Daisy’s Story….one year on by Judith Pearson

I first saw Daisy on a lost dog kennel website page on Facebook as Chris Thatcher had shared the post to her page. She was a Bolognese and she was matted, dirty and her coat was overgrown but she looked beautiful to me and she was still smiling in the photo and looked glad to have been found by someone. She had been picked up by the dog warden in a local park last December and transferred to the kennels until her owner claimed her. A week went by and she was not claimed by anyone even though her photo had been shared to many lost dog pages. In this time I visited the kennels three times to see her and the plan was for me to give her a forever home.

The kennels need to give the owners a week to come and claim their lost dogs and if they are not claimed in this time the dog warden can then instruct the kennels to rehome them. Unfortunately when found she had an eye infection and the kennels took her to the vets for examination and treatment. Her eye was so bad and beyond treatment that she was nigh on blind in her left eye so the decision was made that she needed to have it removed and she had the operation the day after boxing day. I then went to pick her up two days later. The recovery from her operation was daunting as to have an eye removed is a big and life changing operation but she coped well with it and I think I was the one who was more concerned about it than she was as dogs are very adaptable to situations. She had been named Tatty at the kennels after the vet who had first treated her but I saw fit to give her a more appealing name as she was not looking the best with her extremely matted coat, a collar on her neck to stop her scratching at her wound, and her eye wound was healing and she was in fact looking a bit tatty so I called her Daisy.

I also have another Bolognese dog, Rupert, who is 9 years old and has been spoilt rotten and was used to living on his own and being top dog in the house. Bolognese dogs are the most friendliest and loyal breed of dog that you can get but I was still concerned about how they would get on as he had been so used to living on his own and getting all of my attention. It took a bit of adjusting when Daisy came home as she had he Elizabethan Collar on and every time she turned around she would butt him with it as she couldn’t see him and he would growl – not so much at her but at his dismay of nearly being knocked over by this alien object. I soon discovered that Daisy loves a nice walk just as much as Rupert did so I introduced them and their main socialization was carried out by them going for a walk together to get used to each other.

Daisy’s eye wound took about three weeks to heal and then I was able to get her matted coat shaved off. It had to be taken very short due to the tight knots all over her and it was winter so I bought her a jumper and a thick coat for when she was out walking. I think she was very relieved to get that thick, knotted, smelly mass of fur off.

Over the next few months Rupert and Daisy bonded and became best friends. She didn’t play with toys at all when she first came to me as I don’t think she has ever had any. Through watching Rupert play with his she started to copy him and she now pinches his toys to chew and play with. They now both walk up the road on walks joined at the hip on their lead and go to the dog groomers together. The only issue I have with them is that Daisy can be quite greedy so she eats her bowl of food at a rate of knots and immediately butts Rupert out of the way to consume his too. I have remedied this by placing a dog gate in between them at meal times so Rupert may eat his food in peace without fear of it being pinched from under his nose!

Over the past year Daisy has turned in to the most loving and loyal little dog you could wish for (along with Rupert if course). She will let you know when she wants attention and will jump up on the sofa and plonk herself on mine or my partners lap so you have not choice but to stroke her. If you stop then she looks at you until you do it again and this will go on and on until she’s had enough. She’s even interrupted me writing this and jumped up and sat on the laptop for some attention and to see what I have been writing about her I’m sure! How anyone could have abandoned her I really do not know but on the plus side it’s been at my benefit as I have two happy and contented dogs who are happy and loved every single day. You really could not want for two lovelier dogs.

Judith Pearson