BLAZE has found his furrytail ending!!

Some happy endings take a little longer to come around than others. Blaze's took a whole 12 months, but thankfully for that period, he had the wonderful Elwell family to nurture him. Understandably, they were fiercely protective of him and more than a little worried that his new family wouldn't accept all Blaze's little quirks that they themselves had grown to love. We are very, very pleased to announce that Blaze is loving life, having landed on all four paws with new parents, Storme & Chris and their adopted dog, Ruddy. We are so grateful to the Elwells for fostering Blaze and to the very generous Sonya, Chris & Vikingboy for their sponsorship. This financial help allowed us to get the one-on-one training and behavioural help that Blaze needed to conquer some of his fears. There's no doubt that the lovely Ros at Pawsitive Connection prepared Blaze for his new home with her compassionate, gentle approach to training. Blaze would not have responded to anything else and his gained confidence in his new home is a beautiful testament to the work that Ros and foster Mum, Kristie put in. It may have taken longer than we would have liked to see Blaze finally settled with a forever family, but good things are 100% worth the wait. Happy furrytail ending, Blaze!

Ahem! I’m here to apply for the vacant position you have available. The role of ‘shadow’? I have years of experience of being a shadow and have honed my skills to perfection. I just want to be near my humans, so if you’re inside the house, I’m inside the house. If you’re hanging out the washing, I’ll be there to supervise. Need a buddy to watch TV with? I’m right there at your feet. This shadow thing really only works if you have a lifestyle where you’re home a lot and we can hang out together. After all, your shadow is meant to be a constant companion, right? My idea of bliss is curling up next to you on the floor…or even on the lounge if you’ll let me! I must be allowed inside the house – being left outside separate to my people would break my heart. That would be the only time that thoughts of escape would cross my mind. If I thought you’d abandoned me, I might like to see if I could squeeze myself through that gap under your fence. Otherwise, I’d never even dream of leaving you. If there are any children in my new home, they’ll need to be older, say 12+. I’ll tolerate kids, but I don’t really enjoy their company. Even with older children in the house, I’d like a kid-free zone please where I can go to chill when I’ve had enough…just my own quiet space and a comfy blanky. This will be my happy place when there’s scary stuff happening like storms or the vacuum cleaner being used. I can be easily startled and overwhelmed and I don’t like loud noises, so a calm, quiet home with a gentle and understanding owner would be my idea of heaven. I lived with another dog for the last couple of years and oh, was she a bossy one! What can I say about our relationship but ‘it’s complicated’. We were bonded but not in a healthy way and her bullying tactics made me feel very anxious, hampering some of my social skills. For that reason, we’ve decided that it’s best to wish each other well and go our separate ways. Because I’m so human-focused, I don’t need another dog in my new home, but I may be able to handle one other dog – preferably a medium-sized, younger, friendly, easygoing female. My social skills with other dogs are now improving and I’m starting to initiate playtime, however this is an area that we can continue to work on. I’m beginning to enjoy the dog park, though I admit that a fair chunk of my time there involves sitting next to my human and looking adoringly at them. My favourite place to be (apart from wherever you are) is the beach. I’m a real waterbaby and when I’m splashing along getting my feet wet or swimming in the creek, I become a carefree puppy again. I love walks and only need around 30 minutes of exercise a day. Any more than an hour and my knees start to hurt. I’ve had a course of injections to help ease this. I’ve come such a long way during my time with my foster family. My foster Mum has guided me through with the help of a qualified trainer/behaviourist, attending one-on-one training sessions with me to build my confidence in all areas. They are both available to give advice to my new home on how to give me the ongoing positive reinforcement that I need. Although I would describe myself as cautious in new situations, once you have my loyal and loving heart, you’ll have it forever.EndFragment