Zoey Staffie x Mastiff DofB 28.03.19 Redhill Temp Foster

[PaulB]

I have just tested leaving Zoey home alone for a short spell - I went to the local convenience store and was away for approximately 30 minutes.
[......]
So it may not have been for long, but Zoey looked comfortable enough being left alone in the house. I shall try again tomorrow and leave her for a little longer. A 60 minute outing to Pets at Home to get some more food will do the job.

For various reasons, this extended "home alone" test didn't materialise today, but I will endeavour to revisit it.

And I'll have plenty of time to do so (unless she's homed in the meantime! ) as I have arranged to extend Zoey's return date from tomorrow to Saturday 17 January!

[PaulB]

I've already covered how Zoey is with her own food and at her mealtimes, but how about when it's my turn?

Naturally she'll start off alongside me in the kitchen while I prepare my meals but she doesn't pester to be given anything (although she's ever hopeful of course!) and she doesn't put her paws up on the worktop. If I open a drawer or base-level cupboard her head will be inside it before I can reach in with my hand, but it's easy to guide it aside. (To be fair, she knows that her food and treats are stored in one of the drawers and she probably expects them all to be similarly filled!) If my preparation takes more than a couple of minutes she'll often retire to the hallway and patiently watch me from there instead, which is certainly a plus as my kitchen is quite small.

My meals are taken on a tray on my lap, so within easy reach of a dog of Zoey's stature. But while she may initially come close to take a look and sniff, she's never come too close for my liking, or attempted to lick/take anything. I discourage any continued attention with a few gentle words and within a minute she gives up and moves away, leaving me in peace to eat.

Good girl!

[PaulB]

Zoey is so inquisitive - her little nose pokes in everywhere!

Open a kitchen drawer and it's in there before you can reach in; attempt to put your shoes on and it's blocking your foot's entry; put your coat on and it's up the far end of the sleeve before your arm gives down the other; go to stroke her and your hand's forensically snuffled for a treat as soon as it's in range, and so on.

I have to take care when getting dressed in the morning as to avoid being probed in places where a cold, wet nose does not belong!

[PaulB]

I think it's worth re-iterating just how good Zoey is on our walks...

Whenever possible, we walk three times a day, as per what has become our usual routine:
Wake around 8:30am for breakfast; back to bed for an hour; out at around 9:30am for a 45-60 minute walk and morning business; a 30-45 minute stroll in the early afternoon, followed by a tasty snack; dinner at around 5:00pm; a final 30 minute walk anytime between 8:00 and 9:00pm to prepare for overnight. In between, we do whatever we fancy!

The weather was miserable yesterday but she braved the rain that persisted for the entirety of our afternoon walk without complaint (there must only be a little bti of Staffie in her then!). As I have previously mentioned, the freezing temperatures don't dissuade her from venturing outside either. I would have skipped this walk, but due to plans I had in the evening, her last walk of the day was going to be a fair bit later than usual.

On one of our recent walks we bumped in to my neighbour at the other end of the road who had just returned from walking her poodle, Tammy (who's about one third the size of Zoey). We stopped across the road from each other to say hello and Zoey behaved perfectly while we chatted for a few minutes. She quietly stood at my side and watched Tammy for about a minute before then just looking around and sniffing at my feet. (Tammy completely ignored Zoey from the outset!)

I noticed today that she's also now walking with even slacker leads than she did initially and is stopping at junctions with nothing more than a "Wait" from me as I slow and come to a standstill. She also anticipates my turns or direction changes very well - no need for a big tug 9n the leads; a gentle wiggle suffices.

She has pulled slightly after the odd cat that has popped out onto the pavement in front of us and similarly with foxes that she's spied on our evening walks, but it's shortlived and perfectly manageable. I would also suggest this behaviour is not unusual for a dog!

Walk complete - time for a doze!

[PaulB]

STOP PRESS!!

I just managed to go from the living room to the kitchen without Zoey leaping off the sofa ahead of me and coming along too - I hadn't even asked her to stay!

Ok, so I had only managed to get as far as putting the kettle on and loading a mug with a teabag before she appeared at the kitchen door, but this is progress! She then promptly went back to the living room and sat on the rug, awaiting my return. It just goes to show that it doesn't take long for dogs start to relax in their new environment, as reflected in behavioural changes such as this (Zoey's been here for 5 days now). And it's a welcome change as Zoey tends to "follow" immediately in front of you and can, to put it bluntly, get in the way!

I thought this warranted a treat and noticed there was one chicken foot left in the bag (don't panic Zoey, I have more!) so I offered her this on my return. She takes treats very gently; she'll sit for it (typically without being asked) and while your finger tips may enter her mouth, you've no need worry about any harm coming to them.

Nom, nom!

[Stu]

Love the walk complete pic.

[Alexis]

Absolutely fantastic to see Zoey looking so relaxed and comfortable in a home. She is such a sweetheart

[PaulB]

This afternoon's walking route took us via one of my local pubs and we stopped in to say hello to whoever may be there (this is part of my usual foster routine, honest!); fortunately the member of bar staff that always enjoys meeting my current foster was on shift.

Of the dozen people there, a good number of them wished to say Hello to Zoey and she was more than happy to oblige and accept whatever treats they had (she now knows which tin behind the bar contains the gravy bones!). She was very respectful and well behaved, receiving all of the attention calmly and gracefully.

"Hmm, the treats came from that direction."

"Where's my pint then?"

[PaulB]

I left Zoey with my Mum for 4 hours on Thursday while my Dad and I went out for the evening. I had taken Zoey round there twice previously so the introductions to my parents and their house had already been done.

I had given Zoey her dinner at little earlier than normal and also taken her for a walk before heading over, giving her an opportunity to do her business and be comfortable (and she obliged). I was there with her for half an hour before we headed off, leaving Mum with instructions to get in touch with me immediately if she had any problems; I could be back in 30 minutes if necessary.

I checked in a couple of times over the evening and was advised all was good. On returning in the late evening, Zoey gave me a very warm welcome, without being silly - I even let her put her paws up on me (which she doesn't usually do anyway, to be fair). It turns out she had spent most of the evening lying on the hallway carpet watching the front door, periodically popping into the adjacent living room to check on Mum and receive a tickle!

I suggest she would have done pretty much the same had no-one else been in the house, so the impression is that Zoey can be left for a few hours without any concern.

[PaulB]

Zoey and I joined Ros and Stanley on Earlswood Common for our morning walk today.

Stanley bounded up to me on my arrival to say Hello (thankfully stopping in time!) and I managed him while Ros got Zoey out of my car. The dogs barely paid any attention to each other all the time they were together, which was lovely; it was clear almost immediately that we didn't even need to maintain any distance between them.

In an open area, an off-lead Boxer abandoned her owner's side and ran over to us, zooming right up to each of our our dogs and dashing between them. This was untested territory for Zoey (at least in my experience) and she handled it perfectly - she didn't grumble, bark or get excited at all; she stayed put and and simply watched on, even when the Boxer was bowing directly under her head. All the more impressive when you consider that Ros was walking Zoe, and neither of them were that familiar with each other at this point. It was a young dog (just 12 months old, we subsequently learned), submissive and clearly just wanted to play, but it was still a relief that the encounter passed without incident.

I am now even more confident that Zoey is fine with other dogs, even in "challenging" situations. Well done Zoey!