Myself and Jack had the pleasure of taking him for an overnight stay to celebrate.
This is the second time we’ve had Royce for a sleepover, so we already know how excellent he is in a home.
Unfortunately, myself and Jack both have pets at our own homes, so we booked a lovely local Airbnb for us all to stay in. Upon arrival, we noticed the kind host lady had left out a basket of toys and treats just for him. He instantly picked up a squeaky hedgehog and ran around the house with it like a goofball
It always brings us the biggest smiles to see him relax and turn into the giant puppy he is.We wrapped up some presents for him to open on his birthday to make it extra special. Somehow we’ve gotten into the habit of buying him octopus-shaped toys after seeing one in his bedroom once, and since then we’ve bought him a few in different colours
I was taken aback by the size of the one that arrived this time, but Royce was absolutely thrilled! I’m so glad we chose to video his unwrapping
In the home, Royce was clean as always and went out for the toilet whenever we opened the back door for him. We have never had any accidents.
Anyone who knows Royce will tell you he absolutely loves a fuss and has to be stroked constantly while in your company
If you happen to stop, he will politely ask you to continue by giving you an adorable little nudge with his head He was once again amazing with food. He didn’t touch anything that wasn’t given to him or attempt to grab anything from the side, even though he could have. You can take food and toys away from him if you ever needed to with no problem at all (he found a cooked bone a couple of weeks ago which I needed to take away so he didn’t swallow it, and he dropped it as soon as I asked).
Now, there are people who allow dogs on the furniture and people who don’t — each to their own. We, however, always let the dogs we take on foster on the sofas and beds if they want to get up. Even though he’s a big lad, Royce was no exception
He has us wrapped around his paws, it was three in the bed this time and we’d rather bend ourselves into pretzels to accommodate him than have him sleep on the floor!At around 3am, Royce was finding it hard to settle in the bedroom (I think he eventually became too warm being a rose between two thorns
), so we both went downstairs. I let him out for the toilet and then we plonked ourselves onto the sofa for a cup of tea, Netflix, and a cuddle.A couple of hours later, Jack came downstairs to join us and we all had a game of tug-of-war with a rope toy before having breakfast and a few treats.
It was soon time to leave.
Somehow it always feels like you excitedly count down the days to take a dog on foster, and then when the time does come, it’s over in a flash
I will forever sing Royce’s praises for how easy he is to return to kennels. Like many fosters, I often shed a few tears when leaving them on return, but Royce always makes it easier for me. It’s as though he accepts it’s only a short break for now.
We hopped out of the car and took him for a walk before returning to the kennel grounds. He went back into his bedroom happily, as if it was just a normal day. Over the moon to see his octopus was staying with him, he laid straight down on his bed.
As always, we gave him a chew, told him that we love him, and that we’ll see him real soon.
In February, I will have been walking at RR for 8 years, and Royce will have been there for 7 of those. At this point, I honestly feel like I’ve loved this boy forever — and I know I always will.
Royce has his quirks, as many of our dogs do.
He’s not a dog I will ever sugar-coat when asked about; he means far too much to me to do so.
After many years in kennels and being let down by humans in his youth, his walls are high. His trust now needs to be earned — it isn’t just given away at first meet. But underneath his nervous exterior, he has the most enormous heart, and once you’re lucky enough to be in his circle, you’re there for life. I can’t tell you how rewarding that feeling is.
I will continue to have hope that his people are out there, but I am comforted until then knowing just how utterly adored he is by all who have the absolute privilege of being his friend.
