How did you hear about Angus? Somebody I knew shared the BDRUK post about Angus. I read the post and couldn’t help but look him up on BDRUK website. His write up made me laugh and I instantly thought he would be great here with us as he was looking for a mate to play with and loves cats. Being the cat person in the house it was a shock for my partner when I sent Angus’s profile to him – I’ve been known to say two dogs is more than enough and the cats wouldn’t like anymore!! But after he’d laughed, I submitted our interest online and his foster mum contacted me really quickly. After a chat with his foster mum we arranged to meet him over the weekend as he was living close by. Initial impression of Angus? The first meeting was so lovely we spent some time with him and chatted all about him, we even had a little walk with one of our dogs with him. I think I fell in love with him immediately and we arranged a home visit for the next day. The next day he arrived with his foster mum and after all the checks and paperwork were done, while he played in the garden with our other dogs, he stayed. How did he settle in the first week? We knew Angus’s story, he had been born in London without eyes and no hearing before being fostered here in Cornwall. He had been rehomed once, but it hadn’t worked so we knew we had to be 100% committed to him to ensure he was in his forever home. I can’t remember life without Angus he is so full of life and so loving. His first evening here was brilliant and I was amazed at how quickly he learned his way around. I put him in his crate the first evening and he just snuggled down on his bed and blankets and went straight off to sleep. The next morning he was so excited and ready to explore. I tried to keep him to the downstairs for the first couple of days but he wasn’t having any of that, his courage and trust blows my mind as he flew around the house. Luckily like our other two dogs he loves his food – in fact he loves his food and any other food his supercharged nose smells, regardless of whether it is his or not! Despite the first two days of our other two dogs playing with him, they then realised he was staying so weren’t too sure that they wanted to share. But with careful handling and lots of love for them all, our terrier suddenly realised that he had a play mate. They are now best buddies and you can see the look on other dog’s face looking at them like they are the mad boys who should be ignored! The cats couldn’t quite work him out and jumped on him when he was on my lap not realising he was there because he wasn’t paying them any attention. ​ How Angus doing now? It really is like Angus has always been here, he is like my little shadow when I am home, and I love our little adventures out and about. He is so funny, has such a big personality and just loves to be cuddled – what more could you ask for? He loves to be sociable and everywhere we go (and he goes everywhere with me that he can) people ask if they can talk to him, he is quite a celebrity! We realised very quickly that nothing in the kitchen is safe. This week I found my work phone in the garden in the rain – we find lots of interesting things in the garden these days as Angus the house elf takes them out there to play with, unless of course they are edible and then they are used as snacks for him and his best friend Boris. He has quite a thing for carrots, so they now have a new storage location in our house – up high out of his reach and mine. Everything in the kitchen has to be out of the telescopic Angus neck range if you don’t want it devoured or relocated to the garden. But we wouldn’t have him any other way! A few very strange items have also made it to the garden from other rooms and I am thinking he should be renamed Dobby the house elf! He very much adored!

How did you hear about Herbie? I saw Herbie's post on the BDRUK Facebook page and then went onto the website to read more about him. How did you prepare for Herbie’s arrival? I had a separate safe space setup, with new food – puppy food and hypoallergenic food. Two new beds and toys to ensure everything could be kept clean. I also bought dog shampoo to treat fungal infections (just in case). The space was a separate room in the house, to enable Herbie to get the sleep he needed when he arrived. Initial impression of Herbie? Herbie came from Romania and arrived to us at about midnight. His mood was good, although he was tired. He was immediately friendly and wagging his tail. Sadly, he did have fleas, but we were prepared for that and treated him the following morning. How did he settle in the first week? Herbie appeared happy straight away and seemed to be used to being a pet, as opposed to a street dog. He settled in well and was extremely friendly and happy. His eating and drinking were great, he had a good appetite and no upset stomach at all, which I was surprised at due to the amount of time he had been travelling. The meetings with our existing dogs went well and Herbie respects their space, although he does want to play. For the first week he wouldn’t settle at night, and kept barking, but we pushed through this to enable Herbie to understand routine and now he sleeps at night with the other dogs just fine. His toilet training has been great, and he understands to go outside now. How is Herbie doing now? Herbie is wonderful, I wish we could adopt a thousand more of him. He is always so happy to see us even if we have only been in another room. He is so playful yet gentle and loves kisses and cuddles. We love him so much, thank you Blind Dog Rescue for bringing him to us. How is Herbie doing now? Herbie is wonderful, I wish we could adopt a thousand more of him. He is always so happy to see us even if we have only been in another room. He is so playful yet gentle and loves kisses and cuddles. We love him so much, thank you Blind Dog Rescue for bringing him to us.

How did you hear about Anni? I came across BDRUK’s website whilst searching online for rescues that focussed on disabled, blind or older dogs. We already have one disabled dog, a rescue from Romania with a broken spine. Last year we decided we would like to start fostering, and approached BDRUK. Jackie was very quick to respond and very helpful in explaining the process. We fostered Mila, a blind dog from Bosnia, for a few months before she was happily adopted into the family. Months later (and after one further foster with a local charity), we were ready to welcome another dog. However, this time we thought it best to consider adopting – our resident dog is getting older and a little more fussy about his companions coming and going. Jackie was very tolerant in listening to my situation update, and suggested Anni as a potential dog who would fit in well here. I was able to speak to Anni’s fosterer at length to get a very good idea of her before we went to visit. My only concern (and it would have been the same with any dog) was the dynamic between the new entrant and our resident dog. Managing that carefully but giving space was really important, and BDRUK were extremely helpful in helping me plot it. I arranged a separate safe space for Anni, and organised for her to meet our dog outside and walk together before going in to settle down. Initial impression of Anni? We drove over to meet Anni a couple of weeks before we adopted her, partly because her fosterer was in the same county and it wasn’t a long journey, but also because she was recovering from surgery at the time and was not ready to be taken to a new home. We fell in love with Anni instantly as she came out to greet us when we visited her at the foster’s house. When we returned to pick her up at the allotted time, she was exactly as she had seemed at the first meeting – friendly, trusting, adorable, and well-cared for by the fosterer she had been staying with for the last months. How did she settle in the first week? She settled in with us immediately, sleeping and eating normally, and getting on well with our resident dog. I’m sure this was largely because she had been in foster with other dogs, but also because she had previous owners (one who sadly died), and so experience of living as a pet. BDRUK knew her well and we were all confident she would adapt well. How is Anni doing now? Only six weeks after the adoption, Anni is part of the family and it feels like she’s been here forever. She’s so low stress, I never have to worry about the dogs together or manage any difficult behaviours. She’s perfect; the ideal dog. She makes my other dog seem totally neurotic and difficult by comparison! (but then, he is!). Anni is with me most of the time, she follows me, trusts me, sits by my desk. She gangs up with my other dog to raid the larder or pester me for food. She follows my other dog outside and they run around barking together. Anni has no idea what she’s barking at – she’s completely blind – but I love the fact that she’s up for it and so happy. She is a total inspiration and the kindest, sweetest little soul.

How did you hear about Nellie? I stumbled across BDRUK on Facebook when a friend shared a post. I clicked into the post and then found the website. From there I spotted Nellie (she was Tedy then) who sounded perfect for me and my dogs. I already have a Romanian rescue dog plus an elderly German Shepherd from a UK rescue. How do you prepare for your Nellie’s arrival? I’ve previously fostered for both a Romanian and a couple of UK-based rescues, so I did what worked well before by setting up a big crate with a comfy bed in it and a blanket over the crate to create a ’cave’. I was told Nellie would be nervous so I hoped that would give her a safe space to retreat to if she felt overwhelmed. Nellie had different ideas however – she didn’t like the idea of a crate and was curled up on the sofa by the end of the first day, so I took it down and she sleeps in one of the dog beds or on the sofa. Initial impression of Nellie? Nellie arrived at 4.30am – she came straight to me from the transport company who carried her into the house as she was very nervous. She was happy to be around me and for me to stroke and cuddle her though, and started to relax quite quickly. Once it started to get light I took her in the garden (on a harness & lead, plus slip lead) – we just pottered round and round while she sniffed. How did introductions to your other animals go? She met my two dogs with no issues at all – she seemed relieved that there were other dogs here, and she copied their toilet habits. It meant that I didn’t have to do any toilet training – she taught herself on the first day and she hasn’t had a single accident in the house! She met my cats when she arrived too – she’s very curious about them and wants to sniff them a lot but doesn’t mean them any harm. How did Nellie settle in the first few days? She slept a lot in the first few days, I think she was exhausted from the stress of leaving her home and all the travelling. She didn’t eat much in the first few days either but she eats fine now. We have no food issues – she shows no sign of possessiveness when there’s food about and is very gentle taking treats. How is Nellie doing now? I knew Nellie had been walked by her rescuer, so I started taking her for very short walks about a week after she arrived. I used an escape-proof Mountain Paws dog harness and lead plus a slip lead the first few walks just in case, but she stuck to my side like glue so now she’s just on a harness and lead. She absolutely loves her walks – she gets so excited I struggle to get her harness on as she’s wriggling so much. And she squeals with excitement the whole time! She travels really well in the car – spends the whole time looking out of the window. She also loves the sofa and curls up on it every evening. Nothing seems to bother her – she doesn’t care about noises like the hoover or the washer at all – and she settled into our routine with no trouble at all. She’s still a little shy with new people but is starting to show her playful side with my dogs. My Romanian dog Henry loves to play chase around the garden – Nellie is starting to play it with him, so he’s besotted with her. I worried that Henry might be too much for her but she’s the perfect match for him. Although she only arrived a month ago it feels like she’s always been here – she’s so cheeky and curious I can’t imagine life without her.

Initial impressions of Humphrey? I was not disappointed, he was everything I expected him to be! He came straight to us from abroad, but my mother previously fostered for BDRUK and we have always had recues including from abroad. How did he settle the first few days? Humphrey was super hungry and excited. He was so friendly and happy. He immediately went for a poo and sniffed around the garden. Humphrey did not sleep well and still hasn’t got the hang of it, waking around 4am. Humphrey settled in within a few days – I know this is unusual and he acts as if he owns the house (in a nice way). How did introductions to your other animals go? Really well, but we took our time. We initially introduced the dogs outside of our home. We kept them separate and gradually introduced them through a gate and moved to the garden on their leads. Humphrey sleeps in our room as Frank is in a good routine and sleeps in his cage with cover. We also have 2 cats so that introduction was slow, with the cats maintaining their safe space. Humphrey is a friendly boy, so he made things easier. He has huge food aggression, so we feed them separately including with chews. How is he doing? Humphrey is a gorgeous boy and we adore him. I was given the opportunity to continue to foster, but he is our new family member so he was adopted quickly. We have not left him alone yet and are working hard on gradually leaving him with Frank, but currently he cries and barks (so one of us is always at home). I am training him to wait, look at me, sit etc and in time we hope for him to be able to be off lead, but this remains a long way off. Both boys are chipped and tagged and he remains on his slip lead. He is cheeky and destroys anything he has access to (shoes, socks, toys etc) and is now interested in playing with toys as he didn’t seem to know what to do with them at first. We are getting there with toilet training – but this will take longer than I thought as he is happy to wee anywhere!

How did you hear about Obi? I took early retirement following a bout of renal cancer and moved back to north Wales to enjoy the beautiful mountains and beaches with my dog. I’ve always had dogs including three rescues; a lovely Staffie from the RSPCA, a border collie from Battersea Dogs Home, and another border collie I found myself as a pup following a large escaped pig (!) along a single track road when I was a student here in north Wales. I was looking for a companion for my very active working cocker spaniel, Gruff, as he loves playing with other dogs but wanted to adopt a rescue again rather than buy a puppy. I looked on several charity sites and stumbled across Toby (as he was called then) on the BDRUK site – a sighted dog, he looked lovely with his profile giving him a weight of 10kg back in May aged around 9 months, so I figured he’d probably grow to a similar size to Gruff. How did you prepare for your Obi’s arrival? I had everything I needed ready – several fabric crates and a larger metal crate which I set up downstairs. If needed I have a small drying room off my kitchen I used to house Gruff in safely when he was a pup. I also have a collection of leads and several harnesses. Initial impression of Obi? Obi was due to arrive late on a Wednesday evening directly from Romania but that was changed to the afternoon of the following day. Shortly after the ETA the transport van pulled up outside my house. I’d dropped Gruff off with my neighbour, Pru, whom he adores so he was good for a couple of hours or so there. After greeting the driver he opened the rear of the van and opened Obi’s crate. He was instantly recognizable but a lot bigger than I was expecting – more like 25kg! No matter, once safely in the garden of my house the driver gave me the paperwork, I filled his flask with coffee, and he was on his way as there were still other dogs in the transport. My friend Emi arrived at this point and we sat down at my garden table to let Obi explore at his own pace. He was very wary of both of us, and any sudden or dominating movements such as standing up scared him and he would retreat back under my car which became his favourite place to be for the next two days. By just chatting and leaving a hand down Obi would sniff us both and quickly searched for strokes although he seemed to prefer Emi to me. Any positive move towards him though, to give him a stroke, would have him chuntering and backing off. It was some hours later before I was able to get near enough to remove the lead he had been trailing around. He was happy to eat some food in the early evening without bolting it and then made himself comfortable on the sofa in the lounge (it is a very comfortable sofa!). A short while later there was a lot of lupine howling but he didn’t seem unduly perturbed; just making a noise. At this point I retrieved Gruff, had a play with him in the garden, then gave him his evening meal. I then let Gruff through the lounge to exit to the garden via the patio doors. He spotted Obi and there was a very amusing stand-off. Both dogs stock still for 30 seconds. Gruff then gave a happy bark and started wagging his tail before both dogs trotted into the garden together, and those two have been great friends since. How was Obi’s first night? That first night I put Obi in the crate downstairs (he had already been in it a few times with no problem) and went to bed. Not long after he started howling, barking, and whining and was desperately scratching at the sides of the crate. After an hour and several attempts to reassure him, I decided to leave the crate door open which solved the immediate issue of noise and distress. I hadn’t seen him wee or poo up to this point, but he hosed a substantial quantity of urine in the lounge before I could open the patio door which needed cleaning up immediately and required the better part of a roll of kitchen towel such was the quantity! He went outside for a sniff around then settled back on the sofa so I returned to my bed. More bouts of barking and howling followed each accompanied by a large pile on the lounge floor and the night passed in a succession of cleaning episodes including mopping up another huge puddle of urine. When I got up the next morning, somewhat sleep-deprived and trepidatious, I was greeted by yet another large pile and the chewed contents of a cushion and the remains of several houseplants and their chewed pots scattered around the lounge. Even my printer had been assaulted! The immediate future was looking challenging, but I kept calm and had a coffee! How were the next few days? Through the day Obi would come closer and was happy to be stroked as long as I didn’t move quickly, but I could not get a house lead on him at all easily and when I did manage it, he chewed through it in seconds. He would let me put a harness on him when he was lying down but would back off frantically if I tried to attach a lead. It was obviously going to be small steps before walking on a lead would be possible. The largest harness I had was also way too small so another was ordered! He ate his two meals quietly that day with no aggression towards me or Gruff (although there was a scrap a couple of days later when Gruff passed too close to Obi’s emptied bowl). The dogs took to chasing each other around the garden and the gradual degradation of the lawn began and the two wildlife areas I’d spent this summer establishing became favourite rolling spots – I’ve only seen one of the scores of frogs that were there since! He also took to using one of those areas as his latrine. That evening Obi was happy to settle against me on the sofa while I watched some TV. Then came time for bed. I showed Obi the downstairs crate, but he followed me upstairs and surprisingly went straight into the fabric crate I’d set up outside my bedroom and settled down for the night without me zipping him in. There he stayed for the whole night until I got up, no noise, no accidents. And it’s been like that ever since. He’s very happy in the upstairs crate and is completely house-trained. He even waits while I have a shower first thing before getting up himself at which point he is always very affectionate with me and playful with Gruff. Having cleared my diary for the following two weeks I set about slowly introducing him to the lead and trying to train some very basic commands. Neither were successful and Obi remained very reactive and wary when visitors first came through the gates, not helped by Gruff always being very excited and barking when demanding to have a ball or fallen apple thrown for him by the visitor! The trick was always to just sit down and not look at Obi and he will quickly seek attention and a stroke and over time he has become much less reactive. Emi or Pru would Obi-sit for me at first so I could walk Gruff and fairly early on I was able to leave both dogs alone together if I went to the shops or popped out for a quick pint in my local where Gruff’s absence would be queried! Any mischief occurred when I was present with Obi showing a strong liking for footwear and cushions if I was not paying attention (I’ve just been hunting for a trainer as I’m writing this). Another quirk was his fear of going through doorways. He will get almost completely past the threshold and then stop when coming in needing further enticement to enable me to close the door and he was very wary when going out except for the first outing of the morning. How is Obi doing now? We are now in his fifth week with me and in the past few days he has made significant progress after three weeks of him generally just become less scared. He now understands and obeys “sit”, “down”, and “stay” and he waits for his food bowl to be placed on the floor without bouncing up and down. He has also shown interest in life beyond the front gates and has gone through several times now, allowing me to put a slip lead on him to do so, another gain. We haven’t gone far, just 100 metres or so, but he is curious and has shown no reactivity or fear to passers-by or vehicles. He remains reactive to and wary of visitors coming through the gates though – lots of barking and backing off - but is slowly calming down helped by a very understanding postman and his delivery colleagues who have all taken time with him. I suspect that this guarding is as much his nature as any real fear. The frustrations in terms of lack of any real progress of the first two or three weeks have given way to optimism that we will be able to go for full walks fairly soon. He clearly needed time to decompress and adapt which I was happy to give him. He plays really well with Gruff with lots of charging around the garden chasing each other, tugs of war, and extended play fights indoors although he generally wins as he’s a much bigger dog, but he does take a lot of cues from Gruff. He continues to use the crate each night of his own volition, remains house-trained, and has never attempted to get on my bed. In general, my house is a little tidier as I have to keep all footwear and anything chewable safely stored away but that can rapidly give way to a mess as a carelessly placed cushion or a newspaper are chewed to small pieces. Doorways are proving to be less of an issue too. From the start he has been very affectionate and loves belly rubs and will lie on me when watching TV, something Gruff has never really done much so there’s no competition. He is particularly affectionate first thing although he stays patiently in his crate until I have had a shower after which there’s a lot of dancing around, tail wagging, and playing with Gruff (another patient waiter!). He is very curious of things, although “can I chew it?” seems to be his first response, and he is somewhat obsessed with the TV remote control but has not damaged it to date but it will disappear if I’m not careful where I put it. He does mouth a lot which is only ever meant affectionately and which I find endearing, but I am working to curb that. Around the house he follows right behind me such that I frequently catch his mouth with my heel. He’s a bright, very friendly and affectionate dog with no aggression in him at all. It’s going to continue to be a lot of work, but I believe he will become a great companion for both me and Gruff - he already is. I suspect he will also be quite a good guard dog as well – there’s clearly some German shepherd in his lineage and he is quite happy just sitting in the drive watching and waiting and giving the odd bark when he hears something! Overall, I really like him for all his mischief and I can’t wait to get him on proper walks along the beaches and up the mountains here in north Wales with Gruff. With thanks to everyone at BDRUK.

How did you hear about Lily? We originally found out about BDRUK when a friend rescued a dog from Romania. I liked the page and that was my downfall, and we already have two beautiful doggies from BDRUK. Sadly in September 2023 we lost our older dog and at first we were just going to stick with two remaining dogs, but then I noticed Lily coming up on the Facebook page. We kept up to date on her progress and eventually we put ourselves forwards to foster with the hope of adopting. We chose to foster first as we weren’t sure how Mable would cope with another large dog in the house and Winnie isn’t used to sharing. To get ready for Lil we set her up in our spare bedroom, toys bed, food bowl etc are all in that room so she had her own space. Initial impression of Lily? Lil was brought down to us by BDRUK. As soon as she had arrived the first thing we did was grabbed our large dog (Winnie) and just walked them up the lane for 5/10 minutes so they could say hello, but not immediately be in Winnie’s space. When we got back we brought out Mable to say hi, then in we went. How did she settle in the first week? Straight away it was obvious that Lil just wanted to be everyone’s friend, apart from the cats which is still a work in progress! She was very good overnight and very loving towards us. I would say the immediate issues were that she insanely food orientated and that she only really seemed to relax when she was outside. There was a fair amount of fidgeting in the first few weeks. How is Lily doing now? She is our bonkers, energetic genius. She is on gate number four to keep her in her room as she keeps working them out lol! She is a super cuddly and trusting girl, this is mixed with intelligence and the right amount of naughtiness. What we really hoped for when we decided to go for Lil is that we would be getting a playmate for Winnie and touch wood that has worked. They wrestle and chase each other constantly and just hang out together. Its lovely to see them play, but not so great when they decide next to you on the sofa is the new play area! On walks she is amazing, and she is learning that she needs to be gentler with Mable, who is very small. I think because of her size it is easy to forget that she is still a baby, but she picks things up quickly. She is improving with the cats which was a big worry of ours - as with most things time is needed.

How did you hear about Mim? I came across BDRUK from another site online. While this is the first time I have rehomed from BDRUK, all my dogs have been rehomed from other circumstances. How did you prepare for your Mim’s arrival? Talking through the adoption pre home check enabled me to ensure things were in place for Mim. We have amended a few things for her needs while she has been with us, but all in all that has been low scale as she has adapted to her surrounding extremely well. Mim has access to anywhere she needs in the house and there are no restrictions other than if needed for her safety. Initial impression of Mim? Mim arrived on the 19th October, by car with her foster Mom. Mim’s tail wagged the moment she arrived and doesn’t stop wagging! We could instantly see she was a happy and friendly dog and although had a small amount of trepidation with taking in her new surroundings, she settled down remarkably well. Mim had a meal on the first evening and settled down through the night with no stress or issues of any kind. How did introductions with your other dog go? There was no aggression shown by Mim or our resident dog (Teddy), just the normal ‘not sure’ approach at first, but they are comfortable with each other and get along absolutely great. Teddy allows Mim space and doesn’t encroach on her when she is moving around in the house or when eating. They often lay together, both snoring away. How is Mim doing now? Mim is doing absolutely great, she is a wonderful addition to our doggy family and is such a joy to have with us. She has adapted amazingly well in the home and gets about in the garden really well. Mim loves walks and makes endearing little sounds of excitement when we get out. Mim is a gentle, calm, happy, confident, intelligent little dog, eats well and loves a snooze, especially after a good walk. We talk to her a lot and she responds so much to our voices, which obviously helps her with having no sight and it is truly marvellous just how well she has adapted to this, so she is marvellous Mim!! I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to Mim’s foster Mom, for bringing Mim to us all the way from Norfolk. Thank you doesn’t feel enough, but I wish her to know we are so grateful and Mim’s happy confident ways are also down to how she has been cared for her. Mim is a treasure and is loved very much. Thank you to all within BDRUK for all you do.