A foster family reunion
Remember Emma, our featured foster mum last month? Well, we decided to give her a pleasant surprise by finding two of her favourite foster pups and sharing their Happy Tails. Pennie, the Kelpie cross that Emma so wanted to keep (below), and Poppy, the singing and talking Ridgeback cross.
Pennie and family
Since the Linehans’ babies were knee-high, there has always been a dog in their lives. Their beloved Labrador x Collie had passed away two years ago at the ripe old age of 15, and now they were ready to start a new chapter. They were keen to rescue an older dog, so weren’t expecting to return home with a puppy.
“We weren’t searching the PetRescue pages for anything specific to be honest,” recalled Helen. “We just wanted a dog that would fit in with the family and be close to all of us. Our previous dog was like a child to my husband and I, and a loving sibling to our children.”
When Helen paid a visit to Shenton Dogs’ Home Refuge, the staff suggested they should get a puppy, as it would easily adapt to life with their pet cat. And when their eyes met Pennie, the kelpie x cattle dog, they knew they’d found their new fur baby.
“What first struck me was how similar she was to our old dog, the same face, the same calm and friendly nature,” said Helen. “She was so gentle and just wanted to be petted and cuddled.
The ladies at the Dogs’ Refuge said she was a very easy-going and loving little dog, and that everybody loved her, especially her foster mum Emma!”
Before they could take Pennie home, the Linehans were invited to bring their cat in for a test and, much to Helen’s relief, they were both fine.
“The day we brought Pennie home, she was very quiet and good,” said Helen.
“After a few days, she grew in confidence and started to act like a typical puppy, but she’s much better behaved than our old dog was when he was a pup – he was into everything! Pennie’s really good. She listens, does as she’s told and she’s really bright too.”
When asked if there was anything she’d like to say to Emma, Pennie’s foster carer, Helen said “She did an excellent job. We really haven’t had any major issues since we got her home. Emma obviously gives her foster pups lots of love and good guidance. Pennie already had some basic training and knew her limits, so she fitted right in straight away.”
In the first few weeks of her new life with the Linehans, Pennie was making great progress at puppy school, quickly learning to sit, walk to heel and give paw perfectly. She’d even done some extracurricular study and worked out how to use the cat door to get in from the garden.
“It was so funny,” Helen laughed. “She was only 10 kilos when we first brought her home, so she was small enough to fit through the cat door. She’d obviously watched and learned from the cat.”
Pennie’s now 15 kilos and doesn’t fit through the cat door anymore. But she’s turned her attention to new tricks, such as learning to fetch the newspaper off the front lawn.
“She loves to pick up and carry things when we go for walks. Sticks, plastic bottles, she’ll even pick up a piece of paper,” smiled Helen. “So we’ve put that to good use by teaching her to fetch the newspaper. She luurves it! If it’s a big Saturday paper, she’ll pick up one end and drag it to the house!”
In just over two months, Pennie has become the new and much-loved baby of the Linehan household.
“Shenton were very professional and helpful, advising us what to do when we got Pennie home to help her settle in, and she’s just fitted right in to our lives perfectly. She’s such a loving little dog and thinks every visitor is her friend. Thank you Shenton, and thank you Emma!”
Pennie, adopted and very much loved.