HOLLY... lovely, isn’t she? Holly is a young spaniel/retriever x girl with beautiful brown eyes who was surrendered into Dunboyne pound three weeks ago - apparently for barking (which almost invariably means “being left all day and bored out of her tree.”)

She’s beautiful and quite lively, affectionate and playful - a real snuggle monster by all accounts. We think she has working cocker in there somewhere and she has quite a lot of energy, so we will almost certainly be looking for an active, country home for her, but we’ll know more when she arrives with us tomorrow morning..

UPDATE 25/10/10

Such a pretty girl and a great cuddle monster...although it took two baths before we felt like reciprocating!  (Holly has clearly lived outside - and must have felt the cold as she’s skinny and that curly coat is very soft and open.) And now she’s with us, it’s obvious she’s an Irish Water Spaniel X not a cocker x.

We reckon Holly is about 14 months old and she will be a fabulous family dog for a home that can  put some time into her training.

Holly is a biddable girl - in just four days she’s almost housetrained and has gone from leaping up at you to sitting for a treat - as you can see from the video on the right. She is also really good off-lead and comes flying when called.

Holly would love the opportunity to socialise, if not live, with another, playful dog as she’s dying to play and you can see her disappointment with my lot for giving her the cold shoulder.  This is because, although she’s great with other dogs, she is a bit too rough when trying to instigate play. Given that mine insist on gentler overtones before playing she should soon learn, paws crossed.

But her biggest love is... you. She really is a people person and will be a wonderfully loyal companion. She will be great with children, too - especially ones that would hug her all day! She really thinks this is heaven - literally closes her eyes and blisses out!

We are not sure if Holly is spayed (according to her microchip, she was originally rehomed through the Dublin SPCA, so she might be). In these cases, it is a watch-see as we don’t want to open her up unncessarily. Her rehoming will be on condition that she is spayed three months after coming into season if she does.

UPDATE 25/10/10

We’ve been feeling our way with beautiful Holly who has changed a lot since she arrived. She is now much calmer, housetrained, and she’s learned to play much more gently with the others. She settles very well at home and is still a total cuddle-monster! She is good in the car. she’s loving her walks on Salisbury Plain and comes flying when you call her.

We’ve had a lot of interest in Holly but nothing quite right so far. We feel that Holly will do best

in  a country home that loves the outdoors.  She would be great company for a playful existing dog and she would love a home with children - and no cats (she’s not nasty but she would

(added 20/10/10)

pester  it to death and bark at a cat if they stood their ground with her).

Holly can now walk nicely on a loose lead and she knows basic commands, but she would benefit from more formal training and a home that will love her character but set her boundaries.  We feel she needs a home that will enjoy doing things with her - obedience or fun agility, perhaps.

Holly is being fostered with us here in Wiltshire.

If you are interested in Holly, either in as a foster or a forever home, please email info@blackretrieverx.co.uk asap.

There is a minimum adoption fee of  £150 for Holly, which includes the £65 it cost to transport her from Ireland.