If ever a dog deserves a "forever" home, it is one of our shelter dogs called Angel. Angel was brought to TEARS on 5 September 2005, having been found on the premises of the Novalis Institute in Wynberg. We estimated that he must have been about four years old then. He was in a terrible condition, thin and had biliary which could have cost him his life. However, he bounced back and his hyperactive temperament soon became evident, making us realise that the name chosen for him by his rescuer was totally inappropriate. But, we thought, maybe with training and time he would live up to his name.
He didn't particularly like any of his various kennel companions and when prospective adopters walked through the kennels, Angel would go crazy, barking and jumping up and down, spoiling his chances of being adopted. His frenetic behaviour was also evident when he was taken for walks and it was difficult to control him as he strained and pulled on the lead. The years passed and sadly, despite our attempts to find him a home, Angel remained in the kennels. Yet, despite the many years spent in a kennel environment, Angel remained a happy, but hyperactive and exuberant dog.
The saving grace (emotionally) for most of our dogs are our dedicated dog walkers who give of their time come rain or shine to walk our dogs and provide them with mental stimulation. One such dog walker, who, I might add, is at our kennels every day, is Maggie Luff. She is often accompanied by her husband Eddie and they, together with other regular dog walkers, spend hours daily, ensuring that all the dogs are walked. Maggie has a big heart and took pity on Angel. She made it her mission to find Angel a home, but first he would need to receive obedience training and socialisation.
Jan Meyer of the Sun Valley Dog Training School kindly offered to assist with Angel's training and socialisation. Since January, Maggie has collected Angel from the kennels every Saturday morning and taken him for training with Jan. Angel has responded so well to the training and has changed from a "hooligan" to a well-behaved dog. Maggie advises that Angel is now a pleasure to work with. He walks beautifully to heel, obeys the commands to sit, or stay, or down and socialises well with other dogs.
All that is needed now is that "special someone" to give Angel a "forever" home. It will indeed be a bitter-sweet moment when Angel eventually leaves our shelter for the last time. We will all be so happy for him, but will miss the little Devil so much. The champagne is "on ice" for that special day, which, we hope, won't be too far off.
Maggie, our special thanks for your dedication to Angel and our cause.
Jan, we so appreciate the time you spend training so many of the TEARS dogs and in particular Angel. Thank you.
