We don't celebrate his birthday because we don't know when it is. His original paperwork estimates the 8th of January 2013 but when he was assessed by a vet a few months after we got him, instead of the 6 1/2 months we thought he was, she placed his age as being much closer to 9 or 10 months. Hardly surprising that his age was misjudged because at about 6 months (corrected age) he was dumped at a rural NSW pound significantly malnourished and weighing about 7kg.
Fortunately for Ted (and us), a magnificent rescue group, Magic Paws, liaises with a guardian angel at this rural pound. They regularly organise transport runs to Melbourne rescue groups, saving animals who don't have a chance to be rehomed in these rural areas where adoption rates are low and most abandoned animals get put to sleep.
But Ted's journey didn't end there. He was fed, nourished, wormed and vaccinated by Magic Paws and a family expressed interest in adopting him so he was desexed, ready for his new family. The day after his op he developed diarrhoea and vomiting; deadly parvovirus was suspected. But Madame Magic Paws doesn't give up on her charges so, when many would have let him go, Ted was put on a drip and antibiotics and given another chance. He rallied quickly and recovered well but his potential family backed down- they didn't want a pup with a poor immune system.
About this time I had made enquiries about a litter of whippet x stuffy pups on Pet Rescue. After a few days of not hearing back from the rescue group I was back on the site looking for alternative contact details when I saw this picture:
I sent off an email with all the info that rescue groups require- yard size, working hours, experience with dogs etc etc. It basically read like a list of all the reasons we shouldn't have a border collie x pup- small yard, inner suburb townhouse, working couple; but we did have a few gems- knowledge of the breed, ability to walk him twice a day, dog allowed inside and a big love of dogs.
I soon heard back " I think you should meet him."
A few days later as we drove to the foster carer's house we were trying to be very mature and responsible and not just take pick the first puppy that strayed our way. I had bought a blanket and popped it in our bed the night before so it would have our scent on it, should we decide to take him.
As we arrived at the foster carer's front door we were met with barking- a bad sign. It turned out to be her own little dog. Ted was in the backyard. As we stepped outside a skinny, lanky little creature wiggled his way towards us, head down, ears flat; keen to meet us but incredibly submissive. As he reached our feet he slid his head along the ground and flopped upside down at our feet.
We asked lots of questions and all the answers were what we wanted but I couldn't get carried away- there were two people making this decision. Then the Bookworm said "Should we give him the blanket?"
A week later, after beds, bowls and toys had been bought, areas puppy-proofed and working schedules coordinated; Ted finally got his forever home.
border collie x ??)
This sweet boy is such a gift. Still lanky and goofy, his has developed a lot more confidence and now tells us what to do some of the time. He is also very intuitive; he knows when something is wrong with one of his people and becomes terribly upset and clingy.
Of course our sweet boy's journey continues but it is now one of wrestles in the lounge room, cuddles on the couch and frisbee in the park.
So cute and adorable! Your doggie has loads of personality for sure.
ReplyDeleteHi there,
ReplyDeleteSo lovely to see and hear about Ted. We adopted his sister Betsy (formerly Betty) just over a year ago too! They look very much alike!! It looks like Ted has a wonderful life with you. Betsy is adorable as well, such a lovely personality. I am disappointed that my kids don't play with her as much as I had imagined. I feel sorry for her because she is alone so much, and when we are home, the kids aren't out playing with her as I had hoped they would they would :(. Does Ted have a friend to play with whilst you are at work, or is he happy on his own? So great to hear such positive adoption stories - the more we can convince people to adopt rather than buy from pet shops the better!
Wow Debbie, thanks for commenting, I knew Ted had a sister in Melbourne and have been wondering how she is. Ted is a single dog but he has pretty much decided he is a person. He is home a bit during the day but we have staggered hours and he has taken it in his stride, as long as his routine doesn't change he is content. He gets exercised twice a day, often one of those sessions is with a frisbee or ball at the park and he lets us know in no uncertain terms when he needs a play when we are home (he often just drops his toy on whatever you are doing). He is well-behaved though this wasn't always the case- have a read of http://seekingvictory.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/teds-outdoor-renos.html if you haven't already- he certainly had his destructo-dog days.
DeleteIf you ever want to meet at a dog park and see them together I would be keen- feel free to email me on seekingvictory1@gmail.com
Thanks again