Joy
JOY CAME ON IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS (11.5.2017 )
Beverley, her fosterer says “Joy continues to progress daily. She is turning out to be a very loving and loyal dog. She now has got a covering of body fat, is in good health and continues to flourish. She really is a pleasure to foster and will make someone a loving faithful companion”.
PERSONALITY
Joy loves human companionship and affection. She loves Bev & Neil’s company and will stand any amount of affection. Joy is definitely Beverley’s dog and follows her everywhere, like her shadow, but she is also accepting of attention from Neil, Beverley’s husband. She will now let him love and pat her without flinching or backing off and will even go for walks with him. She will also now let Lucy, Bev’s daughter, pat and stroke her. This has been done using a positive reward each time Lucy enters the room. Now Joy is more relaxed around their daughters now, they are working on other family members greeting her.
Joy is still timid when visitors first come in the home but after a while she accepts them. She is in a routine now and likes to stick to it. She will let you know when it’s time for food or walks and, at night, she sleeps in her basket upstairs. Stairs are a little tricky. Although she does go up and down them, she quite often falls up or down but it doesn’t seem to faze her.
With the weather improving, Joy loves finding a sunny spot in the garden to sit and watch the world go by. This is a massive improvement from when Joy first arrived as she couldn’t be let out without her trying to escape.
Her wonderful, mischievous character is flourishing and she loves pinching Bev’s shoes, boots and slippers. She will then run away with them, carrying them in her mouth, and then she collects them on her bed.
SOCIAL LEARNING
Joy is a very bright, intelligent dog and, with the right training and handling, they are sure she will flourish even further. She will now sit on command and she also sits and waits when being fed, listening eagerly for the fetch command. In the evening, they play a game of go find. Should they forget what time it is, Joy will remind them by sniffing around the room looking for treats.
TRAVEL: Joy was constantly travel sick and Bev has been doing all she can to try and improve this with brilliant results!!!!!!.
On 9th May, a delighted Bev reported “We used a friend’s dog cage whilst travelling in the car on holiday & it worked wonders, Joy was still travel sick to start with but, each time we exposed her to travelling in the car, the sickness decreased to travelling short distances without been ill at all & even laying down on a long journey, something which hasn’t happened previously. We are going to get Joy a cage of her own so we can continue with this regime as we feel it has been very beneficial for Joy”.
HOUSETRAINING: She is fully housetrained.
GROOMING: Bev says “Joy has been to the groomers where she also had her nails clipped. With the warmer weather Joy is going to have Billy No Mates flea treatment as recommended by a few of the IRR members.
She continues to flourish daily and, after seeing how much weight she has put on after being groomed, we are now reducing her food to half a can of dry mix twice daily. She also has either a sprinkling of tuna or chicken on top to give her variety. I think we may need to have words with Grandad about treats and tid bits!! The good news is, Joy is happy to be left in the house with him and is now wagging her tail when she greets him. Joy is loving life to the full”.
SEPARATION ANXIETY: “Her separation anxiety is much improved and Joy now just fusses around our legs when Neil and I greet her in the morning or after she been left. We leave her on her own, for up to four hours, with the radio on, whilst we are at work & she is fine”
FEEDING: If food is at her level she thinks it’s hers for the taking but she never rummages in the kitchen bin or counter surfs. She has dry dog food supplemented with a bit of chicken or fish but, if you forget to put the latter on, she will refuse to eat until she gets what she wants.
LEADWALKING and RECALL: She doesn’t like walking near busy roads or noisy traffic, especially loud motorbikes.
We still keep Joy on a long lead in the garden if unsupervised but, if we are outside with her, she will happily potter around with us.
Unfortunately, Joy hasn’t had the opportunity to be off lead running free so her recall will need working on. She loves running on the lead and sort of bounds like bambi, relishing the freedom.
VISITORS: On occasion, when friends visit, Joy will still bark and may even growl when they first arrive but this behaviour is decreasing and not lasting as long. She may also become unsettled with visitors who have been in the house a while, even if she has taken treats off them, should they suddenly speak to her.
Bev tells us “We have noticed that if we take her for a walk and people are already in the house when she returns her behaviour is better. Joy continues to bark at new people and visitors that she sees less of but her bark sounds more about saying “hello” now and her tail is wagging with pleasure”.
DOGS and CATS: Joy is very friendly with dogs but chases cats if they enter the garden and she will bark if she sees one. On her first morning walk, she plays hunting the cat under the parked cars.
JOY’S DREAM HOME
Bev says “Joy has a wonderful mischievous spirit which I’m sure has carried this poor girl through life’s traumas. It would be perfect if she could have a loving home with someone who is around most of the day as she loves human contact and just pottering around in the garden”.
GREAT NEWS (June 2017)
Joy went to live in her Forever Home.
LETTER TO HER FOSTER PARENTS FROM JOY (JUNE 2017)
Hello Aunty Beverley and Uncle Neil
I must tell you, the garden here has plenty of space for me to potter outside.
I gave everyone, including myself, a terrible scare on Thursday morning. My forever dad, Paul, went to get some papers from his car and left the gate ajar, thinking I was safely in the house with my forever mum, Elizabeth. However, I followed him out, managed to get through the gate and thought I would do some exploring.
I set off down the road at quite a pace and even a police car and the postman joined in the hunt for me. A lady working in the offices on the business park about a mile away from home eventually found me and took me to the local vet surgery. From there mum and dad came to collect me. Dad tells me he won’t ever be leaving the gate open again!!
Our neighbours have a dog called Freddie but I have not met him yet. The girl who lives next door is called Nancy and she was peering over the fence and asking about me on Thursday.
Everyone is very friendly here.This morning, I went out for a walk with dad and we met Misty, a Golden Retriever, and her owner Pat and Pippy, a blind Jack Russell, with her owner Jan. They all stopped to talk to me and Pippy even gave me some licks.
I want to send you a really big doggy thankyou for all that you both did for me. I will always remember your love, affection and kindness to me and for all the time you both spent helping me to overcome all the horrible things that happened to me before I was rescued.
Without you both I don’t know what I would have done. I have been asked to say, if you are ever down our way, then please come and visit me and mum and dad. We would all love to see you.
I have enclosed some photos that mum and dad have taken of me so that you can see how well I am settling into life in my new home.
I will close for now but will write again soon
Love and licks Joy xxxx
LETTER TO HER FOSTER PARENTS FROM JOY (AUGUST 2017)
Hello Aunty Beverley and Uncle Neil
I wanted to write and thank you very much for the treats you sent me recently. I have really enjoyed eating them.
I can’t believe so much time has already passed since I came to live here with mum, dad and James. I am really settling into my forever home and have completely taken over!
I have my own place on the settee in the lounge and, usually, I try to take up as much space as I can, much to Elizabeth’s consternation. I also have my space on the conservatory settee as well as a bed in Paul’s office and a bed upstairs. You can see I really have made myself at home here.
I am getting to know my way around near our home too. Paul takes me for a good walk in the morning and I am allowed to walk off lead for a good part of the way. I am learning to obey commands to stop and wait for dad and, when I get it right, I receive a treat.
Dad says I am really good off lead and he only worries if I spot a cat or a rabbit, as I like to chase them. There are several cats living nearby and I always take every opportunity to let them know who is boss. I also have a walk in the evenings so I can spend time off the lead and continue my training with dad.
A couple of weeks ago, mum took me to have my coat trimmed and my nails cut. I was really good when the lady was clipping my coat and when she gave me a shampoo and bath then blow dried me afterwards. Everyone said I smelt really clean for days.
James is home at present and, two weeks ago, I went with him and dad in the car all the way to Fareham in Hampshire. I had my travel pill and I actually enjoyed the journey. We stopped on the way down and back for me to have a drink and a walk and a comfort break and everyone seemed surprised how well I took it all in my stride. Dad says he will take me to work again and I will probably be going with him when he visits Janet who lives near Stansted in Essex. Janet is dad’s aunt and she is really looking forward to meeting me.
I have made a few doggie friends since coming to live here in Worcester. We meet Misty and Pippa most mornings on our walk as well as Zak who is a Spaniel. He lives a few doors away with his owners Charlie and Kim.
Mum found out recently that I love porridge so I have some in the mornings for my breakfast with milk. I have plenty to eat and treats as well so I am actually putting on weight.
Thankyou so much for thinking of me and sending me the treats. It was lovely of you both. I will never forget the love and kindness you showed me after I was rescued.
I am growing in confidence with mum, dad and James and, you will be pleased to hear, they treat me with the same love and kindness that you showed me. I know I am a very fortunate Joy.
Don’t forget, if you are ever over our way, please do come and visit us. We would all love to see you.
I have enclosed more recent photos of me
Love and licks Joy xxxx
EARLY HISTORY
Joy is a small Crossbreed who is possibly part English Setter. She was, approximately, 4 year old in 2017. She received all the vaccinations necessary for securing a Pet Passport and was groomed and spayed.
Joy had been found running loose with Summer who had been tied up but, such was her devotion, she would not leave her friend for anything.
Although IRR primarily deal with Golden Retrievers, such loyalty had to be rewarded and so Joy was given ‘honorary Golden Retriever Status’ and, as such, it was decided she would be carefully rehomed by us.
When her friend was being washed, she kissed Summer incessantly and then decided to wash Kathryn’s face which she, clearly, believed needed kisses too.
When she was bathed, she was scared of the dryer so she was towel dried. She was in an even worse condition than Summer with faeces attached to her body being so heavy they pulled at her skin. She had lost much of her hair and Kathryn had to be very careful removing the faeces so as not to cause any abrasions where infection could set in. Kathryn described the underside of her body as “almost as hot as a boiled kettle”.
Joy had, clearly, been over used for breeding, the hair between her teats was covered with faeces and she had lost a lot of hair all over her body, most especially on her legs and over her eye lids. The vet took bloods and a skin scraping fearing that she might have demodex mange and they worried whether her tiny frame, her weight being a mere 12 kilos, would be able to withstand the rigorous treatment.
However, this courageous little fighter was not ready to give up especially as IRR were prepared to give her a shot. As they waited for the results from the bloods and the demodex mange test, she was treated for sarcoptic mange, fleas, ticks and was de-wormed. Thankfully, the test for demodectes was negative.
Whilst in foster in Ireland with a lovely lady called Cathleen and her own rescue dog. Summer and Joy slept together, ate and drank out of the same bowls. Each kissed the other. After a short time, the girls began to make a remarkable recovery and were then deemed ready to move to the UK to David and Alison, who are two of IRR’s most experienced fosterers.
Joy had come on in leaps and bounds since the early days but her initial assessments were available for prospective adopters.
Surprisingly, as Summer gained confidence, she started to grow away from Joy and vice versa so Joy moved on to a second fosterer.
HEALTH
Joy was extremely underweight and undersized (no taller than a spaniel) with little muscle. She was missing some teeth but the ones she had did seem fine. Joy went to her fosterers with shampoo for her skin and coat but, whilst scratching and nibbling for the first 36hrs, she no longer seemed to be bothered. Her ears were dirty and her coat sparse, her nails were long and her feet unhardened and, not abnormal for a brood bitch, she had large teats.
Joy was soon putting on weight and getting more active and, after her baths, her coat began to improve.
In her latest foster report, we were told “Joy seems to be in good health, her motions have been less solid than when she arrived but this may be the changeover in food type from her other fosterer and her now taking Bio-Kult once daily to help after a bout of sickness she had.
We have cleaned Joy’s tummy where the stitch and congealed blood was and it’s all come off so the area is now clear”.
