It’s a Tuesday post bank holiday weekend and my alarm is going off at 7am. By alarm I mean Bell, our 7 year old Dogue de Bordeaux! Like clockwork every morning she sits outside our bedroom door crying, not for food but for her morning cuddles!! Why waste money in Argos on a clock?! She plonks her 8 stone bum in the middle of our king sized bed licking our faces to get up! It was after the fire at Manchester dogs’ home that Bell came into our lives. The charity put the word out for good people to take in a dog to foster, which we were more than happy to do. We took Bell home with us with the intention to foster her until the Manchester home re opened. Having taken on such a big breed we were bombarded with negativity asking how we would handle such a large dog with aggressive tendencies and were repeatedly told we had made a mistake. This we of course ignored. It’s this kind of ignorance that stops our animals from having the life they deserve. We were both aware that Bell had a number of issues when we took her in. She had no idea how to walk on a lead, she had no socialisation with other animals, she was terrified of anything that made a noise and was aggressive. It’s an easy assumption to think that a rescue dog is too much hard work but in actual fact our rescue dogs just want to be loved. In the 8 months we have had Bell she has transformed from a ‘mistake we would regret’ to the perfect addition to our family. This was done using the most simple techniques, love, attention, affection, regular exercise, lots and lots (and lots!) of food and most importantly patience! A rescue doesn’t trust easily and would not settle into your family overnight. But now, looking back, it was the best decision we have ever made. After being in the shelter for almost a year watching other dogs come and go, Bell has finally found her forever home with us and we couldn’t be happier with her progress! Her trumps on the other hand we could do without... Happy ReHomings ) How eight stone Bell has become a (heavyweight) bundle of joy for her family In the 8 months we have had Bell she has transformed from a ‘mistake we would regret’ into the perfect addition to our family. 1 8 N O RT H E R N TA I L S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6
Northern Tails, Feb 2016
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