Little Man Bowie (Oldies Club Sponsor Dog)

last updated:

Listed under:

Bowie is an 12-year-old Pug X JRT who came into the Oldies Club in April 2026  as he was struggling with the new baby who wouldnt leave him alone.

When Bowie arrived he settled in quite quickly. Bowie looked to be in great condition, coat is good and eyes are clear. He presented himself as a real snuggle bug of a lap dog.

Bowie likes the sound of his own voice which is not great for the fosterers as his bark is rather ear piercing. Barking. He constantly barks at visitors, he understands the quiet word but is sometimes reluctant to stop.

Bowie may look super cute but he has one issue that turns him into a tasmanian devil – food  guarding. His fosterers would attempt to feed him and leave the room but he would bring bits of kibble to whereever they were, drop them and then growls and snarls at  them.  To deal with this his food is now placed inside his crate and he is given about an hour with absolute quiet to relax and eat. He was observed on camera taking half hour before he stopped guarding the food before he would then eat it.

They cannot even pick up his empty bowl without a whirlwind of aggression. They must ensure he is out of the room before they can touch it.

Due to these guarding tendancies Oldies Club looked into hiring a behaviourist to assess and help the fosterers come up with a management plan for Bowie which would keep them all safe.

Bowie is rather like Jekyll & Hyde. He is absolutely perfect when out and about.  He loves everyone. He is gentle with children, friendly to all dogs and great on the lead. At the vets even though frightened he was very well behaved. It’s only in the home environment he shows his Hyde side.

Due to his resource guarding behaviour Oldies Club made the decision to place Bowie in our sponsor dog scheme which means he will remain at his lovely foster home on a permanent basis. The charity will pay his vet bills and any behavioural support the fosterers require for the rest of his life.

Bowie is affectionately known as Mr B or Little Man. He is intelligent and loves to learn. He already had a repertoire of tricks when he arrived and he is now mastering a small, low garden agility course.
Bowie thrives on routine, he barks to let his fosterers know what time it is. Breakfast, morning walk, afternoon walk, dinner  and evening dentastix times are programmed in and he lets them know if he’s disappointed in their timekeeping. He gracefully accepts apologies once they do as they’re told.
He loves being part of everything we do and everywhere we go. He lets his fosterers know that it’s unacceptable to be shut out of a room and barks in protest.  They have a spy cam so they can check on him when they’re out and he settles really quickly and just sleeps until someone gets home.
Bowie enjoys having visitors and barks excitedly at them all before getting up for cuddles and back scratches. He’s different with the small visiting grandchildren, he doesn’t bark at them and is very gentle when sitting next to them and taking treats off them.
Walk times are greeted with great excitement, he is always waggy tailed when he meets his many doggy friends. He also likes to have a bark chat to the owners, this chat has been translated to “I would love a treat please” and they willingly oblige. He’s very welcoming when his dog friends visit, he recently has his Shih Tzu friend Mia stay for a few days and was the perfect host.
Until he became a permanent foster he settled in his bed in the kitchen but more recently he has been allowed upstairs to bed. That’s in the bed sometimes as he wriggles under the quilt if he’s a bit chilly. He’s not as agile as he was so has a ramp to get into bed and soft steps to get onto sofas.

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 like Bowie who we are caring for that, due to health problems, are unlikely to be offered a permanent home.

Share to help find homes for old dogs…