15 April 2016 ~ We are sorry to have to update Minnie’s page with the very sad news that she has passed away. Minnie came into our care at the end of 2010 and later joined our sponsor scheme. Our thanks and thoughts are with her forever-foster family, who have cared for Minnie for Oldies Club for many years and must be missing her very much. Run free, beautiful girl.
Minnie is a beautiful 10 year old Whippet x Staffordshire Bull Terrier girl who came into Oldies Club care several years ago and sadly had little interest from anyone wishing to adopt her.
Minnie had to have a tumour removed from her rear end this Autumn. The vet managed to remove the whole tumour, but unfortunately confirmed that it was quite aggressive and that there is a risk of it returning. She also had to have a further operation to be stitched up again as the wound hadn’t healed properly, poor girl.
Due to the combination of Minnie’s health problems and the lack of interest in adopting her since she arrived in Oldies Club care, we have decided to place Minnie into our sponsor dog scheme. This means that she will remain in permanent foster care (with the lovely home who have cared for her, for so long), with Oldies Club continue to cover the cost of her vet bills, for the rest of her life.
November 2013 ~ we’ve had a lovely update from Minnie’s wonderful foster home :-)
We’ve looked after Minnie for over three years now and she has been a real pleasure to have, with such a loving nature and a real desire to be around humans. Unfortunately soon after fostering her we realised she had some issues with other dogs. This meant she could only usually experience walks on the lead. We wanted her to still have a good amount of exercise so started taking her for bike rides (which she really loves). At the moment she is getting a morning bike ride and an evening on-lead walk, and sometimes we drive her to local large open fields where she can run off the lead. She also finds entertainment out of a 5 minute mad run around in the garden or chasing a ball. For about a year now we have been feeding her a homemade diet which is made up of a morning portion of: boiled chicken, oily fish, wholemeal pasta, vegetables, oats, and coconut oil; and in the evening she has a portion of raw chicken.
With regards to her issues with other dogs, we have socialised her where we can and often encourage friends and family to bring their dogs out to meet her, which over time has resulted in her changing from not getting on with most dogs, to not just tolerating, but thriving to be in the company of others! This has been a massive improvement and has meant we have been able to take her on holiday with family who likewise have dogs, and she also has a friend who regularly comes out on walks with us. We still do have to be careful, because of her previous issues, but the improvement is still amazing!
Minnie and friend!
Her nature with humans is still brilliant and even friends and family who aren’t really ‘‘dog people’’ have taken a big shine to her. Regarding her health, the vet recently commented on how healthy and active she is for a dog of her age, also owning a really good set of teeth.
Minnie is such a wonderful dog that has experienced some misfortune in her life but still consistently keeps up her fabulous nature. She definitely loves attention, but giving her that attention she craves is seldom a chore.
Beautiful Minnie, enjoying some shade on a hot day (earlier this year!)
Minnie and another doggie friend – so wonderful to see!
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Minnie had an unsettled time after having to be rehomed when her original owner could no longer care for her. This included 11 lonely months in private boarding kennels whilst her owner’s family tried to find her a place with a rescue that guaranteed there was no risk of her being put to sleep, if she wasn’t rehomed within a certain time. She found that place with the Oldies Club.
Minnie took around 3-4 weeks to settle at her foster home, which is quite a long time compared to many of the dogs coming into our care. She has proven to be a loyal and loving companion.
Beautiful Minnie has proved to be good with children. She was in another foster home for a while and she adored the 14 year old girl there and followed her everywhere. She has also met younger children and been fine with them.
Minnie doesn’t like other dogs at all and so she needs to be the only dog in her new home. She will also chase cats and other animals, so cannot live with them.
Minnie is excellent in the car – she sits in the back and obediently lies down when told. She is also very good on the lead, but she can’t be let off lead as she really doesn’t like dogs or other animals. If she pulls on the lead when wearing a collar, it hurts her throat, so her foster carer has found that a Gencon Halti works best for her. She has enjoyed being taken along on her foster carer’s bike rides.
Minnie likes an occasional rawhide chew (we recommend these are only given if a dog can be supervised). On sunny days she loves to lie in the sun. She gets really excited when chasing footballs or tennis balls, especially if someone is chasing her to try to get them off her!
Minnie needed a home where she had at least one person around for most of the time. She’s not destructive when left alone, but she doesn’t like to be left for too long. She thrives on love and attention and likes to be stroked. She has a lot of energy for an older dog and enjoys two daily walks, consisting of 45 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening.
Minnie’s long-term foster carer describes her as loving, loyal, affectionate and obedient in the home. We are told she is great to be around and is very good around all people. She rarely barks unless there is a knock at the door, or she sees another animal.
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 Minnie or one of the other special oldies we are caring for in our sponsor dog scheme.