Saul and Sierra

It’s so good, one is not enough!

“Almost a year ago, as a result of our daughter doing well academically, we started the search for a dog. After a couple of unsatisfactory visits to various rescue centres we arrived at SOSD for a shelter tour. To cut a long story short over the next few weeks we saw and walked a couple of dogs before we decided Sierra was the dog for us and took her back for a homestay. A shy but loving dog she found the first week tough as she had no idea of what was happening to her, but her good nature and trust came shining through and she settled in beautifully. Our initial fears of an ‘unpredictable’ poorly behaved ‘rescue’ dog with no house training, chewing furniture and fittings and never being able to use a ‘normal’ taxi were totally unwarranted. She soon became a firm member of the family.

Six months later, over Christmas, my daughter found that Saul, her biological brother and enclosure mate at SOSD, was still unadopted. After much deliberation of ‘do we really need another dog?’ (and a good story, penned by Saul, on the SOSD website about his sister finding her forever home while he was still back in the pound!) we started Saul on a three-week homestay. To be perfectly honest, he started out being more difficult to handle. He took a good 10 days to settle in and was insistent on using the outside patio door mat as a toilet, which given the alternative, was far better than inside! This was soon remedied after a little gentle training and we haven’t looked back since.

Walking with two dogs started out as a challenge. He is extremely strong and used to doing his own thing. However, being intelligent, he responds very well to training. One far more concerning thing was that he would snap at, but never bite, people who would try and pat him on the top of his head unannounced or unseen (something you should never do with a strange dog anyway). But once he started to feel more secure, this behaviour stopped. He had turned out to be an absolute softy and now actively comes up to family members for a pat, cuddle or scratch.

Another thing that worried us was the interaction between Sierra, the established Top Dog of the house, and the big brother interloper. After one altercation about a dog bed and a chew toy they have both settled down and enjoy each other’s company in the home, when playing, and on walks.

The most important thing is that, apart from the benefit of having two extremely good natured and positive additions to the family, we have two contented and happy rescue dogs whose lives have been changed immeasurably and they have responded accordingly.

None of this would have been possible without the tireless work of the SOSD volunteers. Their selfless care, devotion, and compassion give many dogs a much needed second chance at life. Thank you for rescuing two awesome dogs.”

– Saul’s and Sierra’s Adopter