Melody - Crossbreed, Bitch (1 Year)

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.

Oh and Missy is smaller than you think ....

LOVELY! So glad she is doing so well and is clearly happy in a domestic setting. I knew it wouldn't take long for her to shine

Shes a babe....and you are Jules ...thankyou, she just needed to be taken out.....literally lol xx

When I say she finds her voice - actually it finds her ... check out the 12 second video by clicking here

Missy has settled in very well. When I look into her eyes she has that Jack Russell stare - not that she is a JR cross, but I guess it is the terrier in her. She is great with the rats and the cats, although she is curious of both - no barking or chasing though.

We have only had one one accident on the carpet in 3 days which is brilliant - she doesn't mind the wind or rain and will now go out to do her business in the garden without me having to stand there with her

I honestly believe this little girl is as ready as she is going to be to go to her new home ... please remember her when people come to kennels as she is well worth the 45 mile drive to see her from there. She really wants to please you and although not desperate to see you ALL of the time (which I am really pleased about) she will come to you from where ever she is in the house with just one call of her name. Not to sure on outdoor recall yet - as she is supposed to stay on a lead when out in foster care. I will keep you posted.

Missy - what can I say? She is ready to go to a new home - and I will start pushing to instigate that on various boards etc.

We have not had ONE accident for the last 6 days, she has been out to the toilet on and off and every time you open the back door she goes to pee even if it was only an hour since the last one. She understands the command now and that little light comes on in her eyes when you tell her what a good girl she is for going for a wee.

Missy has never stolen any food, but I have never tried leaving my lunch on the sofa and walking out of the room Her waiting is brilliant when her food is placed on the floor and she would wait for ever I think. She has no objection to anyone touching her or brushing past her when she is eating either which is brilliant. As you can see - dinner-time compliance is second nature to her plus her "brothers"

I have cat tested Missy in as much as we have had 2 cats living here and another that visits. Missy will run up to a cat and if it runs off she will half heartedly chase it but not with a prey drive, just to play. When my cat stops still on the stairs, resigned to the fact that unless he wants to be licked by the dog, he is going to have to go up slowly slowly, Missy just stops and gets bored. So the cat moves off in stealth mode and Missy is blissfully unaware until she turns her head round to lick the cat and then she looks totally perplexed as the cat seems to have just vanished into thin air. I also rat tested her by accident a few days ago. I had some rescue rats come in and had placed one in a tank on the office table while I cleaned out a cage. I accidentally knocked the temporary plastic tank on the floor and the lid came off. Missy was in the doorway and this rat ran up to her, obviously it was very confused. Missy looked at it, looked at me and just stayed still. I never told her to "leave" or "wait" as she was not interested in it in that way. The rat ran off away from her and Missy just stayed where she was and was not interested. Later than day Missy was interested in the underside of the huge cage in the living room and I looked under to see a tennis ball under there, which I retrieved for her.... she was still interested in the underside of the cage... I got right down on my hands and knees and there in the corner of the room was my escape artist rat who had legged in when I had gone in to put food in her cage. Missy was not snapping, salivating or being remotely aggressive - I was really pleased. She does like to watch the rats and rarely ever barks at them.

Onto barking - Missy will bark at her own reflection in the patio doors when it is dark outside and the light is on in the room - simple solution - I close the curtains - end of the nightly entertainment. She will also bark in the garden if she hears another dog barking. She never tires of this but if you call her in then she will come straight away and then that game is all forgotten.

Walking - walking on the Gencon is a dream - she doesn't pull, she listens to you and only ignores the dogs that bark at her once we are walking ... she is like a dream. Recall still needs to be worked on when out in open spaces and I don't know what she would be like without my other 2 dogs to give her cues on where she should be - I will evaluate this over the weekend.

If you do have to call Missy back from something she has done in error then she normally comes straight back, sits next to you and looks longingly into your eyes - whoever takes Missy home with them is going to have to be blinkered to this when necessary

Missy loves to play with my 2 dogs but Nibs has taught her when to leave her alone, Sam on the other hand is a real sap and gets a little fed up of her constant attention at times.... however, she is easily distracted into a game of ball and Sam loves the peace.

And just to prove the point - please excuse the state of the carpet - I had been cage cleaning and shavings/shredded paper gets everywhere - no point brushing it up until its all finished



What cracks me up is the fact that Sam in the background gets closer and closer without being spotted lol

Missy needs you

Missy and leyla the lurcher playing together ... although Leyla had first dibs on the ball - Missy would run for it and then stop - it was great to see her being submissive with an unknown dog. When we walk and go past other dogs she has never yet batted an eyelid at the other dogs.



Look ..... Frost!




My friend's 7 year old son playing with Missy - it was funny because although Missy kept an eye on where I was for reassurance, she actually wanted to be with Tiernan.














Missy is also submissive to the big white birds lol

how long did it take you to get Missy back on the lead?

I guess you must have been confident to remove the lead altogether, which is massive progress, so well done! I think we can all remember her in kennels being Missy Evasive when it came time to stop play and get her back on the lead!

Missy is great as long as she does not suss that you want to put her back on the lead.... the lead stays in the pocket.

Since she has been here we have worked on collar de-sensitisation - when out I call her back and when she comes she gets her reward - a good stroke and lots of time around her collar. She comes back readily and as long as you are one up on her there is no problem. The one time she would not come back I have just turned my back on her and ignored her - she doesn't run off, just makes it hard for you to grab her. After ignoring her and talking using her name she comes over to see what is going on - then sometimes (if I have the time) I hold her collar, tell her what a good girl she is and then throw the ball for her, making sure that she is not "captured" every time she comes back to me in that situation. If whoever takes her on continues this process then I really don't see that there would be a problem.

Hi there.

I've been looking for a dog for a while now. Missy caught my eye a while ago and I keep flitting back to her, even though I didn't think I wanted a Staffie, she's just so adorable.
Would it be possible to arrange a visit?

Thanks,
Sian

Sian , please go and see Missy, a Staffie was the last thing I wanted, but my husband was sad that there were so many in kennels and persuaded me to see Ben. I can honestly say we've never regretted it. He's the most loving, fun dog we've ever had, and in 40 years of having lovely rescue dogs that's really saying something. It's quite strange that once you decide you like certain kinds of dogs, you see lots of them and think they're gorgeous. I always stop and speak to people with Staffie's and they all say the same as me. Visiting FDR was a pleasure, and Missy has been well trained by Julie, so even better still. Good Luck.

Hi Sian...best to phone Marie 01299 266313 (re homing officer) or the kennels 01299 269181, if they are busy leave a message & one or other will return your call to arrange a viewing.....Missy so deserves a chance she has been fostered with Jules who has worked really hard with her & I am sure you have read her thread & seen what a beautiful girl she is & how well she has integrated into home life...I'm sure you will not be disappointed & we would love to hear how you get on...I too was not sure about the staffie cross but having seen so many after volunteering at the kennels, I realise what fantastic companions they make.

Oh Sian, I do wish you would come and meet Missy - she is not like a staffy at all (not that there is anything wrong with Staffies) -she would fill your heart with love instantly - she is the sweetest little girl and everyone who comes to the house and meets her falls in love with her. I will message you with my home and mobile phone number - please give me a ring and we can have a chat.

I'm going to see Missy next Sunday!
I cant wait, she sounds like such a fun and loving dog.
Fingers crossed.

Hi Siam....I hope your visit goes well & will keep fingers crossed that you & Missy enjoy each other & can see a future together... I'm sure you won't be disappointed with your decision to go & visit her...All the best

Fingers crossed, if all goes well on the home check on Wed, Missy will have a found her forever home with me!
Thanks Julie! x

Hi Sian,

I am really happy the visit went well and that The Miss might finally have a forever home!! I will keep my fingers crossed for both of you. She is a lovely dog and so deserving of a home.

Great news for Sian, Julie, but most of all Missy, everything crossed for your home check.

Sian and Missy really hit it off. I did almost have a forever home last week for Missy with a friend of mine and her young children who were besotted with Missy BUT my friend's husband was not 100% sure and that was enough for me to have serious reservations - everyone in the family must want a new dog equally as determined etc. Luckily for Missy the seemingly right home seems to be here. Sian and Missy hit it off instantly and Missy soon showed what a wonderful dog she is

Fingers and paws crossed tomorrow please as that is when I will be doing the homecheck, and if all goes well will be the same day that Missy moves home.

Guess where Missy is this evening? Well, she is not here, not running about my feet or playing with my Sam ... she is in her new home with Sian who promises to send us an update soon.

Have fun baby girl xx

That is fantastic news well done Julie, Happy New Home Missy and Good Choice Sian.

So happy for Missy, gorgeous girl

Wow, I'm soo happy I found Missy. She is sooo lovely.

I never saw Missy when she was in Kennels, but from the sounds of it she was rather manic and when I met her at Julie's (Only last Sunday!) she was very excited and wouldn't stop chasing her tail. But I could see through that, and I was right.

She has only been with me 3 days and she has settled in so well. Her tail chasing has dramatically reduced, which I thought would take ages and she loves curling up with me to watch a film, and sitting still for most of it too!

She runs 3 miles with me every day and is amazing on the lead. She's already been of the lead too and is so well behaved.

I cant wait for all the adventures we'll have together!
Thanks Forest Dogs and Julie.

Here's some pics.



Loving her new Ropey toy!





Great with food!




Two ball fetch (plus she's great with my friends little girl.




I think we wore her out!




Curled up watching a film. Bliss!

One of the problems I have been having with Melody recently is food aggression.

If I go near her when she is eating she will growl at me and scoff her food so fast she chokes.

I always make her wait for her food and she is very patient and will only take it when told.
She has however started to growl and snap if I walk towards her or her bowl whilst she is waiting to eat it. If she does, I make her wait until she has calmed down and then let her have it. This can take 20 mins if I stay near her.

As I now have a cat and do sometimes have kids around I want to get this sorted.

Any ideas?