Calista the Dalmatian (now ROXY!)

[DogsBestFriend]

Just a quickie to thank you all for your kind msgs of support re Roxy! She is starting to relax and the dal personality is beginning to shine through! Will post at the weekend and fill you all in; just been spending a lot of q.t. with her to help her settle and also running between our other two doggies to make sure they’re routine remains in place so there is no tension when the big introduction takes place (this weekend hopefully!)…….. Keep all paws crossed that all goes well!
Thank crunchie the weekend beckons!

[DogsBestFriend]

Finally a quick update on little Roxy! Thankfully she’s house trained (no accidents so far!) and a dream to travel with in the car – just lies down quietly on the back seat and doesnt make a sound, you would forget she’s even there! Apart from one little chewing incident, she’s been fab! Health wise, she’s still being treated for earmites and kennel cough but already she’s much brighter in herself. The damage thats been done to her is very evident in the home situation though – this is a girl who walks all the time with her head down and tail between her legs, cowering as close to the floor as possible, just wanting to be invisible, its so sad. She has already developed a bond with me (very wary of himself though, as a man) and will respond to her new name! After a full week, she will now leap out of her basket and come to greet me, rather than waiting for me to invite her out and her tail wags a good bit now. Big worry was always the intro to our other two doggies and how it would all work out. Well, it went miles better than we could have anticipated (though its very early days). We did a lot of research and asked the vets advice, but a lot of it is just cop on. They were intro’d first on saturday a.m. on neutral patch, in the park, with Roxy on her lead. It was all planned with military precision, himself dropped me and other pair up first and then went off and arrived with herself, by which time they had had a great gad about and our other dal (who is very attached to me) didnt see her mammy with a new doggie. They had a bit of a run about and a long walk then on leads and everything was fine! We headed home and then let them all loose (one at a time) in the back lawn with Roxy. We witnessed something we had never seen before – as a dal, our Lola is very independent of other dogs, and although she would have known our other lad all her life, she will interact only on her terms and as a typical dal, seeks the companionship of humans and the family circle above other dogs. Well, herself and Roxy are nuts about each other! They spent an hour boxing with each other in the back and chasing each other. Roxy even smiled! (Any dal owner, boxer owner etc will know what I mean by this!) It was a joy to watch! Lola will dominate her, as she does, by mounting her, and we’ve been careful to support this, as it will make for a happier pack all round – a dog that knows his place in the pack, be it human or canine, is a happier, well adjusted dog. I would say our beardie who is currently the alpha dog, will remain so, with Lola second in command, followed by Roxy. As I say early days, but paws continuously crossed! Its a lot of hard work and you’ve to be very organised but I know its so worth it. Hope that updates you all – concious I dont want to clog up boards!
BTW, have a lot of doggie recipes, with various ones for farting, glossy coat, overweight doggies, etc., if anyone wants them, I will put any requested one up on the advice type board here to share. I always make the convalescent chicken one for my dogs if they’re post op or have been ill, Roxy is enjoying it at the moment!
Hope you’re all well and will post pics of all of them eventually – priority is with getting Roxy settled in, back on her feet, and vaxed / speyed. Cant do either of the latter yet as she’s still got kennel cough…….

[DogsBestFriend]

Thanks lads! Appreciate the compliments. We’re such proud parents! Roxy spent her first night in the family room overnight with our other two doggies on Sunday night last. TG there was no argy bargy or thrashing / destruction! Parents were keeping a watchful eye / ear on the little pack to make sure all was ok! We couldnt bear to keep her in isolation in the spare bedroom any longer – we wanted her to be part of what was going on below and once we were satisfied they all got along, we decided after a week to take a chance. I’ve got to tell you, the final clinch was that we were sneaking in on her in the bedroom to check all was well (she flinches and cowers if you make a loud noise so we got used to tippey-toeing around her). It was kinda sad and funny at the same time – we discovered her lying flat on the floor, with her ear / snout trying to poke through the wooden floorboards – the family room is directly below the spare room and there she was god love her, trying to listen in on all that was going on below, with the other doggies and the rest of the household! We just had to take her down after that! Herself and Lola (dal) are getting on great – Lola is kinda mothering her, though she will keep her in check when she steps out of line, and Roxy just watches herself and our beardie like a hawk; already mimicking their behaviour. If they hadnt both been impeccably behaved, we would never have even considered taking Roxy – we would have focussed on their behaviour first. Have found from years of experience, one dog very much copies the other so if there was one badly behaved, its highly likely the second one would be too…….. So thats it for now – photies will follow over time…….

[DogsBestFriend]

Well, its been a long and fun filled, and also tearful, ten months (cant believe it!) since little Roxy came to join our family! From the very first time I saw her in Ashton, valentine’s weekend , she really did pull on my heart strings and I knew then and there, we would just have to take her home to our little gang. Thank you so much to DID for keeping her safe and snug (her wax jacket helped keep her warm at night) until we finally got to bring her home on February 15th!!!! We were absolutely over the moon and just couldnt wait to spoil her……. After an initial good enough start (she got on terrifically with our other dal Lola and our collie terrier, Harry – what a military operation that took to introduce them all properly ), then she had a further ten days isolation in the spare bedroom (every comfort available to her) as we had been advised to do so by the Vet due to a horrible horrible ear mite infestation. It was awful keeping her apart from the Seniors as we call them – as she also had an awful dose of kennel cough so everytime she had a coughing fit, the pair of them would immediately look up to the ceiling (Roxy was in the bedroom above it!) so myself and himself would have to start coughing frantically to try and cover it up! Then, as she got better, she did a few mad rounds of giddies, tearing accross the wooden floor, and again, the other pair were looking up suspiciously for the intruder! Fastforwarding to today, she has had a very rough trot in life, and as with our previous rescues, her many neuroses did not become evident for a good while – she remains very nervous of strangers to date, especially men, and is very fearful of buses, white vans (ashton), people in general, open doorways, bus stops, oh the list is endless. She cowers down if you clear your throat or if she sees a bottle. I’ve had many a dose as I couldnt put a hat on or pull up a brolly for a good seven or eight months with her. But with a lot of love, tolerance and patience, she is thriving, she really is. Ive done all my own training with her and she has almost perfect recall, she’s really good in the house now (crate training really helped her there) and she’s just a very happy little girl. As anyone with one or two older dogs will tell you, the Seniors have been vital in her training – Lola will mammy her, and Harry pulls them all into line, scolding Roxy, herding her in and watching her like a hawk in general. She’s a well travelled little girl – going on hols with us (as the others always have) – she’s been to Carrick on Shannon, Wexford and all about Armagh and N.I. and although she was terrified going into a new environment the first time, thanks to her big bro and sis, she takes it all in her stride. We had a lot of medical issues with her as she had severe complications following her spay, which took a long time to resolve. Then she was attacked by a dog and had her ear ripped – she rocked the Audrey Hepburn turban look for quite some time on that one, but despite months trying to resolve it, the only option was to take a little piece out of her ear as it just wouldnt heal. She’s just recovered from a chesty cough and is at my feet now wondering what the heck mammy is doing on the funny looking telly! She is a huge fan of the telly – she sits in front of it like a child and particularly loves any of the nature documentarys or Animal A and E – its like watching a spectator at a tennis match! She has brought the fun factor back to our home (its like having two teenagers and a new baby!) and we all love her to pieces. The Seniors have accepted her totally without reserve and are loving an extra playmate! I’ve been meaning to post this up for yonks but she has kept us busy and I made it my resolution to get them up before the New Year! Sorry this is so very long but I just cant stop when it comes to talking about my little gang! So thanks again to everyone at Ashton and DID – rest assured that she has now got the home she deserves! Lots of love and licks from the human servants and 12 paws (with the waggiest tails on the northside!)
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[TobysMum]

Ah Brenda, she is such a cutie and I’m so glad that she has recovered fully now. Lola and Harry are also adorable! You have a lovely family there and should be rightly proud of them all.

[DogsBestFriend]

Thanks a mill Ev! You know I couldnt praise them all enough, I really couldnt! I was so blessed with each and every one of them and I tell people that every chance I get. I was down in the vets only the other evening with Roxy and a lady who used to breed dals in the past was admiring the pair of them (I bring Lola along to keep Roxy’s nerves at bay) and she was saying how well marked they were and asked me how much I paid for them. She was astounded that they were both Ashton ex’s but then the vet nurse ruined my get a rescue dog tirade by stating that she would only ever consider Dog’s Trust for her own dogs as you cant trust any dog you get in the pound when they’ve not been behaviourally assessed or anything! I was soooo mad with her! I accept you can be very lucky, or very unlucky but I think that, hopefully, many of us who would have the mindset to go for a rescue, will take the time and effort involved to get the dog to a happier place and wont mind about a bit of hard work – in the end you get more love from them you could ever hope to in a lifetime! Hopefully we may meet the lovely Taffy at some DID event in the future! Oh and a very merry new year to yourself and your own family from all of us! B xxx

[TobysMum]

I totally agree with you Brenda – rescue dogs are the most loyal and loving of dogs and I certainly wouldn’t consider any other. Yes, hopefully we will all meet up soon. Take care.

[buzzsmom]

They all look great, I remember Roxy from the pound I would never have guessed she had all of those issues, but I do remember your determination to get your hands on her and I am very happy that you did. You have done a great job with her. It was great meeting you in the pound before Christmas. Happy New Year to all of your gang.

[Bumbles]

ah Brenda they’re such gorgeous photos of the pack – I love that last one, Roxy looks so smug and happy with herself altogether

Give them a big belly rub from me & Rodders

Debs

[DogsBestFriend]

Tks buzz’s Mom and Debs of course! To be totally honest, its been a rough trot with Roxy – I could fill the entire site with the list of things she is afraid of! She is totally neurotic about any change in routine at all – if I even cross the road at a different place to where she’s used to, she will let me know and refuses point blank to venture any way thats out of her usual comfort zone. I was an animal nurse some time back now, so thankfully picked up lots of useful tips along the way. Of course it helps always having had dals (amongst others) in the family all our life. Such a sensitive breed and not minimising any other doggies, but they do tend to never forget the bad stuff. I’ve been desensitising her to so many things along the way and we are making slow but steady progress. It was a real milestone to get her, after several months, to venture through a turnstyle gate, so she could get to her favourite field to have a play. She, of course, is totally different with her brother and sister when they are with her to mind her, but I am confident, that with time, she will relax enough to be the dog she wants to be One of her fav things is watching telly! Its gas, you should see her – she is like a child – she sets herself up in the middle of the floor, right in front of the TV, then drags her bedding over, to make herself comfy Once she’s set up there, I can leave her on her own for a good hour or so, if I have to take one or both of the other dogs to the vet! She is most interested in Animal A and E, from TV3, or alternatively any of the national geographic nature docs, especially the most recent one on polar bears, she just loved that! Its another vital part of visiting the poundies I think, being able to put faces to the names from the board, its the really nice social part of DID I think! All in all, of course we are absolutely delighted we got to take Roxy from Ashton – although of course its not necessary to have experience of a particular breed, I do think that she has thrived, with the previous knowledge and current experience we have of dallys. She couldnt be more loved and of course Harry and Lola are over the moon to have another playmate, although Harry feels it prudent to draw the line at three probably fear of reduced rations in these recessionary times! Oh, and a very Happy New Year to all at DID and the various pups and menagerie of animals too, of course!

[Author]

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