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Post by Mimsmum on Dec 27, 2010 17:47:24 GMT
Suzy was in holding kennels in Gloucestershire and her outlook was bleak. She had already served her time in holding kennels and had nowhere to go. Luckily we re-homed two Lurchers just before Christmas and so Suzy came in. Suzy in in foster in Suffolk. She has a little way to go as it is clear that she has had some bad experiences in her past. She was hand-shy, aggressive with high value food and treats and guarded her space. It's amazing what a couple of days of tlc and patience and a quiet foster home can do. Very early days, but little by little Suzy is responding to her foster mum and dad.
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cathjavelin
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Post by cathjavelin on Dec 27, 2010 18:03:25 GMT
(Copied from poundie girl thread)
We are getting to know Suzy more now.
A very sensitive, anxious little girl. An example: she is just stolen a piece of bread and butter off the work surface. Mike removed it from her (well, as much as hadn't been digested!) and she was told "no." She scuttled off to her crate and sat there for a minute. Looked out of the office door to see where he was. Crept back into the kitchen, scuttled back to her crate, sat looking sheepish. Mike walked into the office. She followed his every move with her eyes. Went up to him, tail between her legs. He sat down - ignored her for a moment. She went back to her crate. Went back to Mike. Was given a very small stroke on the top of her head. Yipped, yapped twice. Tried for more strokes. Mike sat on his hands. She laid down beside him and hasn't taken her eyes off him.
An affectionate, little madam. She LOVES having a cuddle, preferably in a bed. She was wriggling and a snuggling between us this morning and we decided it was like having a demanding toddler with us. So busy loving the idea of a snuggle that she kept ruining it by wriggling and sticking her feet in our faces.
A clumsy great oaf. She stuck her legs out of the bars of the crate last night and forgot where she'd left her foot. Then yelped when she moved and it was stuck. She ended up standing on top of the garden table this morning! She also managed to scratch her chest with an old perennial stalk that was sticking up from the garden and yelped like she'd had her foot removed. I predict the chipping and the vaccinations will be loud!!
A moody teenager. Charlie is currently asleep outside her crate and they are approximately 2ft apart. Last night, he got shouted at for coming into the office. As the americans say - go figure?
A shadow She does not like being left on her own at all. Ever. Yips and cries. We're getting another crate from my mum so we can have it in the bedroom at night once the Ashes have finished. Currently we're fighting for the right to sleep in the office so we can listen to Test Match Special. I know for a fact that when I leave the office in a moment to go and make a cuppa, she'll follow me.
With consistent handling and a good routine, she is doing very well.
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cathjavelin
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Post by cathjavelin on Dec 27, 2010 18:53:14 GMT
Watching Upstairs, Downstairs Hiding behind FM! (Suzy does "hiding behind" very well at the moment!
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cathjavelin
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Post by cathjavelin on Dec 28, 2010 0:39:01 GMT
Most people agree that all dogs have individual personalities so categorising them or coming up with rules of thumb is quite hard. However, I had one until about 10 minutes ago. It went "No dog will knowingly eat a "brussel sprout" - chopping them up and hiding in a meal doesn't count.
Suzy has just been offered one and she ate it. I then offered her another one, not believing what occured. She ate them both.
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Post by Romi on Dec 28, 2010 9:20:02 GMT
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Post by Fran on Dec 28, 2010 17:21:46 GMT
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cathjavelin
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Post by cathjavelin on Dec 28, 2010 17:38:34 GMT
Suzy is coming out of her shell now and we are amazed at the progress she is making. She is having an amazing impact on Charlie as well. Charlie accepted Dezzie in his space but basically ignored her. Tilly was "lurve" until she stopped being in season and then she got ignored as well. However, Suzy seems to have awakened Charlie's ability to play. It started yesterday when they were out on the field and Charlie nipped in and stole the ball. (Suzy is fairly rubbish at locating the ball, it has to be said!). He then ran off with it and wouldn't give it back. Today, we took 2 balls out and when Suzy was belting around after the blue ball, Charlie chased (ok, trotted) after the bright orange ball which he could obviously see well and enjoyed 10 minutes of playing fetch. It made me feel quite emotional really! [For those new to my posts Charlie is my deaf, nearly blind, creaky 15 year old collie]. Anyway, onto Suzy . Her recall is "getting there." We've been doing the usual calling between us with a treat at either end and have progressed to the field where she belts between us (not always called to be fair) having worked out "when I go to the hoomans, they give me a treat. However, there are moment of complete deafnesses when exploring an interesting sniff. She saw a cat off lead today. DID NOT chase it. Had a good interested look but came away when called. Our cats are not getting the same danger vibes as they got from Tilly. They are much more confident at standing their ground and Gipsy (macho cat) came and sat on Mike's lap whilst Suzy was lying on the same sofa last night. She's guarding less and less. The only trigger times seem to be last thing at night. I swear she gets tired like a toddler. I am confidently able to remove stolen toys from her inside her crate now. This is a good job because everything is a potential toy! She ACTUALLY managed to spend 3 hours in her crate last night without whining and wailing. This morning she went round the house and gathered a collection of toys (3 cuddlies from my daughters room, 1 empty toilet roll inner, 1 ball) and brought them to the end of our bed where some were removed. Shoes, tights, socks, teddies, brushes - you name it, she thinks it is a toy. She's a bed-maker as well. Coats, blankets and even the old curtain we use to cover the crate at night have been carried to the correct place to form a bed. At the moment it's the curtain in front of the gas heater. However, she's not guarding these in anyway. We're fairly certain looking at Suzy's under-carriage that she's had a litter at some point. Toilet training is MUCH improved. She knows she should go outside and the only accident has been when she doesn't give us enough warning (or to be fair, when we are not paying enough attention). Charlie has also taught her to yip at the front door when she wants to come in again. A couple of photos: Suzy with a teddy. She's not guarding this obsessively anymore and we're using it as the "alternative" when she gets hold of something she shouldn't have. Mike weaving his magic. I may be the official diarist and deal with the admin (ie food, vets etc) but Mike is the master rehabilitator. He exudes calm authority without even realising what he is doing. I did attempt to take photos of Suzy in full flight but she moves like grease lightning and the light wasn't good enough.
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cathjavelin
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Post by cathjavelin on Dec 29, 2010 9:07:23 GMT
;D ;D ;D ;D
Suzy slept through the night in her crate without a peep last night.
I gave her my dressing gown and left the light on.
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Post by Wipuki on Dec 29, 2010 9:12:19 GMT
;D Fantastic updates Cath. It's great to hear she's settling so well. ;D
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Post by Mimsmum on Dec 29, 2010 9:34:36 GMT
It's always amazing how quickly they respond to some tlc and rules. A lovely update Cath.
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cathjavelin
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Post by cathjavelin on Dec 29, 2010 13:54:48 GMT
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Post by Mimsmum on Dec 29, 2010 13:58:09 GMT
Wow, she's unfolding. Stunning.
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Post by doglost angus on Dec 29, 2010 13:59:40 GMT
Leaky eyes here - you are doing a fantastic job with Suzy - great to hear that she is learing the rules and starting to chill
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Post by hooverkate on Dec 29, 2010 14:33:00 GMT
I see you're working your magic again. What an amazingly expressive pair of ears! Dog coat will be on it's way back to you tomorrow, with many thanks for the loan.
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Post by vickiemily on Dec 29, 2010 14:56:09 GMT
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Post by Jules on Dec 29, 2010 22:25:01 GMT
Excellent! Glad to see and hear how well you're all doing. We went to the beach at Covehithe in the fog today, which was interesting... SO much of the cliff down again. Looks like you had better visibility than we did!
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cathjavelin
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Post by cathjavelin on Dec 29, 2010 22:53:40 GMT
Looks like you had better visibility than we did! That'd be photoshop! Visibility was very low. Suzy has begun to get the idea of sit. We just had an hilarious moment in the kitchen however. She was told sit. She thought about it, had a look round, found the door mat and sat on that. Clearly the laminate floor is a bit chilly on her bum!
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Post by Fran on Dec 29, 2010 23:16:48 GMT
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cathjavelin
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Post by cathjavelin on Dec 30, 2010 15:09:33 GMT
She can do sit and down and the hokey-cokey... infact, she is generally trying out all her tricks all at the same time in the hope that something will get her a treat!
She's becoming a very funny dog!
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cathjavelin
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Post by cathjavelin on Dec 30, 2010 17:35:27 GMT
Just got back from the vets with Suzy.
He reckons about 18 months and she's had a litter. Given that she's just finished a season, that probably means she was under a year when she had the litter.
She was nervous but well-behaved in the vets. Lots of hiding behind me and the brakes went on as we walked in the door.
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