Now let’s meet these seven
needy cockers who are waiting for a sponsor, or maybe even a real
forever home:
Henry,
along with his littermate
Charlie,
came to
Rivendell Rescue & Respite of NH,
Inc. when
they were only seven weeks old. We were delighted to foster
two puppies and we wanted to provide both pups with a good start in
life without any trauma. The volunteers fell in love with them and
the other dogs enjoyed playing with the silly fellows. But this
story has an unfortunate twist to it. Undoubtedly these puppies came
from an unethical breeder who was inbreeding cockers to turn a
profit. The inevitable result is puppies with genetic problems, some
physical, and some behavioral.
As the pups grew older, they
began to demonstrate an innate fearfulness and insecurity
which was
expressed by nonstop barking and backing away from unfamiliar dogs
or people. If they felt at all threatened, their “fight or flight”
reaction kicked in and they could not calm themselves. Both
Henry and
Charlie
have improved steadily during their two years at Rivendell.
Henry
is now more trusting of new people and
Charlie
has learned to dance around my husband’s feet to get attention. As
soon as Geoff speaks to him, he immediately sits stock still
so he can receive the much-anticipated pats and praise.
Charlie
is a very early riser; as soon as the Rivendell rooster crows he is
wide awake and must go outside immediately to potty—
there can be no delay or he will have an
accident in his crate!
Toby is a big, classically handsome cocker spaniel. The
volunteers call him “Goofy” because he loves to stretch out full
length in the “froggy-dog” position on grass and even snow. He
enjoys having his belly rubbed and takes great pleasure in relaxing
on the park bench with the volunteers. His special friend at
Rivendell is Big Buddy, and they
will play endlessly together in the play yard.
When
Toby was a very
young dog, he lived outside, chained up, with only a dog house for
protection. It is likely that he was teased or abused by the
neighborhood children. Three years ago, when CSRNE placed him
in his new home, Toby loved the two adults but was unpredictable,
sometimes to the point of aggression, with their two teenaged sons.
Toby has been at Rivendell for over two years now and he has never
shown any aggression towards the student volunteers. However, we
believe that, with his past history, he would be safer and happier
in an adult only home.
Big
Buddy, a real-live Teddy bear with one blue
eye, is gregarious and outgoing, and has a tendency to
overeat. He’s on a weight management program and he gets lots
of Nyla bones and big Kong toys to satisfy his greedy desires
to always have something in his mouth. Big Buddy enjoys watching Cookie dig for moles in the play
yard. Fascinated by her digging, he never tires of watching her
tunnel down.
But
Big Buddy has
two behavior problems that require monitoring: he has a strong prey
drive towards smaller animals (especially chickens) and in addition
he is sometimes possessive of his toys. However, he has learned that
a reward of the game is releasing the toy on command so that, to his
delight, it is thrown for him again.
Cookie
just loves affection and is happiest when a student volunteer is
cuddling her. Cookie is
hypersensitive to some sounds Big Buddy
and she barks at new or startling noises. At first we thought
she was an anxiety digger, but now we realize that her hearing
is so acute that she can actually hear the underground moles!
Cookie’s second favorite activity
is long walks through the woods—which
serves as a distraction from mole hunting.
Chauncey,
the perpetual puppy, loves everyone. A high energy cocker, he
is happiest when he is out with the students on a very long walk.
He’s Mr. Amiable and likes all the other rescue dogs at Rivendell.
However, Chauncey chases
cats. Unfortunately, so far, none of the Rivendell cats have
succeeded in modifying his naughty behavior. However, in his favor,
he is immaculate and always barks when he needs to go outside.
Chauncey
soaks up praise and he would be the top dog in any obedience class.
Red Buddy
continues to score the highest as the most athletic dog at Rivendell.
Running, jumping, climbing—he loves it all, especially when a long
trail walk follows. His athletic prowess, coupled with the fact that
he likes other dogs and all people, would make him a champion
agility dog. He is Rivendell’s MVP! - ADOPTED!
Editor’s Note: CSRNE would love to find a
permanent home for each of our special cockers; however, experience
has taught us that it takes time to find just the right adopter for
our cockers with “issues.” In the meantime, Rivendell offers an
excellent alternative. however, it is a costly one;
CSRNE currently spends $8.00 per day for each
cocker in long-term care—that’s $56.00 a week or $224.00 per month
for each cocker.
YOU can help:
Become a
Virtual Adopter for one of these beautiful, choose one of the
Magnificent Seven cockers at Rivendell and help us defray all or
part of his/her monthly expenses. You can sponsor a dog in any
amount. Choose any one of the cockers
above or visit
VIRTUAL ADOPTIONS there who also need Spaniel Sponsors. All Virtual Adopters will be
acknowledged on our website unless otherwise indicated
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