Helloooooooooooo!
There are many different personalities among the dogs at the sanctuary. There's me (Toto) - outgoing, cheeky, wanting attention, and then Lilly - all knowing and quietly dominant. Then there's Dolly Daydream, the deep thinker - and Mila, the photogenic bouncy one - Robyn the snappy one - Lola the shy one - Topsy the mysterious one... you get the idea and there are too many residents to list them all. Generally though, just like humans, every dog has their own personality.
Some residents enjoy going out for walks and even out to visit the vets. Others prefer a vet to visit them and not have a car journey - and then others would rather never see anyone except Elizabeth or the regular volunteers. Thankfully, considering how many "oldies" are living at PJ, it's quite remarkable how healthy the dogs generally are and how few are on regular medication. Maybe it's something to do with living a coutry life with plenty of fresh air and exercise. Caring Lady says that germs usually spread rapidly indoors but not so much outside, so maybe that's the answer.
Did you know that each dog receives a dish of food that is specific for that dog and there are supplements, and sometimes tablets, hidden in the food as needed - probably just like you do for your dogs, except that My Mum has lots and lots of dogs and lots and lots of dishes! Every animal gets treated for worms and external parasites and, as with any animal, some treatments work better for some dogs than with others, so treatments are specific for each individual animal, just like their food is. As you can imagine, this is a lot of work but My Mum does it with a happy heart because she loves us all very much. (A diary and notebook is a help too!)
A new arrival spends 2 days in a deep cleaned quarentine pen before moving to a kennel and run area, carefully matching personalities with existing residents. Dogs that arrive at PJ the same time tend to be kept together initially as they are both at the same stage of bewilderment and (often) fear. As they settle, they are assessed and moved to a kennel & run to match their needs. Matching up personalities can often be accurate first time around but, occassionally, the dog will need moving again as it gains confidence. One thing is almost guaranteed though - each newly arrived dog undergoes huge changes in the first few weeks and those changes continue for many months and, in some cases, years. My Mum can usually match a dog fairly accurately, practically as soon as it arrives. She matches dogs by energy groups, ages and personalities and its always much harder to add a single dog to an established group than to start a new group altogether - so we totally understand the potential problems of adopting a new dog into your family if you already have other pets, and we know how important it is to get those adoptions right.
Some dogs just don't enjoy too much human interaction and that is accepted here. PJ will never impose firm expectations or rules on dogs such as "You MUST learn to accept a lead" or "You MUST learn to enjoy going for a walk" or "You MUST learn to like other dogs and play with them", you MUST learn to enjoy living in a house". At PJ, the residents talk and the humans listen - and that is even more important than country living!
Oooo I've just spotted My Mum, gotta dash because I need to talk to her...
..."Mam! Is supper nearly ready?! I think I'll have meat in gravy tonight and Lilly would like meat in jelly - and while we eat, please can you fluff up our bedding again...!"
Bye for now,
love Your Ambassadog, Toto x
