Goofy comes home

We had successfully introduced Millie our Labrador to Goofy the cocker spaniel, we hoped to adopt from Battersea Dogs Home. The last step before we could take Goofy home was a visit to the Battersea vet.

When I talk to friends who are considering getting a dog, especially if it is a first dog, I always try to persuade, them to consider a rescue. Not just because a rescue dog gets a new home. I think it’s beneficial to be matched with a dog that suits your circumstances, and to have the help and support of experts if you need it.

I have lost count of the number of people I have seen in dog classes, being dragged around the room by big bouncy dogs; or heard of someone getting a border collie that chews all the furniture through sheer boredom. A good rehoming charity won’t let you take home a dog you can’t cope with or that won’t suit your lifestyle.

When you take home a new dog or puppy there are a lot of things you need to organise, for example, somewhere for the dog to sleep, a trip to the vets for microchipping, an identity tag.  When we adopted Goofy many things were included in the £105 rehoming fee:

      Microchipping.

      Initial vaccinations, flea and worming treatment. 

      A collar, identification tag and lead. 

      Access to Battersea’s behaviour advice line for continued advice and support

In many cases your animal will be neutered. We also got free pet insurance, an information pack and a starter box of food. I think when taking a new dog home, it is great to have all of the above taken care of. Then you can focus all your energy on settling your dog in, and not having to rush out straight to the vets or pet shop. 

Finally with the visit to the vet over, and all the paperwork completed, we could take the newest member of our family home.  

I am not an expert in dog behaviour, rehoming or health issues. These are my own views.  Please talk to your vet or experts such as the Kennel Club, Dogs Trust or Battersea Dogs Home to find out more about any of the above issues

A match made in Battersea

Millie my Labrador can be slightly temperamental. OK very temperamental. Over the last 4 years I have lost count of the times she has started barking at someone, because she didn’t like the look of their woolly hat. She will run away from smiling children, desperate to stroke her. Millie can be so antisocial and I was nervous about introducing her to the cocker spaniel we were hoping to adopt from Battersea Dogs Home.

We introduced Millie and Goofy the cocker spaniel puppy, in the Battersea Dogs Home training area.  As we let the dogs off their leads, I held my breath. Millie skipped off with her tennis ball, not giving the little spaniel a second look. Goofy however looked as if he had been well and truly hit by Cupid’s arrow. He bounded after Millie desperately nudging and pushing her. For a few seconds Millie would relent and join in the game, although she quickly lost interest. Even if it wasn’t love at first sight for Millie, it seemed she was willing to give Goofy a chance.

The Battersea rehomer was happy with how the dogs were getting along, and took us inside so we could spend time getting to know Goofy. We went to a room with toys and treats, so that we could interact and play with the dogs. The Battersea rehoming process is very thorough. We got to spend lots of time with Goofy in different environments, and had the chance to ask lots of questions.

After some time playing with Goofy, the rehomer came back to see if we wanted to go ahead and adopt him. We were sure we did, he was such a bundle of fun.  As for Millie, I was sure she raised one eyebrow and sighed, as if to say, “If you must”.

When Millie met Goofy

It was a scorching hot Friday in July, when we went to Battersea Dogs Home to introduce Millie our Labrador, to Goofy the cocker spaniel we were hoping to adopt.  Feeling positive that the two dogs would get on, we optimistically bought a bed, crate and food bowl for Goofy.

It was a long hot car journey, down to London and I was worried that the hot weather was going to make Millie grumpy and in the wrong frame of mind to meet a new dog. I felt even more edgy walking  Millie into Battersea, in case people thought we were giving her up for adoption. 

The sound of hundreds of dogs barking, all waiting to find a new home, broke my heart, as we walked through the kennels to meet Goofy. When David had first met Goofy he had fallen in love with him, so we had set our hearts on taking him home.  It would be soul destroying if Millie decided she didn’t like this bouncy little spaniel. 

A lady who was the rehomer looking after the pups, called our names, and asked “are you here to meet Goofy the springer spaniel?” My heart sank, springer spaniels are larger than a cocker spaniels and known for their bouncy, lively behaviour;  would a young Labrador and a springer spaniel puppy be far too much for me to cope with?

Luckily it was just a slip of the tongue the little dog, which was lead out to meet us, was definitely a cocker spaniel. We walked round to the training and exercise areas, to introduce Millie and Goofy. I asked if I could hold Goofy to see how he walked on the lead.  He skipped, danced and pulled in every direction.  The rehomer explained that Goofy and his littermates, had never worn a collar or a lead, and never been outside of their garden. It was thought the plan was to train the litter up as gun dogs, but they were all a bit too loopy to work (18 months later I can testify this is the case), so they were given up for adoption.

We walked into the training area to face the moment of truth; it was time for Millie to meet Goofy.

I am not an expert in dog behaviour, rehoming or health issues. These are my own views.  Please talk to your vet or experts such as the Kennel Club, Dogs Trust or Battersea Dogs Home to find out more about any of the above issues.

A dog called Goofy

When Millie our Labrador was two years old, we thought it would be great to get her a doggy companion.  This time around we really wanted to give a home to a dog in a rescue; rather than buy a new puppy.

We regularly checked the Battersea Dogs Home website for a suitable pal for Millie.  Battersea was special to me as I had attended a dog behaviour course there and loved the work they did. One day we saw a picture of a seven-month-old liver and white cocker spaniel. We thought she was gorgeous.

David my partner works near Battersea Dogs Home; the very next day he went into the home to enquire about the spaniel.  David was first asked to take part in a rehoming interview. This helps Battersea to understand your circumstances, and the sort of pet that would be suitable for you.

 David had not mentioned the spaniel we had seen on the website, in the interview.  But the lady carrying out the interview, explained that Battersea had family of seven cocker spaniel puppies for rehoming and she thought one of the puppies would be a good match for us. 

Battersea felt that it would probably be better, for our new dog to be a male, as we already had a bitch (female).   Battersea have found often a male and female dog will get along together well.

A male puppy from the cocker spaniel litter was brought into to meet David, as a potential match for us. Amazingly out of the hundreds of dogs at Battersea, we had been matched with the brother of the spaniel we had first seen on the website.  This seemed like a definite sign.

Goofy was adorable, and wanted nothing more to climb on David’s lap, and have lots of fuss and attention.   Before David could take Goofy home, both Millie and I had to meet Goofy and see how we all got along.

I am not an expert in dog behaviour, rehoming, or health issues. These are my own views.  Please talk to your vet or experts such as the Kennel Club, Dogs Trust, or Battersea Dogs Home, for professional doggy advice.

Good dog health, good genes?

I wouldn’t change Millie my Labrador, for the world, but over the last four years, I have spent a lot of money at the vets including:

·      £250 identifying allergies.

·      £400 for a trip to the emergency vet, plus x-rays for a stomach bug.

·      £200 treating kennel cough.

·      £200 investigating a eye condition,

·      £200 investigating a hip and joint condition.

·      £300 treating ear infections.

This doesn’t include including all the little day-to-day illnesses, cracked claws, grass seeds in the eye and the occasional muscle sprain.

Don’t let me give you the impression if you get a dog, you will spend most of your time and hard earned cash at the vets. Some of Millie’s aliments are down to bad luck. But I certainly could saved money and a lot of pacing at the vets, by researching, some of the conditions which affect Labradors, and by being smarter when I bought my puppy.

When you are looking to buy a puppy; you will see lots of different adverts, with varying levels of information. Adverts will contain phrases like; puppies are vet checked, living in a house with children, KC registered.  A good breeder should provide information about the health of the parents of the puppy.  

This will probably take the form of some confusing letters and numbers. These letters and numbers will help you to understand the likelihood of your puppies carrying a genetic condition.

Below are examples of the sorts of letters and numbers you will see; one from the mum of some cocker spaniel puppies and the father of some Labrador pups:

prcd-PRA (DNA) : Carrier

FN DNA Test : Clear

Glaucoma : Clear 26/03/08

GPRA-rcd1 : clear 25/08/09

Or

Hips 6:5

Elbows 0:0


Current Clear BVA Eye Certificate


Optigen tested Normal/Clear for prcd1-PRA

Unfortunately, I didn’t look for this information when I bought Millie and her parents had not been health tested.  Some of the money I have spent on Millie’s health has been investigating conditions.  If we had known more about the health of her parents, the vets would have been able to make more informed judgements about Millie.

Different breeds of dog are affected by different conditions, and you will need to research the breed you are interested in and the conditions that can affect it. If you talk to your vet, they can help you translate those tricky letters and numbers.

You may find you will probably pay more for puppies, where the breeder has carried out health testing.  But as you can see from the costs of investigations I have had to carry out on Millie, it can be money well spent.

Some sources of information on common conditions.

Hip Dysplasia is condition which can affect the hip joints of dogs.

Generalised Progressive Retinal Atrophy  an eye condition, leading to blindness.

General inherited conditions.

I am not an expert in dog behaviour or health issues. These are my own views, please talk to your vet or experts such as the Kennel Club, to find out more about any of the above issues.

(Some) Dogs gotta work

We had come to the conclusion that, perhaps we weren’t experienced enough dog owners to take on a rescue dog, and that a puppy would be better for us. In hindsight if we had stuck at it, I know we would eventually been matched with a perfect dog for us. But I wasn’t patient and rushed out to start choosing a puppy.

There are lots of good places to find out about choosing a puppy, including:

• Dogs Today.
• Get Puppy Smart.
• Dogs Trust.

Unfortunately, I thought I had read and understood what I needed to look out for when I was choosing a puppy. But I really hadn’t.

One area I knew nothing about was the difference between working dogs and show dogs.

Both of my dogs are from working lines. I hadn’t even realised that there was any difference between working dogs and show dogs. Although I wouldn’t change my guys for the world;  I really wish I had understood before I got a puppy the difference between working lines and show lines.

Some breeds such as Labradors and spaniels come from working lines. For example Labradors may have parents, grandparents and great grandparents who worked as gun dogs.  These dogs have been specifically bred for their temperament and their ability to work calmly in the field.

I think that my working dogs behave differently as well.  Both of my dogs are from gun dog stock, and they want to work.   Cocker spaniel owners often comment that working Cocker Spaniels are very different from show Cocker Spaniels and are much more driven.  So if you wanted to take up agility for example, a working spaniel may be a better choice.

Working dogs can often look slightly different. Dexter as a working cocker spaniel, looks very different to a show cocker spaniel.  He has long legs, shorter ears, and a short coat, apart from on his legs, which have very long fur. When I take him to shows, folk often don’t, believe he is actually a cocker spaniel, because people are more familiar with the look of show cockers.

If you want to show your dog, you will need to check if you are buying a show or a working puppy. I am only just starting to learn about working dogs myself.  Some places I have found helpful are,

The Kennel Club and events such as Discover Dogs and websites and forums dedicated to individual breeds.

Nothing beats, talking first hand to dog owners. I would recommend going along to your local dog training club, and watching some classes. See if you are interested in the different activities, so you can choose a breed best suited to the things you would like to do.  Another good place to visit is companion and fun dog shows, where many people are only too happy to stop and chat about their dog. A list of dog shows can be found on Dog Friendly Britain.