Dolly by Owner Sarah Lidbury.
Our cockapoo Callie was 18 months old and we felt the time was right to get her a playmate. I had my heart set on a light brown little boy cockapoo, we had already made the decision that we didn’t want to get another puppy, Callie had been a handful and anyway we felt it would be a lovely thing to offer a little dog who didn’t have a home, a loving forever home. So decision made I was on the lookout for the new addition to our family, my little brown boy.
Around the end of November I was browsing through the Cockapoo Owners Club UK page on Facebook and I came across an advert that had been reposted from Preloved. It was a little girl cockapoo, jet black around 4 years old, being rehomed because she had been neglected. Now, she didn’t exactly fit the description of my little brown boy, in fact, she was the complete opposite and she was in Sheffield some 3 hours away from our home in Bristol, so imagine my surprise when I had this overwhelming urge to contact the owners. I have no idea what came over me, it wasn’t even as if the photo of her was particularly good, but getting her became an obsession I couldn’t let go of.
Within 30 mins of seeing the advert I sent a message and eagerly awaited a response. A few more messages back and forth we agreed to a visit on Sunday 2nd December. They had someone visiting her on the Saturday so I had pretty much convinced myself we had lost her, who would turn down a little dog? Anyway for some reason they cancelled so the next day we set off, it was obviously meant to be!
Her current owners told us they had rescued her from someone they knew who had mistreated her, when they saw her, her coat was completely matted and her nails were so long they had started to curl. She had had numerous litters and had lived outside, now she was older she was surplus to requirements and had just been left on her own. They felt they just couldn’t leave her there, paid the people some money for her and took her in, they said the reason for moving her on after a month was that they couldn’t cope with 2 dogs (they already had a poodle) but that she had no issues apart from being very timid.
We met the owner and Dolly in their local park and on seeing her for the first time, Tim and I looked at each other and grinned. She was adorable, so cute and much prettier than her photo. Callie and Dolly ignored each other which I felt was a good start and less than 30 mins later, we handed over the money and took her home, another 3 hour journey in the car.
Following a vet check we found out that Dolly is actually nearer 7 years old and despite everything was in pretty good health. She does have some issues, she is very needy and anxious, crying continually and very loudly, when I leave the room, when she’s about to be fed, getting ready to go for a walk, driving in the car, to be honest she cries a lot!
It is a challenge because it is quite stressful, but I try to remember that there were probably times when she didn’t get fed, when she was left alone for hours, and that when she went for a car ride it normally ended up with her in a new place with people she didn’t know.
The members on the Cockapoo Owners Facebook page are also a great support and it’s really nice to know you can get really good advice when you need it.
Although the owners that we got her from were concerned for her welfare and keen to know how she was getting on, I recently found out that they have got another dog, they now have two dogs! So much for their reasons for moving her on! Personally I think she was hard work and too much for them so it was easier to get rid of her.
In the last 2 months she has improved immensely, she’s fitted into our lives very well, our daughter loves her to bits, she’s very loving and likes nothing better than to be constantly petted. We have been working on her crying issues and have seen a huge improvement in the last few days even.
Maybe the reason that we were meant to have Dolly is because I’m incredibly stubborn and wont give up on her, we love her, we took her into our home and here she will stay for the rest of her days. It’ll take time obviously but hopefully one day she will realise that!
Dolly unfortunately doesn’t know how to play with other dogs so Callie didn’t exactly get the playmate we were after so you never know, maybe I will get to have my little brown boy as well at some point in the future! Then our doggy family will be complete.
Our cockapoo Callie was 18 months old and we felt the time was right to get her a playmate. I had my heart set on a light brown little boy cockapoo, we had already made the decision that we didn’t want to get another puppy, Callie had been a handful and anyway we felt it would be a lovely thing to offer a little dog who didn’t have a home, a loving forever home. So decision made I was on the lookout for the new addition to our family, my little brown boy.
Around the end of November I was browsing through the Cockapoo Owners Club UK page on Facebook and I came across an advert that had been reposted from Preloved. It was a little girl cockapoo, jet black around 4 years old, being rehomed because she had been neglected. Now, she didn’t exactly fit the description of my little brown boy, in fact, she was the complete opposite and she was in Sheffield some 3 hours away from our home in Bristol, so imagine my surprise when I had this overwhelming urge to contact the owners. I have no idea what came over me, it wasn’t even as if the photo of her was particularly good, but getting her became an obsession I couldn’t let go of.
Within 30 mins of seeing the advert I sent a message and eagerly awaited a response. A few more messages back and forth we agreed to a visit on Sunday 2nd December. They had someone visiting her on the Saturday so I had pretty much convinced myself we had lost her, who would turn down a little dog? Anyway for some reason they cancelled so the next day we set off, it was obviously meant to be!
Her current owners told us they had rescued her from someone they knew who had mistreated her, when they saw her, her coat was completely matted and her nails were so long they had started to curl. She had had numerous litters and had lived outside, now she was older she was surplus to requirements and had just been left on her own. They felt they just couldn’t leave her there, paid the people some money for her and took her in, they said the reason for moving her on after a month was that they couldn’t cope with 2 dogs (they already had a poodle) but that she had no issues apart from being very timid.
We met the owner and Dolly in their local park and on seeing her for the first time, Tim and I looked at each other and grinned. She was adorable, so cute and much prettier than her photo. Callie and Dolly ignored each other which I felt was a good start and less than 30 mins later, we handed over the money and took her home, another 3 hour journey in the car.
Following a vet check we found out that Dolly is actually nearer 7 years old and despite everything was in pretty good health. She does have some issues, she is very needy and anxious, crying continually and very loudly, when I leave the room, when she’s about to be fed, getting ready to go for a walk, driving in the car, to be honest she cries a lot!
It is a challenge because it is quite stressful, but I try to remember that there were probably times when she didn’t get fed, when she was left alone for hours, and that when she went for a car ride it normally ended up with her in a new place with people she didn’t know.
The members on the Cockapoo Owners Facebook page are also a great support and it’s really nice to know you can get really good advice when you need it.
Although the owners that we got her from were concerned for her welfare and keen to know how she was getting on, I recently found out that they have got another dog, they now have two dogs! So much for their reasons for moving her on! Personally I think she was hard work and too much for them so it was easier to get rid of her.
In the last 2 months she has improved immensely, she’s fitted into our lives very well, our daughter loves her to bits, she’s very loving and likes nothing better than to be constantly petted. We have been working on her crying issues and have seen a huge improvement in the last few days even.
Maybe the reason that we were meant to have Dolly is because I’m incredibly stubborn and wont give up on her, we love her, we took her into our home and here she will stay for the rest of her days. It’ll take time obviously but hopefully one day she will realise that!
Dolly unfortunately doesn’t know how to play with other dogs so Callie didn’t exactly get the playmate we were after so you never know, maybe I will get to have my little brown boy as well at some point in the future! Then our doggy family will be complete.
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