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NEWS OF THE WEEK
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PINK IS THIRD TIME LUCKY! Rebecca met the spirited 10 month old last
week and after spending some time at the Home getting to know her, decided that she was just what she and her two year-old
Pointer, Jackson (currently enrolled in Planet K9's Basic Manners course), were looking for. Just one problem; that name
Pink. “I’d seen a lovely dalmatian called
Grace, and something about Pink reminded me of her,” says Rebecca. “And the Lost Dogs’ Home is in Gracie
Street, so that sealed the deal!” The Home’s Sue
Conroy says Gracie has a flighty personality who needs all the love in the world. “She came in here an underweight stray,
was adopted once without success, and now Rebecca has given her a third chance,” says Sue. “We are all pleased
and pitching in to help her adapt to her new home.” Gracie
and Rebecca will get post-adoption support including training with Planet K9 here at the Home (all LDH graduates are entitled
to a free lesson from Planet K9). “We don’t think
Gracie’s going to be an easy dog,” says Sue. “She has shown some escaping tendencies, so we needed to ensure
she went to an experienced person who’s able to rehabilitate her.” Rebecca reports that Gracie is doing well in her new surrounds. “She’s very affectionate, learns
quickly, and follows me everywhere.” She’s even
helping with the gardening: “Gracie’s a dynamo! She rearranged my plants when I was away on Sunday morning, and
she’s very bird focused. She’s a hyperactive puppy, but she is housetrained and takes her lead from Jackson, who
tends to bowl her over when she gets too keen.” Everyone
at the Home wishes Gracie well in her new life. BUCKLEY GRADUATES After completing puppy training with his foster carer
Jodie, Buckley’s debut into canine etiquette began with a private lesson between Buckley, Madeline and Planet K9 Head
Trainer, Nicole Beasley. The session helped Madeline understand positive reward based training methods which involve using
praise, food or toys to reward good behaviour. Having spent his first few months
in the limelight, Buckley was used to ongoing fuss and attention. He’d developed a habit of jumping up on people when
he felt ignored. One of his first lessons at finishing school was how to ask for attention by sitting quietly, not by jumping
and barking. “Buckley mixes very well with other dogs and people. He’s
such an intelligent dog and has a really nice bond with Madeline. He was a little hard to toilet train but Madeline is on
top of that now,” said Planet K9 Head Trainer, Nicole Beasley. Whilst the
attack on Buckley was one of the worst examples of animal cruelty seen by staff at The Lost Dogs' Home, it appears that
he has fully recovered from his ordeal. “He shows no signs of trauma or
timidity now. He’s a sweet, confident ‘superdog’ who endears himself to everyone. Whilst he’s the
star of the class, he just likes being with new owner Madeline. I think he’s a very loyal and clever dog”. This Sunday, Buckley will graduate with full canine credentials: he knows how to greet people and
other dogs calmly, walk on the lead, come when called and lie on his mat. He’s even tried some agility which he excels
at with his athletic frame. Next week, Madeline and Buckley will progress to
the advanced obedience class. Their homework this week is to learn ‘leave it’ - Buckley has a habit of eating
dead birds! As well as Buckley, there are hundreds of other canine stars undertaking
training classes to ensure their new homes are “forever” homes. The
Lost Dogs’ Home also offers one free training session for families who adopt dogs from its shelters. Thankyou to Mark O'Brien and The Lost Dogs' Home for the
production of these podcasts. |
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