It has been absolute ages since I last blogged about my pets
and I do apologise. I’ve had so much
going on. Today I want to talk about the
newest addition to our family, Atticus Finch.
Finch is a rescue dog and he is a Pomeranian cross. We’re not overly sure what he is mixed with
but our guess is a long haired Chihuahua.
We wanted Gatsby, our little pug to have a brother and to be
socialised with other dogs. We really
wanted some company for him and to give another little dog a happy and loving
home. We decided to visit the DSPCA and
see if there were any dogs that would be matched to us. The staff there were very helpful and
introduced us to Finch.
Finch was in the shelter with his sister. Both dogs had lived in a home with over 200
dogs. Finch’s sister had already been
adopted so he was going to be on his own and he isn’t great on his own. He was a very quiet little chap with a sweet
little face. I held him for a few
minutes and gave him as much of a snuggle as he would allow. He was very shy.
Later that afternoon we brought Gatsby to meet Finch and
took both dogs for a little stroll. They
were indifferent to each other. At first
I thought this was a problem but the staff assured me that this was best case
scenario as if the boys didn’t like each other or were incompatible they would
have fought straightaway.
Later that week we went to collect Finch and bring him
home. I was very nervous about how he
might react to his new hedgehog and guinea pig brothers. We were told that as soon as we got out of
the car we should walk the two boys around the block before bringing them into
the house. When Finch entered his new
home he was inquisitive about his new brothers but wasn’t bothered by them, nor
did he bark or attack them. He sat on my
knee and on the couch for his first evening and tried to take in his new
surroundings.
He was incredibly nervous of both us and Gatsby for the
first few days. Both boys had a few small scraps to decide which one of them
was the alpha but it wasn’t anything serious.
Finch didn’t know his name and didn’t understand any basic
commands. He also wasn’t used to the
lead so at times that was difficult.
So how is he getting on now?
He is still a little shy and is not always great with new people but him and
I have become great friends. He follows
me around the house. He loves his
brothers and running around gardens. He
gets very excited for his walks and bounces out the door. He still has a few funny quirks. He takes his food from his bowl and runs away
with it, eating it in hiding. He cowers
when anyone pets him from behind. He is
nervous of approaching people and he likes to hide in confined spaces. Each week that passes I see another positive
change in him. His tail is always
wagging and he usually has a cheeky grin on his face. He loves a sneaky slice of ham as a treat. Ear rubs are
his favourite. He can’t be without
Gatsby and adores playing with him. He
lets me put hats and outfits on him and sits still while I do it.
Finch still has a few problems but he has come such a long
way and we love that he is part of our family.
He had a tough start to his life but he is happy and spoiled in his new
forever home.
