15/02/2025 – Gorgeous Christie has gone off to her new home with her lovely adopters. Have happy times, Christie!
Christie is a beautiful 13-year-old Collie x Lurcher who came into rescue after her owner passed away. She is in an Oldies Club foster home in Faversham, Kent, waiting for someone to offer her a permanent home.
Settled well in foster care: It took Christie about a month to become fully relaxed in foster care, but she was reasonably comfortable there by Day 2.
Can be left for short periods with dog company: Christie has been fine when left for a few hours with another dog for company. However, Christie is deaf and, although she is very relaxed in general, she can worry when she doesn’t know where you are. Even with doggy company, she wouldn’t cope well with being left alone for hours each day and so she wouldn’t be happy living with people who go out to work.
Needs to live with a calm dog(s): Christie is very good with other dogs, and has always lived with canine companions. She mostly doesn’t interact with the two resident dogs in her foster home, but she is happy to be with them and sleep next to them. She needs a home with at least one calm canine friend, but she wouldn’t want to live with a very young dog as she is an old girl and might find them a bit annoying! She likes to say hello to dogs on walks.
Not lived with cats: Christie hasn’t lived with cats before and, although she has shown very little interest in chasing if she’s seen them when out on walks or at the vets, we think she would be best with a cat-free home.
Not lived with children: Christie has never lived with children and is probably too old to get used to being around young ones now, but she is fine with children she meets on walks. She is very gentle and does not jump up, so living with calm older children would be a possibility. An adult home with well-supervised visiting children would also be fine.
Needs plenty of exercise: Christie loves her walks, doesn’t have any mobility issues, and is very good on the lead. She can be let off the lead, but only in a secure area as she is deaf and therefore has no recall. She does always try to keep you in her eyeline, but just like any dog she can be distracted. She has run up to 5km with her foster carers, which is excellent for her age, but she is just as happy to trot alongside them for a walk. She is currently having 1 to 1.5 hours exercise per day, split over two walks.
Good in the car: Provided she is comfortable and secure, and able to lie down, Christie is good in the car. She’d had no experience in the car when she came into rescue (aside from occasional vets visits), so she has really improved. She goes for short and long drives now without issues.
Christie’s favourite pastimes: Walking, exploring, and meeting people on walks. She does enjoy food but gets bored if she has the same thing every day, so variation is key to keeping her happy.
Christie’s dislikes: Sharp, loud noises can make Christie jump as they are all she can hear.
Christie’s ideal home: An active person, or family, who is at home most of the time. Having a calm dog or two for company is essential as Christie has never been left completely on her own and seems very upset if you try to do so.
Sleeping arrangements: Chrsitie sleeps in her own bed on the floor of her carers’ bedroom. She is very content there but she occasionally likes to sleep on the sofa.
Health notes: Christie is neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, wormed and flea treated. She weighs 17kg and her height to shoulder is 56cm. She has just had a dental so has lovely clean teeth. Aside from being deaf, Christie also has a pronounced heart murmur. She has had a full scan by a cardiologist and they concluded that the murmur is not causing her any direct problems at the moment, and currently she does not need heart medication. They recommended a further scan in 12 months. It’s unclear whether Christie was born with the heart issue or if it developed later in life. As a consequence of the heart murmur, she has elevated liver enzymes, as the liver has to support the slow return of blood. This could potentially slow down her immune response to other issues (in the past she had to have antibiotics to deal with a bacterial skin infection, for example). She therefore needs a liver friendly (hepatic) diet, and liver support supplements.
Foster carer’s summary: “Christie is sweet, relaxed, quiet and friendly.”
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If you would like to offer Christie 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
Christie 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 hme.