Description
🐾❤️ HELGA FOR ADOPTION IN CORNWALL OR DEVON ❤️🐾
Hello! I’m Helga... a big, beautiful, slightly goofy girl with long legs, a huge heart and a tail that seems to have a mind of its own.
I’m around five years old, approximately 60cm tall at the shoulder and currently weigh 29 kilos. I’m still filling out, and my healthy weight is expected to be around 32 kilos.
I may be a Bosnian Sheepdog mix, but whatever the recipe was, I think I turned out rather fabulous!
MY STORY
I was abandoned on the streets of Bosnia and rescued by the Bark Ark shelter. As the shelter became busier, I struggled to compete for food and became very thin beneath my thick coat.
When Bojan, the shelter owner, realised how much weight I had lost, he contacted Paws2Freedom and moved me into foster care. My skin was sore and infected, so my coat had to be shaved for treatment. With good food, veterinary care and kindness, I began to recover. Once I was strong enough, I travelled to the UK and started my new chapter in foster care.
LIFE IN FOSTER
I’ve settled beautifully into home life and am described as a wonderfully easy dog who is a pleasure to live with.
I adore people and love being included in whatever is happening. I often follow my foster mum around because I don’t want to miss anything important. Cooking? I’ll supervise. Gardening? I’ll come too. Sitting down? Excellent, I’ll be nearby!
I love meeting visitors and quickly make friends. I’m affectionate, loyal and people-focused, but also full of fun. Sometimes I’m graceful and majestic… and sometimes I’m goofy, clumsy and completely unaware of how big I am!
I’m a lovely medium-energy girl. I enjoy walks, adventures and playtime, but I’m equally happy relaxing on the sofa.
I walk nicely on my harness and lead, although I may be enthusiastic for the first few minutes. I love following interesting smells and have enjoyed seaside walks. Traffic and unexpected noises haven’t bothered me so far.
DOGS, CATS AND CHILDREN
I happily live with two other dogs and love making new doggy friends. I would enjoy living with a friendly canine companion, especially one who likes to play.
I recently spent a few days in another foster home as the only dog and adapted brilliantly. I could therefore live with another suitable dog or be the only dog, provided I had plenty of human company and chances to socialise with friendly dogs.
I have been left for short periods with the dogs in my foster home, and we wait calmly until our humans return. I haven’t yet been tested completely alone, so this would need to be introduced gradually.
I also live successfully with a cat and am very respectful. If the cat is already on a dog bed, I politely wait for my turn!
I’m friendly and affectionate with children, but I’m tall, lanky and occasionally forget how much space I take up. I would therefore be best suited to older, dog-aware children.
TRAINING AND GROOMING
I had very little formal training before arriving in the UK, so I’m still learning. My recall is a work in progress and I must remain on lead outside secure areas. Off-lead exercise should take place in a securely enclosed field until my recall is reliable.
I’m clever, eager to please and respond beautifully to kind, consistent guidance.
I enjoy being brushed and love the attention. Once my coat has fully grown back, it will be long and fairly high-maintenance, so regular grooming will be important. My future family may choose to keep it trimmed shorter.
MY HEALTH
Before travelling to the UK, I tested negative for Heartworm, Leishmania, Anaplasmosis, Lyme disease and Brucella canis.
I have also had a full UK veterinary examination. The vet confirmed that I arrived in an emaciated condition and needed to gain weight. I’m making fantastic progress and weighed 29 kilos on 17 July. My healthy weight is expected to be around 32 kilos.
A lump on my back was investigated and confirmed to be a harmless cyst.
My follow-up Brucella canis test is booked for 27 July, with the result expected 10–14 days later. Another negative result is fully expected, as I was tested before travel using both SAT and iELISA testing.
My coat is growing back beautifully after treatment for a skin infection. My dandruff has almost disappeared, my fur is shiny and I’m looking healthier every week.
I have also been treated for an allergy and am doing very well on AVA Adult Sensitive fish-based wet and dry food. I currently eat four meals a day to help me gain weight, reducing once I reach a healthy weight.
The tip of my tail occasionally split while the protective fur was growing back because I wagged it so much! Thankfully, this has stopped, although a small bare area remains.
MY IDEAL HOME
I’m looking for a rural or semi-rural home in Cornwall or Devon, with a secure garden large enough for a big, leggy girl to enjoy pottering, sunbathing, exploring and the occasional burst of zoomies.
I could live with a friendly dog or be an only dog, provided I still had canine friends and opportunities to socialise.
More than anything, I would love people who are home for much of the time. Being close to my humans is one of my favourite things, and I love when I’m included in everyday family life.
My ideal family will have experience with rescue dogs and understand that, although I’m wonderfully adaptable, I’m still learning. I’ll need patience, gentle guidance and continued training as I settle into my forever home.
In return, I promise affection, loyalty, laughter and the companionship of a dog who finally knows what it means to feel safe and loved.
I’ve already survived so much. Now I’m ready for the very best part of my story... a family of my own. Could that be you?
More information, photos, videos and the adoption form:
https://paws2freedom.org/helga/
New Rescue Dog FAQs:
https://paws2freedom.org/new-rescue-dog-faqs/
Application and full vetting processes apply.
Love and enormous tail wags,
Helga ❤️🐾
Adv. ID:a8JaBuLfw
