UPDATE 29/8/10
Our usual format is that the updates follow previous posts about a particular dog but here’s one occasion where we’ve had to reverse it. The reason? Well, as you’ll see if you scroll down, we described Pride as a Leonburger x when we first added her to the website. That’s because Pride looked pretty big in her pound pictures (see bottom of page) and those markings - well, they looked very Leonburger to us! But what turned up, as you can see from some of the new pix, is a tiny youngster weighing just 8kg.
Poor Pride (in truth just called Puppety Pup here, like all the fostered youngsters) has been in the wars since she arrived three weeks ago - hence why we haven’t updated her page until how. She went down with a nasty respiratory infection and it was touch and go for her for a few days.
Pride is, however, now in fine fettle and she is a gorgeous, feisty, loving, characterful, very puppyish youngster. She has a lot of energy - clearly some collie in there somewhere - but if you like a lively, inquisitive, characterful dog you’ll fine her totally charming - and not least because when the fuel has run out, she flops into your arms and snuggles down with something that sounds very like a Setter’s happy yowl (so there may be a bit of setter in there, too... in miniature....somewhere!).
Pride is older than we thought - her adult teeth are almost through so she could be 6 months old and in behaviour she’s at that inbetweeny stage in the nicest sense - still young enough to see a leaf as a plaything but but grown-up enough to be starting to learn the ways of the world. She definitely now knows“no!” (not just because she’s heard it a lot!) and is a good girl who clearly wants to please.
Pride pulls a bit on the lead, but is great off it. Se doesn’t go too far and constantly checks back with you - although she has no real recall yet and just looks a bit blank when you call her to you. (We’ll put some work into this in the next week.) She has caught on with the housetraining lark very quickly and we’ve had no accidents for over a week now. She goes all night out of the crate now without any problems. She is great in the car and lovely with everyone - and every other dog - she meets.
We’re looking for a fun and active home for Pride - someone that will really appreciate her energy and sunny nature. It will almost certainly be a home with other dogs - for company, energy-burning play and continued canine training. (She gets on brilliantly with all ours now she’s learned to not totally monster them.)
Pride is obviously way too young to be spayed, but will be fully-vaccinated, wormed and flea-treated before she goes to her new home.
If you are intersted in Pride, please email info@blackretrieverx.co.uk asap.
There is a minimum adoption fee of £150 for Pride, which includes the £65 it costs to transport her from Ireland.
PRIDE... is a leonburger /leonburger x puppy girl, only around 14 weeks old. Goodness knows how she ended in Dunboyne pound last week. She was picked up as a stray - perhaps dumped. But someone else’s loss is our gain - she’s just gorgeous, isn’t she? (Perhaps after a bath, anyway!) Do you like the name? The pound called her Tammy and my other half suggested Tina (as in Turner...!) but I reckoned she deserved something a little more noble.
Leonburgers are a large breed - generally gentle giants - brilliant family dogs with superb temperaments who are terrific with children. So that’s what we’re expecting when she arrives with us next week.. She’ll be fostered here with me in Wiltshire (one of the perks of the job is that I get first dibs on the puppies..!)
More info and pix to come next week (Pride arrives in the wee hours of Thursday morning).
