Willow

Youngster Willow is a 10-month old staffie-cross girl that was with us briefly in March and then was successfully rehomed.

Unfortunately, despite settling in really well her new owner developed a severe allergic reaction to her, and she will be coming back to us on 23 April 2024.

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The sort of home we are looking for is:

• A confident and assertive owner

• No dogs in the house.

• Has lived with cats but will bark at them.

• No children under the age of 13 years.

• Access to her own private and secure garden.

• Access to the sofa for cuddles.

• Not used to being left for more than an hour, so if you intend to leave her longer you will need to get her used to this gradually.

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Willow's last owner kindly gave us this feedback on the time he had her on 19 April 2024:

"Willow is surprisingly calm in the home for a young dog, and we were very surprised by how quickly she settled in here, she is not destructive in any way, and has not attempted to chew anything of ours. She does enjoy play time, and will engage with toys especially playing ball in the garden. 

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"She is not a noisy dog, but will sometimes give a short bark if something surprises her. She is very inquisitive, and does like to know what you are doing, and as with any dog, it's a good idea not to leave food in reach. 

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"Willow can be timid with strangers, but she will soon come out of her shell, and when you gain her trust, she is very affectionate. I have certainly not witnessed any aggressive behaviour at all from her.

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"Out on walks she is generally good, she can pull a little, and is very interested in her surroundings, expect lots of sniffing. She can sometimes become excited and jump and bite the lead, but has made great progress in correcting this, using treats and commands. She has been fine with other dogs out and about, even dogs barking at her, or a puppy jumping on her have not triggered any reaction.

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"She is very motivated by food, and does tend to eat quickly, but will take treats gently.

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"In general, Willow is an intelligent and affectionate girl, who will benefit from some training,  and loves to be close to people."

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Handling

A lovely happy young dog who may when meeting Willow you be quite timid and shy, however this does not last long. The more time you spend with her the more she comes out of her shell and shows the happy, bright personality you would expect a young dog to have. As such a young dog you should expect all the bouncy antics of a 10-month-old puppy who will benefit from an active home and some training, possibly including puppy/dog socialisation.

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If she gets too excited Willow may mouth, but she responds well to a firm "no". We are looking an experienced dog owner, someone confident and assertive.

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During her time with us Willow has had time in the home of one of our dog walkers, and she has been very well behaved, and the only thing noted was occasionally mouthing when excited which she stops when told to.

Walking

Willow may pull on walks. She does not pull very much, and she is certainly young enough to benefit from training. She is very engaged in her surroundings with lots of sniffing and happy to toilet outside. She may get over-excited at times and may grab the lead. Sudden movements may make her cower down. Seems to be happy to walk in the rain. 

Playing

Loves toys. She will play with anything but seems to favour balls. She is not bothered about you picking up toys that are near/under her. Very bouncy, and may jump up (and high), and when excited can be a little nibbly/mouthing. She will bring a toy to you, and drop it for you to throw, but she can be impatient if you don’t throw quick enough.

Dogs and cats

Willow lived with several dogs and two cats in her original home. She used to bark at the cats, and they tended to stay away from her. Although Willow gets on with other dogs, she can be possessive of food around other dogs, and this is the primary reason why she was given up for rehoming.

The original owner recommended she is the only dog in the home. Therefore, we are looking for a home without an existing dog or cat.

Health

Willow appears in good health with no signs or symptoms of injury or illness. Willow arrived not vaccinated and saw our vet 20 March 2024 to have her 1st restart vaccination and Kennel Cough vaccine. She had her second vaccination to complete the course on 3 April 2024. She is microchipped but not neutered and will be neutered after adoption once she has had her first season (this began 9 March 2024). 

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Weight 22.1 kg

Further information provided by the original owner includes:

• House trained.

• Only normally left for an hour. When left, if she has had a good walk she will be in the back room with the other dogs, if she has not had a recent walk she will be caged/crated.

• Not yet had her first season.

• Fine with dogs outside, will likely lie down/be submissive. Has met and had doggy friends outside the home and got on with the dogs in the home except when food was around, and it is also noted that the other dogs, being smaller did not adjust to her being in the home.

• Lived with children from the ages of 4 years and upwards.

• Good with children, never shown aggression or dominance to the children.

• Loves to play with balls, and hard balls are the best as soft ones get destroyed.

• Sometimes pulls on walks.

• Good traveler, not car sick. Used to journeys of 90 minutes, longest was the 3-hour journey to Happy Staffie.

• Never shown aggression or dominance to any person

• Only ever shown dominance over resident dogs when food was around.