Before the death of his owner, Sam had a wonderfully active life. He travelled regularly to Ireland where his owner had a holiday home, taking the long car and ferry journeys in his stride. Sam had always lived outdoors and was used to being in an environment with other dogs. He will chase a running cat but will leave them alone when told, if they stand their ground. He’s an extremely attentive and loyal companion – keeping one eye on his owner, even when he’s sniffing around outdoors. Sam’s enthusiastically described by his new family as ‘A little star, a dream to walk on a lead, who now lives indoors and has housetrained himself from the word go’!
Daniel led a full and active life in an experienced Springer home until the pandemic when lockdown, combined with his owner’s illness, left him confined to the garden. From an early age, Daniel went to dog training classes where he proved himself to be a bright, intelligent dog who quickly picked up commands. Daniel was adopted following the death of his owner and is thriving in his new home. He’s a loving and friendly dog, free with his licks and enjoying his outdoor games. Indoors, he’s partial to a cuddle on the settee as well as a snooze beneath his new family’s feet.
An unfortunate sequence of events led to Gerri being adopted in October of last year. Her previous owners were finding it increasingly difficult to provide her with exercise and attention when a combination of work, illness and a move to an urban area with limited outdoor space left Gerri spending long periods of time in a crate. She’s an affectionate, sometimes timid dog, who is very sensible outdoors and not given to chasing cats, livestock or birds. She’s very active, loves long walks and ball games and her recall and retrieving skills are very good. Gerri’s also happy being indoors and settles down quickly alongside her new family.
Little livewire, Nina, came to NWESSR when her previous owners realised that, despite working from home during the pandemic, they had underestimated the amount of time needed to train and exercise a dog of her breed. Unsurprisingly, she became increasingly frustrated at spending much of the day alone in her crate. Now, living the good life in the country, Nina is enjoying socialising with other dogs, retrieving toys and learning how to behave on and off the lead. She’s a giddy girl – very excitable and easily distracted – but absolutely loving her new life.
Bertie, an otherwise steady and well-socialised dog, didn’t cope well when his owners had a baby and he was no longer the centre of their lives. An active, playful boy, he loves long walks, chasing a ball and playing with toys – particularly if the games involve a treat at the end! He’s got masses of energy and can easily cope with running alongside on a 10 mile mountain bike ride. Bertie winds down quickly when he’s back indoors and enjoys spending his ‘downtime’ curled up in small, cozy spaces. A high energy dog outdoors, Bertie falls asleep at the drop of a hat once he’s chosen his preferred spot behind the Christmas tree or sofa.
Theo has now spent over a year in his new home and is living a marvellous life. He’s already been on five motorhome holidays with his outdoor-loving family and is always first into the vehicle. He enjoys daily outings along the forest tracks, canal towpaths and footpaths around his home and, so good is his recall, he’s often allowed off the lead to turn a 10 mile walk into a 20 mile run. He’s become a real local celebrity, making lots of friends – human and canine. Such is his love of being out and about, and having learnt to obey a range of voice commands, he now makes an excellent running partner for his proud and sporty family whose lives he has changed for the better.
Dizzy is a lovable Sprocker, whose preference for a quieter life led him to be adoped in October 2021. Sharing a house with five other dogs – a mix of Springers and Sprockers including one of his litter mates – proved too much for Dizzy and he became increasingly more unhappy, particularly with his litter mate who was on the receiving end of his warning growls. Despite being extremely affectionate and having a strong bond with his owner, it was clear that he would not thrive in a multi-dog household. Dizzy is now settling well into his new home (with just one other dog for company) and his new family are delighted at how quickly he has adjusted to his new, quieter life.
This is Lad, relaxing at home in Shropshire, where he’s quickly settled in to his new life. Once the family has left for the day, Lad and his mum go out exploring. He already knows some of their walks really well and is allowed off the lead. Lad shares his new home with Boris, another Springer Spaniel. A recent visit to the vet confirmed that Lad’s hearing loss is permanent but his family love him as he is and they’ve learnt some hand signals that work well for everyone. He has a smart new collar which reads “I’m Deaf” which helps too. Happily, the vet says his eyes are fine and he certainly has no problem seeing his tennis ball, or finding a warm spot for a snooze.
Merlin didn’t have a great start to life. His days were spent in the garden or garage and he may have been used as a stud dog. Once a week, his elderly owner arranged an outing for Merlin to a local field to run around and a play with his ball, but apart from this he didn’t get much exercise or stimulation. After his elderly owner died, Merlin was rescued by a kind-hearted soul who read about his plight on Facebook. He went to live on a farm with plenty of outdoor space. Sadly, this came to an end when his new owner had to move into a small cottage to care for her elderly mother. He finally struck gold in August 2021 and now lives a wonderful life full of walks and caravan holidays.
In the short time Kobe has been in his new home, he’s settled in really quickly, is well behaved and his family feel as though he’s been with them forever! He’s become a happy and much loved part of the family, enjoying lots of walks, getting plenty of attention and loving his food. He’s a gorgeous, cheeky chappie whose family think he’s just adorable.
