Lello

Have you ever wanted a little cuddly lamb? Here is your chance! Meet Lello, a 3-year old poodle mix who lives for love and affection. Described by a vet as having ‘a beautiful temperament’, this little guy is sweet-natured and resilient, taking no time to settle into a brand new household – within the first 10 minutes of arriving, he made himself at home by fitting in a quick nap in his foster sister’s crate!

Sweet and affectionate doesn’t quite fully describe the amount of love he has to give. If there is a lap, he would like to be on it please (good thing he is tiny at 5kg)! If not, he will position himself as close to you as possible, and give you the perfect puppy-dog eyes just in case you’re in the mood for giving him pats. He doesn’t discriminate, he loves people of all sizes and ages, and he knows very well how to charm a complete stranger into giving him a quick cuddle. To be fair, no one can resist his cute little face!

My Ideal Home: Lello would love a home where he has company most of the time. He would be fine in an apartment or in a house, and isn’t too fussed about having a yard, it’s all about being close to his people. Because of his small size, he would prefer to avoid stairs (unless you are prepared to carry him up and down like the little king that he is). He might let you know that someone’s at the front door (but only sometimes), and doesn’t seem to be too bothered by loud strange noises outside. Amazingly, for a doggo who loves company so much, Lello is also okay with spending some time alone! He has been left by himself in his play pen for up to 4 hours and napped most of that away in his crate.

Training needs and habits: Lello is a small dog that find the Big Outdoors a bit scary. Currently, he doesn’t know how to walk outside on a leash, and will shut down by sitting down and not moving if you try and force him. He has been getting exposure to the outside environment by being carried in a dog pouch (lucky he is so small!) and just watching the world from the safety of the pouch. With patience and lots of positive reinforcement, there is no doubt he will learn that it’s fun to sniff and explore outside the house, but this will take time. He is a keen observer, and also non-reactive, which makes it easy for training and desensitization. He is also toilet-trained and crate-trained, and very easy to handle (physically) – his foster mum is able to touch his paws, cut his nails, check his teeth, and administer eye drops without any complaints! Lello is a little fussy on food, and is currently being fed Prime100 rolls for breakfast and dinner which he is happy to polish off very quickly, but isn’t so keen on anything too hard like kibble or the air-dried Prime100.

My Energy Level: Lello lives for two things – cuddles and naps. He is content to sleep most of the day (and night) away, and currently gets most of his exercise following the humans around when they are home. He can move surprisingly fast if he wants to… but does he want to? Not really, unless it’s dinner time. He does love a little play with his favourite soft toy the Bunny, and will make cute growling noises to let you know he’s having a great time. Then it’s back to cuddles and napping.

My Suitability to Children: Lello hasn’t met any children since arriving at the foster home; however, could do well with older children who are calm and can respect his space. He is not a fan of sudden movements or groping, and would not enjoy little fingers accidentally hitting or poking him.

My Suitability to Cats and Dogs: Lello is currently living with a foster sister who likes her space (a 2-year old whippet mix who is much bigger than him) and has respected her boundaries so could live with another chill, laid-back older dog. He is a bit sensitive to being bumped around or knocked over (fair enough) so no boisterous younger dogs or puppies please! He hasn’t met any cats since arrival, but could potentially learn to live with one – Lello is mostly neutral around other animals and won’t try to interact or play with them. He could also do really well as an only dog, and would probably love having the humans’ full, undivided attention!