Rehoming Tales
Millie
Millie came from an extremely loving home and it was heartbreaking for her owners’ to have to part with her. Unfortunately Millie was sold, as a puppy, together with one of her litter sisters and at 11 months old they started to fight with one another. Her original owners’ did everything to try and solve the problem but to no avail and reluctantly asked us to find a new home for Millie. The DWA found a lovely home with Kerry and her family in Watford. Millie has settled in really well and is particularly attached to Kerry and has become her shadow
On a recent holiday to Egypt, Kerry told her teenage daughters that she was really missing Millie, their response was “get a grip Mum” – typical teenagers!
Millie has now become an important part of her new family and they could not imagine life without her.
Bo
One evening I had a call from Sally asking if we could find a home for a twelve week old male Dobermann puppy. She and her husband already had five dogs of their own and would have loved to keep him but felt that as one of their dogs is a disabled Boxer and requires lots of care the Dobermann would be better in a home where he would have the owners' undivided attention.
Sally told me how they had acquired Bo and I have to say he is one lucky Dobermann, being in the right place at the right time. Sally and her husband were at a local market one weekend with two of their dogs and saw a rough looking person dragging a Dobermann puppy and when the pup tried to stop for wee he was yanked on to his back. Concerned about the way the dog was being treated they went over to the owner and engaged him in conversation. He said the dog was a 'pain' so they offered him £50 for the dog. Needless to say their offer was immediately accepted and Bo went home with them.
One Sunday I met Sally and her husband at the motorway services near Stansted airport and collected Bo from them. They were heartbroken to part with him as although they had only had him for a short time they had become very attached to the pup.
I drove straight from Stansted to Bo's new home with Chris and Afy who when they saw him fell in love with him straight away. Bo had put on that Dobermann sad, 'I've had a terrible life' look and cuddled up to Afy and that was it. Chris said,' he's only been here five minutes and he's already cuddled up on the sofa'. Bo lives with two cats one of which doesn't like him but the other one has his measure and doesn't take any of his nonsense Afy is a real soft touch and in true Dobermann style Bo wraps her around his little paw.
Bo is now a much loved happy Dobermann and has made himself completely at home with Chris and Afy. His life could have been so different.
Barney
I can't believe I've only had Barney for 4 months. It feels like he has always been here with us. He was in a sorry state when we first saw him at a Northampton Service station, one Sunday, for the handover. He was thin, ravenously hungry and thirsty and charged round the car park like an elephant. He arrived with a dog bowl, a water bowl, a collar and lead and the most enormous chain I have ever seen (you could have tethered a bull with it!)
After trying to jump over the back seat of the car he settled down and went to sleep for the long journey to his new home in North Yorkshire. At the end of our journey I took him straight into the house to meet Sasha my 10 year old Dobe, who had been desperately unhappy after losing Tara, her Dobe companion of 10 years, who unfortunately succumbed to 'Wobblers' last year.
When Barney arrived on the scene she said 'Hello, who is this' and he said 'Hello, who are you?' After that first meeting there was no problem with the introductions, and Barney then rushed into the garden and ran round and round like a kangaroo with Sasha hot on his heels, trying to keep up, however she had to give up in the end being a lot older than him.
Food is his most favourite thing of all. I have never seen a dog with such hunger. Nothing touched the sides, and even now he still wolfs his food down at lightening speed.
A trip to the vet on the Monday saw his weight at 29 kilos, a coat with no shine and lots of bald patches, but worst of all he had no hair on his ears. My mother, who lives with us, was most upset about this, as we always use their ears to gauge their warm/cold temperature. A course of one a day cod liver oil tablets has done wonders for his coat, and he now has wonderfully soft furry ears however we are still trying to combat the bald patches.
His favourite room, naturally, is the kitchen, as all sorts of wonderful things go on in there, most of them to do with food. For a while he was known as 'Barney Fruit Cake' as I had made and wrapped up a fruit cake for a friend, but had left it too near the edge of the worktop and 2 minutes later all that was left was a few crumbs and a bit of wrapping paper. Not a mistake I have repeated! However I can now at least turn my back and know that whatever I am baking or making will be safe from Barney as long as I don't leave the room!
He has also learned some excellent manners as now when all the family are at home and we eat at the dining room table, he no longer barks and rests his head on the table, which is a very convenient height, but goes and lies down quietly to wait until the table is cleared. Funny how there is always something on someone's plate that goes down a treat in his bowl in the kitchen.
I didn't let him off the lead for a few days as I had been warned that he was not good at coming back, but on day 3 he was so full of energy I decided to take a chance. Armed with tempting biscuits in my pocket we went in the field. He had the most marvellous time running around so fast that he tripped over himself, somersaulted and then came back to me. The rustling bag in my pocket was something he just couldn't ignore. He must have previously lived in the city as he is in 7th heaven in the fields, but he does have his moments when the rabbit holes are just so much more interesting than a rustling bag and I have been known to wait for three hours for him to come back to me!!! I'm not sure if he'll ever be instantly obedient at coming back. He always comes back to me in the end but sometimes it's in his time not mine however he never lets me out of his sight for very long. It is most infuriating to know he will come within 20 feet of me then dash off again. He also obviously expects to be disciplined when I do catch him, as he comes to me with ears down, slow steps and a sad face, but I never tell him off, I tell him he's a good boy for coming back, reward him and tell him one day I will catch my death of cold waiting for him in the rain!
The whole family loves him to bits. Sasha has taken on a new lease of life and any doubts I had about having a rescue Dobe have all gone. I would do it again tomorrow, and if I had a bigger garden I would have many more. He is still quite stressed and 'mouths' his duvet in his basket when he goes to bed, but he no longer tears all his covers to shreds. Instead he's learned that there is room for another Dobe on my bed, much to Sasha's disgust, but luckily he only comes up on the bed just before we get up in the morning.
He now weighs 35 kilos, and is a very handsome dog who loves all the attention he gets when we go out. In fact he just loves to be cuddled by anyone, particularly the children in my street, which I am keen to encourage as all my children are grown up and as yet I have no grandchildren.
Jenna's Story
Jenna came into our lives approximately six weeks ago, and as I write on a lovely evening, dogs have been walked and fed after first hindering me in the garden with their wild games. One minute boxing like hares and the next sounding like the clash of the titans with their growls and dobie sound effects. There were mad games of tag through the trees and round and through the rhodie bushes flushing out unsuspecting, harmless little birds sheltering from the wind. Then they thundered across the gravel drive their 'paw spin' sending bits of stone flying in all directions. Will our poor daffodils and snowdrops survive the arrival of Jenna?
I collected Jenna from Kintore where I had a rendezvous with Karen from Pets On The Move - www.petsonthemove.co.uk - who kindly delivered her after a 4 hour drive from the west side of Scotland as a favour to Dobermann Welfare.
Jenna was accompanied by 2 cats who were being reunited with their owners, both separately caged in the back of a white van fitted out to transport small animals. Jenna emerged from her container wearing an ill-fitting pink collar with a tag. Karen warned me not to be too shocked by her condition as the new arrival was small and skinny. Not only was Jenna slight and poor in appearance she was totally phased by being handed over again to a complete stranger as after a fortnight's boarding in Karen's kennel with 3 feeds a day Karen represented security and here I was the fourth change in her short life of 20 months.
As I look across at Jenna curled up on the sofa she seems like a dobie without a care in the world, so different to those first couple of weeks when the slightest sound or movement had her pacing the floor, or barking in a frenzy. Our sleep was interrupted as throughout the night she barked with anxiety calling for our attention, wondering if her new owners had disappeared and there were occasional little accidents as a result of her worries.
My partner and I saw Jenna on the DWA welfare site and having recently lost our elderly bullmastiff Emma to cancer decided not to leave the bereft Arnold, our male dobie, without company for too long.
Arnold nearly seven is the gentlest dog you could wish to meet, kind with other dogs, and people especially children. Maybe not so hot on cats, a dislike both he and Jenna share. Jenna having been returned from her last rehoming when she took an unhealthy interest in the lady's pedigree bengal cats.
Within 24 hours of arrival our chickens were molested by Jenna who, quick as a mongoose flipping open the wire pen gate out of my hand, and being so small and neat, shot through after them as the chickens fled through the hatch into their run! Hastening round to the run, chickens and cockrell flying everywhere in panic, I eventually seized Jenna with 2 unfortunate hens pinned underneath her and as we wrestled for possesion of the birds only contact with the electric netting fence induced Jenna to let go. Amazingly despite their state of shock after being mauled by one dobermann and several feathers short the chooks were soon back feeding and laying eggs after recovering from the initial comatosed state they stayed in for some hours.
To begin with Jenna's behaviour was quite unpredictable with Arnold, one minute playing with him and the next turning on him leaving Arnold totally bemused and quite apprehensive as to how he should behave. Manners were lacking as Jenna was inclined to pinch food or articles off any worktop and we had to replace one t.v. remote and my old mobile is now chewed. Initially she thought she was so clever running to present John with the t.v. remote now she greets us with a broad grin, lips drawn back exposing all her fine teeth and then running off to fetch her ragger and rush round the kitchen island proud as punch. Gazelle like bouncing from chairs to sofa without a paw touching the floor and sometimes landing in an unsuspecting lap also had to be discouraged!
It is rewarding to see the two dogs now well settled together. The lovely double greeting in the morning, the relaxed faces and happy eyes has made it well worth adopting a rescue dog.
Taking on a rescue dog is not a cheap option and in Jenna's case she is easier than many. Unfortunate changes of circumstances led to her being in kennels for over seven months where her litter sister dominated her always having the lion's share of the food leaving her undernourished and insecure.
After being homechecked the DWA ask for a donation appropriate to the age and health of the dog and the new owner makes a commitment to either having the adoptee neutered or spayed and in the event of any change of circumstances undertake to return the adoptee to the Dobermann Welfare Association if they can no longer care for it. Dobes are high maintenance dogs so even more time and patience is needed when rehoming one, but their loyalty and companionship certainly makes it worth the extra input. All those who work for DWA are volunteers and give entirely freely of their time fitting it around work and family commitments and all proceeds go towards kennel and veterinary fees for the dogs in their care.
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