This morning, Louie came to stay. (albeit he was a tad reluctant to begin with).
Although he's a bit timid, he is desperate to have Sky's attention and seems to look to her for reassurance. He was watching closely when the kids were fussing over her and eventually plucked up the courage to approach them himself. :) Hopefully she'll help bring him out of his shell.
So far, he's settled better than I expected. He chose his own bed, ate his dinner and let me give him a bath. I think we've all fallen in love with him already too; he's got the most adorable big brown eyes, and looks so in need of serious spoiling! You just want to hug him and tell him everything will be okay, but we'll need to wait because hugs are a bit too much for him at the moment.
My goodness, you really don't take breaks do you? Well done on doing the fostering, I really admire you for it. It looks like Louie will soon learn how to be pampered x
Well done you - he's such a wee sweetheart. I remember meeting him at the GALa last year and I know exactly what you mean about wanting to hug him and tell him everything's fine! Sure he'll come on in leaps and bounds now.
Louie sounds absolutely adorable! I just loved reading about his first attempts to approach your children and get some attention from them. And about looking to Sky for how to behave! I wish I was there to see him blossom and become a more confident boy. Well done, for taking on another foster so quickly! I'm looking forward to hearing how he's getting on.
I'm soo delighted that he is taking the first of small baby steps in coming out of his shell! It appears as if you are just what the doctor ordered for him!
Look forward to hearing more news of him - he is as you say just so adorable!
Great news, its fantastic you've taken another foster. Bingo didn't end up with someone living in Bothwell did he? I keep hearing about a greyhound which is the spit of Mason appearing in the village. My parents live there with Max the Lab and apparently he is bewildered every time he sees the dog because he thinks its his cousin visiting!! Marie
Thats great Vicky,well done you on taking little Louie under your wing. I am sure just like Bingo before him he will come out of his shell in no time. Photo,s are compulsary!!!! Nora
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"YOU OWE IT TO YOUR DOG TO BE WORTHY OF IT,S DEVOTION".
Louie gets brave and sneaks up on the sofa beside Sky. She's willing to share the space, but not yet ready to have him cuddle up against her. Poor Louie is desperate for her approval as well, which I know he'll get soon; Sky is just ensuring he knows she's the boss!
A close up of his baldy back end. His tail is really bald as well, but hopefully his coat will improve.
He seems a pretty smart boy, clearly knows his name and seems to be housetrained already (guess he liked a clean kennel before).
He's now been neutered as well. He coped with the surgery fine and his wound doesn't seem to be bothering him at all but he got very scared in the waiting room and then later on wouldn't come out of the crate for the vet nurse, and I had to go in and get him myself. I thought it best to get that out of the way as soon as possible rather than have him settle in and then traumatise him... but I could have cried when I saw how scared he got. The whole waiting room let out a simultaneous, "Awww" when he started shaking and looking to hide. :(
However, at home he is making definite progress. He'll come looking for us for a clap now, and is already showing signs of knowing the daily routine. My son even got greeted by a brief waggy tail when he got up this morning!! :)
P.S Bingo must have a double because his new home is in Fife somewhere.
Vicki - thank you for posting these super photos of Louie! He still looks scared, the wee soul, but I'm delighted that gradually he's gaining a wee bit confidence and shyly looking for attention from you and your son. Having Sky to show him the ropes will help him too. So glad his op went well and he can get on with the process of healing. I think you were right to get it over as soon as possible to spare him more trauma later on.
I'm looking forward to next time you're updating us, when I'm sure Louie will be showing you more of his real self!
Guess what ..... I woke up to find Louie in bed beside me yesterday morning. He is exploring the joys of cuddling now. He's also discovered squeaky toys. He wasn't sure to start with, but after some tenative investigation he sprung to life and played tug of war with me. Once he found out he could squeak the toy by himself he was hooked! Here's a very short video clip of him playing, doesn't he look HAPPY!?!
OMG.I'm filling up sitting here looking at the most beautiful thing I've seen in ages,LOUIS,happy,confident and looking fantastic,what a wonderful job you've done,congratulations.Give him a hug and kiss from us.
WOW he's really came out his shell, he's looking fantastic well done. Give him cuddles from us :) You really know how to pick a heart tugging tune for the vid too *sniff*
Isn't he amazing?! I'm so proud of him. I burst into tears of happiness the first time he wagged his tail, so lets all have a good sniff together. :)
Louie's a real family dog now, he loves the kids and is very tolerant, he puts up with endless hugging!
I discovered he had a real fear of bouncing things, especially footballs, so we spent ages playing with sponge balls and then ping pong balls so that he could learn that not everything bouncy was going to hurt him. He's fine with any kind of ball in the house now, and the noise of something bouncing no longer sends him scuttling for cover. The recent fireworks didn't bother him at all either.
He's such an easy to please boy now, and responds very well to routine.
WOW did you see that tail, it was like a helicopter he just never stopped wagging it. What an excellent job you are doing, a little love goes a long long way. Nora
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"YOU OWE IT TO YOUR DOG TO BE WORTHY OF IT,S DEVOTION".