This lovely lady is Pearl. We believe she is coming up to 7 years of age. We were contacted before Christmas to say that she had been picked up as a stray and was heavily pregnant. She was not microchipped and nobody looked to claim her.
Pearl produced 11 puppies but sadly a little girl who was very small and not breathing lasted just over 24 hours.
This is what we were told about Pearl:
“She came to us as a stray so nothing is known about her past life other than she’s clearly had at least one litter. She is a small to medium sized GSD. She is possibly about 6-7 years old. She can be nervous when she first sees you and will try and distance herself but once she realises she is safe she can be quite affectionate and will lie down next to you. She does like a nice treat but can be a bit eager to take it and move away so dropping it in front of her or in a flat palm is best. She is quite good on a lead once you have her trust. She let me check her ears and teeth with no problems. She didn’t seem to know what to do or have much interest in any toys. She will try and create space between herself and the other dogs in our care but isn’t aggressive, she would rather go the other way. She seems to have had a hard life so far and would love an environment where she can relax and come out of her shell and enjoy being a dog.”
Pearl was exactly this and was in fact very nervous of hand movements so would think she has had a beating or a kicking in the past. Once she trusts you she is a sweetheart and not an ounce of malice in her. Does not seem to know commands such as sit, but knows her name now and walking round the field, rarely left my side. She has obviously not had a great diet either as her bloods showed, so is on a special diet and B12 supplements at present.
Pearl was a super mum but would not let anyone except me near her puppies, but this was a struggle as her front end was showing a protective mum, whilst the back end, with tail between her legs, expected to get told off. Giving her time away from the pups, Pearl started to show a playful side and for these reasons we found Pearl a super home once the pups were weaned, as apart from her being stressed having people with her pups, we did not want her anxiety rubbing off on the babies. She is now in a super home with a lovely couple and her new toy boy, Cooper, a 2 year neutered GSD. The best words I could here after a couple of days were, “It feels like she has been here forever”, and she has been playing non stop with her toy boy.
Of course we knew mum was a GSD but had no idea who dad was so carried out a DNA test on one of the puppies were it was found they were 56% GSD, 29% Mali, 9% Border Collie and 7% Greyhound. An interesting mix with some very intelligent breeds in there!
The pups are actually all very confident and inquisitive, and started to learn some doggie interaction manners from my older girls, Tina and Charlotte. At 8 weeks, and after they had all had a health check, were microchipped and given their first vaccinations, they started to leave home to start new adventures in their new homes. To date, 8 of them have now all settled in with their new families and are living life to the full, whilst just 2 girls remain waiting for their special homes.
No dog should have to go through what Pearl has suffered and thank goodness she was found. Somebody is responsible for the situation she found herself in and it is time society and the authorities stepped up and started taking responsibility for the dogs and other pets in the UK. Rescue is in crisis with too many dogs being abandoned and dumped, healthy dogs are being euthanised because there is nowhere for them to go, and yet we have laws in place to protect them, but not nearly enough is done to enforce these laws.
Sadly the majority of enforcement is left to local authorities who we know do not have the funds, so is it not time that Government stepped up and started to invest more into the welfare of companion pets in this country? They are certainly making enough money out of the Pet Industry in taxes so why is this not reinvested to help those animals that are used and abused and thrown away like a piece of rubbish? These animals are sentient beings and yet still classed as a chattel. Pets should be reclassified and stronger powers created to prevent them being advertised online to be sold in the same manner as a car which would reduce the back street breeders, puppy farms and dealers bringing dogs in from abroad exasperating an already saturated market.
