10/11/12 We are very sorry to hear that Polly has had an accident and had to be put to sleep. Our thoughts are with her family. Sleep tight now Polly.

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This lovely lady is Polly and she’s a laid-back 13 year old crossbreed. Polly is medium sized (about 19 inches tall) and she was rescued from the dog pound. She is in an Oldies Club foster home in Heywood, North East Manchester, waiting for someone to offer her a quiet retirement home. When you’ve read all about Polly please have a look at her lovely video.

Polly went to a new home recently but, through absolutely no fault of Polly’s, she has sadly been returned to our care, so this fabulous, sociable little dog is available again.

Settled quickly: Polly settled at her foster home straight away and she has been clean from day one. She likes to have a little wander around and will then settle down to sleep or watch the world go by. She shares her foster home with two other dogs (1 female and 1 male) and has been fine with them. She doesn’t seem to bother with them very much, but her foster carer thinks she appreciates their company when no-one else is around.

Can be left for a few hours: Polly doesn’t mind being left alone for a few hours, but she will have a little cry for a few minutes if she sees you leave. At her foster home she is left with the full run of the kitchen and living room and she has the company of the two resident dogs. When you return she’s either asleep or waiting with a waggy tail. If she had canine company, Polly could live with part-time workers – she could be left for up to 6 hours but would need a comfort break half way through.

Quiet in the home: Polly sleeps downstairs and is fine through the night. In the morning she greets you with a waggy tail and seems pleased to see you, but her foster carer thinks she has worked out that it’s time for breakfast and is just happy at the prospect of being fed! Polly can manage going upstairs easily, so if her new owner wanted her to sleep upstairs she would enjoy that, but she would probably need a helping hand to come downstairs again as she has stiff joints.

Enjoys the quiet company of other dogs: Polly used to live with a large number of dogs so she is used to canine company. She doesn’t actively interact with those she currently lives with, but she does seem happier having other dogs around. Polly would be better suited to either a home where she will have other dogs for company or one where her owner or family could be around for most of the day.

Good with children: We do not know whether Polly has previously lived with children, but she seems fine with them and has been very well behaved around her foster carer’s six year old granddaughter. Polly could live with calm, respectful children of six years and above but care needs to be taken when feeding by hand as she will sometimes try to grab food. In her foster home she is being taught to take treats gently from the palm of the hand and she is improving.

Excellent with cats: Polly has been cat tested and proved to be excellent with cats. Her foster carer says: “She met dog-savvy cats, plus cats who have not lived with dogs. The cats stared at Polly with their hackles up and Polly just looked away or plodded off to get a cuddle. With sensible introductions, Polly could happily live with cats“.

Enjoys gentle walks: Polly is overweight and not used to walking, so this is being built up gradually. At the moment she is going out 3-4 times a day for 10-15 minutes walk each time. She gets excited when she sees her lead and she enjoys a slow plod and a good sniff about. She never pulls on her lead and because she is quite slow she would probably be fine to walk off lead in safe areas. She tends to do her own thing though and likes to come back in her own time – unless you have treats and then she’ll sprint towards you! When she’s at home, Polly enjoys having a potter around the garden.

Good in the car: Polly is very good when she’s travelling in the car and tends to lie down and go to sleep.

Polly’s favourite pastimes: Polly likes to come to you for some fuss and will rest her head on your leg while you give her some attention, but her two favourite pastimes are eating and sleeping – in that order! Because she still needs to lose some weight, particularly to ease the strain on her achy bones, her new owner will need to take care not to feed her too many treats.

Polly’s dislikes: Polly is a very calm, quiet girl who seems to take most things in her stride and there doesn’t seem to be anything she particularly dislikes. Her foster carer tells us that Polly wasn’t too keen on having a bath, but she didn’t protest and just put on a ‘I do not like having a bath’ face.

Polly’s perfect home: Although she can be left, Polly really enjoys company so her perfect home would be one where someone is around a lot of the time. She doesn’t interact with other dogs very much but she does appreciate their company and if she lived with another quiet dog she wouldn’t mind being left for a few hours.

Polly would like to have access to a garden to potter in during the day and she would prefer a quiet home where there isn’t too much noise or lots of people coming and going. She isn’t a needy dog and is just content to be with you. She’s quite happy to fit into your routine, but does like to know that she’ll get her breakfast and tea on time!

Polly needs someone who can continue to help her lose weight, so she will need regular gentle walks and her exercise routine gradually building up as she loses more weight. With a sensible diet and regular walks she will soon be back in shape.

Polly’s health notes: Polly is vaccinated, microchipped and has been flea and worm treated. We believe she has been spayed, but if she does come into season Oldies Club will pay for her to be spayed.

Polly has a few harmless fatty lumps and one on her shoulder that was malignant and had to be removed. The vet is confident that it has all gone and that there was no spread to other parts and Polly has had a chest x-ray and scan of her abdomen to confirm there has been no spread to her lungs or other organs. The lab results have confirmed that it was a low grade tumour.

Polly has had a dental and only has a few teeth left, but she manages dried food if it is softened with water. She is a little stiff in her joints, so is now on Carprodyl tablets which cost approx £12 per month.

Polly is presently on a diet, so she will need to be given a sensible dog food and regular exercise to help her lose a few more pounds and then to maintain a healthy weight. The weight loss will also help alleviate the stiffness in her joints.

Foster carer’s summary: Polly is a lovely little dog – she’s easy going, quiet and undemanding. She has been such a good girl and taken all the vet visits and treatments in her stride. She isn’t bouncy and doesn’t pull when she’s out and about so she would make a great companion for an older person or couple, but would fit perfectly in any calm household.

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If you can offer Polly a permanent home, please refer to our Adoption Procedures for information about the adoption process. You can then contact an Oldies Club rehoming co-ordinator as follows:

Email: rehome@oldies.org.uk
Telephone: 0844 586 8656

Polly can be rehomed anywhere in the UK, subject to a satisfactory home visit, but note that you will be required to travel to the foster home to meet her.

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If you would love to offer a home to an oldie but your circumstances aren’t suitable, perhaps you would be kind enough to sponsor one of the special oldies we are caring for that, due to health problems, are unlikely to be offered a permanent home.

Tags: Calmer and Quieter, Good with cats, Good with kids, Good with other dogs, Marvellous Mongrels, Medium Sized, North West, Terrier