21.5.18 Charlie has been adopted and is all set for a wonderful life!
Charlie really is a darling. He’s 12 years old and is a very handsome tri-colour Border Collie. He came into Oldies Club care because his family could not longer give him the time and attention he deserves so he’s enjoying being the centre of attention in his foster home in West Essex while he waits for someone to offer him the perfect forever home.
A perfect boy in foster: Charlie settled down almost immediately in his foster home. His previous owners told us that he is used to staying with other people while they are away so he had no worries about being in a new place. He explored his new surroundings happily especially once he found the toy box.
Can be left for a few hours: Charlie can be left for a few hours without problems. He just settles down and goes to sleep. However, he does love human company so wouldn’t want to be left regularly for long periods.
Fine with other dogs: Charlie is fine with other dogs when he meets them on his walks. He’ll happily touch noses and allow himself to be sniffed. He shows all the signs of wanting to play and we understand that he did enjoy off lead play with other dogs in his previous home. If a dog shows him aggression, he will bark back but then, with gentle, calm encouragement, he will walk on and forget it. He has never lived with another dog but he would probably enjoy living with one of similar size and age, depending on a successful introduction.
Might chase cats: Charlie enjoys chasing pigeons and squirrels in the garden so would probably do the same to cats. A cat free home would be best for him.
Good with children: Charlie loves playing ball with his fosterers’ 7 year old grandson and adores human company in general so he would probably enjoy living with dog savvy children of say 5+. Younger visitors would be fine as long as he had his special place to which he could retreat and where his preference to be alone for a while would be respected.
Loves his walks: He walks beautifully on the lead with a harness, no pulling at all. He can walk for hours but as his main love is to sniff, shorter walks somewhere where the sniffs are exciting would suit him perfectly. He loves to top up his exercise with games of fetch in the garden. He can do this at top speed for about 20 minutes until he tires. Then he just stops and gives a look which says “If you want that, get it yourself, I’m tired”. His recall is good in general but less so in the garden if he wants to play. He understands the command perfectly but will try to entice you to play by bouncing around and throwing his ball towards you.
Good in the car: Charlie travels well in the car.
Charlie’s favourite things: Charlie would like to emphasise that he loves to play ball. Maybe we’ve said that before but he really loves a game of fetch. No ball? Fine, a furry toy, a flower pot or anything else he can find will do! He also adores human company and cuddles are great. He also feels happy if he knows that there are a couple of places indoors where he can go if he feels the need to rest and be peaceful.
And the things he dislikes: Charlie is nervous of fireworks and thunder as you might expect. He has a thundershirt to wear and this seems to help a bit but for Charlie, the most important thing is that he has some safe places to go, preferably fairly enclosed. In his foster home, he’s chosen a place under the stairs and a little nest under a desk. He isn’t too keen on other new unusual noises and may give a couple of barks to warn you about it before he takes himself off to avoid it. He’s very sensible about this and will gradually come to be comfortable with new noises in his home, especially if he sees his humans calmly ignoring the noise. A calm, matter of fact attitude works really well with Charlie.
Charlie’s ideal home: Charlie would love to be part of a fun, active but calm household where his humans have time to play with him. He definitely needs a garden as he loves to mooch around sniffing when he’s not playing fetch. He’s very intelligent as you would expect so really enjoys new games and challenges. He would also need his humans to respect his occasional need to be alone in his safe place.
Health notes: Charlie is neutered, vaccinated, wormed and flea treated. He passed his vet check with flying colours.
Charlie summed up: Sweet, affectionate, fun, clever.
Charlie’s foster carer says: Charlie really is an absolute darling. He has impeccable manners and really loves people. He shows no nervousness when out, even walking through a noisy, bustling marketplace. He is really quick to learn new things and will benefit from calm and consistent handling. He will be a fantastic companion for someone.
If you would like to offer Charlie a permanent home, please read 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
Charlie can be rehomed anywhere on the UK mainland, 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.