|
Post by Joanne on Aug 6, 2014 20:49:26 GMT
There are some really great write ups on Sadie, so I just want to add a little extra bit on her.
I've walked Sadie on a regular basis since she has been at the home & as people have said she is a lovely sweet little lady, who is just a bit more nervous than most of the CDH dogs and will need a bit of extra training on how to interact with other dogs. One on one she is a gorgeous girl who seems to remember her walkers, which makes her a little calmer when out walking once she gets to know you.
If you really want to see the true Sadie, then please take her into the sensory garden. Once she is off lead she scoots around the garden looking for tennis balls or squeaky toys and boy once she has a couple of those, she is off!! Sadie sits in front of you with her whole body shaking with excitement waiting for you to throw the ball, then she flies off to get it, and brings it straight back ready for you to throw again. She loves this game so much you have to actually stop throwing the balls for her to get her to stop & have a drink of water!
Sadie also loves the paddling pool in the garden, so assume she is a bit of a water baby! It is comical to watch her zooming back towards you with a ball in her mouth then plunge right into the pool - still with ball in mouth, then she rolls around in the water waiting for me to give her some gentle pats on the back.
I really hope that special person will see what we all see in Sadie and give her a chance to show how fab she is and also provide her with a forever home that can allow this lovely girl to live a normal doggy life.
|
|
|
Post by debs91067 on Aug 7, 2014 10:39:27 GMT
Just found this lovely video I took of Sadie in the garden afew weeks back, not sure if the link will work as I havn't uploaded videos before but I'll have a go
|
|
|
Post by Ja parsons on Aug 17, 2014 16:30:16 GMT
Sadie really caught my eye and I have been down to see her a couple of times this week. She is such a sweet girl and I would love to offer her a home. Regrettably having spoken with the staff it seems as though we would not be able to offer her the quiet house that she would need to help her. I fear we have too many people to get used to (me, my husband, son 22 and daughter 17) and unfortunately I think this would be too overwhelming for her. Such a shame but I hope she finds someone to take her soon who can provide what she needs.
|
|
|
Post by RaMc on Aug 17, 2014 19:24:12 GMT
I can see that a house of 4 may be quite overwhelming BUT it also depends on the people. 3 adults and an almost adult may not be that bad especially if she was able to have space of her own where she could retreat to if things got to be too much and if everybody was on board with the fact that she needs time and space.
When I've taken her out for walks there have been times when she has had 3 people around her on the way in or out of her kennels - myself, Susie and a member of staff for example, all people who understand how to approach her and that she is quite secure with and she is absolutely fine.
If everyone in the house would be on board about getting her settled & building her confidence at her pace then I don't see that a 4 person household would necessarily be too much for her. Could you introduce the rest of the family and see how it goes? Even if you brought them down with you one at a time first and took her for a walk and a play in the garden to see how she seemed around them and vice versa?
I am not going to lie and say that she'll be easy to get settled and her issues will disappear overnight but I do honestly believe that she CAN be worked with and will improve massively given consistency. The staff have got to be cautious and make sure that the dogs are going to a home that will be right for them but if she has caught your eye and you would all be willing to work with her then I don't think you necessarily need to write her off entirely.
|
|
|
Post by Ja Parsons on Aug 20, 2014 0:33:38 GMT
Thanks for your comments and advice. I was certainly willing to try bringing the family but the number of visits required by them and myself , as suggested, will be difficult with the opening times as we all have work/ college and are in and out at different times.
I feel like I am making excuses and feel really bad for Sadie but trying to be practical. I am also more than a bit apprehensive about her unpredictability and am not sure that everyone in the household will be consistent with their approach and careful enough. Basically I am a bit of a control freak! If I did not have to go out to work and could be around with her most of the time I would not hesitate. I am really torn but I think I know what I have to do.
|
|
|
Post by debs91067 on Aug 20, 2014 13:14:01 GMT
Only you know if it's going to be right for you and your family, and Sadie of course. When we had Charlie he was quiet, wary and took himself off into any quiet corner he could find when it suited him, maybe what he was used to we don't really know, and we have a busy household with 5 plus people here most or some of the time. We gave him the space he needed when he wanted it and let him settle at his own pace, even my 2 resident dogs (Ash & Benji) were very patient and calm with him, when really all they wanted to do was play lol. Someone commented yesterday that it's like he's been here forever, so it's definitely do-able if you feel it's the right time and right for you all
|
|
|
Post by rhysedwards on Aug 23, 2014 16:01:42 GMT
I took Sadie for a nice long walk this morning, and as I hadn't walked her before, she was at first very wary of me! We did a little introduction to start, and I went down to her level a few feet from her and just encouraged her gently to come to me, keeping my hands and arms close to me and not reaching out. Within minutes I had her trust and it was like I was her best friend, then off we went. She was very nervous walking along the road with lots of traffic, and goes into a sort of defensive stance when any people or dogs are approaching, so make sure she's kept well clear of both. Once we got onto the mound, she was a different dog, lots of new sniffs, nice and quiet, and the odd bird to try and chase, she was much, much more relaxed! We then went for some time in the garden on returning to the home, and she loved to play with the tennis balls, chasing them around when you throw them. She also loves to just get new toys out of the toy box, and will just go and wait by there until you go and get one, even if she always does go back to her tennis balls!! If you go and see Saide, please just give her the time to accept you, don't force yourself onto her, she will be your best friend in no time, and when she is, she's got lots of love to give!!
|
|
|
Post by cherylW on Aug 25, 2014 12:19:22 GMT
I walked this stunning little lady today in the pouring rain but she really didn't mind it at all. As we know she is a proper little water baby :-)
She doesn't know me but she was very willing to come out of her kennel for me to get her lead on with some gentle encouragement. As we walked I just talked to her and it took no time at all for her tail to come up and for her to relax with me.
She walks nicely but as others said she can fixate a bit, she'll easily walk on with encouragement she'll move on.
Back at the home we had some great playtime with tennis balls in the garden, I think she could quite happily play for hours! It was lovely to see her bounding around the garden looking happy and relaxed. She also dived into the paddling pool for a roll around several times despite the fact that she was soaking wet from the rain already. Funny girl :-)
I could see from the short time I spent with her today that she is a wonderful dog Who just needs the chance to get to know people gently with no rush, and she is going to flourish once she has her own home. I thought she was fantastic!
No photos today due to weather sorry :-(
|
|
|
Post by charliblogs on Aug 25, 2014 21:14:03 GMT
I had the absolute pleasure of passing Sunday afternoon away with Sadie. Before I had even met Sadie, I spoke in length with Susie and some of the other walkers as I had never met her before and wanted to make sure I did it right and in a way that is right for Sadie. I waiting in the car park and Susie came out with this little munch-kin, she is adorable. I lowered down to her level and waited for her to approach me. A couple of sniffs and me talking to her, once she had decided she knew me enough we were off. As I was a little apprehensive Susie walked down the lane with me for a bit, showing me how Sadie likes to be walked, how to keep her motivated to move forward and basically how to keep her comfortable with you. I wasn't apprehensive of her, just want to make that clear, I was concerned that I would do something that wasn't good for her etc... hope that made sense. Anyway, I had nothing to worry about because this little beauty has stolen my heart. We had a little walk all around the industrial estate, the grassy areas and surroundings. I wanted her to get used to me in a quiet environment, so I made everything as interesting as possible and chatted to her the whole way - if anyone heard me that probably would have thought I was crazy hehe. Sometimes she was a little pully, but who can blame her, she soon settled down, looking up as I spoke to her and she even let me give her little fusses every now and again. We didn't really encounter anything that people have said she is wary of. A couple of cars passed but she wasn't too bothered, they were going slowly which probably helped. As soon as I got back to the home we hopped on into the garden. Jo had said before she was a different dog in the garden, which I 100% saw. She instantly relaxes in the garden so anyone who wants to meet her please spend some garden time with her. Her smile is contagious in there and I lost track of time. Sadie and I were out for two hours - I was late for a BBQ - oops I'm not sure who would have slept better Sunday night, me or Sadie because this girl could play fetch for hours I'm sure. She has impeccable manners and never once jumped up for the ball, you throw one and hold one. Sadie comes bounding back drops the one ball then spins on her heels and legs it for the next one. Sometimes she forgets to drop the ball and tries to pick up both - it's hilarious. To mix it up I started to play catch with her, ok she didn't throw it back to me but still. By the end of it the balls we going pretty high and she was catching them with ease!! Just so much fun! I'm pretty sure Sadie is a mermaid, water is her close second favourite thing behind balls I think. Susie filled up the paddling pool and as you will see from the video Sadie loved it. Rolling around, splashing and generally loving life. Sadie would make an awesome companion, get to know her properly and spend time with her in the garden
|
|
|
Post by debs91067 on Aug 25, 2014 22:07:26 GMT
What a fab video Charli, looked like she was having so much fun x
|
|
|
Post by gizzysgirl on Aug 25, 2014 22:37:20 GMT
Fab video & fab dog by the look of it!
|
|
|
Post by RaMc on Aug 26, 2014 10:11:07 GMT
Love the video! She really is a gorgeous girl, I love her :-) and it doesn't take her long to get used to you if you introduce yourself in a way she is happy with. I totally agree about the garden though, she comes to life when she is pegging it around chasing toys.
|
|
|
Post by Baglady on Sept 3, 2014 23:12:52 GMT
Sadie has a new BF Sadie and Kato
|
|
|
Post by RaMc on Sept 4, 2014 7:09:55 GMT
Brilliant!! Lovely to see her playing with another dog, I think it'll do her the world of good!
|
|
|
Post by Joanne on Sept 4, 2014 19:29:05 GMT
YAAAAYYYY, this is absolutely fabulous. I knew little Sadie had it in her to be able to settle and relax around other dogs. Well done to Sadie & Kato!
|
|