react. That usually means he will drop his dummy and try and grab the lead. Such is his power and determination that it then becomes very difficult to try and get him to let go. You can see me deliberately standing still in the video, you can also see his reaction.

Throughout his walk Rocco was looking after us. I tried walking him in several positions in our group. He always wanted to be on the outside, whether it be on my left side or my right depending which direction we were heading. He was such a different dog and so intelligent. I feel today that I have seen a side of him that would make him an amazing companion for somebody.

See for yourself how amazing they both did.

These ‘Practical Days’ are a bold step but already I have learnt so much with the help of Rachel and Nima. I am so proud of all four boys that we had out, and of my two girls for assisting. It has made me think about all four of them differently and I will do everything I can to try and help them find happiness.

This is not a direct appeal for homes, the state the country is in right now means that we wouldn’t move a dog on at the moment anyway but thinking about these two very special, but amazing boys has opened my eyes. If you have experience of Staffordshire Bull Terriers and are up for a challenge, I’d be interested in hearing from you. These boys have suffered so much, that maybe today was the best days of their lives. I will never know for sure, but I’d like to think that they could have many more to come.

(If you do know the breed and would like to introduce yourself then please email foreverfoster@shak.org.uk)

Blast From The Past.....

Was just talking about this yesterday and about how great Alan Robson was, time to share it again....

A Big Day Out For Two Special Boys.....

Yesterday it was a real pleasure to be able to do what I love doing the most, a little one on one with a couple of our dogs, that are at the opposite ends of the scale of our work.

I made a conscious decision during lockdown, that once we were beginning to come out of this, I was going to have one designated day per week, that I called my "Practical Day." These days would focus around enriching the life of the dogs, whether it be working on introducing them to new members of staff or volunteers, or like yesterday just giving them a break and doing some close up assessments at the same time.

I think it is fair to say that the majority of our dogs can be split into one of two categories.  The ones that need just a little input to try and get their lives back on track and into homes, and ones that have been so damaged by people that such an opportunity will probably never arrive.

For my first "Practical Day" I deliberately chose one from each category and set off in the van to give Casper and Dande a great day out, but also to be able to learn so much more from them.

I have a real special place in my heart for Casper. We took him from another rescue when it looked as if he was going to be destroyed. He was finding it difficult to adjust to a new beginning after a previous life of allegedly being used in dog fights.

He has a constant need to have something in his mouth, in the past it was a lead, meaning that he was unable to be taken for walks. Anyone who has had a Staffordshire Bull Terrier tugging on a lead will tell you just how strong their jaws are, and of course such an obsession had escalated into getting himself into trouble.

As soon as we got him, I gave him a training dummy to carry around with him, and he loved it. Giving him a job and a purpose seemed to take his mind off the other issues, and kept both him and the handler safe. There has obviously been a lot of psychological damage done to him too, as sometimes he just doesn't want to walk. Instead he slams the anchors on and refuses to move. I think it upsets volunteers, as they all want to take him further, it seems such a shame that he misses out on  the long walks the other dogs get.

During lockdown, I have spent a lot of time with him and we have gotten to the level where he will walk as far as I want him to. It has taken patience and resilience, but we seem to have made a connection. That's why I chose him for a day out away from the kennels. I wanted to see how he would react to not knowing where he was, all the new smells and sights. He was absolutely brilliant.

When we parked up, I got him out of the crate and he launched himself out of the van, so excited that he nearly pulled me off my feet. He had travelled exceptionally well, not crying or chewing the blankets, it was great to watch him steaming forward nose to the ground. He was so fixated on the smells that he hadn't even thought about his dummy, he just walked and sniffed until a toilet break for him broke his concentration and he looked at me for his dummy.

He walked a couple of miles to the beach, carrying his dummy and sniffing, then once he could smell the sea air and salt water, he dropped it again. It was great seeing him so relaxed, and trying to investigate the seaweed in the sea as he paddled.

We then ventured around the harbour where there was the distractions of people, fishermen, other dogs (more on that later) all the time he was close to me. I made sure that he knew he was safe. I would say that approximately 65% of the walk was 'dummy free.'

The whole time I was conscious of safety. I kept him away from others, both human and canine, nothing seemed to bother him. Even when he passed a huge fishing boat that was in a dry dock and being jet washed, he just kept walking.

Then we got to a little area where a couple were walking a pair of Collies. We both allowed each other plenty of room, but they retreated a little more. At first, I thought it was because they were wary of Casper, but then I saw why. One of their dogs was reactive and had a bark at us as we went past. That was just a little bit too much for Casper and he jumped up and grabbed his lead, even the offer of his dummy wasn't enough to distract him. Luckily, there was seat that was shaded by a wall, close by. I went and sat with him there, within seconds once he realised that he couldn't see anything and there was nothing to be afraid of, he settled right down and lay by my feet.

He got a drink from a bowl at a van selling ice creams, then we started our return journey. Once again he was calm, he walked up the high street, along a busy road, not once did he flacker at anything. The only thing we had to watch was the fact he kept dropping his dummy, he was that tired.

In total he was out walking for an hour and ten minutes, and apart from that one reaction when he was the victim rather than the instigator, he was impeccable. It was such a great thing to see and be part of, I think that he possibly had just had the best time of his life. Lying exhausted in the van as we got Dande out, he had the proudest and widest Staffy smile.

Rachel met me in the car park with her fantastic stooge dog Nima, because I really wanted to put the next dog through his paces. Dande came to us just a little while before lockdown came into force, after he was booked in to be destroyed at the vets. He was described as horrendous with other dogs and most people. At only two years old, he appeared to me as just a mixed up boy who was frightened of the world he was living in.

Having never met Nima before, I wondered how he would react, I shouldn't have worried. He was the perfect gentleman from the minute they were introduced outside the van. So good in fact, that instantly me and Rachel took turns in walking the two of them together.

We did the exact same walk, only this time it was us that stopped for a drink rather than the dogs. The two of them just sat outside the shop waiting for Rachel, it was amazing to see how quickly Dande had adapted.

Dande on the left, Nima on the right.

We continued onto the beach, passing children and dogs along the way, not a reaction. In fact the only time I saw anything from him was when a huge lorry passed and he got a fright.

Dande seemed to like the beach and was quite relaxed, sharing the attention, there was no jealousy even when Nima found her favourite thing, a stick!

Dande on the right this time.

Walking back up the high street, again his behaviour was impeccable. A young couple made a comment as we walked by, they obviously thought the dogs looked cute, but also as if we were just normal people walking our own two dogs. Quite a compliment for little Dande, but he really had settled so well.

There was a couple of more times that a noise spooked him, the most bizarre one being when I opened my bottle of Pepsi Max, but once again it was just a little slouch that he quickly recovered from.

Yesterday was a brilliant day, obviously for the dogs, but also for me to be able to see how they both adapted to the various environments and surroundings. I am so proud of them both (and Nima) for taking it all in their stride, so much so I am still glowing now even as I write this 24 hours later.

(SHAK is a small independent sanctuary for abused, mistreated and neglected dogs. We get no government funding and rely heavily on our supporters and donations. If you would like to help towards our work you can make a donation via PayPal: paypal.me/shaksanctuary )