27/11/2024 – Little Dylan has gone off to his lovely new home!
Dylan is an adorable 14-year-old Shih Tzu who came into rescue because his owner was no longer able to give him the time and quality of life he deserves. He is in an Oldies Club foster home in Cambridge, waiting for someone to offer him a permanent home.
Summary: This super little chap is good with dogs and cats. He loves to be your shadow and would like a home with someone around most of the time, but his foster carers have got him used to being left for a while. He’s good in the car and enjoys an interesting long walk. He also likes to play a game of Dylan’s Rules Hide-and-Seek with his toy.
Doing well in foster care: Dylan settled at his foster home straight away, but it took a few weeks for him to show affection without his foster carers instigating it.
Loves to be with you: We were told that Dylan doesn’t like to be left on his own, and it was clear when he arrived that he loves to be your little shadow. His foster carers have very gradually built up the time he has been left, so that he can be left when you need to go out shopping etc. They began by leaving him with their dog for just 10 minutes and gradually built it up to about 3 hours. They then did the same with gradually leaving Dylan entirely on his own for a while. He will also now take himself off for an afternoon nap in the bedroom and is happy to sleep with no-one in the room. Having said that, it wouldn’t be fair for him to be left for hours every day. He is therefore looking for a home with someone who will spend most of their time with him.
Good with dogs: Dylan is fine with other dogs. His social skills are good and he mixes with many other breeds when on walks. Dylan is sharing his foster home with the resident Labrador, and although they are not best buddies, they tolerate one another and are respectful of the other’s food station and beds.
Good with cats: Dylan has lived with cats previously and we were told he was very good with them. His only experience of cats while in foster has been with a cat he meets when visiting a relative of his foster carers. He gets along fine with the cat there, so we think that he could live with cats in his new home.
OK with older children: Dylan lived with older children in his previous home, but he hasn’t met children while in our care. He should be fine around children, but due to his deteriorating eyesight and hearing, they would need to be children over the age of 10 years who will be aware of Dylan’s age and be calm and gentle with him.
Enjoys interesting walks: Dylan’s foster carers report that he loves a walk and he can even run at a reasonable pace. Dylan is great on the lead and he trots along as if he’s in a show ring! His recall wasn’t good at all, but he has now learned to answer to a whistle, and as long as there’s a treat for him to come to, he will come back 60-70% of the time. His recall is still a work in progress though and he obviously must not be let off lead other than in an enclosed, safe area. Dylan is happy to walk for at least an hour for his main daily walk by the river, and then he has a shorter walk in the evening.
Excellent in the car: Dylan is great in the car and travels in the car every day to his main walk. He has also been on longer journeys with no problems.
Dylan’s favourite pastimes: Sleeping, going for walks, and sunbathing in garden are his favourite things to do. He also likes to play hide-and-seek with his toy: he hides the toy and then barks to signal that you need to find and move it, and he then finds it and barks!
Dylan’s dislikes: His foster carers haven’t found anything this brave little man is frightened of, but he dislikes the resident Labrador’s tail as he sometimes get caught by it, but Dylan is quick to dodge it.
Dylan’s ideal home: He’d enjoy living with one person or a couple where he can attach himself to someone and become their shadow. He does respect boundaries though and will wait outside the bathroom.
Sleeping arrangements: In foster, Dylan is free to sleep where he likes. During the day he sleeps on the sofa, or the bed in the bedroom. At night he sleeps in either his own bed or on his foster carers’ bed.
Health notes: Dylan is neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, wormed and flea treated. He has cataracts in both eyes but the vet felt that no treatment will be necessary. A blood test revealed that Dylan had raised liver enzymes, but nothing could be seen when this was investigated. He is now taking Protexin Denamarin liver support tablet once a day and he will need this for the rest of his life, but it can be bought without a prescription.
More from Dylan’s foster carer: “Dylan is cheeky, chilled, happy and mischievous. Dylan has been a delight to foster and has never made a mistake in the house. Over the weeks we have had him his personality has started to come out, plus in the right home I am sure there is still more to come. He has made us laugh every single day, and would enrich anyone’s life.”
If you would like to offer Dylan a permanent home, please read our Adoption Procedures for information about the adoption process. You can then contact an Oldies Club Rehoming Coordinator as follows:
Email: rehome@oldies.org.uk
Telephone: 0844 586 8656
He can be rehomed anywhere on the UK mainland – the closer to his foster home the better – subject to a satisfactory home visit. Note that you will be required to travel to the foster home to collect him.
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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.