Poppy/Desiree
(Now Adopted)
Country of origin: Greece
Born: 2012
Born: 2012
A Letter From Poppy's New Owners
Poppy is the most amazing little dog we have ever met. She is very special and the concerns we may have initially had melted away in the first few days.
Our Lurcher Jip is chuffed to bits to have a companion, especially after we lost our Deerhound Monty last year. He has shown a new lease of life and will happily chase Poppy and share the sofa with her which is a first for him. She is so well behaved and sweet natured, that we have had to check her belly for a zip that you undo and throw your jammies in! We are constantly told by visitors and other dog walkers how she resembles a cuddly bear.
Due to her deafness, we have experimented with signing and I am also amazed at how quickly she has picked up our version of sign language. She is adverse to treats of any kind, so training is all about love and praise.
My greatest worry was that we would never let her of the lead on walks, as she has no point of reference if she runs off. We found that Farnham park has a large fenced in area and started letting her off up there. Most of the time she is actually happy to walk to heel but as soon as she can see another dog, the terrier in her takes over and she is off like a rocket for some fun. If I call back my Lurcher, she will usually see this command and
follow. If she hasn't, she will see my sign and come to me! The only time I have had to worry is if she sniffs out a squirrel, then she is off. I have a large bell that attaches to her collar on walks, so I can usually hear which way she has gone and it works well. All in all, she does not want to be out of sight of her family and comes back in seconds.
We have established that she is probably an Irish Soft Coated Wheatland Terrier and have met many other Wheatland owners around Farnham. We all agree that we love the Wheaten Greeten. A proper face lick and cuddle hello. So, what can I say, perfect Poppy. Sometimes we reflect on what life was like for her if she was actually abandoned. Truth is, she would not have lasted long being very sweet natured and deaf, but that said, she can read body language on humans and dogs at twenty paces in a 20th of a second! It took a pointed up finger and a shake of the head with a mouthed No, to leave the Guinea pigs alone, after the first time she got very interested in them. In 8 weeks she has totally ignored them ever since, and yet, she is a proper terrier, happy to chase down birds, squirrels and once a cat in the woods. She has even tried to climb a tree after a squirrel. I could go on and on Lynne, but to end, she can make anyone smile. I have a
small van and when she is in the back, she looks out to the rear and barks at any cars that overtake. Groovy. I am indebted to all the team who looked after this very special little lady and got her to us. Life if good.
Thank you Lynne and apologies for going on a bit and I hope you like the photos.
Love from the Temple family.