Mr. Happy Henry was the loveliest foster dog we have ever taken care of. There is no way of telling exactly what he was but he played like a boxer, galloped like a horse, swam like a Labrador and had a heart of gold. He adored people and had an obsession with dogs.
Wearing his rosette for winning 2nd prize in a friendly show
Fostering a dog like Henry was hard work, I can’t deny it and living in London made it even harder. Coupled with a great deal of energy which if not put to use he would take it upon himself to find things to do alongside not really having manners made for an interesting 5 months! Whoever had owned Henry before had allowed him to play with any and every dog that he saw. So when he first arrived he had some interesting ways of looking at the world, to name a few:
- when he wanted attention he would bark at you or try to take your hand/foot in his mouth and bite down (not hard but still not acceptable)
- if you let him off lead he took this as a cue to try to gallop to the nearest dog in the vicinity
- he had a tendancy to jump up as a way of greeting you with his big old head!
- he thought everyone at the front door was for him & he liked to do deep barks in the garden too
- When he used to get over excited, bored or wanted something to do he would try to body barge other dogs if we were out, if we were in the house he would try to barge or knock Cookie over and then barking for attention would ensue
These are just a few of his funny ways that he came to us with. He didn’t show any signs of aggression but he was still young and had some of his ways persisted with an inexperienced owner, I’m pretty sure he would have become more persistant with getting his own way.
A quiet moment
During Henry’s time with us, he taught me a great deal. Henry could test your patience to the maximum, he could love you one minute and then be trying to jump in the air because a dog was on the other side of the road, his stomach took 2 weeks to sort out and most of all he had absolutely no manners around other dogs. And this was the thing that was just a great reminder of how closely I had to pay to his and other dogs body language. He first he would try to barge, bark, nip,ram, circle and annoy the hell out of dogs. I tested him with a number of dogs to see how each one responded as some are more tolerant than others.
Butter wouldn't melt in that mouth?!!!!
Henry was definitely a stark reminder of the amount of work a dog can require. He was also a big dog with a great deal of energy that needed to be used up plus he was only about a year old so had a lot of that puppy energy still about him. He certainly wasn’t mature! One of the things with teaching recall to a dog who doesn’t have it and who more than that wants to go and say hi to anyone and everyone is just hard work and determination. Part of me feels that it could have been one of the reasons why my lovely boy was dumped during the riots; I’m quite sure he would have been the most amazing looking puppy you ever laid eyes on. But as he grew, got stronger, bolder, more independent, playful and energetic the novelty may well have worn off.
He loves to swim
Over the five months with Henry there were a lot of changes, he calmed down, he settled, he stopped doing many of the things he had, for example, instead of mouthing me for attention I taught him to paw me instead and then phased that out too. By the end he would hear the front door go and sit behind the living room door with Cookie, tail wagging and waiting quietly. His recall went from strength to strength and I taught him some funny little tricks too.
He improved so much but there was still much work to do, Which was why when I was looking for a home for him, I was so picky. He needed to find a forever home where they would be willing to put the time and effort into continuing what I had started. And so 5 months down the line, along came the lovely Helen and Toby who live near Bristol. They had recently lost their big American Bulldog Morph to a brain tumour and were desperate to find a big dog with lots of energy to spend their days with. They didn’t want to replace Morph but to offer a dog needing a home a family environment where he could be part of their gang.
He even managed to lay down beautifully in a cafe with Cookie and I the week before he went
The week leading up to Henry going was heart breaking for me, I can’t pretend that I managed to remain detached from Henry. He had been part of my family for those 5 months and come the day he left me, I sobbed. We went out for cocktails that night to celebrate his new home but I still cried. Helen and Toby keep in touch with me and relay stories to me, I recommended a local trainer to them near where they live as they are keen to continue Henry’s education! But best of all is the knowledge that Henry the riot dog has found a loving, fun home in the country and lives between two national parks with a couple who totally adore him.
Lovely stuff, he's a great dog.
Jemima went from absolutely hating him to loving him most of all (either a testament to all the work you put in, or how fickle she is).
Posted by: Paul H. Colman | 01/09/2012 at 02:11 AM
Paul, quite obviously it is the work that I put in. Jemima fickle? I don't think so! I'm seeing her later. Hooray. X
Posted by: The Darling Dog Company | 01/09/2012 at 02:16 AM