JAKE... is a purebred black labrador boy in need of an angel... Taken on when he was just a year old by an elderly woman, Jake has lived a loved but very unfulfilled life, under-walked and over-fed and recently neglected.
A few weeks ago, Jake was found collapsed at the bottom of the stairs. Taken to the vet, it was found that he was stinking, had an ear infection and weighed a whopping 36kg - 10kg overweight. The vet said that if Jake went back to his elderly owner, he would be dead within months.
His owner’s daughter finally persuaded her to give him up and for the past two weeks, he has been in a foster in Ireland where, touchingly, he is beginning to blossom, already a couple of pounds lighter and getting a walk every day.
Jake is now eight years old and a really lovely, placid boy who doesn’t expect much and who deserves a lot better for the second half of his life. He has a little arthritis in his right front leg but this should ease once the weight has come off. There’s a lot more life in Jake yet.
Any angels out there that could give Jake a loving home - one that’s long on hugs but short on treats? We know it can be hard to take on an older dog, but it really is one of the most rewarding things you can ever do - and very few deserve it more than Jake.
UPDATE 25/10/10
Great news from Ireland - Jake’s weight is down to 32kg and he’s coming alive with Irish foster mum Elaine. He is getting three walks a day and is even beginning to run for a ball now. He is also great off-lead - comes the moment he is called.
UPDATE 1/12/10
Jake finally arrived with us last week and he’s a total sweetheart... a very easy boy who is very affectionate, loves his walks and gets on well with other dogs.
Jake is being fostered in south Cheshire.
UPDATE 6/12/10
Some more pix of the very handsome Jake. What a gorgeous-looking boy he is!
Do let us know if you can open your heart and home to this very deserving boy.
We are waiving the adoption fee for Jake.
UPDATE 11/11/11
We’ve been keeping it in the family with Jake... my brother and sister-in-law have fostered him since he arrived in the UK (thank you!) and now he’s on trial with my step-mum, Ginney, who has recently lost an old lab and whose other dog, Pippa, has been very lonely. Great reports so far - on one of his first walks, the new slimline Jake (now down to a sprightly 27kg) ran off into the woods and returned with a pheasant which he dropped at my step-mum’s feet...And when I called the other night he and Pippa were curled up together in front of a roaring log fire.
A huge thank you to Jonathan and Rhian for fostering this very deserving boy, and to Ginney for giving him the chance of a fabulous retirement home. Fingers crossed, it’s a very happy ending for this lovely lad.
