We had a lovely adoption today, that of Chips. He only arrived on Saturday, abandoned due to the death of his owner. It is always tragic when this happens; the last thing anyone wants is for their beloved pet to be brought to a refuge when they die. Sadly however not everyone is lucky enough to have a family member who is able or willing to take care of the dog. In Chips’ case, at least he was brought to the SPA in a responsible manner, ie by appointment and by giving the SPA the maximum amount of information possible about his character, likes and dislikes.
Knowing that Chips was fine with other dogs and children meant that all we needed to do was test him with cats. A dog who is okay with all three is easiest to home. Plus in this case it meant that Chips was easy to foster, and Carole fell for him instantly. Not only that, the SPA already had a prospective family in mind, so even before Chips’ arrival, we had match-made him with a couple who had contacted us to say they were looking for a calmer, elderly dog.
So lucky Chips went straight from the SPA to spend the weekend with Carole (many thanks!), and today he went home with his new family. Okay, we are sure he would have preferred to be with his original owner, but things have not worked out too badly all in all!
And on the subject of oldies who arrived following the death of their owners, Tis, who went home to be fostered by supporter Jane, has done pretty well for himself, too. Despite his many quirks (like preferring to sleep amongst her shoes, rather than in the luxury bed bought just for him), Tis, now renamed Alfie, has wormed his way into Jane’s heart. Lovely to see him crashed out on the tiles, not in a baking hot concrete kennel at the SPA. Many thanks to her and to all our other fosterers who help the SPA oldies live in comfort.
I guess the lesson is to not assume that your family will take care of your animals should something happen to you. We know all too well that this is seldom the case. And sadly not all dogs who are left behind in this way are as lucky as Chips and Tis. Another of Saturday’s arrivals, Billy, is there due to the death of his owners, and there are many more dogs at the SPA and in other refuges who are in the same sad position.
Tis (renamed Alfie) – Happy in his long term foster
Will 5 year old Billy find happiness following the death of his owner?