Barclay Lindsay

Update June 2020

Barclay’s mum, Karen says, “Barclay (or Barclay Bear as he’s often known!) adopted us on the 3^rd of March 2018.  We don’t know what we did to be so lucky as to have him come into our lives, but we are so grateful that he did as he is just the funniest, sweetest and most loving perfect boy.

As soon as Barclay came to live with us, he formed quite the partnership with his (little) big sister Emmy, our cocker spaniel who was 10 at the time.  Emmy immediately became Barclay’s protector, cheerleader and manager, showing him the ropes when it came to playing, interacting with strangers (dogs and humans) and securing maximum treats.  Initially Barclay struggled on our daily walks when he found it all too much and Emmy would carefully and quietly place herself between Barclay and whatever was making him uneasy.  Gradually Barclay learned that he was safe and if he did what Emmy did, he would be ok.  We still laugh at Emmy, half Barclay’s size, putting herself between him and a particularly grumpy off lead dog that had decided he didn’t like the look of Barclay.  No-one and nothing dares to upset Emmy’s (big) little brother and the amazing dog that Barclay is today is due in no small part to Emmy.

Other than snuggling with his family (he is the ultimate cuddle monster!), Barclay’s favourite place to be is the beach, any beach!  His love of swimming knows no bounds and even a winter morning in Scotland won’t stop Barclay from striding purposefully into the sea as soon as he gets his paws on the sand.  We often meet up with Barclay’s best mate Ralphie at the beach and we love those early weekend mornings watching two gorgeous boys who had a really hard start, tearing along together, living their best lives.

Barclay has also become quite the holidaymaker, enjoying many wonderful breaks in some of the most beautiful parts of the UK.  He loves exploring new places with all the new sniffs and is guaranteed to make new friends wherever he goes, with his stunning good looks and wonderfully unique bark enjoying lots of attention.

At home Barclay loves nothing more than taking every single one of his toys out and scattering them around the house and garden.  He’s always ready for a game of tug or chase and is often seen with one of his many cuddly toys hanging out of his mouth with Olaf, Micky, Dumbo and of course Billy the Bedtime Bear being his favourites to hang out with.

His love of food remains undiminished but he’s such a good boy and won’t take anything without waiting to be told it is ok (well most of the time!).    His daily dinner dance is a highlight of our day as is his post dinner roll around in the garden.  He really is the happiest of boys.

We cannot thank Irish Retriever Rescue enough for what you did for Barclay and for us.  We know 100% that Barclay was always meant to be our boy and we are so incredibly thankful that you helped him find his way to us.”

HISTORY

Barclay is a 12mths old, neutered Golden Retriever Cross. As normal, he received all the vaccinations necessary to get his Pet Passport for travel to the UK.

Barclay was a stray who ended up in the Pound and was due for destruction. He is being fostered in the UK by Malcolm and Marilyn. PERSONALITY Barclay is a sociable dog who loves to meet and be fussed by new humans.  He is also very friendly with other dogs.  At times he is still anxious and wary, especially outside of the house.  Inside he is a typical Retriever who loves to eat, sleep and be cuddled.  Although we feel that he now trusts us more, there are times when he still gives the impression of wanting to “break free”.  We believe that time is the key here.

We felt Barclay needed to come to trust us and to feel secure in our home where he is loved and cared for and then we were sure we would see his true personality. His outward confidence belies an insecurity which we think may have been gained from his time as an anxious stray who has had to survive on his wits.

Barclay is a great opportunist thief from work surfaces in the kitchen, tables or the hands of unwitting children. Again, this could be a direct result of previous experience on the street before he was placed in the Pound.

After a few weeks, it seems that Barclay has accepted our house as home now and is content to be part of our family group.  Time has definitely allowed some mutual trust to develop and his new owners will need to understand that it will take time and patience again for Barclay to bond with them. 

He is still an opportunist thief and obviously considers that any food left within reach is fair game but this is also a very typical Labrador trait!  He is a very athletic dog and we have witnessed his ability to jump a four foot obstacle or squeeze through the narrowest of gaps.  We found that the stairgate was also an easy hurdle for Barclay.  Any garden will need to be very secure ie 5 to 6 foot unbroken fencing with no breaches.

HEALTH

Barclay was very thin and we could feel all his ribs and vertebrae but, otherwise, he is healthy. After a couple of weeks, he appears to have put on weight and his coat has definitely benefited from regular grooming.  We love the colour and uniqueness of his fur!

SOCIAL LEARNING BASIC TRAINING:  Barclay is a more complex character than might appear at first sight and we feel he is definitely a “work in progress” rescue dog. He did not know or understand any basic commands such as sit, stay, walk etc and likewise he did not react when we picked up a lead or even his dog bowl!

The facts that he is housetrained, has no inclination to chew other than his own toys and he is sociable with adults, young children and other dogs lead us to believe that he has maybe lived with a family and had close contact with these at some time in his short life.

On the other hand, he has demonstrated his ability as an escape artist and is constantly on the lookout for an opportunity to get past a person at the door and he paces the perimeter of the garden looking for a break in the fencing or a low spot.

We have learned much from these experiences and he no longer has even a moment unsupervised. In any new building or house, he paces every room and when out for a walk is constantly scanning all round as if to find an escape route. All this leads us to believe that he finds it difficult to trust people and wants to make his own way.   Barclay now shows interest when we pick up his food bowl and even more so when we pick up the lead to take him out.  He is definitely becoming more of a family dog and is showing fewer and fewer signs of his background as a stray.  He has just started to respond to the sit command and we feel that he is now eager to learn from us, especially when a treat is available!

TRAVEL: He travels brilliantly in the car – almost in complete silence on journeys up to two hours. 

HOUSETRAINING: Initially, we let him out regularly every two hours and very early in the morning and we have had no accidents in the house.  He does not yet give us any signals that he needs the toilet.

Barclay is clean and dry in the house and throughout the night too.  However, he still gives us no signal if he needs to go out although he always waits for his regular walks rather than use the garden to toilet. 

LEAD WALKING: He is learning quickly. We take him out three times a day.  We have now stopped using the harness and Barclay walks with a collar and lead.  He still pulls like a steam train for the first five to ten minutes but then settles and walks with a loose lead.

RESOURCE GUARDING: He shows no evidence of resource guarding.   

SEPARATION ANXIETY: He was, initially, anxious when we moved around him and he whined when we moved into another room if he could not see us.  We didn’t leave him on his own because of this as we wanted him to feel secure in our house.  He used to cry if either Malcolm or myself went out and also makes a tweeting sound.  However, he was quite happy to stay downstairs in the kitchen throughout the night on his own in the dark.

We have now found that we can leave him alone and actually left him for two hours. Although he still “tweets” as we leave the house, he seems calm and settled when we return.

ADULTS & CHILDREN: He is very good with all adults . Until he settles down, he can be boisterous with toddlers and young children but, once he has gotten over the initial excitement, he does calm down. 

 He was very good with our three grandchildren (aged 5yrs, 2yrs and 20 months) over Christmas. He was put firmly to the test as we had three very loud and excited youngsters over the holiday period and we feel that Barclay is now less boisterous with them. 

DOGS: He has proved himself to be sociable with other dogs and approaches them with no aggression or fear.  He has been great with all the other dogs he has met so far

CATS & SMALL FURRIES: Barclay certainly will never be a cat or squirrel lover!  He is very determined to chase cats and squirrels and needs a strong arm at the end of his lead when he spies these.

BARCLAY’S DREAM HOME Barclay is a lovely family dog but he would not be good with cats or small furries. He would benefit from having a slightly older canine companions who could help to show him what is expected of him. His forever home needs to have a very secure perimeter. He needs experienced people who are prepared to continue with his training as he is exceptionally bright and, like a sponge, he will absorb as much information as he is given. In return, he will become a wonderful, loyal companion and friend.

March 2018

Barclay has gone to live in his Forever Home