Gentle Gypsy-Rose is a beautiful 15-year-old Staffy who was an unclaimed stray and came into Oldies Club rescue via a pound. She is now in a foster home in Cinderford, Gloucestershire.
Summary: If you have a quiet home and are looking for a sweet little walking companion who only wants to take a short stroll at a slow pace, Gypsy could be your girl. She won’t watch TV with you though as, when the TV is on, she takes herself off to sleep in another room. Perhaps she was trained to do that in a former home. Gypsy needs an adult home where she will be your only pet. A nice, easily accessible garden for her to enjoy is also on her wish list.
Settled well in foster care: Beautiful Gypsy took about a week to settle in at her foster home.
Fine to be left: Gypsy is fine when left alone for a few hours and she will settle down happily. Her foster carer has left her for up to 5 hours without any issues. We might therefore consider a home where people go out to work, so long as someone will come home to walk or spend time with Gypsy at lunchtime. Obviously the more time you can spend with her the better though, so homes where she would have more time with her people would be preferred.
Wants to be your only dog: Gypsy is indifferent to other dogs, and she prefers to not have to interact with them. She needs a home where she will be your only dog.
Unknown with cats: We have no history for Gypsy, and she hasn’t met cats while in foster, so we need a cat-free home for her.
Happiest in an adult home: Gypsy’s foster carer feels that an adult home would be preferable for little Gypsy-Rose. She’s always happy to see you, and greets people nicely, but after enjoying a bit of fuss she then quickly loses interest and takes herself off to a quiet place. Her foster carer wonders if, in her family life as a younger dog, she perhaps wasn’t allowed in the family room when people were there.
Loves a slow walk: Gypsy loves a short 10-15 minute walk, once or twice a day. She would be ideal for someone who likes to enjoy their daily strolls at a relaxed pace as she walks very slowly and doesn’t cover much distance. Her foster carer hasn’t let Gypsy off the lead as there is really no need. If little Gypsy becomes too tired or has had enough, she will simply sit down and refuse to go any further!
Quiet in the car: Gypsy-Rose sits quietly in the car and looks around at the sights. She doesn’t lie down or sleep.
Gypsy’s favourite pastimes: Sweet Gypsy loves to snooze her days away. She does enjoy a sniff around the garden too, and she loves to dig! She enjoys a tasty dog treat, as long as it is something soft. She isn’t particularly interested in toys but she loves some fuss and some ear or back scritches. She doesn’t want to be cuddled though.
Gypsy’s dislikes: She doesn’t like sudden loud noises close by, and she also doesn’t like the sound of the television, so she will take herself away to a quiet room in the evenings. She therefore needs a selection of soft beds in different locations, so that she can choose one where she is happiest at a particular time.
Gypsy’s ideal home: A quiet adult-only home would be perfect. She needs a nice easily accessible garden to enjoy some outdoor time in – a garden without steps would be best. Gypsy is best on carpeted floors rather than wooden ones. Her foster carer has put down non-slip mats for her to make her way around on.
Sleeping arrangements: Gypsy sleeps in the sitting room in her bed at night, and also during the day if the TV isn’t on. If the TV is on, Gypsy takes herself off to sleep in a bed in a different room.
Health notes: Gypsy is neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, wormed and flea-treated. She has arthritis, especially affecting her back legs and hips. She is unsteady on her feet at times and walks slowly. Gypsy is having monthly Librela injections for this, and also half a Galliprant anti-inflammatory tablet. She has a delicate tummy but is doing well on a mixture of Ava hypoallergenic tinned food and Royal Canin Gastro dry food.
More from Gypsy’s foster carer: “Gypsy-Rose is quiet, funny, stubborn and adorable. She is a very elderly lady and does have episodes of forgetfulness (don’t we all!) and some short periods of ‘daydreaming’. We have noticed that she sometimes will be away from us, in a different room, or in the garden, and she seems to become lost. She looks around as if she doesn’t know where she is. This doesn’t seem to cause her any distress, just confusion. Once we go to her and let her know we are there, she seems to know where she is again. She checks her food bowl often, as if she has perhaps forgotten she has been fed, but she doesn’t ask for more food. ”
If you would like to offer Gypsy-Rose 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
Gypsy-Rose can be rehomed anywhere on the UK mainland – the closer to her foster home the better – 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.