Ruben – 1 year old male Cross-Breed

At just one year of age, and through no fault of his own, Ruben found himself homeless. His owner suddenly and tragically died and was left behind with an ailing grandmother with Alzheimer’s. Whatever his experiences were in his formative months they have indelibly marked themselves on his personality and he is now incredibly nervous of strangers, but get past this and he is really the most incredible dog you could wish to meet.

Ruben is a genuine cross breed; we really cannot tell what he has in him. He runs around like a whippet but has a fluffy exterior! Ruben’s foster mum describes him as “a cheeky, loveable imp who adores affection and cuddles and is a true lap dog. He gives you licks and kisses and if you stop stroking him he will paw at you for more.”

Ruben is looking for a very special new home in the local area because it will require several introductions to his new owner and new home before he will be able to make the transition from his foster home to his forever home. Ruben’s nervousness around strangers is really quite random; although what we can say is that he is especially frightened of men and needs several weeks to learn to trust a man but often only a day or two to trust a woman.

The patience and perseverance of his foster parents has really paid off and now Ruben is a very happy, confident and adorable little boy who has really blossomed. Whenever he greets his foster parents he gets so giddy and excited that he picks up a toy and does ’50mph’ laps around the house with joy! We know that he whoever adopts him will eventually enjoy the same fun loving dog but it will just take a little time and patience to achieve.

Ruben is fully house trained and can be left for up to 4 hours at a time and is a very keen guard dog, though he only ever barks for a reason e.g. the doorbell ringing, people arriving etc. Ruben is incredibly playful and loves all toys, but especially trashing teddies. Ruben loves to play fetch with you and to run around the garden at top speed and get very giddy indeed! Ruben enjoys nice long walks every day and he has plenty of energy and really needs an active home. He walks beautifully on the lead and lives very happily with his foster parents other dogs.

The key things for adopting Ruben are:

* His primary carer must be female

* There must be no children in the home or children visiting the home

* There must be no cats, small furries or chickens in the home as he likes to chase them

* His adopters must be fit and active home and take him out for long walks and give him lots of play time

* The garden fencing must be 6ft tall or higher because he can scale gates and walls effortlessly

* Any potential adopter must be willing to work with us to introduce him gradually to them and their home.

Ruben really is an incredibly loveable dog who loves a fuss and to be groomed too.

Matt – 15 month old male Collie Cross

Matt is a very striking looking collie cross, who is very tall and leggy. He is only around 15 months old and is a water-babe! Matt is a favourite amongst staff because he has the most infectious exuberance. On horrid, rain soaked days Matt lifts our spirits as he bounces around in the paddock, beaming from ear to ear no matter what life throws at him. He is ever so funny to watch, as he runs around in his seemingly unco-ordinated, legs akimbo way, but we cannot help but chuckle and love him for his funny ways.

Matt is a very loving and affectionate dog who really enjoys the company of humans. He takes great pleasure from his contact with the staff and loves to play with you, please you and enjoys learning new things; Matt really is a very intelligent dog.

Like all younger collie’s Matt has a lot of energy and because we cannot consistently give him the large amount of exercise he actually needs, we take him for a hydrotherapy fun swim every week to keep him stimulated and in good condition. Matt absolutely adores the swimming and fetch games he plays in the pool and has double the stamina of any other dog and doesn’t seem to tire, even after 30 minutes, and a 10 minute swim is equivalent to a 10 mile walk!

We all take such great pleasure in watching Matt swim and as a team we have worked really hard to help him overcome some of the damage that has been done by his former home but sadly he still has some issues, which with the right home can be worked through, but it is only right that we share them in full detail with you.

Matt’s former owner couldn’t cope with his collie-puppy like ways and worked long hours so he dealt with it by keeping him kennelled for long hours in an indoor crate. He was barely, if ever, walked and not house trained. When Matt turned one year old, and he was still an unmanageable handful, his owner signed him over to our care because he simply could not cope with what he had created.

For the last 3 months our staff have been working hard to undo the damage the lack of socialising and training has done to Matt and he has come a long way but we cannot take him onto the next stage now because he really needs to be in a home.

Matt has matured a lot in the time we have had him and is a much calmer dog than the loopy puppy that arrived. He has learnt basic commands now such as sit, leave, down. He also knows his name and will come when called, although if his attention goes elsewhere you can forget it! We are also slowly but steadily making progress with walking him on a lead using a combination of control aids. He is good with most dogs but doesn’t seem to pick up on their cues telling him to ‘back off’ so if he is to be rehomed with another dog it would have to be a very special one!

Matt will be handful and will need someone with a strong, firm approach and an iron will to continue with the work we have done. This dog has been deprived of basic socialisation and training in his formative years and this experience has sadly affected him but because he is so young, intelligent and keen to learn, we know that a highly experience dog owner who is consistent with their training and management of him will be able to bring him on in no time.

Matt’s number one fan says, “It is so hard to put into words what you get out of Matt, and he is going to be a handful, but with the love you put into him you get repaid threefold because he wants to please so desperately. People need to meet him to see what we mean but he really is a wonderful dog that just needs a chance.”

Moragh – 7 year old female Sheltie Cross

Moragh is a 7 year old sheltie cross. Moragh was in a very poor state of neglect when we took her into our care. Her owner had called the RSPCA because he knew he was not caring for her properly, due to his ill health. It has taken us 3 months to get her to where she is now. Moragh is an absolute diamond and is loved by us all. Similarly she has grown an attachment to everyone here and loves us all just as much. She really is a cracking little dog and whoever ends up adopting Moragh will not be disappointed but firstly we must share more about her health. When Moragh arrived she was underweight and significantly balding and had chronic ear infection/ear mites. She has had many weeks of twice-weekly maloseb baths and the hair loss has now been restored. Moragh will continue to require weekly bathing with maloseb shampoo, but she is good as gold when you bath and dry her and she loves rolling around in front of the fire on the carpet! Moragh continues to have issues with her right ear, which is currently under investigation. A polyp has been found and it is being monitored to assess whether it is growing and/or is the cause of the irritation. She is in receipt of daily ear drops to help alleviate the irritation. The situation will be reviewed by our vet shortly and we will take any remedial action needed. Any prospective owner needs to be aware though that Moragh may have on-going issues with her ears because of the state they were in when she came to us.

Moragh is a lively, bright and playful dog that really enjoys squeakies and playing ball – you will tire of throwing balls long before she does! Moragh is ever so affectionate and adores cuddles (and licking your face) and will jump on your lap without warning to show you just how much she loves you! Moragh has settled into the kennels very well, which bodes very well for her relocation to her forever home and adjusting to her new life. She loves sitting in her bed and snuggling down amongst the blankets but now we have got her health to this point we really want to get her the new home she deserves and longs for. Moragh has a wonderfully cheeky side to her, which includes selective deafness when she doesn’t want to listen! And her zest for life is quite simply infectious. Moragh loves her food and treats, and whilst she is not ‘food possessive’ we wouldn’t recommend her for children under 10 because we wouldn’t past her greedy-highness to snaffle a swinging butty or biccy off a child. Nonetheless we would recommend Moragh being rehomed with a family because she would enjoy the company and stimulation that multiple persons can offer. Lastly, Moragh walks well on a harness and loves her long walks, and whilst she is fine with older, mature dogs she is not tolerant to young whipper snappers.

Sid – 2 year old male Cross-Breed

Sid’s story is nothing short of tragic, whilst we can only speculate on what kind of life he experienced before he came into our care, one thing is for sure, he has had little in the way of consistency or love – two things he so desperately needs and craves. Sid came into our care Christmas week after his owner was sentenced to prison. A family member had been feeding Sid, but that had left him isolated and alone for long periods at a time. Even worse, Sid had only been with this owner three weeks. We can only imagine what kind of life he had prior to his ‘acquisition’ and it is because of the minimal history we had on Sid that we have conducted a 4 week assessment to ensure we provide accurate information about his temperament and needs so we can place him in the right home. Sid is estimated by the vet to be 2 years of age.

Sid has the most wonderful character. He has a personality that just shines and he never ceases to make us smile. He comes into the office once a week for respite from the kennel environment, which he finds incredibly stressful. Every time he is in the office he amuses us no end with his very loud snoring, windy bottom and grumbly chatting. He really does talk to you in a funny grumble noise and will chat away all day. He means absolutely nothing by it, he is just genuinely communicating with you! Sid has several pleasures, which include: gentle, calm soothing massaging strokes, which send him off to sleep, tummy rubs, toys, and any over-hanging tree branches! Sid really is a lovely dog who loves his cuddles, is good with other dogs and travels well in a car (but not in the back of our animal van, which is enclosed).

Sid walks best on a harness but like most staffies he is a little power house and is quite strong, so to walk him you must be equipped with the necessary strength. Off lead in our paddock Sid has great recall and will play happily with you and a ball for a long time. What Sid needs is confidence building. He clearly wants to attach but is just not sure how to do this, which is no doubt related to the fact that in his short life he has had more than one carer. He is also hyper-vigilant and becomes easily over-stimulated by too much going on, which results in him getting anxious and overwrought. We find that by having a consistently calm approach with him and keeping all our interactions low key, he soon learns to relax.

Unfortunately, the kennel environment is the worst possible place for a dog like Sid but we don’t have anywhere else for him. He is wearing a DAP collar to help offer him some comfort but ideally he needs a home as soon as possible. What Sid needs is a quiet, calm home without children. It will be one where he will be given a consistent routine, firm management and appropriate correction of unwanted behaviours and given plenty of positive reinforcement and guidance. The key is to ignore his over-excited behaviour and be consistent in correction and staying calm at all times. An experienced owner will find themselves well-equipped with the skills to cope with him and we are confident that Sid will prove to be the most loving and loyal companion you could wish to have.

Sasha – 4 year old female Elkhound

Sasha came from a home where she was being bullied by another dog and the owner just couldn’t cope any longer. Sasha is approximately 4 years old female Norwegian Elkhound. We found her a new home but sadly she was returned just two months later because her fur seriously affected an asthma sufferer in the family.

We are really sad to see our beautiful girl back because she is an absolute treasure like many female Elkhounds. she is petite, around knee height. She has got some extra weight on her too so she is quite a dinky cuddle monster.

Sasha really is a happy-go-lucky girl and loves a fuss with absolutely anyone; she is in incredibly friendly and is great in all social settings, including the vets. Sasha is calm and placid and great with other dogs and just above all else simply loves being around people. She even prefers people to toys – she is just so adorable.

Sasha is good on a lead and is now house trained but does jump up for attention. Her recall is fantastic and she most definitely responds to her name. Sasha is also great off lead with other dogs and plays really nicely with them. Sasha isn’t the brightest of sparks; you can’t get her attention for too long, and she only knows a few commands and isn’t really up for learning either. Sasha just wants to be a dog, so forget agility or training classes, she’s just happy as she is.

An ideal home for Sasha is where she will get lots of attention, daily grooming and a strict eye being kept on her diet and plenty of exercise! We have no hesitation rehoming Sasha with children aged 5 years and over and this is only because of her jumping up.