Rain............. :(

So Clark doesn't like the rain............... at all!  Bless him, on his walk this morning we walked at about 1/4 a mile an hour, he really didn't want to be out there with the drops landing on his back!  Then to make it worse we had to cross the river, oh dear, Cornwall is NOT Spain and he is not enjoying our weather.

On a BIG plus though he is much much drier (urine wise) having been on the Propalin - last night he only had a small amount of urine on his pad and slept the whole night until 5.45am - I took him out and he had a good long wee! 

We are all getting on so very well, Clark still grumbles a bit at the girls if they get to close when he is in his bed but this afternoon he was in the kitchen with me and Wena strolled in to eat and he was good as gold, no grumbling at all. He is more grumbly with Molly but Molly is scared of him so I guess he is just trying to find his place in the pack. 

His place in the pack may have gone down a few notches bearing in mind he is wearing a pink jumpie - but he was chilly so better to be warm than manly.....  ;) 

He really is such a little treasure, he 'chats' to me when he is having a cuddle - little moans and gentle squeaks, then rolls on his back for a tummy tickle. He's a little less trusting with Rob but he's getting there slowly. We can only assume that men have badly treated him in the past, poor baby. By the time he is ready for his forever home I am sure he will be much more confident in men, Rob is gentle and quiet around him and he is coming around more and more each day.

Sadly we are going to be without computer access for a week or so but we shall resume our blog as soon as we can.  Thanks for reading.

Positive moves in the right direction!

A new day of positives!!  

Yesterday our vet catheterised Clark to check if there were any obstructions in his Urethra and there are no stones she could feel in there which is great news, also his urine test results came back positively too.  Now the not so positive........ with the good news comes the question of why? If all those results are good then why the streaming urine when sleeping and the dribbles when his bladder starts to fill?  So one test Siobhan suggested was that we should trial Propalin as this helps stimulate the muscles (I think!)  so yesterday lunch time we started his first dose and guess what.............. we are sure that he is not dribbling quite as much as he was........... we think the Propalin may be working!!!!! 

Today I have made two more belly bands, got some incontinence pads and Tena Lady pads for the belly bands so IF he continues to need them they will keep him dry whilst he  sleeps. Buying a basket full of incontinence pads etc was mildly embarrassing at my age but hey, he's worth it!!  Sadly we are really struggling to get the RC Urinary food in him, he really isn't keen (!) but we need to keep him on it to prevent crystals and stones forming again in the future. 

We have decided to try Yumega Plus by Lintbells too which I hope will help his skin improve. We also started the Optimmune for his poorly left eye today.  I bathed him with Malaseb this afternoon and he was so so good - you can now see his colours coming through, black patches, tan and his white is white! His skin is very speckled and his tummy is just adorable - he showed me this morning by rolling over for a tummy tickle!! He was very itchy last night and didn't settle very well but I am hoping he will be happier tonight as he is clean and hope that soothes his itchies - its hardly surprising his skin has been irritating him bearing in mind when he arrived he was matted and dreadlocked all over. Having trimmed and now bathed him he smells and feels so much better to our touch and I am sure he feels better too!!

Should the Propalin  fail to give as good results as now hoped our soft tissue surgeon Helena and our specialist scanner Rachael are planning to work together to try and find any internal problems in his bladder using x-rays, scans and dye but as we are trialing the Propalin this shall not be done for about 10 days or so. He will need to go to our hospital at Falmouth should we go down this route and I have every confidence that if they find anything they can fix they will do so perfectly!  

Clark is really bonding to me now and when I took Wena to agility this afternoon he cried when I left :'(  but when I came home he was ecstatic, leaping about and licking me! Rob took him and Molly for a walk whilst I was gone and he was much less confident without me but he did settle in the end and he is having gentle short walks, two to three times a day, to build his muscles up. 

Rob moved some clothes at home this afternoon and dropped a file which really scared poor Clark and sent him galloping into the kitchen to me - there he sat for quite a while trembling but he eventually got over and seems to have forgiven Rob. It frighten him, poor baby. The evidence is there that he has been abused in the past but also there is evidence that he did once live with people he trusted - he was happy to be bathed and brushed and he is as clean as he can be in the house bearing in mind his problems. 

As a first foster for us we got lucky with him!!  He is a gentle loving chap who may have some medical issues but generally is a loving fella who only wants to be loved right back!

Positive big smiles here!!  We love our little SUPERMAN!!

Difficult days ahead

Since Clark arrived on Tuesday he has had some issues with dribbling urine both whilst awake and more so when sleeping. We know he had some issues whilst in Spain and had suffered a bladder rupture but we weren't aware just how poorly he was or still is.  He also has some eye problems but these are treatable and will not cause him any serious health issues for the long term. 

Tomorrow he will have some more tests carried out and we are very glad he is in the capable hands of our vet, Siobhan at Rosemullion, here in Helston. 

He has had a fabulous walk today on a long lead which allowed him to run and play..... he really is growing in confidence daily and his zest for life is amazing bearing in mind all he has been through. He is also becoming highly skilled at relaxing in comfort! 

I have struggled a bit today, worrying about his future and whether he can be fixed and go on to lead a happy healthy life, but we need to deal with the here and now and not look too far forward. We will know a little more tomorrow so I will give you all some more information as and when it becomes available to me, but please be assured of one thing..... Clark has the full support of Terrier SOS and will have any treatment that he can to help him through - he also has all the love he could possible want here with us. He is a gentle, loving soul who loves nothing better than a snuggle in.  He is a very special little Fox Terrier - soon to develop into a fully blown terrierist if we have anything to do with it!!

Day 2 in the Big Brother house....well he is, kind of!

What a boy! He slept all night in his tent crate next to my bed, not a sound!  Occasional turning around to get more comfortable but nothing more. He is still grumbling at the girls if they get too close to him but nothing more than a little warning and they are respecting him and staying out of his way.

Once they were fed and walked this morning he decided he needed a little snooze and jumped up on to Rob's chair ......

Off we went to work this morning and Siobhan kindly had a good look at him, he has some medical issues to deal with but he was such a good boy - new people, new place, new noises, new dogs coming and going, operation to watch through the window, and he coped incredibly well. He has some issues with his bladder, having had two bladder ruptures whilst in Spain within 3 weeks of each other so we question how this has happened to him....did they do a poor repair or did they fail to remove all the stones? He is still suffering and we are doing some tests to establish how poorly he is and what can be done to help him. He also has an ear infection, his skin isn't wonderful and his left eye is cloudy, so all in all he has a way to go before achieving full health. With all that said he is bright and happy and very very loving so we are on the right road!

This afternoon we have had a gentle stroll and as you can see he is settling in with the girls really well when outside, happy to walk with them and sniff together and pee together!  When my two were off playing ball he was desperate to join in but he is staying on lead for a good month or so or until we can trust his recall! He really is a treasure! 

Arrival!

He is HERE!!!!!!!!! 

Sorry for the delay in writing but we wanted to make sure his first few hours were all about him and his needs. He arrived at 9.45am and I was told he had been a perfect traveller and only had a small wee accident once since they left the kennel in Spain on Friday!! Now bearing in mind he has had some serious urinary issues I'd say that was amazing! 

My first sight of him was high in a crate and he looked through the bars with worry....although to be fair you could hardly see his eyes through the dreadlocks. Speaking of which his coat was awful, matted, dirty, smelly and lots of dreadlocks hanging off his body. His tummy was fine as he had been shaved for his recent op so thankfully he had a clean patch!! 

It was piddling down so once he had his harness securely fastened we posed for a picture for the transport chap and then set off to the field. Rob went in to collect the girls as we had arranged for them all to meet on neutral territory. He enjoyed a few sausages on the way down the lane and stopped for some peemail. Sowena and Molly caught us up in the field and we had a brief sniff and off we went around the perimeter to keep them moving and letting them have a sniff from a distance....... a few small grumbles from Clark and nothing from Wena at all!!! Very surprised but she is much better with boys generally. After a few minutes of ambling about we let Molly off as she is always good and they all trotted along happily so we made for home. 

So far so good indoors, Clark is growling at them if they come too close but my girls have retreated to the bed upstairs whilst Clark is my shadow....where I go he goes! The baby gate is up so he is free to roam on the dining room side but when we go through into the lounge he is on his lead so I have some control. Right now he is sleeping in his bed next to my feet whilst attached to my leg by his lead just in case we have a coming together of terrierist!! 

He is very very smelly and the mats were tight around his face and between his legs. In the photo above it looks as if he is wet but he isn't...... his coat is matted and greasy, lots of little dreadlocks and mats have formed which not only smell bed must be uncomfortable as they are tight to his skin.  After an hour or so of ambling about sniffing the house from top to bottom and a little sleep we went into the garden and I started to snip off the worse of his coat. I don't want to worry him by clipping him or bathing as yet, I want him to settle in first, but the smell and the tight mats have to go!!  He was an angel he just stood in the garden sniffing the air whilst I snipped him pretty much all over! His eyes and ears are dirty but have managed to clean his eyes quite well, his ears though are in need of some proper cleaner so will get some tomorrow for him. 

Now going to take a short walk around the field again and then I can take my girls for a proper one whilst he has another snooze. 

Tomorrow........... eeek

So tomorrow is the beginning of Clarks new life, and ours, everything is prepared....we think!  He should be here by 9am. Bound to be something we have forgotten but I have the day off and Rob is going to be here for when he arrives so we can do introductions in the field on neutral territory. He is very timid and dislikes camera's so we shall have to do some distance shots tomorrow and gradually get him over his fear....... in this house the camera is always on the go, however nothing but dogs are ever on the disk so with patience and time we are confident he'll come round. 

From a concrete floor in Spain to a warm, snuggly bed, full tummy and lots of love for our Superman!

Wish us and him luck!!

Preparations continue

More preparations for Clarks arrival today, brought the crates down from the loft, gave them a spring clean and washed all the dog bedding. Sowena has claimed them both as usual..... Molly has never been partial to a crate but Wena has always loved hers. 

Also done some repairs to the back garden to ensure no escapes are made........ never say never but much harder for any terrieirist to escape!! Now only need to get some Urinary food for Clark tomorrow and we are all set. He is travelling over on the night train tonight from France and will arrive here on Tuesday morning...... not long now!! :)

Day by day.....

So each day is a day closer to Clark arriving here and preparations are going well, the Vets practice in Spain are sending all his medical history over for our vets to look through and prepare a plan of action for his future diet and needs bearing in mind his urinary problems. We have a new tag and bell all ready for his collar and he'll soon be out walking in the Cornish air. 

Baby gate and crates are ready for slow introductions and we are getting more excited by the day to meet him and for him to join our family. We shall be posting lots of photos of his stay here and hope to find him a forever home where he can live happily ever after. 

Join us as our Superman begins to fly!

The beginning......

We are taking a leap into the unknown....... we have never fostered a dog before and we have the opportunity to help a creature that humans have consistently let down, abandoned and left to die in Spain. A little life worth nothing to those who abandoned him, a little life not important enough to do the right thing by. So, with the help of Terrier SOS we said we would foster him and try to repair him and find him a forever home, sounds simple hey......... but its far from simple and we are terrified and excited all in one! 

Clark Kent, 'Superman'....... a small Wire Fox Terrier abandoned on a road near a service station with severe urinary problems, an eye infection, left to fend for himself, left to feed on scraps and rubbish, left to die.  He was found at the garage by a kind lady who was trying hard to help him and contacted Terrier SOS to see if they could take him on. He had a nasty eye infection and the garage owners wanted him gone - he was dirty. If no one would help him they would call the Perrera...... certain death for little Clark Kent. Thankfully the kind lady managed to catch him and deliver him into the care of Terrier SOS and the work began to save his life and give him a future.

Since in Terrier SOS care he has had some serious operations to correct a urinary problem and is now well enough to travel to the UK having had all the necessary vaccinations and passport issued. So he leaves behind the Spanish landscapes to arrive here in Cornwall in 11 days and thats where our lives change for ever. 

The name of this blog will give you some idea of the dog we are expecting him to develop into as he becomes well and finds his confidence...... terriers, all breeds of terriers, are an acquired taste and for us the best type of dog you could ever wish for but they often live up to the term 'terrierist'. Naughty, feisty, bold, brave, rabbit chasers, (in fact they'll chase anything that moves quickly!!) loyal, funny, clowns, loving, sweet, cuddly........... for all their foibles they make the best friends and companions. We have no doubt he will be 'shell shocked' when he arrives, he has been in kennels in Spain since December, spent time in the vets there, will be taken in transport across Europe and then on a ferry to the UK, will be travelling overnight to Cornwall and then will arrive into the unknown...... scary stuff for a little dog who has been let down consistently by humans most of his life. We anticipate a really difficult period for him whereby he will have to learn to trust us, learn that we will care for him no matter what, learn that there will always be a warm bed, a good meal and a good walk every day and that he can relax and enjoy life. He may never have known love but we just don't know.......was he ever a beloved pet or has he just survived so far through abandonment and loss?

What we do know is that we can provide a happy, safe environment to allow him to grow into himself. He will have other 'terrierists' to learn from (not so sure that is a good thing!!)  and a loving family to give him guidance and confidence.

From time to time we feel like backing out of this, changing our minds, apologising to Terrier SOS and saying sorry its just too much ...... its a huge step, we have so many questions of ourselves..... Are we up to it?  We don't know a huge amount about dog behaviour but do we know enough? We have friends to ask for help from but how much can we ask of them? What if our dogs dislike him? What if he dislikes them? What if he is too poorly to repair? What if he dislikes a home environment? What if he is an escape artist? What is he hurts himself? What if he hurts us? So many questions........so few answers!  One thing we do know is we have to try....... we have found so far in life you can't regret the things you do only those you are not brave enough to try...... so Clark will be here very soon! 

So how about following our new life and come along for the rollercoaster ride it may well end up being........ Clark Kent could be the start of a whole new way of living, fostering others and helping them find a forever home or he could be the one and only foster we have................. who knows - I'll let you know as we go along!