24 January 2013 ~ Sadly little Snowy has passed away :( He spent his final days being spoilt and snoozing in front of the fire. Our thoughts are with his foster family to whom we are very grateful as Snowy has not been the easiest of dogs. Sleep tight little man. We will miss reading about your antics.
Snowy is a 15 year old Jack Russell Terrier who came into Oldies Club care because his owner had died. Snowy is quite deaf and has poor eyesight due to cataracts. He has medication for a heart murmur – a pill twice a day. He has recently been found to be deficient in vitamin B12, causing anaemia, and this has affected his behaviour. Snowy is responding well to the ongoing B12 treatment (an injection by the vet nurse every 4-6 weeks) and his behaviour has improved a lot. Due to his ongoing health needs, the Oldies Club decided that Snowy should become a sponsor dog and found him a lovely, permanent foster home. The charity will cover all of Snowy’s future vet bills :)
Update April 2012
Snowy’s fosterer Jane has sent this latest update on the little man:-
Sleepy Snowy —————————————————————————————————————————————–
Snowy has settled into his permanent foster home very nicely and his new foster mum Jane says his training is going really well. She confirms he has her completely at his beck and call :lol:
Snuggly Snowy!
Jane says: Snowy has melted hearts wherever he’s gone – he was a big hit at the pet food shop, despite stealing a biscuit – and a lady we met on our walk recently even thought he was still a puppy! He may well be 15, which is about 80 in human years, but no-one’s seemed to have told him that…
As you can see from the photos, he heartily approves of my sofa, and is equally pleased with the snifftastic forest walks which are just behind where we live. As described in his original entry he really is very good on the lead and is polite to other dogs and people without being a pest.
Snowy whizzing along!
Due to his deafness Snowy and Jane are both learning some hand signs – so far they have a rudimentary ‘sit’ but once he’s properly settled they are going to move on to things like ‘come here’, ‘lie down’, ‘stay’, ‘leave’ and ‘no’. Then Jane has hopes to move on to make the tea’, ‘do the ironing’, ‘redecorate the bedroom’ etc.! Well they say old dogs can learn new tricks :wink:
Being a little contrary about his new bed!
Jane tells us that he really is a smashing little dog, very amusing and utterly loveable, and suspects he will become even more so as he settles in and starts unlearning his few bad habits. He does snore loudly – and he gets outraged if you dare to eat in front of him – the only time he’s barked at all. As he’s deaf she just resolutely ignores him and turns the volume up on the tv until he gets bored!
Not begging (honest!)
Snowy’s Mum says thank you so much for introducing us – I feel honoured to be able to provide him with a nice retirement home and I just hope he’s enjoying it as much as I am!
Awwwww!
If you would like to help us care for Snowy, please consider taking part in our sponsor scheme.
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The photos below are copyright © Oliver Kanani who kindly gave his time to help us.
Note: Although it is OK for a small dog such as Snowy to play with a golf ball, it would be very dangerous for a larger dog as golf balls easily become lodged in the throat and cause choking.
Snowy is a proper little terrier full of attitude and quite independent in nature!
Because of his poor eyesight and deafness, he is easily spooked by things, bless him.
Snowy is still a fairly active boy who enjoys his walks – especially sniffing! – and he gets on well with other dogs outside the house. He is very slow in the mornings – well many of us could say the same!
Loves his food: He is a good eater and will eat his dinner pretty much straight away every time. He eats tinned dog food and he loves treats; if you offer treats to him by hand he takes them gently.
At 15 years old, he is no youngster but he is energetic for his age. He is into everything but is never intentionally destructive. For example, he will turn out a handbag, shopping bag, waste bin or anything else left on the floor! He likes a bit of attention and fuss and is very affectionate once he gets to know you. He likes to play sometimes and he will chase a ball, but not for long. Snowy is a jolly little chap who trots around the house and the garden showing all the signs that he really enjoys life.
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If you would like to help us care for Snowy, please consider taking part in our sponsor scheme.