Cody... is a stunning, classic black retriever x, medium-sized and about 18 months old. He landed as a stray in Ashton pound in Ireland at the beginning of February and is currently in foster in Ireland where he has won everyone’s heart.
He has a wonderful temperament - affectionate, lively and extremely lovable, great with adults, children and other dogs. He is house-trained, knows basic commands and walks very well on a lead.
But he is definitely not a couch potato. Cody is bright, has a lot of energy (loves to play frisbee!) and can be a bit over-the-top with other dogs that don’t want to play but are too nice to tell him off. An older bossy bitch (four-legged or two...) would be terrific for him but he’ll be fine on his own in an active, reasonably experienced home that can set boundaries, encourage good manners and commit to further training/socialisation with other dogs.
Cody also definitely needs a secure garden as he’s agile and a bit of an escape artist. Having secured his freedom, he then trots round to the front door and asks to be let in but, clearly, that isn’t totally ideal :-)
Cody is vaccinated, wormed, neutered and will be arriving in the UK probably next week. As he has been properly assessed in Ireland, we would like to try and place him directly into his forever home (on trial of course) to save him the stress of yet another move.
UPDATE 28/2/08
Cody arrives on Saturday and his foster mum in Ireland says she will be so sad to see him go. He’s settled in brilliantly with her and has many strengths, including great recall and the ability to settle beautifully in the house. Although he really loves human company, he can be left for short periods and isn’t at all destructive. He does still jump out of her garden though and will need firm boundaries (in every sense!) and vigilance until he is settled. He will be fine with older children (a little to boisterous for very small ones)
UPDATE 1/3/08
Cody arrived this morning and he is just lovely - a medium-sized, confident (but not too-confident), lively, lovable cuddle-monster. He has played happily with Tickle who is always up for a game, but hasn’t pushed it at all with my older ones. He has already shown off his agility potential by clearing the garden gate with a foot to spare but immediately came back. I am sure he could be easily trained not to do this as he is very focused on humans and eager to please. Indeed, overall , Cody is a rather easier prospect than perhaps we anticipated.
If you’re tempted by this beautiful, loving, lovable and cheeky boy, please email info@blackretrieverx.co.uk asap! (We have a sneaky feeling he’ll be snapped up very quickly!)
There is minimum adoption fee of £125 for Cody, which includes the £65 it costs to transport him from Ireland.
(added 20/2/08)
