Saturday 4 January 2014

My Puppies! (that are nowhere near to being puppies) and a bit of dog adoption advice

Is it me or are they grinning?!

Today I thought I'd introduce you all to my two dogs, because everyone knows the internet loves dogs!

Though I warn you I am going to ramble on a bit about their back stories, which will then lead me onto dog adoption (I didn't intend to write about that but I did, oh well)

This is Ozzy.
 Smile for the camera!

We got him from an adoption center just over 11 years ago now, and so he's about 12, well, we're not 100% on his age as he was found stray as a puppy and the center predicted he was between 6-12 months. He's a Rottweiler-Terrier cross and is an absolute sweet-heart, though it often takes people a while to warm to him, I've never been entirely sure why, I think he's just misunderstood! 

He just had a cyst on his leg that needed removing, no worries!

He does have a few problems with other dogs though, mostly ones larger than him as he was attacked several times by other dogs when he was younger, especially by two boxers that lived on our street a few years ago, I would take him for a walk and they would always escape their compound and both go for him. I've tried to socialise him again, he is good with puppies and okay with dogs he's slowly introduced to, but when on a walk he does get a little scared by strange dogs and will bark. Poor baby!

What a cutie!


Now this is Amber.
This was the first time she had seen snow!

Amber is a staffordshire bull terrier cross (I reckon she has some boxer and some labrador in her), she's around 6 years old and we got her 4 years ago. 

When she came to us, again from a rescue center, she was in a terrible condition. She was originally at an RSPCA shelter but they can only hold so many dogs, and she was actually very close to being put down! Luckily the rescue center we got her from took as many dogs as they could from the RSPCA that would have been euthanised otherwise.

I remember the first time I saw her, she was so skinny, literally skin and bones, and the people at the center said she had been abused and they said that it seemed as though she had a litter of puppies but had them taken away, this led to her being very nervous around new people and any sudden noises would make her run and hide, and she was very possessive with toys, especially teddies, it was so awful to see a creature in such a poor state. We decided to adopt her as she became very friendly with us after a few visits, we even brought Ozzy to meet her and they got on swimmingly in their first meeting, which was perfect because we were actually after a friend for him. 

Even though she was fully grown, because of her weight we had to put her on a puppy food diet that consisted of small frequent meals, then over the next few weeks we made the portions gradually larger until we thought she was at an adequate weight and then moved her onto normal dog food. In the early days when walking I would actually get people in the street coming over to me and telling me that I was abusing my dog and what a horrible person I was, which was quite a shock but I would always quickly explain that she was a rescue and we were actually helping her, but on reflection I suppose I'm glad those people did that as they weren't letting a unhealthy dog pass them by without saying something, they were just, in a way, showing they cared about the well-being of this dog, and that's kind of nice (even if I did get a good telling off by one particularly horrified elderly woman one day).
Bath time or rabies??

After a lot of training by myself, she soon became habituated with loud noises and lost the need to run away or cower as she obviously lost the association of fear, and it took no time at all to rehabilitate her with people, in fact now she is such a little attention seeker! 

Now she's loves a good fuss and is always the first one to greet a new person with a wagging tail. I've yet to find someone who doesn't instantly fall in love with her, she is one of the sweetest, cuddliest dogs I've had the pleasure to meet.


The camera loves her!

If you or anyone you know are looking for a dog I highly suggest, if you have the time and commitment, you should check out your local adoption/rescue center before considering a pedigree from a breeder. These dogs desperately need homes and are almost always diamonds in the rough that just need a little TLC to shine. 

Though it does need to be taken into consideration that rescue dogs are A LOT of work and are certain to have a few problems at first, but that shouldn't put you off (unless you honestly don't think you could handle or help this dog, as if they're not trained properly problems won't get better and can become worse), you just need to put in the effort and you will have a new best friend and family member for life. 

However I must say I am not in the slightest bit opposed to getting a dog from a breeder as long as you make sure they have taken good care of the pups and their mum, and hopefully you'll be able to view one or even both the parents (always go check out a puppy a few times before purchasing). Ask the breeder questions about the health of the parents, as if it's a breed prone to health problems (i.e hip dysplasia) you want a puppy from a completely 'health-problem free' pair of dogs as they are often genetic issues.

You really need to do your research when choosing a dog that's right for you.

Anyway I've kinda let myself get way, WAY off topic (whoops). This is a matter very close to my heart so you will have to excuse me for the lecture! 

But thank you for reading, I hope I didn't bore you too much!

Keep smiling!
Birds in Blossom x

4 comments:

  1. I literally just squealed with 'AWAH's'
    SO SO SO ADORABLE!
    Ellie,xx
    Elephant stories and more

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you again for reading and commenting, I really appreciate it!
      and I'm sure the pups would appreciate the compliment as well, if they knew what one was!

      Birds in Blossom x

      Delete
  2. Ozzy is adorable! Such a cutie! Love your blog x

    http://sophiemizrachi.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awww! Your post brought me so much tears of joy. You are a genuine person, who possesses a good and tender heart. Please let me thank you for adopting and caring such adorable dogs. They really look great and happy now, and I can’t imagine your story when you first met them. I can sense that Amber and Ozzy love you so much too. Thank you for sharing that, Becky! All the best to you :)

    Ashley Ziegler @ SFHoundLounge

    ReplyDelete