Boris is an adorable 12-year-old American Cocker Spaniel who came into Oldies Club rescue after the death of his owner. He is in a foster home in Luton, Bedfordshire, waiting for someone to offer him a permanent home.
Summary of Boris: Gorgeous Boris might have perfected that grumpy-old-man demeanour, but in fact he isn’t grumpy at all. He would like a quiet home that is preferably all on one level as he doesn’t like walking up stairs. He’s OK with calm dogs but has never lived with other animals, so a home where he is your only pet would be best. He’ll enjoy having calm children visit occasionally so that he can follow them around and be stroked. Boris can be left for short periods but needs his owners to be around most of the time.
Doing well in foster care: Dear Boris took about a week to settle into life at his foster home. He doesn’t jump up on the furniture. He is clean in the home and if he needs to go out he will whine.
Can be left for short periods: Boris has been fine when left alone for up to 3 hours when his foster carers have gone out. They give him some dog treats as they leave to let him know they will soon be back home. Boris does get anxious if left for longer than this though, so he wouldn’t suit a home where people go out to work.
Happy as an only dog: Boris is used to being an only pet and he seems happy that way. Out and about, he is wary of bouncy dogs, but he is OK to say a polite hello to smaller, quiet dogs. He just touches noses and then ignores them. We don’t think that Boris is particularly keen to live with another dog. If he did it would have to be a very quiet one that wouldn’t annoy him.
Barks at cats: Boris hasn’t lived with cats. He is wary of them and barks, so needs a home without cats.
Likes to greet quiet children: Boris hasn’t lived with children, so is looking for an adult home, but he enjoys having sensible children visit his foster home and he likes to follow them around. Quiet visiting children who stroke him gently do meet with Boris’s approval.
Enjoys a gentle on-lead walk: Boris is good on the lead and doesn’t pull. He needs to stay on the lead as he is totally deaf and has no recall. He doesn’t walk too quickly, he just quietly and calmly trots along. He’s currently enjoying a 25-30 minute walk each afternoon. He will happily wander with you around a large park, with a short rest at a bench.
Good in the car: He is very good in the car and settles down on the back seat, clipped to the seat strap. He is not travel sick. Boris does need to be helped into the car but he can get out on his own (unless you have a very high car of course).
Boris’s favourite pastimes: Sleeping in a sunny patch in the garden or in his bed. He will play with a toy or ball but he does not bring the ball back to you.
Boris’s dislikes: As he is deaf, sudden noises alarm him. If he is asleep and you need to wake him up, just touch him gently. He isn’t keen on being at the vets but he isn’t difficult to handle.
Boris’s ideal home: A quiet home with fairly easy access to the garden would suit Boris. A home that is all on one level would be best as Boris is not keen to go upstairs. If he does have to go upstairs he needs to be encouraged to go up. He will come down on his own though. In his foster home he only goes upstairs at night, where he sleeps on a cushion. He doesn’t jump onto the bed.
Health notes: Boris is neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, wormed and flea treated. At his vet check he was found to have a heart murmur but he doesn’t currently need medication. The vet suggested a repeat heart scan in about a year. He is deaf and needs his ears cleaning regularly due to the thick fur in his ears, to prevent infection. He recently had a vestibular episode which gave him a head tilt for a while, but he has recovered very well and is back to normal. The vet told us of Boris’s recent check-up: all his symptoms of vestibular syndrome had resolved. His gait, mobility and posture were normal, and his ear inflammation had resolved. He is now just on a twice weekly steroid ear spray to prevent further flare ups of inflamed ears.
Boris’s foster carer told us: “Lovely Boris is gentle, sociable and good-natured. He loves people. He enjoys a varied diet and he currently enjoys some home-cooked food together with either canned or sachet dog food. He likes fish and I mix it with potatoes and green veg (with no salt).”
If you would like to offer Boris 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.
Boris 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.