Atlas is one Such Rescue dog

In a previous article we spoke about the process of bringing home the new rescue dog. By nature, most rescue dogs are older than just the 8 weeks when pups are normally taken from their mum. Rescues tend to have been tried in one home, where they turned out not to be suitable for one reason or another and they are therefore older by the time they get their, hopefully, forever-home. This was the case with Atlas. He was born here along with his eight siblings and sold to someone who was wanting a dark coloured German Wirehaired Pointer for the purpose of stalking. When you stalk with a dog they are useful in case you can’t find the shot deer, which is often a problem in the summer, where they can fall in tall grass and be surprisingly difficult to find without a dog. So I thought Atlas was going to the perfect home. However, after two years I heard that he was not being used much and the person did not want him anymore. I kept one puppy for my self and did not want another dog, but…….

I realised that Atlas was in fact sitting in a cold, exposed kennel with just a wooden box for shelter and no dog bed for insulation other than a bare plastic bed. He had calluses on his elbows due to the lack of padding. He has never had a waterproof dog bed to lie on, which would have been ideal in an outdoor kennel, but luckily he was quite fat, so that must have saved him through the winter.

When I picked him up I got someone to drive while I sat in the back of the truck on the bespoke dog bed with Atlas. He had never been used to cars, so he was frightened, but after about 20 minutes I produced a little bit of cheese and that was it. I fed him little pieces all the way home and cuddled him. He stank of kennel and cleaning fluids, but I was quite happy with that. Sitting in the back of a truck I realised how much you get thrown around and how important a good, bouncy dog bed is. Because the bespoke dog bed obviously fits perfectly, there is less sliding about and there is also a Fluffie Tuffie Cover on this particular one, which gives great grip.

Little cheese bits always help:

Atlas likes little bits of cheese.

Here we are, Atlas and I bonding….

Atlas and I sitting in the back of the pick-up.

When we got out of the car Atlas was frightened of the white lines on the road and he got a shock when he saw a road sign. He has never been properly socialised or been out-and-about.

Atlas looking rough when we got him.

Meeting the other dogs was thankfully much easier and it didn’t take him long to be happy with them.

He has the most gorgeous and soft temperament. His attitude to dog beds, however, is a result of never having been treated to one. I find him, sometimes thrilled to be able to enjoy a nest dog bed with the full cover, but at other times he seems to choose the hard floor as the most natural place for him to rest.

Atlas in a dog bed nest looking surprised.

Whenever I sit down, Atlas is there to say hello.

Atlas sleeping beside the dog bed on the floor.

But ALWAYS, when I am around, he wants me to touch him.

Atlas always looking for a clap.