Description
Due to no fault of his own, we are sadly rehoming our beloved pet of almost 10 years, Max.
He started to develop separation anxiety a few years back, and whilst we have managed until now to help him cope, our youngest son has some serious medical issues currently, meaning he’s being left home a lot more whilst we are in and out of hospital. We’ve had several appointments a week, most of which have been all days out of the house, and a fair few stays the last 3-4 months, and the poor boy isn’t coping at all well. He has been checked over by a friend who is a vet, and he’s given him a clean bill of health, which means the issues he is having are purely anxiety and stress related. In the last 4-6 weeks he has started biting at his tail and back end, pulling out big chunks of fur, and has had a lot of toileting issues in the house when we aren’t home for long periods.
A bit about him in general, he is honestly an absolutely wonderful dog!
Full of fun, has heaps and heaps of energy when out on walks! He acts like an enormous puppy when he is around anyone who shows him and attention, and loves nothing more than cuddling up with you after a good walk or play session out in the garden. He is a bit of a pest for the first 5-10 minutes of a walk, as he just wants to say hello to everyone he passes, and is a bit scared of smaller dogs after an incident with someone’s small dogs can bounding over, and started nipping at him when they were off lead. His recall isn’t atrocious, but due to it not being spot on, we have never let him off lead anywhere other than places we know for certain that we are alone with him.
He is a big boy, and does forget his size at times. Although he’s not heavy as such, he does throw himself around when he plays or gets excited. He has always been wonderful with our kids, and we’ve had him from being fairly young, so he has grown with our older boys 🙂 He has struggled with dog food in the past, however we have spent a lot of time finding food he will settle on, and have found a mix of harringtons and Lidl dog food, is the only thing we can feed him without him getting an upset stomach. He does still have a fair few runny stools on walks, but the vets previously deduced this was anxiety related, as it only started after the incident with the small dogs. He does also often bark when other dogs go by, however he does settle if you try remain calm and keep him calm with distractions (treats work an absolute charm for this!)
He is a boy that must not be left alone near any plate of food, or even be allowed in a kitchen realistically. Any food that he see’s, consider it gone the second your back is turned. He is a sneaky one where food is concerned 😂
We are incredibly sad to have to find him a new home, but the poor boy deserves much better than to be spending the later years of his life, sat home alone day after day with his anxiety getting worse and worse.
We are looking for a home where;
• He can ideally be with someone 90% of the time. Someone that works from home or a retired person would be the best fit for him! However he does go to work with my husband on days that he is in the Cambridge office, so would be happy to go to an office setting if that is what works best for you.
• He does have a couple of other dog friends, so could potentially live with another dog. However due to his nerves, careful introduction would be needed. Also not to be homed with smaller dog breeds due to past incidents.
• He could absolutely be rehomed by a family with children or children whom visit often, as we have children all the way from 1-13 living in our home.
• He must not be placed in a kennels for any reason, as this is a huge trigger for him and he spends the entire time barking, not eating properly and so on. So if you’re a family that goes away on holiday’s that are not dog friendly, he would need to be cared for by family or friends that can meet his needs. If this is not possible, you’re not the family for him.
• Must be a home that you’re happy for sofa snuggles, and to be followed around 24/7. Once you’ve shown love to him, he is a very loyal pet, and will want to be where you are constantly.
• Must have someone that is strong enough to cope with him if he should chose to pull on the lead. He is a big boy, and although not the heaviest of dogs (usually floats around 21-23kg mark), he is incredibly strong! So if he decides he wants to go somewhere, you have to be strong enough to stand your ground with him!
Please only message if you think you can give this beautiful lad, the life and love he deserves. We will not settle for anything less than the best for him.
We will endeavour to trim him up and have him bathed and at his best over the next week or so, ready for his new ventures! Although he will come with a big bag of food, bowls, leads and a halt collar, we make no promises on him coming with a bed. We will endeavour to replace the one he has ripped this week, but often hars to find a good bed that doesn’t cost a fortune! At the very least, we will make sure he has a good blanket and some sort of comfortable bed mat to take with him 🙂
Thank-you if you’ve made it this far!