‘OLD DOG OF THE WEEK’ FEATURES NEW PHOTOS AND A FRESH WRITE-UP FOR AN OVERLOOKED OLDIE THAT HAS BEEN ON OUR WEBSITE A WHILE BUT IS STILL WAITING FOR A NEW HOME
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Old Dog of the Week is Winnie! She is a gorgeous 9-year-old Cavalier x Poodle (Cavapoo) who came into rescue when her owner could no longer look after her. Winnie is in an Oldies Club foster home in Canterbury, but this foster home is only available until late November, so Winnie needs to find her forever home pretty sharpish!
Summary of Winnie: Adorable Winnie is a calm and happy soul, looking for a home within a 3-hour drive of Canterbury. She needs an adult-only home with no other pets and no visiting children. Winnie is good around livestock, including chickens. She needs a home on one level, so that she can sleep in the same room as you, and a fairly flat, easy-access garden. She is fine to be left for a couple of hours but would love her people to be home most of the day. Winnie is booked in for a haircut imminently: she isn’t always as hairy as in these photos!
Settled well: Winnie settled down at her foster home within a few hours and she is a very adaptable easy-going dog. She always wants to be in a room with people and she enjoys being stroked, but it took her 3 weeks to feel comfortable enough to sit with her body touching her foster carers on the sofa, rather than being one seat away from them. She has never sat on their lap or laid on them – she is either not a lap dog or she is still learning to trust.
Can be left: Winnie can be left on her own for a couple of hours. She copes fine and is not destructive, but she is far happier with company. Although Winnie spends a lot of the day sleeping, she does enjoy company, being stroked and having a little play every hour or so.
Must be your only dog: Although Winnie loves meeting other dogs when out and about and is non-aggressive even when other dogs bark at her, she does need to be the only dog in her new home. At a previous foster home with a resident dog, Winnie would resource-guard various items.
Cat-free home: Winnie needs a home without cats.
Good with chickens: In her original foster home, Winnie did some gentle pottering on her foster carer’s farmland and she proved to be as good as gold around livestock of all shapes and sizes, including chickens…
Needs a child-free home: She is beautiful, and looks like butter wouldn’t melt, but Winnie might suddenly make a grab for things she sees as hers, so a home with no resident or visiting children is what she needs.
Very short, gentle walks only: Winnie has hip dysplasia and can only go for one short walk per day. She enjoys having a slow 5- or 10-minute wander along the pavement, sniffing the scents other dogs have left behind and marking her area. She is very good on the lead, doesn’t pull, always comes back when called, and she is good when meeting dogs and people. The rest of her outdoors time is achieved by enjoying sniffs and gentle playtime in the garden.
Good in the car: Winnie has been on a few short local car trips and has been very well behaved. Due to the hip dysplasia, long car journeys aren’t advisable for Winnie. For this reason, we would like her new home to be within a 3-hour drive of Canterbury, and one where she won’t need to go for long car journeys routinely.
Winnie’s favourite pastimes: Being stroked and having her tummy tickled, a little tussle game, greeting her people at the door when they’ve been out – with a little dance, a wiggling bottom and one of her favourite toys, sniffing while out walking, and sniffing to find her hidden treats in the garden – she has a very good nose, playing with her puzzle feeders, and finally sleeping while snoring!
Winnie’s dislikes: None really. She was initially nervous of cars and trains while out and about, and reacted to the doorbell, but she has grown in confidence now and is fine with them.
Winnie’s ideal home: A home on one level, with a secure easily accessible garden. She would love a home where people are around most of the time and will give her some attention. She is not a demanding dog, but she is happiest with company. She enjoys having visitors (adults) and is very friendly with them. Winnie is a loyal companion.
Sleeping arrangements: Winnie currently sleeps in a crate in her fosterers’ bedroom, but Winnie’s ideal arrangement would be to sleep on the bed with her person. She will cry and bark if you leave her on her own at night in a different room. For this reason, and taking into consideration Winnie’s hips, it would be best for Winnie’s new home to be all on one level: she would be upset if you went upstairs to bed and she had to stay downstairs, even though she is a very trainable dog that is eager to please. When she gets a chance to get up and lay next to someone on the bed she will always take it and sleep happily next to them for as long as she can.
Health notes: Winnie is neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, wormed and flea treated. She has inoperable hip dysplasia and takes gabapentin twice daily and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory once a day. These medications will be ongoing. She must be kept trim to help her hips, and despite losing over 2kg, Winnie is still overweight and her food will need to be monitored to allow her to lose the last bit of extra weight. Her heart is very good. Winnie uses a raised feeding station to protect her back and she has a special orthopaedic harness. She will need regular grooming appointments to keep her lovely coat trim.
Winnie’s foster carer says: “Winnie is loveable, lively (when not sleeping) and brings a smile to your face. She is an extremely cute (but not very photogenic) dog who is eager to please. She is gaining energy and spark as she gets more comfortable with us, and as she loses the extra weight. She is always thrilled to see you and happy just to be in the same room as you. She is a calm, happy soul who adds cheer to the day.”
If you would like to offer Winnie 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.
Winnie can be rehomed within a 3-hour drive of Canterbury – 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.
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.
This replaces Winnie’s original page dated 9 August 2026.