After many months of gently seeding ‘we need a dog’ into family conversations, in March we bit the bullet and adopted Jerry. I say ‘we’, my wife wasn’t given much of a choice but it didn’t take long for all our hearts to melt.
After months in a rescue centre, the very long flight, and no doubt being separated from brother Tom who went to the opposite end of the UK, Jerry was very timid when he arrived. A few days in, a cuddle or tummy-rub here, a walk in the garden there, the resistance started to weaken. Sleeping on his own took a few nights though, part jet lag, part fear – but sleeping on the lounge room floor with him formed a wonderful bond.
He’s a ball of energy every day now. He loves sitting in the sun, barking at hedgehogs in the garden (never knew we had so many!) and at delivery drivers. But then he loves a good snooze on the sofa to recharge his batteries.
He has the most amazing hearing, even when’s asleep on the sofa, when the fridge or the cheese box opens, he’s there in a flash!
Taking him to dog training wasn’t our most productive investment and he still loves to chew bark, grass, skirting boards and dirty socks despite our best advice. Recall when he’s off lead? Only when he’s good and ready!
But from small children to the elderly, our village pub goers to rough-looking bikies, everyone adores Jerry.
It was a post from a former work colleague that introduced me to this wonderful charity, and we can’t thank him enough. The support we’ve had with Jerry has been brilliant, before and after our Gotcha Day.
We hate to think where our lovely boy might have ended up without the rescue centre and DMT DRSG, but now we can’t imagine our lives without him. He’s yet to turn two so we look forward to a long and marvellous future with him.