Lucy

IT WAS INEVITABLE BUT FEELS SO RIGHT (APRIL 2019)

Lucy is a beautiful 4 year old Golden Retriever who came from Northern Ireland and went into foster with Lynn in Scotland as she needed the benefit of an extremely experienced fosterer.

The clues were all there when, way back in October, Lynn wrote, “I really like this dog. She needs time to trust you but once you have it, she will go to the moon and back for you.” It was clear no adopter was ever going to be quite the right one to suit the lovely Lucy.

We all know, once it is written in the stars, it is pointless fighting the inevitable and so Lynn’s precious Lucy is going to be staying with her forever. From now on, she is definitely Lucky Lucy.

LATEST ASSESSMENT (16.1.2019)

Lucy is a lovely, pretty and well bred Golden Retriever. She is a very affectionate girl, who likes her cuddles and needs to know where you are most of the time. She is fully house trained and has not damaged or been destructive in the house at all. Lucy can do all the basic training, sit, down, wait etc. She does have mild separation issues but is fine with the company of another dog. She loves her walks and is good walking on the slip lead. Her recall is not too bad off lead although sometimes she does ignore you! She is great with people and is very friendly . She is good with other dogs and is polite and sociable. She can be possessive of treats towards other dogs so she is best only allowed to eat chews, kongs etc in a safe area away from others. Unfortunately, she is not good with cats. She was a little plump when she came to IRR but she has lost 4kg and only has 2kg to go before reaching her target weight of 32kg.

LUCY’S DREAM HOME

Lucy will need to be rehomed with experienced owners and where there is already a resident dog for company. The adopters will need to adhere to the separate feeding regime and she definitely can’t be rehomed with a cat but, otherwise, her new owners will have a perfect new addition to their family.

PREVIOUS ASSESSMENT (11.10.2018)

PERSONALITY

She has an affectionate nature and is good with other dogs and people. Lucy is lacking in confidence around new things but is fine with stuff she knows   She lacks confidence in a lot of areas which we are working on. Her confidence is growing but she still shies away from a lot of things. She is not quite readyto go into town and meet all the monsters that town living will throw at her.

She is a lovely girl. It’s so nice to see her learning to play. She has not quite got the hang of it and bounces on the periphery of games but is beginning to join in.

4/5 Alert and inquisitive  4/5 Playful and happy  5/5 Calm and laid back.  

I really like this dog. She needs time to trust you but once you have it, she will go to the moon and back for you.

HEALTH

She was extremely overweight so much so that her front legs spread outwards when she walked. I switched her on to raw food as she really wasn’t enjoying her kibble and it has helped her to lose weight a bit quicker.

SOCIAL LEARNING

TRAVEL:  Happy and content travelling in a vehicle.

HOUSETRAINING: House trained

BASIC TRAINING: Well socialized and trained in basic commands is obedient and knows all the basic commands.

LEADWALKING:   she walked well when I picked her up. Walks well on a slip lead. Does not pull  When she gets excited she trots along beside you and grabs the cuff of your sleeve and has nipped me on a couple of occasions. She is actively being discouraged from doing this!

She still mouths your arm if she gets over excited and sometimes mounts my leg!

RECALL:  She is super off lead and comes back regularly to check in.

RESOURCE GUARDING: Resource guarding  2/5 to 3/5 She has one main problem which is resource guarding of food, toys or anything she has in her mouth but only to other dogs/animals. With people she is fine and I can take things from her. She is more obsessed with human food and when people are eating than her own food. In the beginning she tried to sit beside me when I was eating and pulled faces at any other dog that looked my way. She is not allowed to be near us when we are eating now and the face pulling has stopped.

Her resource guarding also has improved but I still keep a close eye on her at the moment if a chew is being given out. She sits calmly with the others for her bed time treat and waits patiently for her turn. If someone drops theirs there is no squabble for it. She doesn’t even attempt to go for it. Her guarding can definitely be sorted with a bit of time. SEPARATION ANXIETY: She shows no signs of separation anxiety

ADULTS: 4/5 Friendly with adults

CHILDREN: She has not been tested with children

DOGS:  4/5 .She is great with other dogs and meets them politely and calmly. She had a mild go at Bella on her second day here. I dropped a post it note, Lucy picked it up, Bella went to investigate and got told off. You can tell when she is not happy as her body goes still and stiff. CATS:  She could not live with cats, house rabbits etc