October 2011 – we are very sad to announce that Bouncer has died. All our thanks to his foster carers who gave him the best of care.
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Bouncer arrived in Oldies Club foster care in September 2010 when his elderly owner was no longer able to look after him. We had been told he was an 18 year old Labrador cross. That he could be 18 was not hard to believe, with his shuffling, waddling gait, rheumy eyes and constant wheezing, but whether he could have any Labrador blood in him at all was another matter entirely! However he is adorable …
Oldies Club decided that due to Bouncer’s health problems and age, he should remain in permanent foster care as a sponsor dog, with the charity covering the cost of his vet bills. His wonderful foster family were very happy to keep him, so the lovely boy will remain with them for the rest of his life :)
Please scroll to the bottom of this page to find out how to sponsor Bouncer.
When poor old Bouncer arrived in foster care he was wheezing and had matted hair and it was hard for his foster family to relate to the un-athletic old chap in front of them, who couldn’t stand still without sinking slowly to the ground, as Bouncer. Thoughts of long walks in the nearby parks and woods seemed out of the question and poor Bouncer had lost a large clump of fur, leaving him with a pink bald patch on the back of his neck :(
Bouncer’s foster family felt the first priority was to give him a bath, where the water ran a muddy black colour. He was soon washed, dried and brushed and looking fluffy and handsome and ready for cuddles.
Unfortunately a bad odour persisted and a check-up at the vet the next day revealed that virtually every tooth in Bouncer’s mouth was rotted or rotting and infection was rife. This meant most, if not all, of his teeth would have to come out immediately. It’s awful to imagine that he had been living with such discomfort for so long.
Sadly, during the extraction process, due to the degree of infection in the bones, Bouncer’s lower jaw broke at the chin. This was a frantic and distressing time as the vet called while Bouncer was still anaesthetized on the table. Ultimately it was decided to give the poor boy a chance and wire his jaw together in the hope that it would mend over time.
Bouncer looked so sorry for himself after the op, with only two ogre-like fangs and a twist of wire protruding from his chin, and it took him two or three days to pick up. But then he turned the corner; now free of the discomfort of rotting teeth and able to eat properly at last, Bouncer began to live up to his name.
Within days he was hurrying round the garden, following his ‘Dad’ everywhere and, within a few weeks, he had even found an occasional, but enthusiastic voice and would ‘talk’ if he wanted to play or remind his foster family of meal times!
At his 8-week check-up, the vet found that, because of his obvious age and the degree of bone degradation, Bouncer’s fractured jaw had not knitted together and that his right canine was loose enough to fall out, so the wire and the tooth were removed. This means that Bouncer can only eat soft food and has to avoid chewy or crunchy things. This is not a huge problem since he is not a ‘chewy’ dog and clearly has not had much experience of toys. He eats everything that is put in front of him.
Bouncer’s full history or what his life was like before he came into Oldies Club care is not known, but we suspect he had few comforts. He arrived at his foster home with no bedding and, even though a lovely soft bed was prepared for him under the kitchen table next to the radiator, he would initially always sleep beside it on the hard kitchen floor. Despite coaxing him onto the bed it was several weeks before his foster family arrived home one evening to find that he had discovered the bed for himself and was curled up fast asleep and EVER SO comfy! That was a very heart warming sight for his foster family – and now that bed is very definitely his own :)
Bouncer has now lost his excess weight, grown back the missing fur, enjoys a decent diet and exercise and is altogether a happier, healthier and ‘Bouncier’ boy.
Bouncer, enjoying the snow with his Dad :)
Bouncer is profoundly deaf, has the beginnings of cataracts in both eyes and is quite weak in the back legs with arthritis. However, through medication and simple ‘love of life’ he punctuates his periods of snoozing with almost constant movement. He loves leaping out of the patio doors into the garden like a parachutist diving out of a plane; he has a beautiful bounce to his step when trotting down the road and he loves to snake around his Dad’s feet like a cat, trying to nip at his socks.
For travels away from home he has a Ruff Wear harness, which allows him to ‘fly’ effortlessly into and out of the car. On walks he eagerly checks his ‘wee-mails’ and is a dream with other dogs and owners (often mistaking one pair of legs with another and strolling off with the wrong people). For an ‘inner city’ dog he is certainly adapting well to the sights and sniffs of suburban and country life. He is frequently mistaken for a puppy by other owners and accepted as a friend without fuss by every other dog he meets :)
Bouncer has been well and truly welcomed into his new family :)
Poker Face – the adopted Granddog! :)
Bouncer is an amazingly resilient old gentleman who wants for little, asks for less and gives all. He adores his ‘Dad’ and follows him everywhere, and seems at his happiest when his ‘family’ is together around him.
Everyone at Oldies Club is so glad that Bouncer came into our care and has such a wonderful foster family to care for him now.
Bouncer also has his own fundraising page for donations.