**UPDATE**: Quinn met his future family today, a lovely couple and daughter who is at university. They live right next to lovely walking areas, and we are sure he is going to be spoilt rotten. He was so excited to see them that he decided to show off and played with our Tilley for the first time, before retiring to the warmth of the radiator for a flat-out kip. He’ll go to his new home once his kennel cough has gone, so he’ll be with us for the next week while we get him back to strength, start his vaccinations and get him further on the road to recovery. Hurrah! [/end update]
The dog formally known as Pepe Le Pew, Exodus and Rusty, but now known as Quinn arrived yesterday for some TLC after having a rough life so far.
This gentle soul is about one year old and a good half his supposed weight. He hoovered down the food we gave him, even by hand. He has a very soft mouth – that is if you don’t mind slobber!
He stank to high heaven so we gave him a good old scrub behind the ears, where he just stood there quietly and let us wash him while he inhaled a bit of kibble. I wouldn’t say he now smells of roses, but he is now very welcome to get a cuddle!
As soon as he got into the house he wanted to come for cuddles, and loves gradually creeping over your knee until he’s properly sitting on your lap. He’s a bit heavy for a lap dog but we don’t have the heart to push him off!
Tilley wanted to play badly, but Quinn is still a bit scared and weak to do that for more than a couple of minutes. He is very gentle lad, he didn’t jump up while I was preparing food and he sits quietly next to the table while you’re eating (you will struggle to resist his gorgeous brown eyes).
He is neutered and is awaiting all his vaccinations. He is very skinny and has a bit of kennel cough at the moment which is improving with honey, four small meals a day and lots of warmth and kindness. We’re feeding him puppy/junior kibble, bulked out with pasta, vegetables and salmon oil. He’s already looking much better just two days after he arrived. Even in his hungry state he allows you to stroke him and take his bowl away while he’s eating, so we don’t think he’ll have any food issues. He just wants to nomnomnomnom all the time, understandably! But we’re feeding him little and often, just to get his tummy used to food again.
I have had him out for two small walks – he gently pulls on the lead but I’m sure that it will not take long to train him to walk well on the lead. He is very keen on other dogs we saw at a distance and other humans he wanted to go and say hi to. He hasn’t seen any cats or birds yet, so lets see how he handles them. When on the walks he is still scared of new things and places, and sometimes hides behind me, but is learning fast that it safe.
We think the poor lad has been shouted at when he wees because he’s very anxious, holds for a very long time, and looks scared and stops doing his business when we say “good boy” – so we now give him lots of space and gradually he is learning where to “go”.
This chilled-out boy is a real cuddle monster! He likes nothing more than to gradually work his way across you on the sofa until he’s fully stretched out across your lap. He’s a lovely, affectionate lad.
After his first walk yesterday where he started with his tail between his legs and wasn’t sure what was going on, he totally changed when we walked back into the house, like he knew that this is a safe and good place to be, tail up wagging and a spring in his step.
His first night at here we let him sleep in the kitchen, but after 10 minutes of howling and scraping at the kitchen stair gate we heard the tell tale sounds of a dog sprinting up the stairs and seconds later we had him on the bed cuddling madly up to Vicky. I took him down stairs and he settled on one of the sofas while I slept on the other. After an hour I went upstairs again and we heard nothing until I got down in the morning where I got greeted by a very tired looking and wagging Quinn.
We will miss him when he goes but will be really happy to see our second foster in such a loving forever home. (Otis is doing very well, by the way!).
So Tilley has been with us for two years now and we have hardly noticed the time go by. She’s always been with us, hasn’t she?
She keeps us on our toes as she is very clever and learns things in the blink of an eye. So, new names for toys, friends and food she clicks on right away. Which means we have tried English, French and talking the first letter of words. Because any hint of “walkies” or “carrot” or “food”… you get the picture… she goes bonkers.
