25 years ago my wife Alice and I suddenly had to find homes for our two much loved dogs for reasons which were completely out of our control. Since then we have been dogless. This year I was able to give up work and it didn’t take us long to decide the time was right for us to finally be able to enjoy dog companionship once more. I can’t quite remember how we went from there to fostering a rescue dog from Romania but that is exactly what happened.
Captain arrived at my door three weeks ago today. He was clearly a bit stressed out and to tell you the truth, he wasn’t the only one. I hadn’t slept much having spent the night imagining countless disastrous scenarios: What if he hates me? What if he bites me? What if he manages to find an escape route and devours my neighbour's chickens? In hindsight, I realise that these concerns were borne out of anxiety; I was so determined for things to go well that it felt like I was going on a first date! My worst fear, ridiculous as it may sound, was that he would somehow get into my bedroom in the middle of the night and I would wake up from a deep sleep and find him staring at me (I’ve obviously watched too many ‘monster’ movies!).
The sun was shining when Captain arrived. I thought he might appreciate stretching his legs and a bit of peace and quiet so I took him to the back garden and attached a long rope to his lead. He unexpectedly bolted! He sprinted all round the garden looking for a way out. One section of the garden fence is slightly lower than the rest and he kept going back there looking at the top of it and I could tell that he was wondering if he could get over it. Although I was at the other end of the rope, he didn’t pay much attention to me in these first uncertain minutes. After a while Captain came to realise I wished him no harm and settled down. I followed the advice I’d been given and didn’t approach him for fear of spooking him again and instead gently tossed him a biscuit. His reaction was to pounce on it, dig a hole and bury it. I guess this was something he learned to do in his previous life when he wouldn’t have known where his next meal was coming from.
Following his somewhat dramatic arrival, I’m pleased to say, the most surprising thing since has been the speed at which he has relaxed and adapted to life with us. By the end of that first day he was wandering around the house and garden and enjoyed being petted by us. He followed me like a shadow and cried a bit when I left the room so I stayed up with him into the early hours until he was sleeping peacefully in his crate.
Captain continues to grow in confidence and is becoming more at ease with each passing day. For me the best thing is that he has learned to trust me. For example, the other day I tried to get him into my car but he wasn’t having it. Alice then took his lead and held him at the passenger door. Once I was in the driver’s seat he was happy to join me and remained
Captain arrived at my door three weeks ago today. He was clearly a bit stressed out and to tell you the truth, he wasn’t the only one. I hadn’t slept much having spent the night imagining countless disastrous scenarios: What if he hates me? What if he bites me? What if he manages to find an escape route and devours my neighbour's chickens? In hindsight, I realise that these concerns were borne out of anxiety; I was so determined for things to go well that it felt like I was going on a first date! My worst fear, ridiculous as it may sound, was that he would somehow get into my bedroom in the middle of the night and I would wake up from a deep sleep and find him staring at me (I’ve obviously watched too many ‘monster’ movies!).
The sun was shining when Captain arrived. I thought he might appreciate stretching his legs and a bit of peace and quiet so I took him to the back garden and attached a long rope to his lead. He unexpectedly bolted! He sprinted all round the garden looking for a way out. One section of the garden fence is slightly lower than the rest and he kept going back there looking at the top of it and I could tell that he was wondering if he could get over it. Although I was at the other end of the rope, he didn’t pay much attention to me in these first uncertain minutes. After a while Captain came to realise I wished him no harm and settled down. I followed the advice I’d been given and didn’t approach him for fear of spooking him again and instead gently tossed him a biscuit. His reaction was to pounce on it, dig a hole and bury it. I guess this was something he learned to do in his previous life when he wouldn’t have known where his next meal was coming from.
Following his somewhat dramatic arrival, I’m pleased to say, the most surprising thing since has been the speed at which he has relaxed and adapted to life with us. By the end of that first day he was wandering around the house and garden and enjoyed being petted by us. He followed me like a shadow and cried a bit when I left the room so I stayed up with him into the early hours until he was sleeping peacefully in his crate.
Captain continues to grow in confidence and is becoming more at ease with each passing day. For me the best thing is that he has learned to trust me. For example, the other day I tried to get him into my car but he wasn’t having it. Alice then took his lead and held him at the passenger door. Once I was in the driver’s seat he was happy to join me and remained