Buddy - young staffy male

Buddy is in the care of Animal Helpline, near Peterborough (07849 637862 or 01780 783331. Afternoons is best.)

This young chap (looks to be about one and a half years old) has been a favourite with the volunteer walkers because he's pretty gentle on the lead, and appears to be self-propelled by a magic wagging tail.

He came to the rescue around March time, but has just been taken into foster, where he's already settled.

Buddy is neutered and house-trained.

Buddy and my own dog, Wingo, had a half hour walk together at the rescue, then an hour's walk once we got home.

Wingo went to bed on her return so Buddy joined me in a game of rolly-polly wrestling, which was pretty evenly matched. No sly nips, just super-fast Hong Kong Phooey paws.

He's an ear nuzzler, a forehead licker, does a great sit for a treat and is house-trained.

Buddy also has a good repertoire of staffy grunt noises - including the one of indignation when you tell him not to open the cupboard door with his nose. 

He and Wingo are getting on great guns - she's already humped him into submission and he was happy to be cuckolded and told what to do.

Seems very sociable.

Was excellent on the lead - barely pulled - really, hardly noticeable.
Was excellent on a 20 metre training lead too - no haring off after birds, rabbits or other dogs. He stayed close and enjoyed a good run round the fields before taking a five minute detour into the woods, where his nose followed every scent and trail going.

So far, a very friendly, well-mannered boy who likes to dish out kisses and sit beside you whenever he gets the chance.

I can see him sleeping on the end of the bed tonight instead of in his crate. 

I've temporarily renamed him Bob until something else comes to mind.

It's great to see you back Keith!

Buddy/Bob sounds gorgeous - wishing you the best of luck in finding him his forever home.  s for all your good work.

Hope buddy finds his forever home soon

Ohhh keith he looks like such a sweet heart, I've no doubt he will be snapped up very soon xxx

Thanks folks.

Someone needs to explain the staffy rules to him because it's raining very lightly here, the back door is half open, and he's sitting outside, loving the rain.

If I take him in, he just goes straight back out again.

He's also doing amazing trumpy noises, then looking in amazement when they sound.  

Wingo, meanwhile, is wrapped up in her bed.

Oh well who could possibly argue, leave them be  

Hahahahaha, I'm knackered.

Bob is sooooooooooooooooooooo excited to be in a house that he's done every trick in the staffy book overnight. I've barely slept a wink.

We've had endless laps of the bedroom in the stretched out "frog" position, 4am rollie-pollies across the floor, and a 6am spurt of lying with his bum on my legs and his head off the bed so he slid off without fail every two minutes.

He and Wingo were playing at 6:30am, he was trying to smother me by sleeping on my chest at 7am, and from about 8am until now he's just been climbing up on the bed, then getting down, then climbing up, then getting down....

Oh, and he also wanted a wee about 3am. Lol.

Working on the basis that he is an organic entity, he'll need sleep eventually. I just need to get his sleep pattern to coincide with mine.

Super-friendly boy, great fun, up for a 2am wrestle if you're bored.

Keith wrote:.

No sly nips, just super-fast Hong Kong Phooey paws.

Ninja Staff  

Bob has had a great day.
Good recall, several trips to the woods and the park.
Lots of sniffing.
Lots of checking foster dad hadn't run away.
Some playing with Wingo.
Lots of good food.
Has shown no interest in rabbits, birds or the suicidal cat that sits in the lane and makes you walk round him.
Now settling on the sofa for a snooze, leaving just enough room for foster dad to squeeze in, too.

He is gorgeous!

janey wrote:He is gorgeous!

He's trying his best.

Buddy you are a beauty, hope he finds a forever home asap x

Oh what a poppet   How could anyone resist?

Quite heavy thunderstorms overnight and a bit of lightning.
Didn't bother Bob.
He cocked an ear at one or two of the rumbles but then went straight back to sleep.
Good Bob.

Good dog Bob! same here Vinnie never flinched:D 

Oh that's so adorable! Kuchar loves the vacuum cleaner too (it's just so difficult to hoover up with him hanging off the end of it  )

Keith, do you have a website where you can post these gorgeous pics where would-be adopters can see them?

Lynda wrote:Keith, do you have a website where you can post these gorgeous pics where would-be adopters can see them?

This is Buddy/Bob's official rescue page: http://z6.invisionfree.com/Animal_Helpline/index.php?showtopic=3530

Mods: if external links are against the rules, please feel free to delete.

Massive walkies done - the stinging nettles have certainly grown overnight after the rain.  

We went down our usual paths in the woods and everything was covered in nettles, including foster dad, by the end.

The woolie bullies weren't bothered, of course - the advantages of a coat.

Foster dad also had to take a running leap over a river bed which is usually dry, but not today. The dogs just ran across a log.

Dozens, if not hundreds of rabbits about - Bob wasn't interested at all. He just likes chasing Wingo through the undergrowth while foster dad flails his arms at the stinging nettles.

Bob is now asleep, little legs in the air, upside down.

Your link is fine Keith, Rocky goes nuts if he sees the rabbits  

Yes, for some reason, I had Bob down as a rabbit fiend, too.
But he doesn't seem to give two hoots about them, or the pigeons in the park, or anything.
He has one job - to go where no Bob has gone before - and that's what he concentrates on.
Lol.

Oh dear.. he sounds perfect. Exactly what I have been looking for in fact  How is he at being left?

Seems pretty good, Rachel - he's one of those dogs who loves his crate to bits.

He's also quiet - he does the staffy chatter at dinner time - but in the main Bob is so chilled he's horizontal.

The main point to make with Bob is that he has been absolutely brilliant with other dogs so far - he has met probably 50 in the five days I've had him and has been very respectful indeed.

He even put up with an Anatolian Shepherd outright stealing his stick from his mouth tonight.

He sounds like a really lovely boy Keith

Here's the last two days from his diary:



Bob day four.

Bob has been practising his "stay" command.
It didn't take him long to work out that higher value treats were coming, so he made sure to have a good go at it.

While it wasn't in the training, I have twice told him to "stay" at the bottom of the stairs today while I went up. I expected him to sit there for a few seconds then help himself to the sofa but, on both occasions, I came down five or 10 minutes later to find him still there, tail wagging as I came back down.

That's pretty impressive.

Bob and Wingo are getting on brilliantly - not that I'm surprised, just happy that they're pretty much at ease with each other after only a few days.

Wingo does have a habit of sticking her nose into other dogs' ears and nudging forward, which Bob isn't too keen on. But rather than get shirty, he just repositions himself.

They've been lying down together like one giant dog today but each time I've gone for the camera, Bob is quick to move - he doesn't miss a trick.

He was happy to spend last night in his crate, no fuss, no noise, no mess, no trying to get out.

Bob is like my unofficial shadow in the house - always four or five paces away, watching what I'm up to.

Doesn't matter if it's a trip to the fridge, the washing machine, the vacuum cleaner, or the bin outside, Bob watches, learns and likes to know what's going on.

He hasn't been an "under the feet" dog though - he has stayed far enough away not to trip over.

Bob does love his cuddles though - given the choice between sofa or lap, he'd much rather be on your lap.

He can also be found quite often rolling around spontaneously on his back, pulling silly faces.







Bob day five.

Bob did some sit/stay work in the morning, sunbathed for the afternoon, then had a whale of a time in the park tonight as every dog in the area seemed to be out.

He met:

a staffy female aged three - seemed quite taken with her.
a husky cross male - wanted to play with him.
a beagle girl - spent ages sniffing her.
a true crossbreed I couldn't identify - tried mounting her, naughty Bob.
an Anatolian Shepherd - was very quiet around him, he was pretty big.

Plus a few JRTs, GSDs, a lovely choccy lab girl, a collie and some staffies.

All went well.

Then we did a couple of laps of the woods and, once again, when an hour and a bit was up, Bob ambled off to the park exit. He seems to be regulating his play.

Another day of great behaviour from Bob and he was perfect overnight.

Good boy Bob.

Darcy-may wrote:He sounds like a really lovely boy Keith

I sit here and ponder how some of the dogs arrive in the rescue and sometimes you think "well, he's boisterous, maybe his owner was 90....", or you think "he has no recall at all, I reckon he ran off one day on walkies...."

But nothing springs to mind with Bob.

He's just Bob, the abandoned dog.

I'll keep him as long as necessary to find him the right home.

Aww Keith your a gent to look after bob so well, he's lucky to have found you

Darcy-may wrote:Aww Keith your a gent to look after bob so well, he's lucky to have found you

Not at all - the dogs keep me sane.
I could go crackers otherwise as I'd never leave the house.  

Keith wrote:

Darcy-may wrote:Aww Keith your a gent to look after bob so well, he's lucky to have found you

Not at all - the dogs keep me sane.
I could go crackers otherwise as I'd never leave the house.  

I'm the same, wouldn't go out for days on end if it won't for darcy  

Oooh. I've been if-ing and am-ing for the past year since fostering a lovely boy that Biscuit positively fell head over heels for and pined for ages when he left. I always feel mean having one dog on their own and though Bis has got a lab friend and yorkie friend I think she really misses having another staffy to bomb it around with. However, I do have to work and she is usually left for 3 full days a week, she copes with this due to experience in her previous home and sleeps all day.. I think she likes the peace and quiet lol! But of course, though he'd have Biscuit for company I worry that this is a long time for a younger boy to be left? He'd have free rein of the house with Biscuit as soon as they're aquainted and trusted to be left together. We're relocating to a little suburb outside of the city that backs onto dartmoor and is surrounded by woodland and fields! So he'd have lots of off lead exercise, well as much as he wants.. Biscuit also usually does and hour and then lies down and frog crawls towards home  

I'm not too fussed about training, I can do all of that, just been looking for a chilled boy that's sociable and could preferably be let off lead.. I can't handle two nervous dogs and long lines on a walk  

Rachel33 wrote:Oooh. I've been if-ing and am-ing for the past year since fostering a lovely boy that Biscuit positively fell head over heels for and pined for ages when he left. I always feel mean having one dog on their own and though Bis has got a lab friend and yorkie friend I think she really misses having another staffy to bomb it around with. However, I do have to work and she is usually left for 3 full days a week, she copes with this due to experience in her previous home and sleeps all day.. I think she likes the peace and quiet lol! But of course, though he'd have Biscuit for company I worry that this is a long time for a younger boy to be left? He'd have free rein of the house with Biscuit as soon as they're aquainted and trusted to be left together. We're relocating to a little suburb outside of the city that backs onto dartmoor and is surrounded by woodland and fields! So he'd have lots of off lead exercise, well as much as he wants.. Biscuit also usually does and hour and then lies down and frog crawls towards home  

I'm not too fussed about training, I can do all of that, just been looking for a chilled boy that's sociable and could preferably be let off lead.. I can't handle two nervous dogs and long lines on a walk  

Bob was left for four hours today - tomorrow will probably be five.
He was free to wander half the house, and Wingo got the other half.
From what I can see (left video camera running but batteries go flat after about an hour), he just snoozed on the tiled floor. He was happy to see me on my return, but not anxious.

I would imagine that he'll manage a working day easily enough - he likes his quiet rest - very soon.

It's his sixth day here, and off-lead training will probably start tomorrow morning. I usually do this at silly o'clock in the morning when absolutely no one else is around and it begins with having a 20 metre long lead on free trail, then a 10 metre, then nothing, using sticks and footballs and frisbees and the like to encourage mental engagement and help to reinforce the usual key words.

He is clearly taking cues from Wingo, and I feel he gives Wingo confidence, too.

He was perfect again overnight, sleeping in his crate (door open), then visiting me about 6am so he could leap onto the bed and have a quick half hour snooze on my head.  

Hmmm... and where abouts is he based?!?  I'm in Exeter..

Mr Bobble is near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.

Up the M5 to Birmingham and turn right.

Ah that's not too far.. if we were interested, what would the adoption fee be? And would be neutered and up to date with vaccs/fleaing/worming etc?

You'd need to talk to the rescue about adoption fees - I don't get involved in any of that, Rachel.

I *think* they ask for a minimum 150 pounds as the average cost per dog is four hundred and something due to neutering, vax, vet checks, surgery for some of them, etc - they just saved a trio of pups at a cost of 10 grand.

Bob is neutered and I believe vax are up-to-date.

Bob day six.

Another perfect overnight sleep in his crate broken only by Bob coming to visit me early this morning, climbing onto the bed and then my head for a pre-get up snooze.

Great all day, snuggled down with Wingo for the morning on the sofa, then a bit of sit and stay training with some nice dog biscuits and some offcuts of various things in the fridge (Bob likes carrots).

This evening, as it threatened to rain, the park was completely deserted - no people, let alone no dogs - so Bob had his first taste of running free (with a 20 metre fabric lead attached in case he decided to do the offski).

Bob and Wingo had great fun running round in circles, then exploring the perimeters of the park - the hedges and undergrowth.

He came back when called.

Near the end, they found a giant stick - well, more of a small, fallen tree - and brought it back to me, one terrier jaw at either end, carefully balancing it. No disagreements at all - they seemed to be in partnership. Lol.

Back home when it began to rain properly - neither seemed bothered - and, now we're home, Wingo is wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa while Bob, who hasn't been told staffies aren't supposed to like the rain, is zipping in and out of the house to check if it's still coming down.

What a little star! Will have a chat with my OH when he gets back tomorrow evening, and if all goes well.. will contact the centre this week?

No probs - afternoons is usually best as mornings is feeding, cleaning out, transportation, etc.

Will try to get some sit-stay training and running round in the park videos done this week.

Interesting night last night.

Bob was well up for his walkies, doing his usual dance when the lead came out.

Walked beautifully to the park and then, as we got there, he sat down and made it clear he didn't want to go in.

Now, Bob loves the park, so this was strange.

I coaxed him in but each time I did, he turned for the park exit and marched off.

So, we went home again and, five minutes into starting to walk home, it absolutely poured down.

I wonder if Bob knew heavy rain was coming

Bob and Wingo have upped their playfulness.

In the back garden, Bob rolls onto his back, then over onto his front, doing rolly pollies across the decking.

This sends Wingo wild with delight - she squeaks, play bows, and does the tucked bum terrier sprint, which triggers Bob into the same.

Their play only lasts about a minute, and it's always outside, but it's hilarious to watch.

Bob's first knock on the door.

I had a large parcel coming today and when the door was knocked, Bob let me know with a short, sharp bark.

All I had to do was point to his crate, and in he went, quiet as a mouse, while I answered the door.

Good boy Bob.

He sounds like such a good dog, Rachel you should go and meet him!

Arrghhh I want hiiiimm! I tried to contact the rescue via email as my phone's dead at the moment, but they just told me I'd need to speak to you lol, have emailed back again trying to be a little clear about the info I wanted and things.. Things have gone a little up in the air at the moment as our housemate has just upped and buggered off to New Zealand, so things are a bit short money wise, however both me and the OH are smitten and haven't even met him yet.. so going to see what the rescue say about how many times we would all need to travel up to see him etc and then have a big chat about it all.

Oh good luck Rachel. I must admit I've fallen in love with Buddy/Bob as well, he sounds and looks absolutely gorgeous.

Fingers crossed for you Rachel.

Rachel33 wrote:Arrghhh I want hiiiimm! I tried to contact the rescue via email as my phone's dead at the moment, but they just told me I'd need to speak to you lol, have emailed back again trying to be a little clear about the info I wanted and things.. Things have gone a little up in the air at the moment as our housemate has just upped and buggered off to New Zealand, so things are a bit short money wise, however both me and the OH are smitten and haven't even met him yet.. so going to see what the rescue say about how many times we would all need to travel up to see him etc and then have a big chat about it all.

Hi Rachel,
You would need to speak to me but you'd also need to speak to Ros at the rescue - she won't have been the one emailing you as Ros is to computers what socks are to to tennis balls. Lol.

Bob sends a nice Bob lick.  
Wingo's doing her winky thing she does when the camera comes out. LMAO.

Haha they're both gorgeous! Should have a phone sorted later in the week so I will try to call instead Give him a snuggle from us! Thank you for the luck