Sherlock Whytock

FAREWELL TO A GORGEOUS BOY (2011 – 2019)

Although there had been a lot of interest in him, there was no sign of Sherlock’s perfect forever home. Lynn wasn’t too bothered as he was no trouble at all and he had, in fact, become a very much loved member of her family.

Life seemed to be good again for him but, then, tragedy suddenly struck and poor Sherlock was diagnosed with a very nasty tumour on his jaw. This was virtually inoperable and interference would not have been in Sherlock’s best interests so there was only one kind option for him.

Lynn and the whole IRR family were devastated but Lynn officially adopted Sherlock so, when he was given sleep, it was in the loving arms of his Forever Mum.

Rest in peace, darling Sherlock.

HISTORY

Sherlock, a gorgeous 8yr old Golden Retriever, after leaving his family in Ireland became depressed when everything proved too much for him.

This confusion and sadness caused the poor lad to act completely out of character and he managed to blot his copybook wit Bev and Lester and prove to much for fosterer, Jane. It was clear he wasn’t ready to move on to a new forever home, at least until we could work out what home would suit him best, so he went for rehabilitation with Lynn in her lovely doggy paradise home in Scotland. There he spent several weeks.

When he first arrived, he was very stressed and needed to chill out which he did by happily mixing with 6 or 7 other dogs. Most importantly, he learned how to control his possessive behaviour and soon learnt how to relax.

Lynn said of him “Sherlock is a quiet, polite and well mannered boy. He greets people with all 4 feet on the ground and boisterous behaviour is something he does not do. He is a super boy who would love to find his forever home where he can find peace and quiet He is very affectionate, loves a cuddle and greets you with a wagging tail. He also loves to be brushed which is just as well as he has a beautiful thick coat.

He is good on the lead and walks well. Off lead, his recall is pretty reliable although it is not always the fastest.

He is great with other dogs and takes everything in his stride. However, like many dogs, he can be possessive of items that he has stolen but he readily swaps them for a treat. These incidents were few and far between and, with further training, he continued to improve”. Later, she said “Sherlock is am amazing dog. He is a middle aged boy who is simply looking for patience, respect and understanding. He is a lovely gentle dog who would be very loyal and suitable for a mature owner with previous experience and patience.

As he craves peace and quiet a home with no young children is essential. He speaks dog-dog well but dog-human can be a little sharp especially if this is rushed and he isn’t given time to work out what is happening and what our expectations of him are. He would be an ideal only pet or a good companion for a calm older dog with an experienced adopter”. He was beginning to trust his fosterer and she him. In fact, he has a good relationship with all members of his foster family.

Sherlock’s body language hadn’t been clear at the start so his very experienced foster Mum played training games with him to build up his trust in humans again. The games were extremely simple and helped him enormously. Soon, Sherlock began to cope really well with any stressful situations he encountered.

Sherlock very much enjoyed the freedom of his fosterer’s garden, laying out there whenever the chance was given to him. He did show some interest in his fosterer’s chickens but he made no attempt to interact with any of them as he seemed to find them very scary!

A trip to town for a pub lunch with his foster family was well received and he readily accepted treats and fuss from strangers. He was not fazed by young children, prams or other dogs and he seemed to take everything in his stride. He was great in the car. He would offer his front legs into the car and would then allow his back end to be lifted in. He always jumped out independently.

With the arrival of Doris (his new foster sister) he did take some backward steps as the “lovely Doris” well and truely came out of her shell turning into every inch a bouncy, inconsiderate teenager. Of course, really, that was only what we had been hoping for her. Thankfully, Doris did quieten down again and Sherlock settled back into his normal happy self.