Joey is an adorable three-legged, 8-year-old French Bulldog who came into rescue due to his owner’s housing situation. Joey is in an Oldies Club foster home in north-west Leicestershire, near the Derbyshire border.
Summary: Joey is a wonderful character and is very adaptable. He’d be happy to live with other dogs, provided care is taken at food/treat times, or be an only dog with plenty of time with his humans. He can’t live with cats, but teenage children should be fine. He might only have three legs, but Joey needs an hour’s exercise each day. He is a bit of a foodie, so you’ll need to keep an eye on your cucumbers!
Settled quickly in foster: Joey, also known as “Big Joe”, settled at his foster home very quickly. He seemed at home, pretty much from day one.
Can be left for a few hours: Joey has been absolutely fine on his own. He is left for a couple of hours a few times a week with no issues. The longest he has been left is about 3 hours. He has mainly been left with the resident dogs for company, but on the few occasions he has been home alone, his foster carer has watched him on the camera and he has just slept. Having said this, Joey does enjoy having human company, so he wouldn’t want a home with people who are out at work full time.
Good with dogs: There are two large resident female sighthounds at Joey’s foster home (greyhound and lurcher) and he has been fine with them. He isn’t intimidated by the size difference and has slotted in really well. He has taken a real shine to the resident greyhound and will try to sit with/near/on her, whenever possible. Luckily, she is very tolerant!
Out and about he has been confident and well-behaved when meeting other dogs. His foster carer told us: “We did have a few issues with toys and food in the early days which took some managing. Joey can be a bit grabby with toys, particularly balls (he is obsessed!) so these have had to be locked away when all the dogs are together. With food, Joey didn’t have great manners and I wonder if this is because he has previously been an only dog. He has made great progress with this and can now eat in the same room as the other dogs without stealing their food or bothering them. Treats are dished out somewhat carefully, but he is learning not to grab from the others and doing really well. My feeling is that Joey really enjoys the company of other dogs and would happily live with them. Equally, he will probably enjoy all the human attention in a home where he is the only pet.”
Needs a cat-free home: Joey doesn’t seem to like the cats next door and his foster carer thinks he would chase them if given the opportunity.
Could live with teenagers: We were told that Joey used to live with a teenager and was happy. There are no children at his foster home but we think he should be OK to live with sensible teenagers.
Great on walks: Joey’s missing leg does not hold him back on walks at all. He walks pretty well on the lead and has good recall when off lead in enclosed spaces. He does have a tendency to eat things he shouldn’t, so he needs to be watched. He ate some vegetables which were growing in the garden when his foster carer wasn’t looking, and would eat cat poo if he had a chance. There are cats living next door so daily vigilance in the garden is needed! Joey munched a whole cucumber in seconds so he doesn’t need long to steal something he shouldn’t and guzzle it. For walks, he goes once or twice a day and needs about an hour of exercise each day.
Great in the car: Joey is very good in the car and he has taken the bus a few times too.
Joey’s favourite pastimes: Eating, walking and hugs.
Joey’s ideal home: He would love a home where he can have loads of human fuss. He is quite a lapdog and would rather sit on you than near you. He doesn’t bother himself with personal space and he wants to be around people as much as possible. Daily walks and tasty food are his favourite things. He’s pretty easy to please. He could live with or without another dog.
Health notes: Joey is neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, wormed and flea treated. Joey lost his leg when he was younger and this really doesn’t impact him very much at all. He has a poultry allergy, so eats a mainly fish-based diet. As long as he isn’t stealing anybody’s food this is easy enough to manage! He had an infected abscess while in his foster home which was drained by the vets. They didn’t find a specific cause they could identify and this hasn’t re-occurred since.
More from Joey’s foster carer: “Joey is really just a cheerful guy. He loves being out and about, whether on walks or trips to the pub and he is confident out in the world. Nothing seems to scare him or worry him. He loves all the attention he gets and I’d describe him as a bit of a charmer. He even seemed to enjoy visits to the vets and the fuss he would get there. He loves his food, which makes training easy. That said, he can be a bit of a thief so I wouldn’t leave food out and leave the room. Although he is missing a leg, he is energetic and excitable. He enjoys the company of the other dogs here and tends to follow them around. Most of all, he loves people and curling up on the sofa for a good fuss. He sleeps well, either in his bed or downstairs on the sofa and is house trained. He is pretty easy going and I think he will make the perfect pet for someone.”
If you would like to offer Joey a permanent home, please read our Adoption Procedures for information about the adoption process. You can then contact the Oldies Club rehoming team as follows:
Email: rehome@oldies.org.uk for an application form.
Or phone 0844 586 8656, leaving a message including your email address, and we’ll email an application form.
Joey can be rehomed anywhere on the UK mainland – the closer to his foster home the better – subject to a satisfactory home visit. Note that you will be required to travel to the foster home to collect him.
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.