26/10/22 – Dora has gone off to her new home – wonderful!
Dora is a beautiful black and white Cocker Spaniel looking for an active, spaniel-experienced home. She is 7½ years of age and with Chilterns Dog Rescue Society in Tring, Hertfordshire.
Dora lived with a retired couple for almost 7 years. It was a sheltered life, with kind people who offered her a lot of affection but little in the way of exercise or boundaries. Then everyone’s life started to change. Dora tried to adapt to an anxious little dog joining the home from abroad, but then things got even more complicated. The owners’ daughter and young grandson moved in along with a very large Mastiff. It all proved too much for Dora who, no longer feeling mistress of her own home, found an outlet for her frustration by turning on the smaller dog whenever it approached her owners or possessions.
With such a complex history, Dora needs a very special home with an experienced spaniel owner. CDRS staff have worked tirelessly with Dora to make her a happier, more relaxed and tolerant dog, and also a more slimline dog! She enjoys daily walks of about an hour, both on her own and with other dogs walking calmly on lead near her. She has good recall in enclosed areas and pays good attention to her trainer, especially if they have a treat or a toy to offer. Initially Dora wasn’t very tolerant of being bathed or groomed. However, this has formed part of her daily routine and she is now much more comfortable about being touched and handled, clearly enjoying all the fuss and attention.
Beautiful Dora is a lively, intelligent girl who is keen to please but will push boundaries to be in charge, if permitted. While she will make a loyal friend, she needs so much more than just a comfy place by the fire. She is very young at heart and, physically and behaviourally, has transformed in the time she has been at CDRS. They would therefore like her to find a new owner who understands the temperament and drive of Cocker Spaniels and is prepared to continue the journey she is on. Due to her history, she is unsuited to a home with children, and may prefer a home as an only dog, although potential adopters with compatible dogs would be very welcome to get in touch. Dora is unknown with cats. She travels well by car and is used to being left for periods of up to 3 hours.
Dora is inoculated, microchipped and spayed. For a dog of a working type, Dora had not received much exercise and, CDRS understand, had spent much of her time jumping up and down at the front gate. As a result, she was not at all fit on arrival and her back legs got quite stiff after a walk. This was treated with Metacam, and X-rays showed no cause for concern. Now it’s a different story. Dora is much more active, has lost weight, does not require any anti-inflammatory medicine and has shown no lameness, although she sometimes sits a bit awkwardly.
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Contact Chilterns Dog Rescue Society as follows:
Tel: 01296 623885
Email: enquiries@cdrs.org.uk
Please mention that you saw Dora on the Oldies Club website.
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