Phoebe

Phoebe and Holly have been together from their birth in May 2015 and have forged a strong bond that cannot be broken. They tend to fret when separated even for a short while.

Holly and her sister, Phoebe, were relinquished by their owner as Holly is a sheep chaser (for fun not to hurt them). She could scale the fence and had got out on numerous occasions to chase sheep. The owner was really afraid they would be shot. 

They have never known anything except love so it was a very difficult decision for their owner to make. IRR promised the owners that we would get them a fabulous home together.

They have been fostered in the UK by Louise and her family of children and animals.

THE GIRLS IN FOSTER

Louise says “Holly and Phoebe are adorable! They are puppy like both in appearance and behaviour. Their look is most likely due to the lack of fur on their tummies from neutering but it gives them that long legged gangly pup look. They are otherwise in beautiful condition so have, clearly, been very well looked after”.

PERSONALITY

“They are typical goldens, calm and affectionate. They seem to be taking the lead from my dogs and have fitted into the pack perfectly. They are not totally dependent on one another and do spend time around all the other dogs. However, if they are unsure of something they seek each other out immediately.

Both Holly and Phoebe have delightful temperaments. In just a short time, their individual personalities are showing. Holly initially appeared to be the more confident of the two as she is far more likely to be off exploring whilst Phoebe is usually found very close to the nearest human prepared to stroke her! However, it was soon clear that Holly’s exploring was partly out of anxiety.

Holly and Phoebe are both incredibly affectionate, eager to please and very, very quick to learn. They’ve taken the lead from our dogs and have adjusted to life as part of a busy household incredibly well. They are quite small in stature but look in very, very good condition and their eyes are beyond beautiful!

Both Holly and Phoebe have delightful temperaments. They adore human company and are usually the first to greet anyone coming into the house.  Phoebe loves to have her tummy tickled whereas Holly much prefers her ears and face to be stroked.

The girls are real individuals, Holly is much more likely to be first to explore anywhere but never goes far before coming back to check. Phoebe on the other hand is much slower to leave the safety of her human but is more likely to get engrossed in her activities and stay away longer. They are happy to be contained within a room with our dogs when we have visitors where a room full of dogs wouldn’t be appropriate.

Both girls are very inquisitive and have teamed up with Delilah (who is almost the same age). They follow her lead and are already playing confidently. Neither Holly nor Phoebe have been phased by anything we’ve introduced them to. They are confident, inquisitive dogs who just love to please”.

HEALTH

“Both girls appear to be in good health and very good condition. They look absolutely stunning and show no health concerns at all.

They have very prominent spay scars as neither has a regrowth of fur on their tummies yet. Holly especially looks very slender but  both are eating well so this should resolve itself”.

SOCIAL LEARNING

Louise tells us “They have had little basic training but are incredibly eager to please. They are both food motivated and seem quick to learn.

They did jump up a lot initially but this has almost stopped. They are very slight and gentle with children although they play with adults and other dogs with abandon. They can be a bit pushy to get stroked, especially when someone new comes in, but they are up against 6 other dogs so they would probably be much more polite if they were alone.

They didn’t know “sit” initially but they have taken the lead from my dogs and can now leave, stay and come when I ask mine to. However, ask them on their own and anything other than recall is likely to fail.

Their recall is really good if there are no distractions. Their prey drive is apparent when they see anything from pigeons to a cat. However, at home, in the garden or the field, I can easily call them back to me as long as there is a meatball or hotdog as a reward.   They were anxious getting in the car if our dogs weren’t there but, once in, they were fine.

We haven’t had any unfriendly dog behaviour at home or in quiet places. When there are other things in the mix like traffic, noise, lots of people Holly barks. We’ve only been out in a busy environment once so I imagine this will improve easily.

They did both lunge towards a small dog one day but it was yapping, running off lead, with the owner throwing a ball towards us so it wasn’t unexpected behaviour.

Both were worried (and tried to run) at the sound of gunshots in a neighbouring  field but they seem less anxious about them by the day. Initially, they were both hand shy but this seemed to be linked to calling their names. A couple of days of using mostly ‘good girl’ when we stroke them and they became much better”.

TRAVEL: They are now happy and content travelling in a vehicle

HOUSETRAINING: Initially, there were occasional night time accidents but all good now

BASIC TRAINING: They are gradually learning all the basics They have some basic commands now – though not completely reliable they are eager to learn. Both Phoebe and Holly are happy to train individually or together, which makes things considerably easier.

LEADWALKING: They walk well on a front leading harness.

RECALL: Both girls respond very well to positive training. They are incredibly food motivated and will stop anything to recall (still)  expecting a treat. They don’t attempt to run beyond the limit of their longline when we are out and are happy to potter and explore their surroundings with our dogs.

RESOURCE GUARDING: There has been no evidence of resource guarding

SEPARATION ANXIETY: There have been no signs of separation anxiety but they have only been left with our dogs.

ADULTS and CHILDREN: Both are very friendly with adults and children

DOGS: Both are very friendly with dogs in the home. Holly was wary when out

CATS: They are definitely interested in our cat but haven’t tried to do anything other than watch him. Edward (the cat) is a notorious dog teaser and neither girl has joined in barking at him when my dogs do.  

OTHER ANIMALS: Neither girl seems any more interested in other animals than our own dogs. They are curious and alert when they see/hear chickens or horses but they don’t lunge or attempt to chase them. They respond immediately to “no” if they get too close to our chicken run.

HOLLY and PHOEBE’S DREAM HOME

They would best suit a family that have other dogs but that live in the country or in a coastal area as the city tends to frighten them with all the noises and traffic. It would broaden their interests and they wouldn’t be quite so reliant on each other. A home with some land would be ideal, far away from sheep, where they can run around free from the possibility of encountering traffic.  A spot with forests would be wonderful so that they can get lots of exercise. Initially, it would be wise to keep both of them on lead until their recall is totally established. Louise says “Though the girls would be fine homed as a pair, I really think they would benefit from a resident dog or dogs to continue to show them the ropes. They have fitted into my pack seamlessly, each choosing a mentor amongst them. They are living with older males, older females and a similar aged male and female and get on famously with them all”. 

PHOEBE

Phoebe is a 2 year old female pure bred Golden Retriever.  She is cream in colour, with a loving personality, and like most Goldens, very affectionate. This wonderful girl has received all the vaccinations necessary, has already been spayed and, was groomed before going to the UK.         

PERSONALITY

Phoebe and Holly tend to fret when separated even for a short while but Phoebe is the more anxious of the two and tends to follow her sister around like a lost puppy. She is a country girl at heart and loves running free with a stick and playing ball or simply smelling and sniffing and checking things out. She is a gorgeous girl and deserves a perfect home where she can be loved and spoiled rotten and where she can spend her whole life with her sister Holly.

SOCIAL LEARNING

TRAVEL: They travel well in the car as long as they are together.

HOUSETRAINING: Phoebe is house-trained

LEADWALKING: She is easy to walk on lead with a harness.

RESOURCE GUARDING: Neither dog shows any food or toy aggression but it is always wise to feed dogs separately especially when they aren’t used to each other even though all the girls want is to be together.

CHILDREN: She is great with children and loves to be part of family life.

DOGS: She is great with other dogs.

OCTOBER 2017 

The girls have gone to live in their Forever Home