Seven

I arrived at Gables when I was just 11 months old. At such a young age I had already been through so much turmoil and distress. I’d been suffering physical abuse at the hands of the person I should have been able to trust the most, then I was abandoned with a family member and left tied to a table leg. I was scared, confused and feeling extremely vulnerable. After 24 hours I was finally rescued but due to my state of mind I wasn’t exactly pleased to see the person who had come to save me. Being abused at such a young and impressionable age has left me with emotional scars and trust issues which I may never get over. When I’m faced with the presence of a stranger I just don’t know how to cope and I go into panic mode. I really hope that in time and with lots of positive training this may get better, but it will take a very experienced and special person to want to take on such a big challenge. In order for me to stay safe when I’m out in public I wear a muzzle and I am always on the lead. This will need to continue for the rest of my life as it is unlikely that the emotional baggage I carry will ever fully go away. After lots of very careful and gentle exposure to new people I can learn to trust and when I do you will see a whole other side to me. I am so affectionate, in fact I usually greet my ‘friends’ with a big bear hug. As an adolescent working dog I am full of energy and I am incredibly smart. I would thrive on learning new things; how cool would it be if I could learn to tidy up my toys or help you with the washing! Since arriving at Gables I have learnt some of the basics including sit, give paw, lie down and roll over but I have so much more that I want to learn! I am tennis ball obsessed, nothing else in the whole world is better than chasing that small yellow ball through the air and returning it for another go. I think I’d really enjoy agility too, but I would need to do this on my own as I would be too overwhelmed to do it in a group class. My ideal home would be in a very rural location. Perhaps someone who has land (although it must be totally secure with boundaries of 6ft) where I can exercise without the stress of having to meet strangers. I may be living in a dream land asking for this but if you don’t ask then you don’t get. What kind of home am I looking for? My new owners must have experience with fear aggressive high energy dogs and be prepared to take on a project. I have now been in kennels for over 4 years and since arriving I have developed guarding behaviour around food. Potential adopters will need to have owned a dog with guarding issues before and be able to give me a safe environment to eat without competition. I realise that I am not the ‘perfect’ dog, but my friends here have said I am perfect just as I am and my forever home is out there somewhere with people who will love me for me.