Libby is a 10-year-old Jack Russell Terrier who came into rescue after her owner passed away. She is in an Oldies Club foster home in Gosport, Hampshire, waiting for someone to offer her a forever home.
Summary: Libby became totally blind quite recently, but she manages incredibly well. Blind dogs happily use their other senses to navigate the world, and with Libby being an irrepressible JRT, she is completely undaunted. You just need to make sure the home is safe for her, but she is such a loving and cheerful lady that she’s well worth it. Libby wants to be your only pet, but will happily live with children aged 11+. She loved having a house full of people at Christmas, so family life would suit her. A home on one level is best for Libby as she won’t attempt a flight of stairs.
Settled well in foster: Libby got the hang of her foster home within a few days! She’s very adaptable and starts scoping out her surroundings straight away. She’s clean in the house and once she knows where everything is and who will feed her, she relaxes gets on with the important things like playing, snoozing and snuggles. At night Libby usually sleeps in her own bed, in the bedroom, or on the sofa in the living room. Currently she likes the sofa but will sometimes wander into the bedroom during the night.
Can be left for a short time: Libby has been left for 3 hours, but she is very happy to know you have returned. It’s thought she would be unhappy if she was left for this long regularly and so she needs a home with someone around most of the time.
Needs to be your only pet: Libby isn’t keen on close contact with other dogs and needs to be the only one in her new home. When she smells cats or is aware of them on her walks she has a bark at them, so it’s safest to assume she wouldn’t be a fan.
Older children: Libby has been fine with older children. She could live with children aged 11+ as long as they are respectful of her personal space and blindness.
Enjoys on-lead walks: Libby needs to be kept on the lead for walks. She is good on the lead but is inclined to zig-zag from side to side, as blind dogs often do to work out their surroundings. She has no concept of a straight line, and she likes to turn around often to reinvestigate an interesting smell. She responds well to simple commands such as ‘up’ or ‘down’ when navigating a step or a kerb, ‘mind’ to avoid obstacles and ‘good girl’ when she is going in the right direction. Libby enjoys two 30-minute walks a day, but wants less if the weather is poor.
An OK traveller: Libby travels in a crate in the car as she doesn’t settle in a doggie car seat. She pants and whines when the journey starts, and is very keen to get out as soon as the car stops. Having said that, she has been to Wales a couple of times – about 4 hours with breaks – and she was OK.
Libby’s favourite pastimes: Eating, barking at foxes, and snuggling next to her humans. She loves playing with her squeaky toy – she barks when she can’t find it!
Libby’s ideal home: A home on one level would be best for Libby. Although she will go up a couple of steps to get indoors, she will not walk up a flight of stairs. The garden will need to be safe for a blind dog to negotiate. Libby would be best with someone around most of the time, and would enjoy being in a family environment as she likes having various people around to go to for fuss. She particularly enjoyed having a house full of people at Christmas.
Health notes: Libby is neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, wormed and flea-treated. Libby is blind, but this does not affect her enthusiasm for life. She has stage 2 renal disease, but this is managed with a commercial special diet and a liver supplement that does not need a prescription.
More from Libby’s foster carer: “Libby is cheeky; noisy when excited or wants your attention; affectionate and nosey. Libby is a delight, and has taken changes in foster parents all in her stride. She is a robust little girl who, according to the vet, could have a long life as long as her diet is adhered to. She was jumping up on the couch within 2 hours of arriving at her current foster home, and is quite fearless as long as you tell her it’s OK to jump up and down from the sofa. She is a typical Jack Russell: a massive personality in a small body.”
If you would like to offer Libby a permanent home, please read our Adoption Procedures for information about the adoption process. You can then contact an Oldies Club Rehoming Coordinator as follows:
Email: rehome@oldies.org.uk
Telephone: 0844 586 8656
She can be rehomed anywhere on the UK mainland – the closer to her foster home the better – subject to a satisfactory home visit. Note that you will be required to travel to the foster home to collect 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.