The tale of a Romanian rescue dog: Settling In
Fiona is a member of our VIP (Very Important Paws) Team, and chances are, if you’ve ordered from Poppy’s Picnic, her warming Welsh tones will have called you to follow up and see how you’re getting on. Having never imagined having a pet, Fiona has recently adopted a Romanian rescue dog. In this final part of a four part blog series, Fiona shares her experience of adopting her new four-legged friend, Mabel:
Mabel blotted her copybook slightly the other day. I’d taken her for a lunchtime walk and when we returned she wee’d in her bed. I lowered my voice when I spoke to her, but didn’t really tell her off. I’m hoping she will learn that our walk times will be regular from now on and to adjust accordingly. And it seems I might be in luck – although she didn’t wee during our lunchtime walk next day, she was whining in the hall later and when I let her out into the garden she went immediately. What a clever girl!
Her new red coat, which I won’t be putting on her until she has had a good haircut, arrived (yay!) and she looks so sweet in her new red harness. Personally, I think it’s kinder to walk dogs in a harness, rather than putting a lead around their neck.
On Friday evening I took Mabel to the Vets. I know Mary, the Vet, from school and she’s one of the brightest people I know, so I was happy that Mabel would receive a thorough examination.
To be honest with you, I was a little worried as my girl is very timid around strangers but Mary soon made friends with her. We put her on Mary’s big scales and she weighed in at 22.7kg, which I was surprised at. She is a big dog but at the moment she is skin and bone and I hadn’t expected her to weigh as much as that. Mary advised bringing her down regularly to record how much she weighs and to get her used to visiting the Vets.
The following day, my partner Sean decided that we should try walking her without the lead. I was a little nervous but we decided to go to Bill’s, his employer’s wood. It is a huge plot of land with a wood at the top end of it and once the gate is closed, it’s completely secure. I took her lead off and held my breath. We walked on for a while and looked around to see her following about five metres behind us. It was a brilliant experience apart from a mad five minutes, where Mabel had been too busy sniffing the undergrowth before realising we were quite a way ahead and running flat out to catch up with us. I don’t think I would risk taking her lead off in town just yet, as she is really nervous of large vehicles and presses up against me when we are walking, but I certainly will do on a country walk.
My neighbour is a dog groomer so we took Mabel in for a haircut a few days ago, and when Becky brought her back she looked like a different dog!
I can honestly say that I could not imagine my life without Mabel now. She makes such a fuss of us both – first thing in the morning or whenever we have gone out for a short time. She is putting weight on and her fur is beautifully soft. She has the brightest eyes that sparkle, which I am putting down to the love that she gets and most certainly her fresh, delicious Poppy’s Picnic.
The highlight of her day is breakfast and dinner and she wolfs her food down in seconds every time! I try not to give her too many treats but she is so gorgeous – it’s hard not to!
Pawprints to Freedom Rescue is always looking for adopters and foster homes so if you think you could help them please do contact them and join their Facebook group. I promise you, it is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.
Much kindness,
Fiona