fussy fussy fuss and a trip to the big Smoke !!

Dare goes to London . . . . . Dare , Lace and Brooke by the Thames . . . note muzzle off collar held (joggers are very tempting targets !!)

Group love - 3 NAWT rescues and 2 princesses

Dare obviously very stressed in his new surroundings !!

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Its been a right nightmare getting him to eat anything lately - have now discovered he has an intollerance to Beef !!! He was happily eating Chappie and mixer and then just stopped as if i was trying to poison him ! so we went through the whole 'fine dont want it - dont have it' stage but he always calls my bluff and after 3 days of eating NOTHING i gave in and cooked him some chicken and rice ( I can hear you all groaning from here !!!) but he was getting very lethargic and his tummy was rumbling so much i couldnt take it anymore :o(

I dont really care what he eats as long as i dont have to cook it - ideally dry kibble like my others but he will not have any of it - not burns, JWB, skinners, etc etc have gone through every free sample i can find !

So now we are having 'Butchers' tinned dog food and mixer which he is eating - i have never had a fussy dog before (my others would literally eat anything) and its such a nightmare he is soooo stubborn about it as well . . . any ideas greatfully recieved as i have exhausted all i know !

Other than that he has settled well into the crazy life we lead - Myself and Sharon were asked to go to Discover Dogs at Earls court - for the NAWT agility display we have been before and usually have a fab time however this year presented with a whole new set of problems for us both !

Sharons Staffy Jerry was very poorly at the time and so sharon did not want to leave her so we decided to take her and Lace my spaniel so jerry had company and warmth in the van while we went into Earls Court - then we had another thought - what if someone nicked the van with our precious girls in it !

The answer take our ready made van protector Dare !! I was already worried about leaving him as i promised him i never would and although i am sure he would have been totally fine without me the thought of it was causing me much stress - so off we went a Jerry a dog aggressive staffy, Lace a nutty cocker, Display dog Jake a stressy staffy, Display dog Brooke a neurotic Belgian and Dare the most nervous aggressive dog i have met into one of the busiest places we could think of . . . . .

We had a great time - Dare who has a few issues with staffys ignored Jake's growling (poor Jake!!) and took the whole Travellodge experience in his stride - he was able to walk down the busy streets of London no probs and to be honest when the strange drunk man came up to talk to me I was more than glad Dare dog decided he didnt like him !!! ( see photos at start of post - I have no idea how to move them to the bottom and it wont let me move the text either ?)

I was very proud of Dare (and Jake and Brooke for doing yet another faultless agility demo for the crowds) and chuffed that he trusts me enough to survive a trip to London :o)

I have decided not to do any agility training with him for at least a year - i did a bit with him over the past few weekends and he seems to lack focus etc even though we are just playing tuggy stepping through a jump he will go and sniff etc as soon as he gets near the equipment. My time with Kai has taught me to never push them and IF he ever feels like it in the future then he will show me - until then he can come along to training do some clicker work, play tuggy at the shows and relax with nothing being asked of him except to cope with his surroundings. I had no ambitions for him in terms of training I just want him to relax and learn to be a dog again !

I cant end my post without mentioning a little bit about Jerry Lee Sharons staffy girl who sadly went to Rainbow bridge last week. What can i say that all of you dont already know ?? They take so much of our hearts with them . . . . I will miss her forever and know my mum will take great care of her for Sharon. She was a one in a lifetime girl who taught me so much about staffys, dogs and generally how I should live MY life - Sweet Dreams Beanie dog the first staffy I ever loved x x x

Settling in

Dare has been with me now for 7 weeks !!! where did all that time go ??

Sorry i cant figure out how to turn the pic over but there he is in the middle of some of mine and Sharons pack - not so dog aggressive now :o) x

He is settling in well and finally beginning to feel confident in exploring the house - he now mooches about on his own without having to be permenantly glued to my side !

He is much more at home with the other dogs and as i type is asleep on the sofa cuddled up inbetween kia and Crusoe . He is still very wary of Mishka GSD (he has a GSD phobia !) but is now able to cope with being near her - still not brave enough to puch past her in the hallway etc.

He is really good offlead and has a fab recall - totally focussed on herding Magix which at the min I am allowing - hoping to transfer this fixation on to a toy like i did with Jack but all in good time, At the min its just nice to see him running and jumping and getting used to his body . Weight loss is all going good although he is still a lazy bum and needs encouraging to run (unlike my others) . He is such a fussy eater - which i have never had to deal with before and refuses to eat dry food without any meat on it - so the Chappie sales in west penwith have gone up considerably as then they all have to have it on their tea !!

He is now fine at travelling in the van - no stressy panting or drooling so i guess although flooding is not recommended when needs must sometimes it does work ! (poor Dare but i had no choice he has to come with me in the van everyday) he happily hops in the van now and has got his own crate which he prefers .

He is doing really well at meeting people and has got a few male friends which i never thought would happen . As long as people IGNORE him and let him go to them then he seems ok - why why why though when you say ignore him do people have to speak to him ?? its driving me mad its as if they all believe they have the magic charm to win the collie round !! actaully u knob you are stressing him out and your either going to get bitten or thumped by me !!! annnndddd why when you put a muzzle on a dog do people make a bee line to try and talk to it ?? are you stupid ?? Rant over :o)

Consequently he rarely wears his muzzle now - except for our early morning walks which are now in the dark boooooo and i cant see who is on the moors (no one in their right mind!) so i muzzle him just incase we bump into anyone unexpected :o)

He is sooo like Kai its scarey and very deja vu as Kai is a NAWT boy who came to me with his muzzle and in some respects Dare is already better than Kai in terms of his rehab . Kai is my little protector and takes his job a little too seriously (sorry uncle Alf) Dare on the other hand is reactive but able to change his response in the right situation - Kai if you try to hurt me (in his eyes) will still ;after 3 yrs with me , flip out (sorry uncle Alf !!!)and can not then be reasoned with until the bad person is at least a mile away from me . They have such similar looks its uncanny at times.

He has met some of the volunteers from the NAWT (Les and Judy) and he was overjoyed to see them again . It was also nice for me as I left Les to hold him and Dare was not keen at being parted from me so the little chap knows who his mum is now :o)

Agility training began this weekend with Sharon and he can do 2 jumps, a round, tunnel, and beginning to learn 2x2 weaves. He is treat and toy motivated but can loose confidence and go off sniffing so keeping sessions really short and highly exciting/ motivating and see how we get on

thanks for reading

Anne and Dare x x x

Hellooooo waistline !!

We can fianlly see a waistline !! Dare is not longer completely round - it seems the hours of hiking, swimming and chasing are starting to have some effect ( I was beginning to wonder if they ever would !) I can def feel his ribs now instead of them being buried beneath a layer of chub !

He has been a very good boy and I road tested him offlead at agility (with his muzzle on) with strangers (Sharon Ang Sibylle and Aileen - cant much stranger than those bunch!!! :o) and he was really very good . He loves Sharon as if he has always known her - he was a bit bad with Aileen and was happy to eat her treats but decided she was NOT allowed to try and touch him - tee hee !

Dare's agility training has begun (i think the chances of me letting him offlead in a field full of strangers is unlikely but he will get trained the same as the others just coz i like training !) He has now got a nice sit wait, and a good down. He already had some idea about jumps as the staff at the kennels took him a couple of times to agility on a saturday. Cant ever see him making full height he is the most uncoordinated dog I have had - he fell off the hedge this morning because he had no idea where his back legs were !
We have begun weaving 2x2 - its the first time i have used this method so we are learning this one together seems to be going well and he can totally do the 2 poles at 2 o clock and 8 o clock after one session this evening .

He is beginning to be a real pushy collie ( which is lovely to see) and is beginning to learn that demanding fuss does not always work - jumping up is his new trick which is quite cute but not something i am encouraging :o) His confidence is growing and growing off lead and he now gallops off herding the others . We have a GSP staying at the moment and Rowan and Dare have become great friends and seem to find running huge laps of the fields as a very rewarding behaviour ??!!

So the boy is doing well to be honest i forget he has any issues a lot of the time - we so rarely have visitors or meet anyone on a walk that i can quite happily pretend he is normal !! Although i will begin to address his meeting and greating of people next month when he is even more settled.
The poor boy is shut downstairs with all the other dogs (of course not Lace!!) as they stink of cow muck after chasing around Harvey's fields ! he is doing his best 'dog in kennels' look from the other side of the baby gate :o)

Have run out of things to write now and i am sure i was going to put something else in this update !!!

Thanks for reading
Anne and Dare x

Its as if he has always been here

Sorry for the delay but my computer decided to go off sick - so I have currently nicked Dad's so i can catch up on emails and update Dare's blog :o)

He has settled in really well - at first I thought being in a pack may have been a bit much for him as he was so withdrawn but my lovely bunch of mad dogs have shown him how to party and he is really starting to act like a collie at last !

I let him off lead for the first time about a week ago (i know very soon but i tend to go with my gut feelings and it felt right) he was such a scaredy boy that he didnt really wander far . It took him 3 days to finally try running and now he loves it - chasing birds is his favourite past time so no cliff walking for us ! Hr has a fab recall and i can call him off two running ponies without any trouble (which Lucy will know is a big deal after his first reaction to ponies !)

Its been fun watching him settle in - a bit like watching a new boy at school . He started off hanging out with the teachers pets/ geeks (sorry Kai and Crusoe but you are ! ) but you could tell he really wanted to hang out with the cool gang . He is now spending most of his time with Magic (brave move) but I guess every boy wants to be friends with the prettiest girl and thats definatly my Magic - and she knows it ! She has told him off loads but he is yet to be put off.

In the mornings when he wakes up he still does his crazy rolling and mad runnning aound the house he genuinely seems glad to wake up here everyday which is such a nice way to look at the world :o)

He has been to 2 agility shows and camped at one . A very good boy throughout and is learning that most people carry sausage and can be mugged for it ! He was fab when he met Sharon it was as if he had always known her straight up to her for a hug and thats what he got ! He also has the most amazing memory and dragged me across the agility field to see Lesley who had fed him some cheese the weekend before !

He can still be very very afraid - i took him with me to the toilets (very dark and cramped little toilets) late at night at the show , thought nothing of it until we got there . . . bless him he had a proper panic attack at me trying to take him into the dark place . Luckily i had lots of treats and we got there in the end . I guessing it brought back memories of being in a shed ? :o(

He is one big cuddly bear of a dog and follows me everywhere the other dogs have accepted him totally and he is getting used to the ever changing dog visitors we have here . Slowly he is learning to play tuggy which is fab

I love him to bits :o)

I had forgotten how emotional this whole rescue thing can be !

Dare has done so well today - I cant even remember where his muzzle is ? He is fine on his halti and makes no attempt to lunge at people if they stay a safe distance (which i make sure they do)

He had such a good day and even came out of the van at agility to meet his Auntie Sharon and a few other friends he was fab - no growling or anything. Did lots of 'look' at the scary people for treats and seemed body language wise very relaxed at a safe distance away from everyone and even managed a tiny tail way at some of his new friends

When we arrived home Rogue (wocker) decided that he neeeeeded to bring his treasure (large branch) in from the van to show the rest of the gang . When he got it indoors i not thinking picked it up to move it back outside - poor poor Dare he hit the floor and peed everywhere . I just stood there in shock and then dropped nasty branch . Through my tears we learnt to nose touch the branch for pizza (yep same thing for tea again) and i was able to move it outside and then clean up :o(
Such a stupid thing to do and so so sad
I am so angry at the man who did this to him - to angry to put into words
This big beautiful kind collie reduced to such fear - im not sure i have ever felt so hopless (despite what I have been thru with Kai and Jack)

We seem ok now - we had a long cuddle and shared a pizza the rest of the pack and me sat on the kitchen floor - its official i am mad !!!
He is now sleeping next to my feet and dreaming - hopefully good dreams
Anne and Dare x x x

First night and day at the mad house :o)

Decided he should sleep up with me and the pack in the bedroom. Dare had chosen the kitchen as his safe place but didnt really want him to get to used to being in there.

Lights out and i could here a rather large collie pacing the room - Magic listened to this for about 3 mins and then told him in no uncertain terms to get his ass in bed as it was disturbing her beauty sleep (she is such a madam!) Bless him he did as he was told.

About 3.00 there was a Dare shaped collie on my bed!! no idea when he crept up but when i woke again in the morning he was back in his bed looking very smug :o)

He was so so funny when he woke up - he went all silly puppy like and ran round and round the house finally leaping up at me (and he is no feather weight) he generally seemed really pleased to have woken up indoors it made me laugh a lot!

He has has a very busy day (its not called the crazy house for nothing) met 7 new dogs on my rounds and was 100% fab with them all
Met my brother who he tried to eat big time but John having gone through it all before with Jack, Kai and Crusoe did all the right things and soon Dare was lying asleep with John standing the otherside of the baby gate chatting . I have all this on video and will add it to here as soon as i figure out how !

He is absolutely terrified of anything new - doors opening, microwave pinging, kettle boiling and hes a real phobia about cats :o( Not so keen on the van either he gets in happily enough but then drools big time - at the min i hoping this will get better as his confidence grows as i am washing dog beds at an alarming rate !

He is like my shadow and has decided that i am the only safe thing he knows - i cant wait for the day when he has enought confidence to go and lie in a different room to me :o)

Thanks for reading
Anne and Dare x x x

13.09.10 Dare arrives home

After one year and 2 months in kennels my boy has finally made it home.
3 weeks of kennel visits, 4 dog meetings on neutral ground and 2 home visits and we have finally persuaded him not to eat me or the other dogs and that although leaving the kennels is scary having a place to call home is worth it !

History of Dare
Dare (was Jack) was brought into the National Animal Welfare Kennels in Cornwall as a 12mth old youngster. He was taken by the dog warden from a very very bad man ! (the words i would use are not really suitable for a blog!) Dare was one of the worse abuse cases the kennels have ever seen.

He was initially a wary boy but was able to be handled by most people however despite the staff's best efforts and care - kennels is just no place for a worried collie pup. His kennel stress became worse and worse until the point where he was only able to be handled by staff and would lunge growling and snarling at any new people who came to see him.

Consequently this seemed to put a few people off rehoming him !! One of my friends is a very lovely lady and works at the kennels (thank you Linda ) - sent me a message on facebook to see if there was anyone i knew who may be interested in Dare.

I went along to meet him that weekend and yep fell in love with him - 9 dogs !! really !!! oh well whats one more :o)

So we have already had quite a long journey for 2 weeks of walking Dare refused to look at me or acknowledge i existed however he so badly wants someone to love that in the end he came around and would gently wag his tail when i turned up, and quickly learnt to offer his paw and to nose touch would get him some liver !

The huge break through was taking him away from the kennels up to our fields so he could have some time out and meet my dogs on neutral ground (Thanks to Lucy from the Kennels for giving up so much of her spare time to do this with me ). It was like seeing a butterfly emerge ! he was such a different dog his tail curled up over his back bouncing, ball chasing , herding and generally being a collie ! Just thinking about it makes me smile !

And so finally he is home - he was very stressed on the journey and i now have a van full of dribble and snot (nice) but he is home home home. I wish i could explain it will all be ok - but i think i will leave that up to good old time and my other dogs :o)

I am going to try and update this loads with pics and videos as i think its a long journey ahead of us . Developing his confidence with strangers is going to be a real learning curve ! So watch this space and wish us as much luck as you can
thanks for reading
Anne and Dare x