Maggie

Maggie is a Golden Retriever and Abbie is a Labrador. Both are spayed females aged 4.5yrs and are very sweet with no major issues. As is normal, they have been vet checked and they have had the rabies vaccinations necessary to obtain their Pet Passports. Having travelled to the UK, they went into foster with Val and Barry and their lovely Golden Retriever boy, Honour.

UPDATE FROM THEIR FOREVER HOME (11.1.2019)

Abbie and Maggie’s forever Mum, Janet said, ” I wanted to thank you for choosing such an ideal fit for me. A week ago, I went to pick the girls up from Val and Barry’s home. They are the nicest people you could ever meet.

The girls are settling down wonderfully. We still have a few hurdles to overcome, like going through doors without fear, but I know time will be a healer and it will take as long as it takes.

It is so sweet watching Abbie doing her little river dance whenever we are preparing to go for a walk.

They have become everyone’s sweethearts in the village and they are marvellous ambassadors for the rescue organisation so thank you again”.

MAGGIE and ABBIE’S HISTORY IN FOSTER

MAGGIE’S PERSONALITY

Maggie is a very lovable, loving little dog, she enjoys cuddles but can also be very independent. She will take herself off into the kitchen to sleep in the beds in there when we are all in the lounge and she seems quite ok with her own company.

She can also be very playful, just as a 4yr old Goldie should be, and she will play “bitey face” with Abbie as well as doing “zoomies” around the garden. She has a very strong bond with Abbie but Abbie is the protector.

Maggie did appear a little shut down initially as she was very ready to go down on her tummy when asked/shown something to do but, as the days have gone on, we have realised she will do this if she simply doesn’t want to do what is asked of her. Walking away from her at these times and then calling her seems to overcome any problems.

She is a chewer, anything and everything and I have noticed that she does this especially to her bedding if her stress levels go up.

She is a bit mischievous, in a nice way, and is very much her own person, she will provoke her sister Abbie to play even if Abbey doesn’t respond. She has been known to sit on Abbie’s head to try to get some response but it’s all in fun and, because she is so tiny, there is no harm done. She did try to get Honour to play but, bless him, he doesn’t “do” play so it didn’t go anywhere.

MAGGIE’S HEALTH

Maggie’s general health is fairly good. She is very small for a Golden Retriever but it is obvious that she has had pups at sometime, possibly more than one litter, so maybe that was early on in her life and it affected her growth? She is not food orientated and eats very slowly but she does clear her bowl at each meal and she is a good average weight.

She has slight issues with both ears with a little scratching from time to time and occasional head shaking. I am treating this with Lavender oil and daily cleaning

She has an occasional itch or scratch but she does have a lot of dead hair so I am brushing daily. A bath with Aloe and Oatmeal shampoo will sooth her skin and make her smell nicer. Her motions were slightly soft due to total change of environment, together with some stress so I gave her Yudigest and also a small dose of Yucalm to help settle things.

ABBIE’S PERSONALITY

Abbie is a lovely dog but she can be timid, fearful and anxious. She is nervous of the hoover, hair dryer, some TV programmes, loud sounds, rustling paper and fast movements. We think she just needs time to gain confidence as it seems she has not been out and about much. Abbie was very stressed when she arrived, very jumpy and nervous, whilst at the same time she obviously needed to keep Maggie in her sights to make sure she was ok. Their bond is very strong.

It is obvious that Abbie has a real fear of men, she also has big issues with doors and doorways, she needs lots of encouragement to go through a doorway and when she does go through she bolts. She accepted me with no signs of fear but it took a couple of days before she was comfortable with me stroking her and eventually she started allowing a cuddle.

She is quite food orientated and consequently she is learning basic skills quite quickly. She will now happily sit when asked and her recall from the garden is good. I feel Abbie will need a quiet, calm home, preferably adults only and someone who has experience and understanding of nervous dogs.

HEALTH

Abbie’s general health seems good, I think she is a little over weight. It is obvious she has also had puppies, perhaps more than one litter.

There is a small amount of wax in her ears which I am treating with Lavender oil and cleaning daily. She is a bit itchy, but I a bath with Aloe and Oatmeal shampoo will help settle things

SOCIAL LEARNING

TRAVEL: Maggie is happy and content travelling in a vehicle. Abbie was fine travelling home but she was quite stressed in general and I think she would have bolted given the chance

HOUSETRAINING: Initially, we had accidents from both dogs, which oftens happens with new arrivals, but things are improving. That may be because I am reading the signs better or if the dogs are learning to hold on. As they don’t really ask to go out , we are doing more frequent visits to the garden. I think their tummies are also beginning to settle into a routine

BASIC TRAINING: Maggie has been a very sociable, loving little dog. She doesn’t seem to have had much basic training , only understands “no” and “here” (if she chooses to listen) but she learns quickly and, most times now, she will “sit” when asked.

Abbie is a very intelligent girl who learns quickly but she is very jumpy and panics quite easily whilst, all the time, she shows concern that Maggie is ok. Abbie is definitely the protector even though it is hard for her to do it.

LEADWALKING: Maggie pulls with a slip lead and a body harness but has not been tested on a Halti.

Abbie also pulls with a slip lead and body harness and is untested on Halti. I am walking them on a front fastening harness with a double lead so that I can gradually change over on to a normal, single collar and lead.

RESOURCE GUARDING: Neither girl has shown any evidence of resource guarding

SEPARATION ANXIETY: They have not been been left on their own yet. Maggie would probably be ok as long as she was with her sister but I think Abbie may struggle a bit as she follows me everywhere around the house

ADULTS: Maggie is very friendly with adults. We haven’t been out visiting yet as they were both very disorientated on arrival and we wanted to get them settled into a nice routine first so that they feel safe and confident.

Abbie really struggles when people come to the house, she just scoots away into another room and pants and sometimes barks a little. It’s not aggression, she is just frightened.

CHILDREN: Maggie has not been tested with children yet but should be ok. I wouldn’t want to risk it with Abbie as I think she could be easily misinterpreted.

DOGS: They are both very friendly although they have only been tested with our own dog. We have seen no evidence of any problems and no aggressionhas been shown.

CATS: Neither Maggie nor Abbie has been been tested with cats.

MAGGIE AND ABBIE’S DREAM HOME

Maggie and Abbie will be wonderful additions to a household just as long as they are together. We feel an adult-only home would suit the pair of them best, mainly because neither of them seems comfortable in a busy, noisy environment.

These lovely girls need to be allowed to settle and to take things at their own pace. With good food, regular exercise, patience and consistency and keeping up their positive training regimes, the girls are going to come on in leaps and bounds.