10/9/22 Brave little Lulu has gone off to her new home!
Lulu is a beautiful Bichon Frise, aged about 12, who came into the Oldies Club rescue via a dog pound. She had been found as a stray in a very poor state. Lulu is blind and deaf, and so we are looking for a lovely, caring home for this special little poppet.
Good girl in foster: Lulu took about 2 weeks to settle at her foster home and is proving to be a resilient and very loving little lady.
Can be left for short periods: Lulu is OK to be left on her own for about 2 hours. If she had just had a walk and been fed, she probably would be OK for a little longer, but she wouldn’t suit a home with people who are out a lot.
Wants to live with another dog: Lulu is good with other dogs, and really brightened up when she first met her foster carer’s dogs, so we would like her to go to a home with another smallish dog or two. For Lulu’s sake it would need to be a non-boisterous dog as she is quite easily knocked over.
Unknown with cats: We haven’t seen how Lulu is with cats. Although her foster carer suspects she would be fine with them, we are looking for a cat-free home for Lulu, especially as she is blind and wouldn’t be able to keep away from a swiping cat paw, for example.
Older teenagers only: Lulu is a gentle soul, but we don’t want her to be overwhelmed by youngsters. She should be OK to live with kind, older teenagers, but she does need a home where she will get all the love and attention she needs.
Enjoys a slow walk in the park: Lulu is no trouble on the lead, but she is slow due to her blindness, and she has no recall due to her deafness. She isn’t keen on walking on pavements but is very happy to go to the park. She stays on an extendable lead and quite happily meanders along. If she is closely supervised in a safe area she will happily wander around off lead. Due to the fact that she likes to sniff every blade of grass, walks can take 45 minutes or more. She doesn’t really walk far but she does love to sniff and scrutinise every tree and bush. She only does one walk of that sort of length per day and she doesn’t go for that long a walk every day. A 20-minute walk once or twice a day would probably be enough to keep her happy. She has weakness in her hind legs so it’s best to judge how she is on a particular day.
OK in the car: Lulu doesn’t get travel sick at all, but she can get herself into a bit of a tizzy at times. She goes in the back of her fosterer’s car with the two resident dogs, and she is pretty good, but can be a bit yappy at times on the way. She is terrified of being confined, so probably wouldn’t be happy attached to a seat belt. Her foster carer hasn’t tried this, but has a feeling Lulu won’t take to it too well, but thinks that with perseverance Lulu might adapt to it over time.
Lulu’s favourite pastimes: Her favourite pastime is eating; she absolutely adores her food. She doesn’t seem to know much about treats but she is learning. She loves cuddles and likes to sit on your lap. With the right doggy companion she will play a little. She likes to spend time in the garden having a little explore. She also likes to snooze in a comfy bed.
Lulu’s dislikes: She is terrified of being confined; she definitely could not be crated. Her foster carer has a pram for her in case she gets tired when they are out, but even with that she cannot go inside the pram and has to sit on the top of the cover so that she doesn’t feel entrapped. She seems unsure of walking on pavements, but that is due to her lack of sight. In her fosterer’s garden, when she gets to a paving slab it means there is a step, so she seems to associate the feel of them on her paws with being cautious. That could well change in time. She can appear a little frightened when you first take her out in the car and she can shake, but that soon stops.
Lulu’s ideal home: She would fit into a home with an older couple/person who has time to spend with her. Lulu is an absolute darling, but due to her blindness and deafness she needs more assistance than a seeing/hearing dog, so her people will need to be able to devote a little extra time to her care. She loves to spend time with you, and her disabilities do not stop her making a bond with you. She would like a reasonably quiet home, with a calm, resident dog, and with people who will love her and be around the majority of the day. It is important for Lulu that the house is kept with items in the same place as much as possible, to let her have independence when moving around the home. A house with lots of toys on the floor would not be ideal. It would be advantageous if there were no steps in the garden, so that Lulu doesn’t always have to be supervised and assisted when outside, although she is quite able to find her way to the garden from the house.
Health notes: Lulu is neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. She doesn’t have any major health problems but is completely blind in both eyes. She does not produce any tears so needs artificial tears to keep her eyes as healthy as possible. This will be ongoing. Lulu is also deaf, although she can hear some loud noises, but it is very limited. Other than ensuring her ears remain clean there is no other course of action needed. The vet says she has had chronic ear infection in the past that went untreated, so her ears feel a little cauliflowery, but it doesn’t seem to cause her any anxiety. Lulu has a little weakness in her hind legs, especially her left, and she also seems to have a sensitive spot on her lower spine, none of which are serious, just part of getting older. To alleviate any pain the vet has put her on an anti-inflammatory (Metacam), which will also be ongoing. She has had a dental and reacted badly to the anaesthetic, so any future surgical procedures are to be avoided.
More from Lulu’s foster carer: “Lulu is absolutely gorgeous and will make someone a perfect companion. She is incredibly greedy and will certainly not let you be unaware of the fact she is hungry. When Lulu came to us she was a very neglected, frightened girl. She never ceases to amaze me with how incredible she is and what a little fighter to survive. She adapts amazingly well to her surroundings in a very short space of time. She wears a dog halo in the house to stop her from hitting her head on items, which we only got her a few weeks ago. Already she has adapted to it. She is loving and runs to greet you when you come in. She loves to spend time with you and likes to be kissed and cwtched and preferably to snuggle up with you at night. Lulu is perfectly clean in the house, she does like to have a rummage through a recycling bag given half the chance. To sum Lulu up, she is a complete character who deserves the most loving home, with good food and a comfy bed. If she gets that, Lulu’s dreams will have come true and she is certainly a girl who deserves her dreams to come true.”
——————————
If you would like to offer Lulu a permanent home, please read our Adoption Procedures for information about the adoption process. You can then contact an Oldies Club rehoming co-ordinator as follows:
Email: rehome@oldies.org.uk
Telephone: 0844 586 8656
Lulu can be rehomed anywhere on the UK mainland – the closer to her foster home the better though, subject to a satisfactory home visit. Note that you will be required to travel to the foster home to collect her.
——————————
If you would love to offer a home to an oldie but your circumstances aren’t suitable, perhaps you would be kind enough to sponsor one of the special oldies we are caring for that, due to health problems, are unlikely to be offered a permanent home.
——————————