100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 25 - Albas

Day 25 and we're a quarter of the way through the 100 Days with 100 Dogs series, and to mark the occasion we have a very special dog for everyone to meet. Albas is our star dog of the month and it's easy to see why...

Meet Albas

Albas found his way in to Welfare when he was just 11 months old. He's now 14 months old. His behaviour was so bad that his owners could not cope any longer. They had used the services of trainers and behaviourists to no avail. His behaviour continued to worsen.  

Once in our care he became even worse, which meant we weren't able to get him out of his kennel. This was obviously very worrying. We have several dogs in our care that are not safe to home, but they are happy with us. They have great quality of life, and have to varying extents put their torments behind them.  

Albas quality of life wasn't improving and we were concerned over his welfare. Still, we believed he could work his way through it, and that he deserved a chance. Fast forward 3 months, and there's a dramatic change in him. He's now the most affectionate boy, and even takes treats from strangers! ❤  You cannot realise how significant that is.  

Albas is all black and very handsome lad.  He will be looking for a pet and child free home with someone who would be prepared to come to visit him regular before adoption, and to learn about the methods we are using with him. 

Sincere thanks to Tony Dominy and Lisa Hird whose hard work has certainly paid off.

Albas will be quite a challenge to take on, but one we hope someone will accept. This lovely lad deserves his chance at something resembling a normal life. If you think that could provide the home and the special care he'll need then get in touch via the Adoption Query form here - https://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/adopting-a-german-shepherd/

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 24 - Meet Lily

Day 24 in the Big Brother house and... Sorry wrong channel! Although Doggo TV sounds like a great idea. We're almost a quarter of the way into the 100 Days with 100 Dogs series, and today we have a familial connection with Kerrie, who featured two days ago.

Meet Lily

Lily is a 6 year old female, black and tan, short coated German Shepherd. She came in to Welfare as a cruelty case from the RSPCA with her mum (her mum is Kerrie, who we met two days ago in the series). When she arrived, she was absolutely terrified. 

Since the she's received behaviour adjustment training, and has been allowed to progress at a pace that suits her. There are very rarely any quick fixes with behaviour adjustment - no matter what an advert on Facebook might claim. The oldert, more authoritarian techniques could mask some behaviours if you were brutal enough, although it would never remove them, the dog would respond by hiding the problem deeper.

Sadly such trainers still exist, and so it is important to discuss the methods with any trainer or behaviorist that you intend to use.

For Lily we used patience, and positive reinforcement, as she slowly explores her new surroundings. Everything proceeds at her pace and we are thrilled with her progress. Lily will need many visits from her prospective adopter to build a bond with them. She will be best suited as an only pet in a child free, quiet home where she can continue to blossom. 

Lily is currently located in Holbeach, South Lincs.

If you think you can provide the calm and loving home Lily needs then please complete the Adoption Query form page -  - http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/adopting-a-german-shepherd/ 

You'll find other dogs looking for homes on our website here -  http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/dogslist/  and in our Facebook Adoption group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/gsdwfadoptions

  

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 23 - Meet Resident Kolo

We meet Kolo in this latest post of the 100 Days with 100 Dogs series - he's an unfortunate example of the 'potential side effects' of some treatments and why you need to be aware of any treatments prescribed for your dog. It's good practice to be aware anyway, but in extreme cases it can prevent a more serious issue.

Meet Resident Kolo

This gorgeous boy is Kolo. He is a 2 year old long coated black and tan entire male German Shepherd. Poor Kolo came to us at 7 months after being neurologically damaged by nexgard flea treatment. The vet report clearly stated that he administered nexgard to a healthy pup with no issues then 2 days later kolo was presented again because of vomiting and had diarrhoea and also unable to walk. 

The vet wanted to euthanise, but as you can imagine his carer was devastated.  His walking is better now, but the nexgard left Kolo with behavioural issues. One minute he us the sweetest boy, and the next he's biting hard (it's so much more than play biting).  

Click to sponsor one of our resident care dogs

We feel Kolo has as much right to a chance as any other dog. It's not his fault he was let down by pharmaceutical companies and vets. In the wrong hands Kolo could become a problem. We are not prepared to gamble with his life, or others' safety. With these factors in mind, we made the decision to keep him in our care to keep him safe. We will reconsider if we see drastic improvements in his behaviour.

You can learn more about the potential dangers of Nexgard (and related products) in one of our health articles here - https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/2022/04/health-topics-nexguard-and-bravecto.html

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 22 - Meet Kerrie

We've reached the 22nd day of the 100 Days with 100 Dogs and we still have many wonderful dogs needing forever homes to meet.

Meet Kerrie

This beautiful lady is Kerrie. She is about 8 years old, and is a short coated black and tan female. 

Kerrie came to us as a cruelty case from the RSPCA along with her daughter. She was in a dreadful state, both physically and mentally. It proved difficult to approach her, and we had to work patiently to bring her with us without causing further distress. 

We recently moved her to a different kennel where she has been undergoing some behaviour adjustment training at a pace she could cope with. Kerrie was allowed to make all the decisions and was not forced to do anything she didn't feel comfortable with. 

Space, time and patience are important factors in allowing such traumatised dogs to find themselves again. In this manner her confidence has grown and now she's happy to investigate people. 

Kerrie will need a quiet home with no other pets and an understanding carer who will follow the advice given and help Kerrie develop further.  She has so much love to give and believe me, to win Kerrie's love will be such a reward!  

She is currently located Holbeach,  South lincs.

If you'd like to offer Kerrie a home then review our adoption process and complete the adoption query form here - http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/adopting-a-german-shepherd/

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 21 - Meet Resident Bruce

With Day 21 of 100 Days with 100 Dogs  we meet Bruce. All of the dogs that come us have their stories - their own slice of trauma through many different causes from the death of their owners, those that have been abused, and those suffering terrible illnesses. All of them touch you in some way, but others are so grim that they can stain you indelibly, and yet the dogs can come out of the other side, and through their own strength and patient support find a life again.

Meet Resident Bruce

Bruce is a 2 year old black and tan,long coated entire male. At 7 months he started reacting to things when taken out on walks. We believe that he was going through his second fear period. 

Unfortunately his owners sent him away to board and train with a disreputable (for want a better description) trainer. During his stay with the training school they introduced him to a prong collar, spray bottle and rattle can (obviously this trainer had no idea of the science of how dogs learn). On the face of it, the training worked, but in reality such techniques will at best mask the original issue, and are also likely to create new ones.

How prong colours are still legal in this day and age is unconscionable.

Bruce returned home, and he wasn't so reactive on walks. and his owners naively thought the  that the training had worked. In reality the fear had sunk deeper, and taken on new forms.  He'd learned that seeing humans resulted in pain from the prong collar.    

When visitors came to the house he was terrified of humans, but didn't have the prong collar on. And so he tried to protect himself and bit. Poor Bruce now has two police records. 

Arriving at Welfare we recognised a terrified, and shut down boy. His eyes told such a story - one that  would make you cry. Once we'd taken him in, the police contacted us. If he hadn't been surrendered to us they would have issued a destruction order.   

Within weeks if being here, and by only working at a pace he could cope with we worked with him on problem solving. As gained confidence and proficiency, and as he did so, he transformed. He looked like he had the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders. 

Even with this we still have to be careful, and make sure not put him in situations he can't cope with. He is so loving, and just five minutes in his company would leave you wondering how on earth he found himself in that predicament. Sady the answer is all too simple - because people do not always listen to the advice given, or given bad advice and don't check. There will be no third chance for Bruce with the police, and so we made the decision to keep him safe in our care.

Bruce is one of twenty or so dogs in our permanent care. He's not one the dogs with a printed sponsor pack, but if you'd like to help us provide for his life long needs then you can still sponsor him by choosing other, and then entering his name in the text box provided - http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/product/sponsor-a-dog/

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 20 - Meet Casey

Day 20 means that we're a fifth of the way, or looking at it another way. we have at least four times more dogs to show you that either need homes, or in our permanent. It's not all bleak though, we've received some positive communications and a few visits that will hopefully turn into new homes. Thank you all for your continuing support - even just liking and sharing a post could reach a prospective adopter.

Meet Casey

This beautiful girl is Casey.  She's a 2 year old black and tan long coated, entire female German Shepherd. Sadly she is with us due to health issues with her previous owner. 

She is proving to be an absolute sweetheart with the kennel staff, although dhe can be strong on lead. We've not seen any problems with other dogs, but has never lived with another one. Casey hasn't been tested with cats. We can see no reason why she couldn't be introduced to children. 

Currently Casey is located Sleaford, Lincolnshire.

If you'd like to adopt Casey, or one of our other dogs then you can read our process and contact us via our shiny new Adoption Query form - http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/adopting-a-german-shepherd/

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 19: Meet Resident Ernie

For the 19th dog in the 100 Days with 100 Dogs series we meet another of our dogs under our permanent care. We don't believe a dog should be put down simply because they couldn't be rehomed - all dogs should have a life they deserve, and not the ones that  some have suffered.

Meet Ernie

Ernie is a handsome 4 year old, male, un-neutered, black and tan German Shepherd. He's been with us for approximately 2 years now. 

He came to Welfare after biting his previous owner, who said training methods had caused the bite. Deeper investigation proved it to be for different reasons. 

Ernie spent about a year with us and we saw nothing but a loving boy. No sign whatsoever of any aggression. So we found him a wonderful home, but after 3 days we had to bring him back.  We made the decision to keep him in our care to save him any further stress. 

We have around 20 dogs in our care, and they can be sponsored to help with the cost of their life long upkeep. You can sponsor our dogs here -  http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/product/sponsor-a-dog/  

Learn more about the cost of caring for our rescued dogs here - https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-cost-of-caring.html