Charlie - 2 year old male West Highland White Terrier

Charlie is a 2 year old male West Highland White Terrier who came here three days ago as an abuse case, but not the type I am used to! Charlie is a very dominant dog and has little respect for people at the moment. When he first arrived he was extremely randy with my dogs and when I told him off he proceeded to attempt to chase me about the lounge in an attempt to bite me.

In his previous homes this has resulted in the people running and he was most surprised when this did not happen here. Charlie needs an owner who is going to stand their ground and someone who understands that physical punishment will do him no favours. Although he has tried it on a couple of times since arrival we have not smacked him at all. It has all been done with tone of voice and a more domineering body language than he is used to and ensuring that if you want him to do something then he has to do it.

Already he has shown signs of improvement. On arrival he refused to let a lead be put on him, hated anyone leading him about by his collar and even got the hump when someone tried to shut him out the room (he would fly at the door and tell you off!) Now he is fine with all of the above and if he starts any of his nonsense he will stop in his tracks, look at you and wander off. This is not 100% yet but we are getting there with him.

I am looking for a very doggie minded person to take Charlie, work extremely hard with him and carry on from where we leave off. Charlie would suit a multi-dog household as he seems to thrive in a pack environment. He also needs to go to someone who will treat him like a dog and not some soft toy/baby. He is NOT a cuddly dog and does not appreciate cuddles, kisses and pampering!

Basically Charlie has been allowed to get away with alot and when he got to the point where he was uncontrollable the owners were given two choices. Put him to sleep or try to get him into rescue. No rescue was interested because he has bitten, but I like to give each dog a fair trial and see if problems can be worked out. It is very rare (in my opinion) that a dog will bite for no reason and often they are screaming body language at the owner who cannot read it.

Charlie’s past is a little sketchy. I know that he was bought as a family pet from a pet shop for 6 children. He was taunted by these kids and did bite them. The kids were very mean to him and actually encouraged him to chase them as a small puppy and when he matured and really meant it, the parents felt that he was vicious and had to go. He then got passed onto a couple of ladies who did love him, but got him more as a substitute child than a dog and he ruled the roost.

They did try with extremely gentle and kind training to nurture him and make him realise that he did not have to bite, but he is a dog and had no understanding of what they were trying to do being that they were both inexperienced handlers.

He is quite scared of sticks or anything stick-like and (as an example) as I was carrying a piece of wood through the house he felt very threatened, but instead of hitting the deck he went into a full blown and frenzied attack at it.

He is being castrated on Monday. He is fuly vaccinated and micro-chipped. Charlie cannot be homed with children and if visiting children come round then he will need to be crated (he is crate-trained) until the kids go. He is great with other dogs (and will be even better when he is castrated) and is fine with cats. He has shown little interest in the small animals.

If anyone feels that they have the knowledge, experience, compassion and sheer determination, but are able to offer a stable and consistant environment for Charlie then please contact me.

Most recent dogs added by Furry Friends Animal Rescue Surrey

• Rosie - 10 month old female Jack Russell Terrier - July 24th, 2008
• Buster - 12-13 week old male Terrier Cross - July 24th, 2008
• Freddie - 10 year old male Collie Cross - July 12th, 2008
• Ebbie - 5 month old female Preso Canario cross Staffordshire Bull Terrier - July 9th, 2008
• Ben - 9 year old male Labrador Cross - July 7th, 2008
• Newt - 9 week old female German Shepherd Dog - June 28th, 2008
• Scully - 2 year old male Greyhound - May 7th, 2008
• Nancy and Annie - April 20th, 2008
• Bonnie - 1 year old female Labrador cross German Shepherd Dog - April 20th, 2008
• Snoopy - 8 month old male Beagle Cross - April 17th, 2008

Share This