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Post by Baglady on Dec 14, 2016 2:06:40 GMT
Please whisper a very gentle welcome to Snowflake   Visitors to the Home may have noticed that Snowflake has been with us for nearly a week. She sits in her kennel, too afraid to come to the front, and too lonely to stay in the back... she is torn between fear and her desperate need for comfort. Staff member Becky has spent hours, just sitting in Snowflake's kennel, slowly earning her trust, and today we felt Snowflake was ready to come out to say 'hi' to us. It was all tiny tiny baby steps with Snowflake today, we didn't want to alarm her, or frighten her, we just wanted to see if we could get her to relax a little. She gave us lots of 'I'm worried, but I don't mean any harm' calming signals, so we just took her lead off, sat, and waited...  Eventually, our patience paid off, and after what seemed like an age, Snowflake approached June and gently took sausages from her open hand...  And offered her paw in thanks...  She does seem to have some basic training, and although it was not the time to 'put her through her paces' she was more than willing to 'sit' on command, and to actually give us eye contact. But those soulful eyes.... don't they break your heart   Snowflake won't be going on the walkers' list until she is a lot more settled, but in the meantime the staff and vols will be spending lots of quiet time with her, talking to her, and helping her learn to trust that nothing bad is going to happen to her, ever again.  Snowflake is available for rehoming from 15th December, but obviously she won't be leaving us until she is feeling a lot less anxious. CDH does not rehome dogs immediately before Christmas, so applicants would need to discuss timings with the staff. If you would like more information, or would like to meet Snowflake, please phone the Dogs' Home: 029 2071 1243 or visit Cardiff Dogs' Home, Westpoint Industrial Estate, Penarth Road, open 7 days a week, 10.30 - 4pm. For more information about the rehoming process at Cardiff Dogs Home, please click here |
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Post by Sian A on Dec 18, 2016 19:46:17 GMT
We were lucky enough to take Snowflake out this morning for her first walk. We were warned by the staff that she might not want to go out at all, or at least very far, but we've walked similarly timid dogs before and even a few minutes outside is better than none. Luckily she seemed quite keen to be outside and investigating all the new smells up and down the lane, and after a quick investigation of us both, she lead the way. Snowflake did seem to want to get closer to us occasionally and have a cuddle or fuss, but would often meander away at the last moment. Other times, however, she seemed happy enough to have a brief pat before moving onto a new smell. We got about halfway down the lane before Snowflake decided we'd gone far enough and took the lead in her mouth, pulling us back the other way. We tried to tempt her with treats and encourage her on but to no avail. Even while pulling on the lead, Snowflake was still very gentle, she just knew where she wanted to go and how to get us to follow. One of the staff met us as we approached the gate and Snowflake's tail started going like the clappers. She relaxed so much, being around someone she knew and trusted, and after a few minutes we decided to try taking her down the lane again. I'm glad we did, because having been reassured, Snowflake was eager to keep exploring. She looked back a few times but we made sure to encourage her onwards and before we knew it we'd made it out onto the estate. Snowflake led the way mostly, with her nose glued to the ground for a lot of the walk initially, but she seemed much happier in our presence than before and checked back with us regularly for a sniff and a quick pat. Snowflake was absolutely fine around traffic and quite interested in other dogs, though she was easy to lead away from them. At one point we passed by Bob, who gave Snowflake a little bark, and she was very intrigued and almost went into a play bow. There's definitely a playful little lady hiding underneath that nervousness. We stopped at the benches in Grangemoor Park for some water and treats, which she took very gently. She wasn't quite sure about sit or paw but as this was her first walk, we weren't going to push her. With some time, patience, and a lot of love and care, I'm positive that Snowflake will gain her confidence in people back and be the most wonderful and loving addition to her future forever family.   |
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Post by quizzical1 on Jan 17, 2017 16:28:28 GMT
Snowflake gets very upset in kennels so you will usually find her in the office unless she is having an away day with me. She is the easiest dog I have ever had to look after, as long as you are happy with her to use your bed rather than hers.  I think she could walk miles, but when she is with me we do little and often, with me being summoned to the door with a small noise in her throat. Whilst we are out walking she has met a few other dogs and after some hesitation is happy to make friends with all of them. In the home she mainly sleeps, either on my bed or on her blanket by my side. I have tried playing with her but after a bit of chasing the toys (which are picked up gently and never torn) she gets bored and prefers to lie down and have her tummy rubbed.    I had been told she often left her dinner; I had no such problems as long as I fed her chunks in jelly or gravy and doggy treats and ham and pate and biscuits. Snowflake is good in the car, good in the home, good on walks, simply just a very good dog. |
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Post by Becky on Jan 17, 2017 19:06:53 GMT
What a fabulous update Christine  Its great to know how the dogs are in a home environment and it sounds like Snowflake is an utter doll x |
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Post by Sian A on Jan 22, 2017 23:06:01 GMT
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Post by miggy on Jan 23, 2017 21:17:11 GMT
Mum and i had the pleasure of sharing a lift back to CDH with Pete (thank you sooooo much!) Buster and Snowflake. I was in the back with the dogs.... We were totally freezing so I took the opportunity to have a snuggle with Snowdrop. She sat on my lap and cwtched in, it was lovely. She's such a beautiful girl and is really coming out of her shell. Its so nice to see her starting to trust people, she really is a special girl.
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Post by rotterdam82 on Jan 26, 2017 21:02:22 GMT
Snowflake the bravest girl at friends of the dogs. Jo helped me get her in the car (thanks Jo) and off we went to marks and Spencer's meet and greet. This is a big step for snowflake and once she seen her boyfriend Buster Brown she came out of her shell enjoyed all the fuss of little children it was just fab. Lola Jenny's dog became her bestie for the day and it was lovely to see her playful side come out. As it was freezing cold I took her and Buster back in the car and they were as good as gold bless em. Snowflake you are a star and I look forward to your company again. Stay beautiful gorgeous girl xx  Yes I'm very lovely aren't I |
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Post by quizzical1 on Jan 30, 2017 9:05:12 GMT
Snowflake has had several home visits with me, each and every one a pleasure. With Snowflake around there is no point in crying over spilt milk, it gets cleaned up instantly, before I had a chat about milk not being good for dogs!
She has promised not to eat or drink anymore things that are bad for her, but I still saw her lap up Baileys and eat coconut rings, so she practiced her "Sorry" look.
Last week she had her first sleepover and once we had established that she would have to share the bed, but could keep her teddy, she slept through the night with no problems, not even snoring.
Snowflake is a very special lady, beautiful, well behaved, loving and will do really good poses for the camera when asked "Profile please".
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Post by quizzical1 on Feb 7, 2017 17:34:11 GMT
I do love this girl, she is such a joy to have around and so easy to look after. I know some people have had a bit of trouble getting her to walk, but once away from the Home she trots alongside as good as gold, sniffing here and there and taking an interest in everything around her.  She very rarely pulls unless we are getting close to one of her favourite places either the biscuit lady's house or to visit her best mate, both of which are now regular stops on our walks.  |
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Post by Sian A on Feb 13, 2017 11:30:09 GMT
Oh sweet little Snowflake. She's such a gentle little lady, but still a little uncertain about leaving the Home at first. As we were taking Buster out we'd asked if we could bring Snowflake along too, though it took a little encouragement to get her going. She started pulling back on her lead and, not wanting to encourage her to play tug of war with her leash or hurt her, I headed back to get some help from the staff while Dad and Buster waited in the lane. They were able to help us get her down the end of the lane, at which point Snowflake was only too happy to get out and explore. She just needs a little encouragement sometimes to overcome any uncertainty. Snowflake walked wonderfully with Buster and while she showed some interest in passing dogs, there was no barking or excessive pulling to get to them. She loves to have a little fuss and will stop occasionally to get a reassuring pat as you walk. On our very first walk with Snowflake we had little trouble getting her to Grangemoor Park, but we've since heard that she tends to refuse to cross over the bridge. As we reached the start of the bridge she started to freeze up and refused to go any further in that direction. I'm not sure if it's the noise or the awareness of the water underneath, but we had no luck. I did try to carry her across, as apparently she's fine once over, but it wasn't very comfortable for either of us so we headed back and crossed the road instead to head to the opposite estate. Our walk carried on as normal after that, and we had a lovely little sit down for water and treats before heading back. Snowflake is very gentle with treats and sat after some encouragement, though I think having two sets of treats (for her and Buster) confused her a little as she kept trying to edge towards Buster's! We did try to head over the bridge again from the other side of the road but had no luck. Snowflake is a gorgeous little lady, gentle and affectionate. She just needs a comfy home to call her own and give her some stability and confidence.      |
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Post by Sian A on Feb 14, 2017 22:17:07 GMT
We popped down to CDH this morning to walk Buster and Snowflake again, this time for their inadvertent Valentine's date. Both behaved impeccably, as usual. Luckily Snowflake was given some time off from manning reception so she could come along  Snowflake seemed a lot more eager to go for walkies today but when we got about halfway down the lane she started to try and pull back again. As her collar had seemed a little loose before leaving, the staff put on a normal lead along with her new chain lead. While this did mean she still had a fabric lead to pull on, the chain lead meant we could still try and encourage her along without risking a game of tug of war or hurting her teeth. We managed to get her to the end of the lane without turning back for help from the staff, and once we were in the estate she started to relax, letting go of the lead completely within minutes. She isn't a difficult dog, she just needs some confidence and encouragement. Rather than potentially stress Snowflake by trying to get her to cross the bridge, we headed up Llandough Hill instead. She walks wonderfully once she's out and about, and was very good as we crossed the roads, though she did seem a little unsure about walking on drain grates. Snowflake takes treats very gently and is getting much better with her sit and paw - she obviously learning a lot from Buster! This little lady would make the right family very happy, and hopefully they in turn will be able to give her the confidence and forever home that she desperately deserves. Here's hoping she doesn't have to wait too much longer.    |
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Post by quizzical1 on Feb 15, 2017 14:13:48 GMT
It is one thing to have Snowflake come for visits, but when she starts inviting her mates around I think she is getting a bit cheeky (not so much the Timid and Worried lady of the title!) Snowflake was staying with me on Saturday when another one of her best mates, Buster from CDH, turned up and they had a lovely play date in a home. Both of them behaved beautifully and we managed to get a few photos of them without too many blurs. Sniffing on the balcony...........  Waiting patiently for treats.............  And posing like the stars they are .............  |
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Post by Sian A on Feb 21, 2017 18:12:38 GMT
I just can't resist taking this lovely little lady out when we're down. We almost headed back after walking Darlow as the Home was getting quite busy, but we spotted Snowflake in the office and couldn't help ourselves. It was a solo walk Sunday, at least as far as Snowflake was concerned, because her best buddy Buster had been adopted. We were thrilled to hear the news, if a little concerned if Snowflake would walk without her friend. However our fears were completely unfounded and Snowflake must have been having a very good day, because she came out of the kennels with a happy tail, greeted us both with a little sniff, and off we went! We made sure to have a nice march down the lane, ready for when Snowflake would start pulling back on the lead to go home, but that moment never came. Snowflake charged down the lane, happy as anything, and any potential reluctance was avoided thanks to Gilbert being walked just up ahead. We actually ended up overtaking Gilbert and his walkers, and still Snowflake carried on out into the estate. Her whole walk you could see she had a little more confidence, give or take a few areas or loud noises, and it was really heartening. We didn't want to risk her good mood by trying for the bridge, so we had a wander half-way to Llandough Hill then down to the estate opposite the Home to watch the squirrels and have a treat. Snowflake is so incredibly gentle and her sit/paw/treat manners are improving so much each time we take her out. She has the softest fur - great for cwtching - and has her own version of 'puss in boots' eyes down to a tee! Fingers crossed she's not waiting too much longer for her forever home.    |
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Post by Sian A on Mar 10, 2017 20:57:56 GMT
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Post by Sian A on Mar 12, 2017 13:51:25 GMT
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Its great to know how the dogs are in a home environment and it sounds like Snowflake is an utter doll x
Snowflake seemed a lot more eager to go for walkies today but when we got about halfway down the lane she started to try and pull back again. As her collar had seemed a little loose before leaving, the staff put on a normal lead along with her new chain lead. While this did mean she still had a fabric lead to pull on, the chain lead meant we could still try and encourage her along without risking a game of tug of war or hurting her teeth. We managed to get her to the end of the lane without turning back for help from the staff, and once we were in the estate she started to relax, letting go of the lead completely within minutes. She isn't a difficult dog, she just needs some confidence and encouragement. Rather than potentially stress Snowflake by trying to get her to cross the bridge, we headed up Llandough Hill instead. She walks wonderfully once she's out and about, and was very good as we crossed the roads, though she did seem a little unsure about walking on drain grates. Snowflake takes treats very gently and is getting much better with her sit and paw - she obviously learning a lot from Buster!
