Border Collie
Rescue - On Line - Patch
Patch
Hello everyone.
I've overheard my humans talking about this exciting Celebrate Your Dog feature happening very soon and rather than wait for them to put pen to paper I thought I'd drop you a line myself.
Please don't think that I'm being big headed but I can't wait to tell you about the great things that I have done for my humans.
One of the first things I achieved when I came to live in Allestree was giving my human Rod, aka Carrot Master, the confidence to go out on his buggy.
You see he is disabled, he hasn't always been that way and it was a huge step for him to go for walks on the buggy. People, however are usually happy to talk about me.
I'm a handsome chap you see, and they didn't seem to notice the buggy.
I'm an excellent guard dog, well, that's what the humans think.
I actually like the sound of my own voice and rarely miss a chance to bark - postman, careers, family members, meter readers and even the Pastor from church!
I should point out that sometimes my barking gets me into trouble. I have been banned in the past from our local pub, I'm alright now though
Chris, one of my other humans, had a rough time health wise as a youngster and he has a learning disability.
One of the things Chris hates most of all is being on his own and when Rod and Llyn have been at work, I have been able to make him feel safe and secure.
I'm proud of that because the two cats couldn't have done it. Dog 1 Cats 0
Talking about the cats, I'm a real hero to Zippy.
She was very very poorly and spent a lot of time in hospital which was stressing her enormously and the vet asked if my humans could go to see her but it didn't help her.
Then my human, Llyn, had the idea to take me to
visit and Zippy calmed down and started her recovery. When she got
home she was very pleased to see me and we had afternoon naps
together in Kurt's bedroom, Zip on the bed and me on the floor.
Llyn says I'm very accommodating.
She rescued a cat Sally, from
a property at Milford that had to be repossessed and I've been
fine about it.
Zippy on the other hand has never quite forgiven
Llyn!
I used to visit Granddad often, but he has got older and more
forgetful (he's 95 yrs).
He gives me biscuits, sandwiches, cake, etc.,
which I'm not to have but he forgets & I think it would be rude
not to accept so I'm banned on an almost daily basis.
Currently I'm allowed in with a chaperone.
The vet says I'm in very good condition for my age and my humans
seem 'obsessed' with my diet and weight.
That brings me nicely to
something I have done for my human Llyn.
Not long after I arrived,
she lost weight and toned up due to the walks we have together and
I'm happy to report that I have managed to keep her weight in check.
Apparently I'm also her preferred method of stress busting, a walk
with me is just what she needs when things get a bit much.
Forgive me if I appear to blow my own trumpet but they all tell me how much I do for them and how much I'm loved - from the end of my nose to the tip of my tail, and I know they really do feel blessed that I have come into their lives and made such a difference.
I'm also blessed and would like to celebrate my humans.
Chris for his company and walks dutifully carried out.
Llyn for ensuring that I only get carrots for treats and watching what I eat. (oh and those lovely long walks, although not so long these days).
Rod, who has 'exercised' my brain all these years.
I have a fantastic repertoire of tricks all of which I'm happy to do for a carrot!
Must dash off as carers are due and I wouldn't want to miss a chance to bark.
Love and licks
Patch
Patch often writes to us. If you want to read more of his stories, check them out here.
Patch was not the Slim Jim he is now. Circumstances were different when he first came into our care.
Read his full story below -
Patch - just after he arrived with us - a leg on each corner
He was overweight, belligerent, uncouth, agoraphobic and generally a little unkempt
The only thing in his favour (if it could be called that) was that he had been well fed!
The whole thing started when we received a telephone call from an RSPCA inspetcor to ask if we would help by taking in a dog.
We were told that the dog belonged to an elderly lady who was not able to look after it properly. They lived in town in a first floor flat and the dog had never been outside.
It was overweight, very poorly socialised and protective of its owner and territory.
The RSPCA had been called in by social services a few weeks before and had tried to help by explaining how to look after a dog properly but the lady did not seem to understand.
Patch meets Nicki
The lady was eventually persuaded to give the dog up but only if it went to Border Collie Rescue so the RSPCA got in touch to ask for our co-operation.
On the allotted day we got a call from a lady inspector from the RSPCA to let us know she was on her way to collect Patch and bring him over to us.
Quite a time passed and then we got another call from her explaining that there had been a delay and she was waiting for another inspector to arrive to give her a hand because she could not get the dog into the van.
When we asked of the dog was a problem, was it stubborn or aggressive in some way she said, "no" but it was so fat it could not jump up into the van and so heavy she could not lift it unaided so she was waiting for help.
Younger than we thought and quite handsome
Some time later Patch arrived.
He was a little dazed and confused at first but seemed relieved to be out of the vehicle so was in such a good mood he was quite willing to do whatever anyone wanted.
The RSPCA lady told us that she was a little surprised by his ease being outside because he had never gone any further than the hall at the bottom of the stairs where he guarded the front door.
It had been assumed he was agoraphobic and it had taken her such a long time to get him from the house to the van that she thought this assessment was now confirmed.
As it was, the effort required was due to his reluctance to move anywhere and his dead weight when he just sat down and refused to move!
