10 November 2011 ~ We have some very sad news. Poor Shep has very sadly passed away after a period of illness :-( Our thoughts are with Shep’s wonderful family, who cared for him on the charity’s behalf, as one of our sponsor dogs. Sleep tight Shep, you will be very much missed.
All photos on this page are copyright © Damon Cannard of Damon Cannard Photography who kindly gave his time to help us. (The video was created by Shep’s foster carer.)
Shep is a gorgeous 13 year old Collie X who came into Oldies Club care when he was due to be put to sleep at the pound. He had been abandoned when his previous owners moved home. Poor Shep really didn’t deserve this as he’s a fabulous lad.
Shep finally found a new home in September 2010, after a patient wait of five months at his foster home. Sadly Shep did not settle and has come back to his foster home. Given his age and the fact that he seems really happy with his foster carers, he will remain as an Oldies Club sponsor dog for the rest of his days.
When Shep first arrived at his foster home, it took him a few days to settle, which is understandable as he’d just been abandoned and been in a noisy, frightening pound. He’s gained a lot of confidence in his time in foster and is now a happy, well-adjusted boy.
Shep lives with three Labradors and has become part of the pack and an honorary Labrador – since he is always in the queue when food, titbits or treats are on offer!
Shep has some stiffness in his legs due to arthritis and is on medication (Noractive) for this. He has had a couple of small lumps removed and was given the all clear by the vet.
Despite his age and stiffness, Shep loves to go for walks and can keep pace with the younger dogs, but he also likes to spend time pottering around the garden, watching the world go by or taking shorter walks when his stiffness becomes a problem. Sometimes his stiffness gets the better of him and he takes a tumble, but he doesn’t complain – he just gets up and keeps going.
Shep’s foster family tells us that he’s stunningly gorgeous, sociable and obedient; and he can also do Collie sums. He is fine to be left alone for a few hours if he has the company of another dog and Radio 4 for reassurance – especially if there’s an Open University maths programme for him to listen to. ;)
Sshhhh, I’m concentrating on the maths
Shep finds stairs a bit tricky but he’s happy to sleep downstairs. He does snore though! He likes to know where the rest of his family is and is especially happy when everyone is together. He is housetrained and he only barks occasionally. Shep isn’t keen on being groomed but with lots of treats and kind but firm persistence, he’ll know you won’t give in. He has been to the groomers so this would be an alternative approach.
Shep enjoys the company of the other three dogs in his foster home and he’s quite keen to play. He’s met several other animals during trips to the vet and has always been well mannered with them, though he does show an interest in cats and squirrels if they move very quickly!
Dancey, dance dance!
According to Shep’s foster family, Shep is a sweet natured dog who smiles a lot and has proved to be a very happy, determined and stoical individual who isn’t prepared to give up on life.
Here is a video of Shep created by his foster carers. As you can see in the video, he was a bit chubby when he arrived, but he’s been on a diet and would be happy to draw you a graph of his weight loss…
If you would like to help us care for Shep, please consider taking part in our sponsor scheme