Teddy - Diary of a rescue staffie

First topic message reminder :

If anyone wants to read how this started then this link will get you there https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t23065-dilemma-i-need-to-make-a-decisionnothing-bad

Teddy is home!

Came home with me tonight for the first time.

All seems OK, he has been for a walk with me and my next door neighbour, shown him where the garden is, had some dinner and he is now crashed out on my fleece dressing gown on the sofa next to me.

He is absolutely mesmerised by the TV, not sure he has ever seen one and I have a very large Plasma screen on the living room wall.

I will post some pictures once he has settled in.

Still got a waggy tail when I talk to him so I don't think he is too stressed by the change of home.

Just got to sort out tonights sleeping arrangements next

Regards

Simon

Fishguard, West Wales

Well this is new, not seen this behaviour before.

We had a massive downpour of rain about 6am this morning and Teddy obvoiusly didn't like the noise it made on the back bedroom roof which is flat so instead of staying on top of the quilt like he normally does he dug his way under it and I found myself with a staffy actualy in my bed!

By the time we got up, 9-30am, the rain had stopped so I let him out into the garden for his morning wee while I made coffee. He seemed a bit hyper and picked up his figure of eight rope toy before he went out. Now he has not really played with this toy since I bought it and certainly not for a game of tug which is what I intended.

Making coffee I can hear all kinds of mayhem going on in the garden so I naturally go to look.

He is charging around the garden at 1000 miles an hour with his toy in his mouth occasionally stopping to give it a good shake. His downfall came when he saw me watching and charged into the house through the kitchen without slowing down. Now I have all solid floors, mixture of tiles and wood, so he reached the living room, tried to turn with wet paws, and crashed sideways on into the armchair with enough force to move it.

Now zonked out on the sofa.

Don't know what bought all this on, maybe he his just being himself. I have not been feeding him sugar or E numbers.

Regards

Simon

It could be that the rain had freshened everything up and opened up the scent of things in the garden, just a guess.

It's OK Rocky often gets in bed with me too, usually early in the morning if it's a bit chilly. He always sleeps on the bottom of the bed anyway. Good job hubby and me have a super king size bed

kathytake2 wrote:It could be that the rain had freshened everything up and opened up the scent of things in the garden, just a guess.

It's OK Rocky often gets in bed with me too, usually early in the morning if it's a bit chilly. He always sleeps on the bottom of the bed anyway. Good job hubby and me have a super king size bed

Oh it's OK, Teddy is free to sleep wherever he wants to, it's his home too. Anyway he is much better than any hot water bottle

He just had a mad 10 minutes, great to see him being himself and playing as we don't think he has ever had the chance to do this.

Regards

Simon

ha ha our buter wriggles his way under his blanket at the foot of our bed through the night and he looks as if he's been tucked in by someone else. don't know how he manages it. looks super cute when he does though.

Well the cold nights are drawing in down here in Wales but I aint cold cause I got a Staffie.

He now has more human friends than I do including our post lady who carries dog treats in her pocket.

He play bows in front of me now when he wants some serious play.

He has developed a food fetish for baby bel cheese.

He knows that when I put my boots on that we are going somewhere so all by himself he worked out that if he picks up one of my boots and drops it in front of me that means walkies, very clever dog.

My friend where he came from commented the other day that his coat was looking really good. I do brush him regularly which he loves.

He hates it when I copy him like when he makes a stupid noise and then yawns. Wish I could capture it on video. He did it today and I copied what he did back he then went into a strange kind of growl that took me by surprise, for a moment I thought he was going to come out with a complete sentence in perfect english.



Click this link for a video

https://s1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg580/simoninwales/?action=view&current=VID00011-20120916-1737_zps7a73b794.mp4

Caroline found me this picture of what my poor little dog looked like when he first came into our rescue, he was very close to being PTS at this point



Regards

Simon & Teddy

Thanks for the update Simon , he's looking great

Caroline set him up his own Facebook page when we were looking for a new home for him and she wrote this as a final entry.

"Caroline Hamilton
GREAT NEWS FOR TEDDY.... a member of the team took him home to give him a break from kennels while the owner was away had Teddy stole his heart!! Poor Teddy who we think was badly treated, used as bait, never been in a house, had his chewed tail amputated, and got very close to being put to sleep before we took him, after 8 months in kennels finally has someone to love him, and understand his strange little ways, we never thought it would happen for you Teddy, we love you with all of our hearts and wish you all happiness with the wonderful Simon x"

I think this little dog has landed on all 4 paws

Simon

Great post

You very nearly had me in tears there Simon after reading the entry.

Thanks for the update, he is looking so good now with all your love and care.

kathytake2 wrote:You very nearly had me in tears there Simon after reading the entry.

Thanks for the update, he is looking so good now with all your love and care.

I am crying! The 'going geit' behaviour is him being full of joy. You can see this little one is amongst the happiest in the world. Bless you for giving him a home.

Simon, I love reading your posts. It's obvious that he is so happy with you and that you love him so much. Thanks for sharing and for making all of us smile.

Awww bless his little heart so sad what he has been through so enjoyed reading about his happy ending thankfully he found you

Simon took me to a dog event called Dogs Day Out on Sunday.

We went with Yvonne who owns the rescue that Simon liberated me from, I does love Yvonne and she now knows she cannot have a cheese sandwich and not share it with me.

Just to prove I am still the Staffie she knows and loves I did make some really nasty smells in the car on the way there.

Simon was concerned about if I would behave myself around so many other dogs because of my past so I had to have a muzzle on. I humoured him and wore it without any fuss. But I is a good dog and is willing to learn.

This is me and Simon



It was a very wet day by the way. The humans all looked a bit p***ed off and kept moaning about it but us dogs loved it.

This is the CARIAD stand.



Some of my friends, Yvonne on the left, Our friend Martin and Linda on the Right who you all saw living like a farmed puppy last week on the CARIAD event.



Here are some of the dogs I met











We went very long walkies in the woods with Martin and his three dogs Marty (staffie) Brin (staffie/lab cross) and Harry (lab) and I didn't pick any fights and was really well behaved. We did meet a man with four greyhound, god they are big but very friendly.

This is Brin



and this is Harry



And the ladies from CARIAD ran a competition for children with rescue dogs and these are the winners



That was my day out and I loved it

Teddy

Wow Teddy you did have an action packed day out, no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothes, so I'm told

You do have some great looking friends there, Rocky is partial to a bit of cheese now and then too. You were a good boy for wearing your muzzle so well, I dont really like them very much but that was very responsible of your Dad to put it on you, well done Dad.

What a bright red marquee they had you couldnt miss it could you

Well done Teddy for going walkies with your friends and being a very good boy again.

Finally caught up with this one, first, well done Teddy on finding a great cracking home, your daddy loves you so much. You can tell your daddy that that 1000mph running round the garden is very normal, its a staffie thing, my Pixee does it, and like you, we have wood floors in the kitchen and parts of the house, so she can go flying too. You are a good boy for wearing the muzzle, ever thou I dont like them but daddy knows best. You keep your daddy warm, and you will get cheese

Thank you for the update.

I have just learned that stealing food by counter surfing can sometimes backfire.

Simon had given me my dinner but I thought I would steal a piece of bread with mustard spread on it.

Then I vomited my dinner on the living room floor

I don't think Simon is very pleased although I am still allowed to lie on the sofa next to him.

Maybe I should not try this trick again.

Teddy

Great day out Teddy

simoninwales wrote:I have just learned that stealing food by counter surfing can sometimes backfire.

Simon had given me my dinner but I thought I would steal a piece of bread with mustard spread on it.

Then I vomited my dinner on the living room floor

I don't think Simon is very pleased although I am still allowed to lie on the sofa next to him.

Maybe I should not try this trick again.

Teddy

Yes it can backfire sometimes, hope you learned a lesson there Teddy, but I somehow doubt it

Oh dear no maybe not Teddy!

I has discovered a new food item that I like a lot

Pilchards in tomato sauce mixed with dry food mix

They come from that big shop where the chicken comes from that Simon will not take me into so I sit in the car like a good boy and watch all the people walking past

Quite suprised that he spoiled me with these since I decided that we were getting up at 5am this morning

Teddy

Hahaha..early bird Teddy!!

Strangely enough I looked at the pilchards in our mini tesco this morning, might try Dexter with them as you like them Teddy!! Glad you are having a good day!

Ahhhh Teddy you are being a very good alarm clock, those pilchards are very good for you as they have a high amount of calcium in them which will help to keep you fit and well and your bones in good condition. You are a clever boy.

Ha ha Teddy, you have your daddy wrapped round your paw

Enjoy what you are given, theres a reason as you found out why certain foods wont be given to you as a treat

Thanks for the updates Teddy and well done for being such a good boy. We (Tyson & me) love hearing about how you are getting along in your forever home. People like your Simon are really special.

just caught up on a few missed updates from you teddy. next time you're out with the humans in the rain there's a saying we hear at work alot "skin's waterproof". glad you're enjoying all these little snacks from simon, i think he might be a bit of a soft touch lol! take it you're avoiding all mustard based products now lol!

I has been for my evening walk up the lane.

I has got this new lead that Yvonne gave us that is 5 metres long extended so I can run off from simon and explore.

The lane does have a stream running down the side of it that is normally empty but we has had some rain down here and the stream is full and running quite fast. I did have to go and look because of the noise of the water. Next I decided it would be good to jump in and romp all the way up the lane in the stream.

I is now quite a wet dog, Simon had to dry me with my towel before he would let me near the sofa.

But the water was great fun!

Teddy

That water can be quite wet stuff if you get too close to it

Nice being dry again though and you get warm

Soggy Teddy! Glad you had fun!!

He has been in the water again but this time I got it on video, turn it up for running water sounds, I think my dog is slightly mad.

https://s1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg580/simoninwales/?action=view&current=VID00013-20121011-1201.mp4

Simon & Teddy

he sure is a great looking dog - aren't they all a little bit crazy? but that's why we love them isn't it ?

I think thats brilliant, just what a walk should be, an investigation of everything

About time I updated you all on the progress of The Tedster.

For a dog that had such a bad start in life he really is a great dog.

We sleep together and I wouldn’t have it any other way. He just likes to know where I am and if it makes him feel secure then it’s OK with me.

I work from home most of the week except for the odd days I work with my friend and that is the same place as the recue he came from. He knows where we are when we drive over there because he starts to get excited when we are about a mile away. Yvonne who runs the rescue is still one of his favourite people. He parks himself on the middle landing of the stairs when we are there because he can see out of the front window from there so he can spot Caroline who is our dog walker and is his most favourite person. As a special treat she sometimes still walks him.

He is pretty good with other dogs now. There are one or two we regularly meet on our normal walk and he is OK with them.

He really doesn’t understand why sheep and particularly lambs don’t want to play with him but he is fascinated by them and will sit at the gate to the field up the road watching them for ages. We are getting to the time of year when the cows will be in the fields and they are a whole different ball game, they are much more interested in him than the sheep are but they are much bigger and tend to snort at him.

I would never say he is cat safe but he meets quite a few and sometimes just walks past them and shows no interest at all. One of my neighbours cats has hissed at him a few times and he doesn’t seem to understand that she would just love to rip him into small pieces.

He is your typical Staffy where toys are concerned, nothing lasts more than five minutes. The only things he has not destroyed are an Antler from Pets @ Home, his Kong and his new favourite toy a Boomer Ball. I have learnt that it’s the simple things in life that provide the most fun so a cardboard tube from the kitchen roll which to me is rubbish is a toy to him which he is allowed to destroy. Yvonne gave him a stuffed Fox toy which lasted longer than most although he has recently taken to trying to bury Mr Fox in the garden so I have to keep rescuing him.

He caught his first mouse out in the garden the other day. I did wonder what he was doing as I could see him from where I was working. He really wasn’t sure what to do with it so he felt the need to bring it to me so I could look at it. It was pretty soggy and much the worse for having been shaken by a Staffy.

I let him be himself, if he wants to sit an cuddle up to me on the sofa he will but when he wants to be on his own he jumps on one of the lounge chairs and crashes. I never force him to be with me. In the early days I used to have to carry him upstairs to bed because he really didn’t like the stairs. Now he knows when I turn everything off and he has been out in the garden it is bedtime and will happily climb the stairs on his own and wait for me at the top.

So this is The Tedster, my best friend, soul mate and the reason why every day is a new adventure.

Great update Teddy is looking amazing He is so lucky to have found you xx

He is such a cutie!!!

Very pleased to read that Teddy is doing so well. Every day is an adventure by the sounds of things

Aww what a lovely update

Thanks for the fab update! He's absolutely gorgeous

Bless him.. So glad it's worked out for you both..

This is a first so got to share.

The weather down here in Pembrokeshire is glorious.

Having a bit of a tidy up this morning and unearthed the last of the old kitchen wall cabinets. French and decidedly rustic, not my taste at all which is why I have rebuilt the kitchen from scratch. Much too good to chop up for fire wood or take to the tip so Martin who is in some of the pictures further back in the thread said he would like them for his garage.

Now Martin is a dog person and his pack, Harry (Lab) Brin (Lab Cross) & Marty (Staffy) are pretty much bomb proof. So quick call to make sure he is in and me and the Tedster set off to deliver the remaining cabinet. Took Tedster in with me on his lead so I could control him. Martin and I were sat in the garden having a beer with his pack roaming free and Tedster on lead.

My poor dog had such a bad start in life and was very mistrustful of other dogs when I got him having being used as a bait dog and we did have an incident before I had him where Caroline was walking him with another Staffy and Tedster jumped on the other dog and would have killed it if Caroline had intervened.

Since then I have done my best to socialise him with other dogs and willing owners and he is pretty good with the other dogs he meets on his regular walk but I have always made sure I have control of him.

After the required introductions and bum sniffing they were happily all ignoring each other in Martin’s garden so he said lets take them all to the beach. Martin knows this secluded little cove that once you are down there at sea level there is really no way out except the way you came in or swimming to Ireland.

We walked them all round to the really secluded bit and Martin said “Let him off his lead” They spent a good hour diving in and out of the sea and rock pools with no problems at all. They were all pretty much doing their own thing with no particular interest in chasing each other or fighting. Only had one little spat where Harry (Lab) and Tedster both decided they wanted the same piece of Sea Weed but there was no real aggression in it just growls to say it’s mine. Harry won as he is top dog in Martin’s pack.

Wish I had my camera with me as this is the first time I have trusted Teddy enough to let him run with others of his kind and what a little star he was.

I am very proud of him and his paws are cleaner than I have ever seen them.

Simon & The Tedster

Well Done Teddy Gee he has come a long way Well done and keep the updates coming.. Make sure you take a camera next time though

"Make sure you take a camera next time though shame on you"

Sure will, I am kicking myself for not thinking ahead.

It's a great place, very secluded off the beaten track with some great deep rock pools, I even took my boots and socks off and rolled my jeans up to join in.

It was just so great to see my little dog enjoying the company of other dogs and doing the things a dog should do.

I have told Yvonne who I know would have been horrified to see him running around off lead un muzzled with other dogs but this is her reply

"Absolutely Brilliant Simon and all due to your love for him."

Simon & The Tedster

Ohh thats lovely You should be very proud of what you have done for Teddy

Well done Teddy! I love how our rescue furballs are coming along so well and making us proud with everything they achieve

Thanks for your lovely comment on Doug aswell

With the weather being so hot, found a way to cool my dog down

Giant gravy icecube made in a chinese takeaway container

Loving the giant ice cube there Simon, bet Teddy loved that. I do love to see adaptations like that, genuis

What a great idea, I'm sure teddy loved it, ill try it for darcy

As many of you know from reading this diary I would not be without my Staffie (Teddy AKA The Tedster)

Teddy came from a friends rescue and I work with her husband.

To help out I often do the photos of dogs we have in the rescue and when required I am only too happy to do a bit of dog walking or even go and sit in the pens with them to give them a bit of company.

Before I had my heart stolen by my Staffie boy I was going to go for a greyhound but we have not really had any through the rescue in the time I have been living down here in Wales.

This has all changed in the last week. We have a very beautiful boy called Chase in with us. If I didn't have The Tedster this boy would have been in and out of the rescue on the same day. Much as I would love to give him a home it's just not practical for several reasons.

Yvonne (Who owns the rescue) asked me to do some pictures of Chase but the only day I could really do it was today and she had to go out but she said "see what you can do and could you also walk him"

Chase and I had a bit of a chat about this and I did all of this on my own by just giving commands like "on your bed".

He is a big bundle of fun and loves a cuddle and by god is he fast. He just needs to find a loving home

So people - The very beautiful and well behaved Chase

[url=]Chase 1[/url]



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Awww he's lovely  

Ah well you see The Tedster would really love a Whippet or Greyhound to play with.

There are a couple of Whippets we see in the park regularly and one of them made it very obvious she wanted to play with him (went down in the play bow stance in front of him)

Now these things are fast and I mean seriously quick and can outrun a staffie easily but they are great fun to chase around.

If I thought for one minute I could overcome the practicalities of giving Chase a home he would be here with us.

Not least is the fact I have only just taught Tedster "wait" when he is off lead so with a name like Chase I think you can see where this is going

Regards

Simon & The Tedster

Aww chase is beautiful