Tammy

Tammy is the most amazing dog. She is loving, gentle, sweet, trainable and many other things. Sadly, Tammy has not always had the best life. From what we have learnt about her background, Tammy was abandoned, when her family moved away and left her behind. She arrived to the shelter with an ear infection, matts and a heavy flea infestation. Without the care of neighbours, Tammy may not have had food or water.

Tammy will melt her face into your hand. She loves belly rubs and will be quick to roll on her back. She's a 13.7kg lap dog, and she will gently snore while getting pats, totally at peace, even while her front and back legs are dangling on either side. She'll find a way to make a lap work. She loves to be carried, and is used to getting lots of kisses on her soft head and cheeks. She gets along with dogs and cats, everyone that meets Tammy is very quickly at ease around her. Our shelter cat and sheep do not trust new animals easily, but took no time at all to come round to Tammy. Tammy's belief that everyone is her friend is not always rewarded, and she does need to be protected from cattle, given her complete ignorance in turning her back towards a 500kg animal. Tammy has not been trusted around birds, having shown a strong instinct to chase them (regardless, the birds show utter fearlessness around her). Tammy has shown great progress around poultry, but has not been off lead with them, and will need continued work before trust is built. She shows great potential in this area, but at the moment, pocket pets need to remain safe and separated from Tammy.

Tammy would be happy in a home with other dogs, but would also be fine being a single dog with all the attention. Tammy has been left alone for enough of her life, she needs a person she can go to work with, or someone that works from home. She doesn't like to be alone. Tammy travels great in the car, and is well house trained. If there is a bed or couch, she will be on it. She doesn't need permission, she already knows that's where she can sit and snuggle with you. Tammy loves car rides, and is very well behaved, often resting her head on the passenger's knee.

Tammy has been with us for over 2 months now, and has undergone a big transformation. She was very sensitive about her ears being touched, which is understandable given they were likely sore from infection, and this probably resulted in her grooming being neglected. Every night, we have shown Tammy that without the painful knots, brushing her ears is a pleasant activity. It took a long time to remove all the flea poo, but she has lovely and silky fur now. Her new owner will need to be just as devoted to continuing this routine, to keep Tammy looking her best.

Tammy came to the shelter with no manners in walking on a lead. Sadly seen far too often, even with well loved dogs. A LOT of work has gone into discouraging Tammy from pulling on a lead. She now walks beautifully at the shelter, for walks around the shelter, and the second time she visits a park. However, in new situations, Tammy can get excited and forget herself, so owners will need to commit to being consistent with the ground work we've put in place. Likewise, Tammy had a habit of putting her nose to the door/gate, ready to bolt the moment it opened. With some reminders, she will now step back, and wait to be invited. Continuing this training is essential to ensuring Tammy has impeccable manners, and stays safe.

Tammy is a very happy girl, who is very loved here. Our rescues are not cheap, I don't think rescues should be. Tammy does not need a home, she is being offered for adoption to give another dog, in the future, a chance. So if you do not agree with the adoption fee, visit the hundreds of other dogs in the pounds needing a home, that are equally as sweet. Tammy is welcome to spend the rest of her life with us, and I'll only let her go if the perfect home presents itself. Tammy is like having a bit of sunshine in your life, that you get to take indoors. She's always happy to share her warmth, and is, simply perfection.