Letters

Hi Di

Hope all well. Bella continues to settle in really well and is a much loved member of our family.

Thank you again for matching us together.

Kind regards

Laura

Hi,

We feel that Harvey is truly settled now. He has lost his slightly anxious look, his ears and tail are carried a bit higher and he now barks at strangers. He is protecting his home. He is a lovely dog with a gentle and happy temperament and we have only had two problems with him. His recall was not very good, especially if there were pheasants or ducks around. At the suggestion of a friend who does dog agility training I improved the treats he got when he eventually came. Instead of bits of biscuit he got meat or bits of sausage, chicken skin or any tasty left-over. This is working, his re-call is very much improved.

The main problem was pulling on the lead. This was very bad and nothing was working. It was exhausting taking him out. Walking the dog was a pleasure but was now a chore and fast becoming an ordeal. The last straw was one frosty day when I was literally towed along at a shuffling trot as I couldn't get a purchase on the icy road to stop us both. I could see this would end in broken bones, probably mine. I decided to get a Halti headcollar. I had my doubts about them but several people had suggested one. After all I happily put a bridle on my horse and a metal bit in his mouth so a soft headcollar for the dog shouldn't be so terrible.

I watched several videos on You-Tube about training with the headcollar. There was an American woman who spent ten minutes feeding half a pound of treats to get her dog to put it's head through the collar. Well Harvey had that down at first attempt. She insisted that the dog must be accustomed to the collar before using it on a walk. So I spent several days putting it on in the house and trying to walk him about. The trouble is the mere sight of me lifting the lead off it's hooks sends him into paroxysms of eagerness, leaping about and trying to get out the closed door. Then one day I had just had enough, coming back from a walk cross and exhausted so next walk I put the headcollar on and off we went.

For the first minute or two he kept pawing over his ears to try to get it off but he STOPPED PULLING. If he started to pull he stopped and shook his head to release the collar and trotted off again. He quite quickly settled down and after he had had his free running in a field came home on the lead beautifully.

We still have a few attempts to get it off when first setting out but after that he settles down. I have high hopes that we can eventually stop using it but at the moment it is a real boon. I don't make him 'heel' all the time, I let him sniff about in the hedges and use the full length of the lead. I don't use an extending lead with it as that can apparently cause injury if the dog gets up a turn of speed before reaching the end of the lead. Taking Harvey for a walk has now become a pleasure again for me as well as him.

I hope this might be of use to others facing the same problem.

Claire

Hi Ian and Di

Its over a month now since Gandalf arrived and he has setlled in really well and become part of the family. He was very quiet at first but the real Gandalf has gradually emerged. He is a very sweet natured dog with a laid back character, but he is also very inquistive. He enjoyed Christmas and greeted visitors who stayed and was made a big fuss of.

He likes playing with his plastic bone and ball and he 'stores' all his toys in his basket for future use! We bought him an activity ball with a hole in for treats and he quickly learned how to roll the ball to get the treats out and stop when all the food is gone.

He gets along well with our Westie, Harvey - and Harvey has accepted Gandalf too. They love going on walks together and are quite a double act following each other around. He has enjoyed the recent snow - rolling around in it, but he does not like walking in the rain very much.

His previous owner has trained Gandalf really well, he responds to commands instantly and comes straight away when called.

We really appreciated all that everyone at CAESSR has done - thank you and best wishes to you all.

Sue

Alfie has been with us for just 10 days now and it seems like he's been here forever. He goes for long walks by the canal everyday but we don't think he has seen any of the scenery yet, he is too busy sniffing and running around. He does keep a keen eye on the ducks though and we are sure if he got the chance he would be in the water with them!!

He is training us nicely and has a oh so sad look that he tries when he wants treats. He has had some balls and toys to play with but he just wants to keep them to himself but we are working on that. We have noticed that socks seem to make their way into Alfie's bed and he loves to carry them around the house too so we never quite know where we will find them.

Today we took him for a nice long ,and sometimes muddy, walk in the woods and he loved all the smells. We daren't let him off his lead yet because he has a mind of his own when he is enjoying himself - we're working on this as we would all love to let him have the run of the woods but not yet!

He has taken over the sofa and gone are the days we can have a stretch out and snooze without a nice warm companion snuggled up beside us - but it's so nice to have lots of cuddles and licks.

I am sending a couple of photos with this email so you can see how much he is enjoying himself and is settling down with his new family. I am sure his 'other' dad will be pleased to know he has got a new family who love him to bits already.

Thank you so much for letting us adopt him

Nicki & Steve

Hello to you all,

I am so sorry that we have not been in touch before, it was always our intention to let you know how we are getting on with Ollie.

We think he has settled down really well and we are certainly enjoying having him. He keeps us amused! As you can see from the attached pictures he really is part of the family and enjoys the outdoor life. He loves retrieving sticks from the ponds or the beck, loves chasing balls, although not too keen to let them go and is quite at home on the fork-lift truck! In fact he leaps into any vehicle if the door is left open! We took him to the seaside last week and he enjoyed retrieving from the waves. This was the first time he had come into contact with other dogs whilst he has been here and we did have to watch him closely, he was more interested in them than they were in him and one or two took exception to his interest.

After we first collected him from the kennel we stopped off to visit some friends in Belper. We let him out of the car for a run round in their garden and he leapt straight into their fish pond! We knew then that he would be OK with water. He is perfectly house trained, for which we are very grateful. He still tends to pull on the lead and as his confidence has grown his recall becomes slower and slower, he comes back when he is ready, rather than when he is called. We are going to have some serious training to try to rectify this. Ollie still shows a bit too much interest in the cat, but it just ignores him and finds a spot out of reach! He was very good with our small grandchildren at Christmas, although we were very careful how they treated him. We have just about stopped him jumping up, which is good.

We are delighted to have Ollie and are very grateful to his previous owner for letting him go. I think he can rest assured that he has an active, happy lifestyle as part of a family.

Kind regards to you all, and keep up the good work!

Judith

Hello everyone

Mia here - I have now been living with my new family for 15 months and I am very content.

I used to be rather shy with other dogs but now I am more confident when they approach and we exchange a doggie greeting. We have joined a local club which has monthly dog walks and it is a great way for me to exercise and meet new friends.

Sadly, I was not very well in October but I am fit and healthy again. I developed gastroenteritis followed by mastitis, and to top it all, I needed to be spayed!! I received plenty of TLC but now my treats need to be limited to ensure that I don’t put on weight. That’s so unfair; especially when I am such a foody!!

I love going for walks in the countryside but, like a typical Spaniel, my nose is always close to the ground!! I am normally foraging for treats but all I seem to find is dirt and leaves!! I also enjoy coastal walks and chasing seagulls is such fun.

In September we went on holiday to Cornwall and spent an idyllic week in a cottage. To ensure that I wasn’t worn out we kept our daily walks to 4 miles a day which was perfect.

I enjoyed all of our walks but I wasn’t keen on the beach, (mainly because there wasn’t anywhere to sniff)!! Dad tried to encourage me to go into a pool of water on the beach but I chose to hide behind Mum instead!! Dad decided to paddle and, gradually, my confidence grew and I joined him. Whilst they were understandably proud of me (of course)!! I ensured that I gave the sea a wide berth. I did watch the other dogs bounding in and out of the water which looked so much fun; maybe next time…

I have been told that I am cheeky at times but I know I am loveable too!! Last year I tried to help Mum decorate the Xmas tree and had great fun knocking off the baubles once she had attached them to the tree!!

I am now feeling tired so I shall settle onto my new cushion and have a nap.

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Mia

George arrived on the Tuesday. He quickly made himself at home, exploring every corner of the house.

He eats and sleeps well and loves to go for a walk.

We know that he had lived with a young family and therefore had no hesitation in introducing him to our neighbours’ young daughters after a few days. I’m not sure who was more tired afterwards!

He is funny and affectionate, we have hours of fun with him.

There is still some work to do around his behaviour at mealtimes (I lost a sirloin steak on day 2) and his socialisation with other dogs but we are confident that we can manage this. He starts training classes tomorrow.

He has already had the vaccination for his pet passport and will visit France with us next month.

We feel very lucky to have found him.

Jan

Dear Ian and Di

Just a quick update on Meg to say she has settled in very well and is a lovely addition to her new family.

She is very friendly to all, including the many new dogs she meets on her walks. Loves to play so we're adding to her store of toys, particularly balls, we have a great game, she takes them into the garden and we fetch them back!

So glad to have Meg in our lives and she is a credit to her previous family as she is well trained and affectionate.

Attached are some photos we took this weekend.

Regards

Caroline and John

Hello Ian,

Thank you for the email and as you can see from the attached photos, Ted is the perfect pooch.

He's very affectionate and loving, adores Sarah, me and Bisley (our 3 year old Black Lab). He's no bother at all and whether at home, on a walk or in the office with me, his tail constantly wags and he greets everyone with enthusiasm and excitement.

Many thanks for considering us when Ted (originally Eric) arrived at your place and he really is an integral part of our family.

Happy New Year to you all,

Best wishes,

Sarah and Lloyd

Hi Ian

I hope you are doing well. Shire boy (which we are now calling him) is doing great.

He has settled into the family well and loves running around and chasing birds in the garden. He still doesn't like the Hoover or the aeroplanes flying over the house. He enjoys his walks and still has energy to run around the garden for hours! He likes going down the woods and has swam in the river a few times.

Shire boy is now well and truly a member of our family, and we couldn't imagine life without him! We hope you enjoy our photos of shire boy settling in our family.

Thank You and kind regards

The Clegg's

Hi John

Hope you're well and enjoyed a nice Christmas break.

I have been meaning to email you for some time, but time has flown by! I just wanted to let you know that 6 months into owning Hogan, things could not be any better than they are. He settled relatively quickly, though it feels that with every passing week he becomes even happier.

He has lost nearly 3kg in weight and as such, his walks have now become a real treat - for both of us! He runs around like a puppy sometimes, and never misses the chance to chase a squirrel, cat or deer!

Hogan is such a loving dog and he is firmly part of our family now - a lot of people love him very much.

I don't know the situation with his previous owners, but if there is any contact then I thought it might be nice for them to know that Hogan is settled and has a nice life - I know if it was the other way around then I would be worried about him.

I have attached a recent picture, and if you ever want any more then feel free to ask!

Kind regards

Neal

Hi Di and all at Caesar

I have now been in my new home about 4 weeks and have settled in very well.

I have been for a cut and blow dry and feel much better for it, my dad takes me on the beach every morning. I had a busy Xmas going up to chesterfield to meet Murth a German Short Haired Pointer he's an old boy but still had plenty of energy to run round the park with me.

The only thing my dad says I need to learn is to stop shouting at other dogs and shouting at the tele when any animal comes on but I am getting better at that.

I get lots of hugs cuddles and belly rubbing and that's great. I feel I have found my new forever home so thank you for finding my new mum and dad.

Charlie

Hi Ian,

The pic was taken in Brean last year on his first trip to the beach.

Blue is doing fine. He has a brother from another mother called Barney who is also a rescue cocker. Blue never used to chase the ball or go in the water in our local park until Barney showed him how much fun it was.

Blue does have some issues though, he attacks strangers, I think he's guarding me and has been like this from the day we brought him home, I've never wanted to give up on him though. Both boys have just spent 13 nights in kennels whilst we were away for Xmas and the staff had no issues with Blue attacking them, I must be the trigger for his behaviour. Vet has said that maybe it's time to have him castrated, it wasn't an option before due to his nervousness and aggression.

He's a lovely boy and the most affectionate cocker I have ever owned, he has an extremely good life with us and I wouldn't swap him for the world regardless of the problem he has.

Rachael x

Hi John, Di, and all at CAESSR

It’s me, Boo (was Boosh) wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Well, it’s nearly two whole years since I came to my forever home and what a lovely time I am having.

I’ve got Mum and Dad trained almost to perfection. They feed me well and give me lots of treats as well as nice long walks down the lane (still chasing birds and squirrels but haven’t caught any, yet ....) and along by the river close to home. I’ve also found a lovely new place to sleep during the day, called Mum’s knee, with Dad’s knee being a good substitute. Now if only I could get them to let me sleep on their bed at night!!

I’ve also got a playmate that comes to see me just about every day. She is a cocker spaniel called Dora. She is one year old and belongs to Mum and Dad’s daughter and she comes to stay with us when her mum is at work. We have great fun playing chase around the garden and trying to trip Mum and Dad when we walk down the lane. 

So, as you can see, I still continue to enjoy my time in my forever home and I would, again, like to thank everyone at CAESSR who worked so hard to find me a loving family to live with. As I said last year, they now belong to me and I wouldn’t swap them for the world.

Boo 

PS Mum and Dad say they wouldn’t swap me for the world either

Hi Ian

This is our boy Benji who we adopted from CAESSR in August 2014.

He's just an absolute joy to be around. He makes me smile and fills me with happiness every day!

Lesley

Hi Di

Here's Bella relaxing on the sofa after a lovely Christmas with us.

She's a much loved member of our family and we wanted to Thank you all for matching us with her.

Laura

Bailey ( adopted March 2013) Rea ( fostered November 2014) wish all the lovely people and doggies at CAESSR a very Happy New Year!! Xx

( it's amazing the attention 2 spaniels give you when taking their picture if you have a biscuit in your mouth....)

Pam