Once we moved here and had retired it became a possibility. Then P had a short spell of contract work in the UK which meant I was on my own. P suggested we get a dog. The situation here for unwanted dogs and cats is heart breaking. The numbers are managed by putting down healthy animals. So it had to be a rescue dog. I trawled the internet and found Bruno. His mother had been rescued by an English expat charity and within a week had given birth to six puppies. Bruno and a girl went to an elderly couple but only lasted a week and were back at the centre. He was never small even at 8 weeks but I could carry him. It was love at first sight. We were told he was a Heinz 57 but he did have the look of a Boxer. I did lots of research on how to train him and eventually started going to obedience and agility class every week. He grew rapidly! The trainer was brilliant and I knew it was us that needed traing rather than Bruno. He was hard work but she kept telling us that he would calm down by 18 months. We had him done at 6 months as requested by the charity and did the class for a year. It was the trainer who told us he was a Boxer/Mastiff cross! Thanks to her he is now a lovely dog. He does push it sometimes and can bully when he wants something. He will do anything for a biscuit which made him very easy to train. Our trainer runs a kennel too which we use from time to time. I spoke to her about adopting another dog and she agreed it would work. She rescues dogs too and along came Frank. She had saved him and two others when she dame upon a French man drowning a litter. She homed two. As is her way she went to check on Frank and found he had a broken tail. The short story is he came home with her. He was 3 months old! He is a Teckel/Yorkie cross. She kept him a few weeks to be sure there were no problems with his behaviour and socialised him with big dogs. He was 4 months when he came home and right now Bruno is next to me on the sofa with Frank asleep on his back! Bruno is 47kgs and Frank is 5kgs and they are devoted to each other. I adore them both!
My snowy bengal cat Suki copes with them and happily lives in the house. My brown spotted bengal Lola lives outside as does my adopted cat Humbug. They now have an outdoor house where they eat and can sleep if they want. Humbug mostly lives with the chickens and Lola roams the fields mostly sleeping in a barn. They are great mousers!
The dogs and cats have a lovely life here with loads of space away from roads. I have to keep away from adverts for other animals as I know I could end up with more that I could cope with!
Sounds to me as though there are two very lucky dogs there Aly. Actually I understand that Mastiffs are a lovely natured breed and yet he is big enough to deter anyone when you are there alone so perfect.
ReplyDeleteI have had all kinds of dogs. Since living up here I have had a pug (Algy) and then a German Short haired pointer (who we took on from a couple in the village who were going to work in Japan). The pug and the pointer got on very well and we never had any trouble from either (the pug was total boss). When the pug died the pointer lived another five years and was a dear dog. He died five years agoand within a week I had a bitch Border terrier called Tess - she was eight weeks old when I got her and she has been a delight.
We have farm cats - mousers and rabbiters but they don't come into the house - mainly living in the straw and hay barn.
I can't imagine life without animals.