Geraldine is a 6-7 year old female Cross-Breed. She is fostered in Norwich Norfolk. Geraldine came to her UK foster home a few weeks ago from the Botosani public shelter in Romania where she’d been incarcerated for three to four years.
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On arrival Geraldine was acutely suspicious of our intentions and extremely tense being touched and avoided it at all costs.
Now that she’s settled in she’s more relaxed but it’s going to take her some time to understand why humans want to touch her when she’s lived without it all her life.
Geraldine is now enjoying her walks after several weeks of stubborn refusal to move when a lead was put on her.
Geraldine is generally a girl who knows what she wants and what she doesn’t want and we love that about her but it does make teaching her things a little bit harder lol because she’s going to do it only when she’s good and ready.
Geraldine will need another dog in the household in her new home and has passed her cat test. She will need a family with no children under the age of twelve that are old enough to understand she’s been through a lot and may not be ready for cuddles for some time.
Geraldine’s a real foody so gaining her trust won’t be too difficult or take too long but she was also overweight on arrival and still not down to her ideal figure so careful balance is needed.
The cheekiness in this girl is visible in her eyes and lying just beneath the surface she just needs a special adopter to uncover the dog she was meant to be. When you adopt a Safe Rescue dog, you MUST use a slip lead.
This will keep your dog safe: your new dog will be nervous and will not trust you, and you will not know which situations might upset your dog. If your dog panics, then a slip lead is the only way to prevent your dog from escaping (many dogs can escape from a collar and/or harness).
It will take AT LEAST 3-6 months for your dog to settle in and for you to know your dog fully (longer for nervous dogs). The slip lead must ALWAYS be used during this settling-in period.
Even after your dog is settled, it is safest to use the slip lead in situations where your dog may become scared (e.g. visiting new places, around unfamiliar people, at the vet), and in situations where unexpected triggers might happen (e.g. around bonfire night).
Nervous dogs may always need to wear a slip-lead as a backup safety measure. The slip lead is a safety device and must NEVER be used as a training tool. Using the lead to apply pressure to the dog’s neck is damaging.
If your dog pulls on the lead, then we can advise you on training methods that avoid harm. Once your dog is settled, you may want to consider using a harness (together with the slip lead) if your dog is comfortable with being handled when it is fitted.
Most harnesses are not escape-proof, but harnesses with a strap behind the ribcage (e.g. Ruffwear Webmaster or Perfect Fit Harnesses) are safer. Retractable/extendable leads must never be used on our dogs. Adopted dogs must be collected from the rescue and transported straight home in a crate.
