We have very good news today. One of our old dogs, Barock, found a foster family. This was not the first time he had been in foster, but when they moved to an appartment a couple of months ago, Barock came back to the SPA. This had always been the plan, but what we didn’t expect was how sad he was to find himself back at the refuge.
Luckily he has been given another chance. This is largely thanks to a Facebook appeal by volunteer Ingrid, which has been shared far and wide. A family came to meet Barock last week and to see how he would get on with their two small dogs. Barock is well known for being a bit difficult with other dogs, but a return visit with the dogs today went well too, and they have decided to see how things go at home.
Enormous thanks to these lovely people, and to everyone who shared the appeal. Be a good boy, Barock, please!
Also today after a surprisingly long four and a half weeks, little bichon cross Joy left for her new home. At three years old, and being small and female, this girl had several people interested in her. But for Joy, as with all dogs, it was important that her new family was the right one. She had been brought in with her mother, Dolly by our cruelty inspectors, although in their case they had suffered more negligence than cruelty per se. Joy was not used to being handled and was quite snappy, especially with young children, so unfortunately we had to say no to a couple of families who wanted to adopt her. We don’t do this to be mean, rather we do it in the best interest of the dog, who risked being brought back to the refuge and labelled as a “biter”, but also of the children. Having a dog is meant to be a pleasure, and being bitten is no fun at all!
Joy’s time at the ScPA has not been wasted. Thanks to staff and volunteers she has progressed rapidly, and she has also learned plenty from the puppies, with whom she has been playing on a daily basis. She is still a bit nervous, but far less so than when she arrived, and now that she has a family of her own, we are sure she will be just fine.
We also said goodbye to puppy Frank. He is the brother of Fred, who left the ScPA yesterday, and is the final one of his litter to leave us. This lad hurt himself in the puppy park, and so has spent a couple of weeks alone in the infirmary. So no puppy play for him, but masses of cuddles with the staff, who have become very attached to this little lad.
He has found a wonderful new family where the cuddles are certain to continue.
There were plenty of volunteers out walking, and we hope the same is true when the refuge opens its gates tomorrow. Whether you wish to walk or adopt or just cuddle, you will be more than welcome.