Hi from Norfolk

I have been reading through this forum and it looks like just what I have been looking for.

I have been looking around for tips and info on Staffies after adopting a 9 week old bitch from our local RSPCA centre on in March.

The litter of 5 pups had been dumped without their mother in an empty building aged approx 5-6 weeks before being found and taken to a rescue shelter.

We heard about them on local radio and went along to have a look. We lost our 18 year old greyhound in April 2009 and our beloved 10 year old Rottie x Border Collie suddenly in November 2009 and felt it was the right time to add to the pack again. No one was really interrested in the litter as they had been there a couple of weeks when we went along. Thankfully they all went to new homes within a week after we collected Polly. They had several Staffies but we decided to adopt a puppy as that way we could integrate it into our existing family/pack.

We already have a couple of older dogs, Skye who is an 8 year old border collie/spaniel/heinze 57, and Busta who is a 5 year old Jack Russell x West Highland White.

So far Busta has accepted the pup as long as she doesn't bounce on him too often, and Skye is still in hiding in our bedroom but he is getting better when they are all out in the garden together.

Skye was a brain damaged pup who was rescued from a new age traveller who used to put canabis on charcoal disks in his caravan to get the mother dog and the pups to sleep through the night and not make a noise the mother rolled onto the pups one night forcing milk up through their noses and mouths, and Skye was oxygen deprived for a few minutes until they got him breathing again, so he is a little bit special and we take things gently with him. He loves everyone but lives in his own little world and it takes a while for anything to register. He tends to run away from anything strange until he gets used to it. The pup thinks this is a great game but lots of tail wagging so we aren't worried there.

We found Busta in a supermarket carpark when he was about 4 1/2 months, he had been used as a football and then dumped he had a very badly swollen face and all of his teeth were loose and one eye was totally closed. The local police gave us the choice of taking him to the local pound or looking after him ourselves while they tried to find the owners. We decided that as he was already curled up with our dogs and feeling happier, we couldn't abandon him to being on his own at a pound, we would foster him.

Our vet was brilliant and gave him a thorough check over and xrayed him all over and didn't charge us due to the circumstances. We had weekly visits from the police, and at the end of a month they hadn't been able to find any trace of the owners so we were told we could keep him if we wanted to, or the home visit policeman said he would like him if he was too much for us, by then he was very much part of the family, our Rottie x had him firmly under his wing and the dogs and kids loved him. He also had our vet wrapped around his furry paw and she had also said he was hers if we couldn't keep him. I think because the rottie x adoped him as his baby he now thinks he is a big dog, he is so laid back and patient and accepting for a small dog. He is recovering from a ruptured ligament in one of his hind legs so an older dog might have unintentionally hurt him.

I have never had any experience of Staffies so it is going to be a learning curve for us. We have had to get Polly a metal cage as she shredded the front of Skye's old soft cage on the first night and spent the night throwing herself at the kitchen door and howling, as well as dragging the tea towels, oven gloves and mop around the kitchen. Her 2nd night (1st in the new cage) was a lot better, she only cried for half an hour before settling down for the night and now she goes into it as good as gold and we let her have the run of the kitchen at night.

I do put a blanket over her cage at night to keep her cosy and stop draughts. She has also got a soft doll and a teddy and chews and a blanket in there to snuggle with. She is only locked in the kitchen when we have to leave her for any time. Or when I am cooking and can't keep my eye on her non stop and she will go and sit in her cage and watch me, and the door of her cage was only only closed at night or during our evening meal when we put the cage in the living room so that she could see us and we knew exactly where she was and what she was doing.

We are tackling biting at the moment using yelps and the word no, it seems to be working, she does still play bite, but it doesn't break the skin any more and if she starts to get over excited when we are playing she has a few rope chews to sink her teeth into and distract her from anything she mustn't chew. She knows her name and comes when she is called and loves to snuggle and cuddle, can sit, lay down, stand back up and stay for a short while, and takes treats very gently with no snatching.

She goes to puppy classes and after a shakey start where she was pounced on by a big Lab pup she now loves it.

She is very inteligent and I can see a few battles of wills to come but we survived bringing up 2 kids so I think we will cope ok

I will be asking loads of questions to keep up with her as she grows up.



Tina

Hi &

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Hello and welcome to the forum Skye and Busta sound like they are fantastic dogs,well done you for rescuing them We would love to see photos of all your dogs! Its great that your taking Polly to puppy classes too.They really help with things like socialising

Hello and welcome, what a lovely introduction. Great job on all your rescues.

Hi & welcome!

What a wonderful person you are to rescue they way you do! Skye, Busta & Polly have found a great home!

P.S. It's an unwritten rule that you post loads of pics of all your dogs on here!

Hi Tina
What a beautiful fur family you have and what a marvelous job you have done with them all. I'm sure Polly will learn lots at puppy school and staffies certainly have a mind of their own. Looking forward to seeing some photos of them all.

Caryll wrote:

P.S. It's an unwritten rule that you post loads of pics of all your dogs on here!

Hi and welcome, lovely intro, hope you enjoy your time here x

hello and welcome, what a lovely story, can;t wait for pics

By popular demand here are some pics of Polly with her New Brothers and one of her demolishing a yoghurt pot

Stunning

So love the alert look on Polly's face while the others are dreaming their doggy dreams. Reminds me of life in my house - both of them cuddled up on their bed, the older one snoring softly and all's quiet in the house. You sneak one final look before you hit the sack & the youngest one jumps off and thinks she's coming too. "Hey, you were fast asleep or so I thought!!"

Well done for giving a loving, caring home to all of your unfortunate dogs who had a rough start in llife.

Awwwww, Polly looks like a little dear thing

hi there.. what an introduction.. and good on you for giving all these doggies such a wonderful home.. love the pics!!

Hiya and welcome to the forum

Hello you are officially a well done you

Hi and welcome to the forum weldone on the rescue

Hi & welcome to the forum what a you are