Melody - Crossbreed, Bitch (1 Year)

Missy is a sweet little girl who is in rescue through no fault of her own, as her owner’s circumstances changed.

She has come from a family with children aged over 10 years old.

Missy loves being out on walks and is a little unsure of other dogs, however this could easily be corrected through socialisation and training.

Missy is a very clever little girl....she works things out...im sure there is a collie in there somewhere....beautifully put together....small compact and agile...i dont think someone will choose this little lady...i think she will choose them..she is currently our top dog for socialising....she has run with an over energetic dog....and an overly aggressive dog and handled the situation excellently ...and very gently....she loves to play ball and loves to lay on her back for a belly rub....Definetly a thinker would make a great companion and friend to human and dog alike

After walking Missy several times, you get a real feel for this little lady! She is such an affectionate girl, loving cuddles and play. She walks well on the lead with a strong walker but sometimes a little cheeky to start with! She is a beautiful girly and one of my favourites at the rescue, I really hope someone cam give her the cuddles and kisses in a home which she so deserves!

Two balls just are not enough and you just can't tire her out, she will play until she has had enough then she'll let you know. Missy Mischief is quite apt, she's very excitable and will walk you if you let her. Can you give her time to choose you?

Have absolutely fallen for this little girl...so craves affection.....also loves to play games....everythings a game....until you get her alone in her pen....i went to her door one night to offer her a treat...and she did what she usually does....turned away.... not a problem as she eats the treat a few mins later...this time however i wanted to know why she turns away....so i put the treat away.... within seconds she came to the door and pressed her head against it just looking at me...then out came the paw.....and through the bars she gently pulled my arm towards her.....she wanted a fuss not a treat.....i went into her kennel and sat down...This little game player and pocket rocket of the kennels...crawled onto my lap and flopped down...totally relaxed....thats all she wanted....how many times has she asked for this but no-one understood.....Dogs so simple...humans so busy.....So is this what missy will be like in a home...cuddle bunny:?:

Missy's three favourite things seem to be playing ball, lying in long grass and having a cuddle.
She will play 1-ball or 2-ball, but 2 tires her out more quickly! Once the game has started, she doesn't like to stop until she's really tired, so it's not fair to tease her with too short a game.
Once tired, she really likes to collapse in long grass and drag herself on her tummy through the grass and have a nibble at some of the tastier blades.
Lastly she likes to lie across her walker's lap and have her head, throat and tummy scratched.
She will accept the odd treat, but doesn't seem to be motivated by food.
I'm a little puzzled by the comment that she is unsure of other dogs, as I've found her to be very good with other dogs.

Little pocket rocket to flopping on your lap for a cuddle....very aware of her surroundings and not missing nothing.....loves to be out on a walk.....but equally loves a cuddle in the kennels....likes consistency, cuddles soft voices, and time.....very good with other dogs.....has run in the playpen with quite a few of them....and is very playful.. but is also submissive...A tad misunderstood at times....always trying to work things out...life is a game,,,then you go to sleep...thats missy....im sure she would do well in a home...and would become a sweet loving companion....Everything here at the kennels is fast paced for the dogs at walking time....field walk...playpen with balls then back into a kennel....Missy definetly needs to be out to experience that life on the outside is not so rushed

Missy was the last dog to be walked last night, so I took her to the playpen for a two ball runaround. Phil joined us, and between us we actually managed to tire her out. She is so agile and fast, and can turn on a sixpence (oooh, that's me showing my age!).

We put the lead on, and as she was so attached to her ball, we let her keep it until we could retrieve it later. We took her down to the main arena where the rest of the walkers were enjoying a well earned cuppa, and let her sit around with us. She was so well behaved, and chilled and soon dropped her ball in return for some cuddles. She is a lovely sociable dog, but needs firm handling and to know the boundaries, otherwise she could be a rebel. She really needs to get out of kennels before she becomes too institutionalised, and it's so sad to see a young dog overlooked. She's a lot smaller than you think from her photo, but she's big on character and well worth a viewing.

She is currently in season.

Personally, I have always found Missy a little bit too full of energy and a bit overwhelming at times and therefore felt she was better left with someone with a more commanding presence.

However, I took pity on her last week as she was the last dog who hadn't been walked yet and everybody was very busy. I was amazed by the change in her. She was VERY VERY good. She showed no interest in playing with her lead or playing up in any way whatsoever. We just walked side by side around the field and she didn't pull once. After we finished the walk we parked ourselves on some benches for a bit of fuss, some treats and a bit of socialising. She was very good and only got a bit excited when more dogs arrived. However, there was no aggression in her excitement at all.

Following this experience I volunteered myself to walk her again today and the story repeated itself. She was very good when I put her collar on and we walked nicely around the field with her, yet again, being just an exceptionally good dog. We got completely drenched in a downpour towards the end of the walk, but it would take more than a bit of rain to dampen Missy's spirits as she just really enjoyed being out and about. When I took her back to her kennel I gave her a little treat for being such a good girl, which she gently took off my hand and happily chewed upon.

In my opinion, there has been a real change in Missy's behaviour and it is clearly not just a one off. I have really enjoyed our recent walks as she has been a real pleasure to walk and it was great to finally get a glimpse of what a great and fun dog she actually is.

Missy is going into foster soon, which is very good as the kennels are not the best place for a dog like her. I think that all the loving attention she will get whilst there will finally allow Missy to be herself and show the world what a great dog she is.

Had a fantastic morning with Missy! I like this girl more and more each time I walk her. She is just so full of beans. Enjoyed a really good session in the playpen, chasing balls all around the place. Each time she would bring me a ball back and I would throw another one for her. She just loved running around and I had no problem whatsoever putting her back on her lead. It must be said that at the end of the game there was one young lady lying exhausted in the grass and it was not me!! I have never seen Missy this knackered before .

I feel like I am getting to know this girl much better now and she is a lovely dog. She is very clever and needs a lot of both mental and physical stimulation. I am beginning to think that one of the reasons she gets so overexcited when taken out is because she so desperately craves attention and when it is her turn to get a little bit of it she just goes over the top.

Now, I just can't wait for our next walk, I have been turned from a bit of a scaredy-cat when it comes to Missy into a full blown Missy worshipper.

Have a look at the young lady in action, she is stunning!!!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.163251317096515.43509.100002349431880&l=eacccaef14&type=1 [/url]

I know I am beginning to repeat myself but what a great morning I had with my favourite Miss!! It started off with Missy being so excited when I came to pick her up that we took a while to set off from the kennel. She was playing up and jumping and playing tug of war with her lead. However, I just turned my back to her and left the lead hanging limply by my side. After a while she realised there was going to be no reaction from me and she calmed down, let me put her collar on and off we went. Missy worked up some serious 'sweat' in the playpen and showed off some serious 'flying' skills. After we finished playing, the exhausted Miss continued her walk, being very well mannered, with everybody commenting on how calm she appeared. She earned a piece of sausage from the nice ladies in the kitchen for her good behaviour and then she just went to have a rest in her kennel. However, an hour later, having finished walking other dogs I went past Missy's kennel and there she was looking all sad. I started giving her fuss through the bars and she was just 'melting' under my touch looking at me with her big, beautiful and oh so sad eyes. I just could not resist and joined her in the kennel and we had a good fuss session. Missy was beyond herself with happiness, she got loads and loads of fuss and tummy rubs and I got in exchange loads and loads of sloppy kisses. She also loved to nibble, ever so gently, on my arms, bless her. It was very hard to leave her behind when I had to leave, especially as her eyes were pleading with me: 'Take me with you, please.' Oh dear, I am properly in love.....

I know just what you mean Nina, my first outing with missy and it didn't take long to start bonding so easily with this young girl. After her tug of war (which was very short lived!) we went along nicely, stopping for that very important cuddle, we couldn't seem to get a gap in the playpen today (Missy wasn't too bothered) so we rambled round the fields 3 times to make up for it. She is a little darling, pcked with plenty of energy and love, look forward to the day we see her in her new forever home, she is a gem. x

What a lovely evening I have just had with the sweet Missy Miss. She was very good in her kennel letting me put her lead on without any problem whatsoever and we were off for the walk in well under a minute. What a good girl! First, it was time for a game of ball. This saw me throwing balls to her as fast as I could and watching Missy catching the balls 2 metres above the ground!!! VERY SPECTACULAR I must say. When it was time to go she again allowed me to put her lead on without any problem and off we went.

At the top of the field she all of a sudden decided to drop into the long grass and play 'dead' for a while, which unfortunately resulted in me almost stepping on her , but we both took it in our stride and had a bit off fuss to make up for this mishap. Once at the bottom field we went for a run. Sprinting across the field as fast as we could Missy kept looking back at me, her tongue hanging out of her mouth and her face shining, she was a picture of happiness.

Completely exhausted by our efforts we collapsed on the benches for some serious fuss, some treats and a chat with Dorothy, spending the rest of the walk just chilling out together. Missy really enjoyed being out and about with someone and seemed pretty content once back in her kennel. It was just me feeling a bit sad about having to leave this lovely girl on her own in the dark night, when she should be curled up on a settee in a forever home.

Missy sounds a wonderful girl,hard to believe she has been overlooked. Wot breed would you compare her size to as you cant really tell from her pictures how big she is. How long has she been in kennels?

I would say she is roughly beagle sized, but with longer legs. She is however of a much slimmer built than beagles and I can't really see her as being prone to putting weight on. There are some new pics of her (with one of the walkers) added to the link above so have a look to get a better idea about her size. She has been at the kennels for quite a while now. I would say it might be soon pushing about 6 months. She is a very sweet girl. She went for a walk on Friday and when she saw me by the kennel gates she just went straight for a huge cuddle and was just so so sweet. I have a real soft spot for this girl and really don't like leaving her behind at the end of our walkies. She deserves so much better than a life in a kennel.

Missy has been in the kennels for a long time now. It is rather difficult to understand why does she get overlooked by prospective adopters as she is an absolutely lovely dog. She is a very good looking girl with very loving, warm, chocolate brown eyes. She is still pretty much a doggie teenager and as such is full of energy. It is a great fun to be around her. She is a very clever dog and can be a proper Little Miss Mischief sometimes; making sure that one never gets bored when in her company.
She loves playing with a ball, going for walkies and playing tug of war. Sometimes, she can get possessive about the toys she is playing with, but it is not an issue that, if addressed with proper training, should cause any serious problems.
Above all though, Missy is a very loving dog that just craves human contact and attention. She absolutely loves it when she can settle down on a bench or in her kennel with her walker and enjoy some serious fuss.
Missy would be best suited for a young active family who could offer her a lot of physical, as well as mental, stimulation and who would provide her with the training and love she needs to reach her true potential.

Love Love and more love...this little girl just oozes it....she laps it up and gives it out in abundance....she would sit there all day and let you fuss her....equally she loves to be out and about and taking in whats going on around her.....

Missy is a very clever girl and would make a great companion....i could see missy with someone who would return her affections and adoration...and they would live happily ever after...Sadly being in kennels has begun to affect Missy a bit...she is definetly stressed by kennel life...she has been in too long now....and i too am not sure why...shes mischievous and will grab at her lead...playing tug,....but when you consider how long she has been in she is probably bored out of her mind and pushing for some kind of stimulation and company.....

This little girl was a puppy when she came in.....she is now a young dog...please will someone come and see her and give her a chance....she hasnt had a definite breed definition...but staffy/collie is what a few knowing people have suggested....x

Missy needs to go out.....even if its on foster..this little girl has had enough now....is overlooked and she needs to be in a home asap x:cry: A foster home would be the best for Missy as she needs a place to chill and be assessed before being rehomed....its hard to assess any dog in kennels as some of them behave very differently to what they would in a home environment....Please can someone foster this super little girl

missy can be a challenge at times but i feel that the right person to come and meet missy will bring her on leaps and bounds..she's not a bad dog at all i feel shes misunderstood and fed up of being in kennels..i truly think shes a sweetie very clever so u cant trick her into doing stuff more than once lol, i feel that she benefits from a strong personality as she needs a leader and routine but at the same time someone to give her tummy rubs at the end of a long day! kennel staff and volunteers can only give her so much routine and attention a pooch with her intelligence could go stir crazy and suffer kennel if left to much longer xx

Missy has just recently been spayed..and had her dewclaws removed....she has had to have a collar on.....considering she is quite lively and only has a small kennel she has done amazingly well.....Tonight we had to cut her bandages off and she just lay on the floor and allowed us to do it no probs, she kept looking at me as if to say.....im trusting you here...please dont hurt me.....she is a babe....and wasted in kennels....deserves sooo much better...x:heart: x

I wonder if the staff could read give this note to Missy for me:



My dearest little Missy, I write to you to say

That I intercepted the postman, only yesterday

He collected all his letters, but he looked a puzzled bloke

And in his hands, a letter - with a paw-print envelope.



It was addressed to Santa, but was not sealed down

He shook his head real slowly and his face had a troubled frown

He could not send it on you see, no stamp the letter bore

So I took it from the postman and said that I’d do more.



So that I could return to sender, inside I had a peek

There was the letter that you wrote, in muddy-paw-print-speak

I took the time to read it well and could see that you had said

You did not want much this Christmas, but just a nice warm bed.



Somewhere to put your ball and toys, a place to hang your lead

You did not want much more than that, you showed no selfish greed

Well I don’t think Santa can grant your wish, I really wished he could

But maybe I could help you out, my heart’s not made of wood.



I can’t help you out for 10 days yet, but I’m coming up to see

If you can cope with my Nibs and Sam, and join our family

It can only be as a foster, I wish I could keep you all

But I have a hook to hang your lead and a place to put your ball.



And when you have shown yourself, as the family pet you were

And folk see the photos on your thread, they’ll point and say “yes her”

“she is the dog we want so much, to make our family whole

Here is a hook just for her lead, a ball and dinner bowl.



Just be patient Missy, Santa sent me here for you

Only 10 more sleeps you see, until you hear the cue

The Peugeot diesel will rumble up and you will know right then

That you indeed my darling dog will be foster number 10!

Love Jules, Nibs and Sam xxx

Missy was due to come to me as a foster a few months ago but came into season just as final preparations were being made. Although both of my male dogs are castrated, one of them gets a little too friendly with a bitch in season and not wishing to cause Missy to have a phantom pregnancy, we all agreed to wait a while. Well, another 2 foster dogs have come and gone here in Gloucester and it was now Missy's turn.

10 days ago I had brought my lab x rottie Sam up to meet Missy and the jury was out - she was wearing a rather fetching Elizabethan collar to protect her stitches. We went for a walk with Kim towards the forest and the dogs seemed to ignore each other - not a bad thing.

Today I arrived with Nibs and Sam. Anne took Missy out to get her tired, Nibs and Sam had been playing at Ria's with the lovely Baz and Ria's own dog Phoebe - so they should all be fairly well "run-in".

The lovely Helena took Missy on one lead and I had Nibs and Sam on their leads and we started off out of the kennel drive ... Missy was a bit snappy to start off with and my 2 unfortunately decided that barking at her would be a great idea. We continued onwards ignoring their antics and went towards the Forest. Again, all 3 dogs go on with their walks - my 2 ignoring Missy and Missy ignoring my 2 (unless they got a bit close in which case she was a little skitty). We came back to the kennels gate and her whole body language changed ... she did NOT want to go back there. Helena and I took her up to the play area to let them all off their leads in a controlled environment and it was lovely - she did not even mind that Sam kept beating her to her prized ball.

That was it - decision made - home she came with me for hopefully a short time while she settles in and shows her true colours - and stunning colours they are too.

An hour later and my first tick on the assessment process - TRAVELS WELL IN THE CAR .... yes, she just laid down in the boot, or sat up and looked out of the back window. I did tease her a little and put the rear windscreen wiper on and watched her "chase" it from where it started and back again - only did it a couple of times to see what reaction there would be - it was a good/interested one and not a manic "gonna kill that wiper" one.

We got home - all 3 dogs out of the car and into the house. Missy was very nervy for all of 48 seconds before she happily skipped from room to room. My 2 lumps of dogs just looked at her wondering what all the fuss was - after all -dinner time is not for hours!

Eventually we all made it into the living room - I let all 3 out for a wee through the patio doors - they all went out, they all came back ... all went for a wee .... apart from Missy. I spent the rest of the day encouraging her to go out for a wee to no avail. A few hours later she had an accident in the hall on the carpet - hey ho - that is what carpets and towels are for isn't it? We never pointed out the error of her ways and as I had not been there as she was doing it I could not really reinforce weeing outside in a positive manner - I honestly believe that positive reinforcement is the only way - long gone are the days of rubbing a dog's nose into the soiled area and shouting at it. I knew that toileting was going to be one issue - let's face it, she has been in kennels a long time - but it won't take long to get over it - a careful eye from me and learning from the other 2 when she feels she belongs to the pack and it will be a doddle - and I do have plenty of towels!

The first thing Missy did when she got in the living room was race around and around chasing her tail. It really hit me then - she was happy and playful and was playing with the only toy she really owned that she never had to share and was always there to play with - her own tail ..... how sad is that. There are my dogs with bones and toys and tugger ropes etc in their basket - always something in there to play when the fancy takes them ... but Missy only had her tail! Once she had stopped she just lay on her belly on the sheepskin rug and after lifting her bum off the floor she sort of pushed herself along the rug and carpet - almost as though she wanted to savour every minute of a warm home with rugs and carpets and no concrete or blanket. It took the sadness from my thoughts about her tail toy and made me smile. This is why fosterers do the job they do - where else do you get satisfaction like that?

Missy did get stroppy when I tried to change her collar. ALL foster dogs get a fresh collar when they get here - like it is a new collar - new start. I had been warned at kennels that she had started to "play up" when the walkers would clip the collar back on after play as she just wanted to stay out of her kennel. I have some janfly bells on a clip that I rang to distract her (after my friend a vet nurse suggested this as a positive way of altering her behaviour). It worked - not so effective when Missy jumps on the sofa (a big no-no in our house) and then noticing a rather fine looking dog looking at her (reflection in the telly) then showed her terrier traits and tried to make contact with it. Fortunately it is quite sturdy and saw a random cushion lying nearby - she grabbed the corner and shook it to within an inch of it's life .... She was not listening to any bells when she had the cushion - "for crying out loud human, I had this one first and there are at least ... some... left on the sofa, get your own". She listened to the finely sliced cocktail sausage I had in reserve though and gave it up with further killing of cushion

I am now working on touching Missy's collar area all of the time - to show that it does not mean something negative is going to happen and I know this is a minor glitch that will only take a couple of days to sort out.

Tea time was a dream - food bowl down - all 3 bowls, all 3 dogs in the kitchen. My 2 sitting and drooling expecting a long drawn out "wait ... wait... wait..." process but that did not happen - Missy sat - I told her to wait and showed her with my hand up. When I gave the command to eat "for you" she ate her dinner - well done to the kennel staff - you must have trained her well.

Missy does do sit and down (again cocktail sausage slices help with the rewards) and she has done paw a few times too. I don't teach paw as I don't think it really helps in the doggy world but is more of a "trick" to show people how well trained your dog is, often to the exclusion of "wait" and "stay" commands - but that is just me and how I am of course

Missy Flaked out after her modelling session and I think she is knackered. I have put her in her own crate in the living room as although ideally all 3 should sleep in the massive crate in the office it is too soon for this to happen and it is never something you should force on a dog. Missy went into the crate quite happily (with slight cocktail sausage therapy) and instantly ran around in circles to ensure that there was enough room for her game in case she got bored of sleeping. I popped a large rubber ball in there with her (one she had played with earlier) just in case she tires of tail toys! Not heard a peep out of her so far.

Off to Costa coffee in the morning - 3 dogs, 3 leads and a Flat white coffee when I get there - 3 shots of espresso and I should be geared up for the walk home.

Please keep watching Missy as she grows and develops from the little scamp that she is now, to the wonderful dog that is going to make someone very happy!

Off to bed now as I need to get ready for day 2. I have uploaded some pictures below and will add the video once my computer has finished uploading it.

Finally the video has uploaded..... sorry for the turning of camera angle - blame the sausages

Click here to see Missy on day one

OK - did Missy keep quiet all night in her crate? ...... YES

Did Missy soil her crate by the time I got up at 8am (overslept - bad Mummy) ..... NO

Did Missy go to the toilet in the garden with the other dogs? YES (but only if I stood out there with her. 8 months of being at kennels means the dogs are used to going to the toilet with a dog walker by their side ... but she will soon get that memory out of her head)

I took Missy along with Nibs and Sam out for a walk - 1.5 miles there, and the same back (funnily enough). I put the Gencon head collar on Missy but she was less than happy about it. She put her chin on the floor, and her bum in the air and walked along the driveway like that. When that did not dislodge the collar she frantically pawed at it trying to get it off. She managed to slip the one knot and when I went to put it back over her nose, having first loosened it she was off - I was a bit slow there - she knows this game very well in kennels apparently. We live in a very quiet road and all Missy did was run into the neighbour's garden on the left of our house, and then when I tried to catch her she did the same to the neighbour on the other side. I grabbed her new lurcher leather collar which she can't slip out of and I got her back home. She protested about the gencon again, but no snapping as I put it back on. I just gave a gentle tug on her lead and ignored her silliness - she ran alongside the other 2 dogs and the gencon was not thought about again.

Here are some pics from our walk and a short video to show how beautifully she walks on the lead.







Towards the end of the walk Missy was happy to be the ham in the sandwich of dogs:



Click on the image below to see the video of them all waddling along together:

Now we see the real Missy - and what a cracker she is


Look at Missy's wonderful markings as she is chilling at home - she does an awful lot of chilling now.








Look how beautiful this pup is:






"hello Mole ... are you home?"



I would not say that Missy was a natural in the water:










So when are you thinking of adopting me?






On the way home you can see how relaxed Missy is in the car:




Missy chills at home:




Sam and Nibs playing - see how much Sam is the boss .....




Oops, maybe not!




In case you are wondering - No, Missy is not allowed to sleep on my bed, but as she had barked at her reflection in the TV and the patio doors, so I wanted to assess what she was like with mirrors (which helps us understand if they have been in the home before).... but she was fine and did not react to her reflection at all - in fact she laid down next to the cat on the bed!

Missy is very quick to learn and we have only had one small wee on the carpet in the last 24 hours and that is brilliant news for Missy, me and her prospective owners. Her poos are solid now and her bad wind has gone thankfully. She has learned sit, lay down and we worked on "roll over" or "show us your belly" in Missy's case just to evaluate how quickly she can learn ... and the answer is .... quickly lol.