Letters

Dear Emma

BUD (previously known as Buddy or Buddy Beau) came into our lives last Summer. It is true to say that he is indeed a ‘box of frogs’ which we were told and could see for ourselves on first meet. However, this did not deter our wish to have him in our lives, as we felt sure that he was simply ‘on the spectrum’ so to speak. Bud most definitely has ADHD, Autism or one or more of these issues and has his own way of doing things that you have to go by because, that’s Bud. He’ll crash onto the sofa without any thought as to who or what is under his feet, so we always need to be careful! Outside on walks, he acts as though he has never seen the outdoors and so he has extreme body shakes prior to, just in his excitement of it all. Even after all this time, you’re lucky if he pees once on walks and will never properly go to toilet when out because he prefers to save this for the garden when he gets home! When he does get back, he has to go straight into the garden, where he runs around and around for a good while before he gets down to business!

He really is such a funny boy when he cranes his neck and leans, the craning is in curiosity and the leaning takes part on the sofa, as he just has to get into a corner in order to rest his arm! Bud is always hungry but then always so slim and lean, we feel certain that his legs must be hollow, as we don’t know where he puts it all!! He loves anything that’s going for grabs and in the first week, did have our smoked salmon off the kitchen counter top, so prepping food just has to be _without_ him in the room!

Bud_ loves_ his toys, so much so, that they have to go _everywhere_ with him. He is a wonderful guard dog too but then he can take some of this to the extreme, when it is merely just a car door slamming outside, he’ll bark and bark! However, he seems to feel better prepared when his toys are to the ready, this seems to help him in order to investigate and Mr Monkey or Crazy Rainbow Legs amongst others, are most important for any of Bud’s missions.

Bud came to us with balding areas of his body and sadly don’t look as though they are ever going to grow back now. Grooming him is no no, as apart from the fact he finds it hard to stay still, he will light bite in protest and so we respect his wish not to be messed around. His last haircut and groom was at CAESSR where it really was necessary, given that he had huge bear hair in Summer heat. We can wash him but we can _never_ groom him, so we leave this to the professionals only where he can dislike them and not us for having to do it!

Bud’s sister is Molly and Molly is our rescue Springer. When we first introduced them he play fought happily with her but since she loves to play very rough, Bud has decided that he is a pacifist and now refuses having anything to do with Molly’s play fights. This is a shame but Bud clearly wants no truck with anyone, so whilst guarding, barking, fun, food and toys are always on the agenda, play fighting certainly isn’t! Bud did have a dermatological condition to his skin when he came to us which we treated successfully with Dorwest herbal Green Relief and Garlic & Fenugreek tablets. However, his nose is always very dry and as suggested by out Vet, has only been afforded temporary help with coconut oil which he has daily. Unfortunately, he will always have this problem though because Bud loves the taste SO much that it doesn’t stay on his nose long enough to be able to penetrate the skin without him licking it all off!!

Bud is as much a part of our lives now as Molly and our two cats and we love him dearly. He knows how much he is loved and just how much we love him too. Love and kindness being the key to any rescue but more importantly, patience and acceptance in understanding them, as they gradually unfold their personality and traits is vital, in order to make any rescue rehoming a success. We’re very pleased to report that Bud is without doubt, a CAESSR success and, an absolute joy to share our lives with!

Our warmest regards and very best wishes to Di, John and Ian. Love Rhona, Tony, Bud, Molly, Omar & Layla ?XXXXXX

Hi Di, Ian, John and everyone

So sorry to hear about all the difficulties at CAESSR, but so glad to hear you're still helping so many spaniels and owners.