Macy, aged 6 months, came to us initially as a short term foster dog to bridge the gap between leaving her previous home and finding her forever home. Her owners circumstances had changed and they realised they could no longer give Macy the care and attention that a growing pup needs. Originally purchased from a back street breeder as a Birthday gift she had quickly grown into a large, boisterous young lady. Her owners both worked full time and Macy was left alone most days, sometimes for up to 10 hours. Lacking mental stimulation she had made her own amusement by chewing her bedding to relieve the boredom. Of course, when her owners returned home, tired from a long day at work, Macy tried every trick in the book to get their attention leaving them completely shattered.
When Macy arrived it was soon obvious that she was suffering from some health and behaviour problems. You can read more about her health issues in the section entitled ‘Macy’s Appeal’.
Like a lot of dogs that are rehomed Macy suffers from separation anxiety. At first it was impossible to leave her for even a couple of minutes without her starting to bark loudly. With the aid of homeopathic remedies like Rescue Remedy, aromatherapy oils such as lavender, Dog Appeasing Pheromone spray (DAP) and a liberal sprinkling of patience we have now, after a period of a month, managed to get to the stage where she will settle with the other dogs for around 2 hours.
In common with a number of puppies, Macy also has a bit of a weak bladder and is prone to dribbling small puddles of urine whenever she gets excited or stressed. It is sometimes called submissive urination and is a mechanism used in wild dogs as a signal to tell an older, dominant dog ‘Hey I’m no threat to you, look I’m only a puppy’. It is best ignored. In Macy’s case, possibly because she had been punished for weeing in the past, her puddles were quite excessive. A few changes in our behaviour and body language, particularly when greeting Macy and making sure she does not become stressed in new situations have helped to greatly reduce the frequency and quantity of her puddles. I’m confident that in the next few weeks the problem will have disappeared completely.
Macy loves to chew and is not fussy about which items she likes to get her teeth into! Cushions, blankets and rugs seem to be her favourites, along with plants, sticks and stones from the garden. She also enjoys a spot of digging.
Partly due to her health and behaviour issues and partly due to the fact that she is such a lovable pup we decided to keep her, and so The Terrific Trio became The Fab Four. She seems very settled here and has made a very special friend in Scarlet, our 3 year old Doodle. They are very similar in both looks and temperament and have been given the nickname ‘The Bookends’.
Despite her health problems, Macy is a typical lively pup. She enjoys her walks and games in the garden, loves her twice weekly trips to the swimming pool and is a pleasure to have around. She has had a little training, learns very quickly and will soon be starting training for the Kennel Club Bronze Award.
  
|
