Will it be Charlie?

I've mentioned somewhere on GC that we're getting another dog to be a younger companion for Bella, one who'll be as keen as she is to rush around and get wet and muddy at all possible opportunities - well, yesterday I went to the local Dogs' Trust re-homing centre, and had a look around.

There was one absolutely gorgeous little dog who had been turned out of a car and abandoned just a week or two ago. How people can do this absolutely leaves me gob-smacked. Anyway, I managed to tear myself away from those beautiful brown eyes, (she is 10, and really too old for what we need, unfortunately) and had a good look around. Main criterion was that whatever the dog looked like, it had to be one who would get on with other dogs, and Tom. Apart from that, I didn't mind, so long as it was younger than Bella by a few years, ideally about 2-5 years old.

In the end, I decided that Charlie, a black lab-collie cross about 2 and a half years old, would be the best bet, and we took him for a walk, then introduced him and Bella in a big barn. They totally ignored each other!!

So, next step is for me to take most of the rest of the family to meet him tomorrow afternoon, with Bella again too, of course, and then Mr Dendy on Saturday, and if everything goes ok, we'll bring him home with us on Sunday morning.

So cross your fingers for us, everyone! Then if we bring him home, he'll have his photo on GC too!

 

The collie part will give him the energy and the lab in him should made him friendly .Should be a good mix but a small word of caution collies need to be kept busy or they start to cause trouble. I know I had four working collies at a time (two sheep dogs and two cattle dogs).Three of them slept in the shed at night and Lass slept on the back door step and would not sleep anywhere else even in 6 inches of snow!
Good luck.

 

great news dend just cant wait to see him keep my fingers crossed everything goes well this next couple of days, good luck

 

Thanks for the advice, Beefy! Bella will keep him busy when he's not actually out for walks or at work with me, so fingers crossed we'll be ok
And thanks for the best wishes, Rosa!
It was odd walking him, as when I looked down, it looked like Bella had just got shorter!! They're very alike, except she's taller than him - we'll have to give him a different colour collar!

 

was going to mention that dend was he like bella with the lab, feel a sketch will be on the cards before xmas

 

you could be right there, Rosa!! :D

 

Thats great news Dendy Do you know much about Charlie's history? Lovely to hear another rescue dog has hopefully found a loving, caring home Fingers crossed all goes well for you allx

 

Great news Dendrobium. Love to hear of a new home for a homing centre animal. Very best wishes for everything to go well!

 

Think it looks like he could be the one Dendy,a friend of mine has 2 of these dogs & they are smashers.Keep us posted on how it goes.(another charlie,great!!!)

 

If he comes to us, he'll be the 6th rescue animal we've had. My first dog, Cindy, was very like Bella, but with a longer tail, and she had a standard issue mongrel tail. Then we had Tiger, an all black cat (obviously!!), Tilly, a Jack Russell. Tiger had been found in a sack in a back alley in Liverpool, and Tilly was wandering the streets, and nobody ever claimed her. Then we got Bella, followed by Tom, and now there's another one.....

I've always found these animals lovely! Sure there are sometimes problems you have to deal with, and Bella was a nightmare when we first brought her home, but she's the best dog we've ever had, the most loving, and the one who has given us most pleasure.

Tom was 13 months when we got him, and he'd been living in a house with 26 cats and 2 dogs. You can imagine he wasn't too used to being handled, but now he much prefers to curl up on our laps or lie on Mr Dendy's stomach as he lies on the sofa watching telly, and purring like a motor! (Tom, that is, not Mr D.....)

 

Yep!! once they know they are safe they aren't long in accepting their new forever home.

 

Looking forward to seeing pictures of your new baby, Dendro! He's a lucky boy that you found him and no doubt he'll be spoilt rotten!

 

We went to meet him today, with both Bella and Daisy this time, and my oldest son who lives with us just now, and m-in-law, and he loved youngest son!! Had a great time sitting being fussed by him, and sneaked a quick lick on the chin! :D

Meeting went well, just a few warning barings of the teeth when he thought Bella was too close, or being pushy - so fingers crossed!

Daisy and he totally ignored each other!

Next meeting is Saturday, when I'll take both dogs with me and Mr D.

I bought the bed for him, and fod and water bowls, put the bed down in the kitchen , and Tom immediately lay down on it and went to sleep! Making his mark...... Typical cat!

 

Fingers firmly crossed - but I have little doubt that in your home, after a few spats, he will settle and be just one of the family. Good luck with the Saturday visit

 

Its an observation I have made on many occasions to many people, but at the height of my hands-on work with strays - cats and dogs- I never felt that they were going to fight or even just not get on. I have (carefully) introduced single disadvantaged animals (mostly cats) to the rest of the crowd which could number up to 15 or 20 at times and it did not pass through my mind that they would not all gel to a greater or lesser degree. This mainly took place in an upper maisonette (we had outside doors and stairways). They were of course always close to me and I suppose the general attitude I had must have been conveyed to them. Has anyone else been as fortunate as this with animals?