*The importance of fostering and adopting*
Many of you may remember our young Mali x lurcher boy, Hitch, who was found abandoned in woods at 10 months old.
For some dogs after the initial fixing of their spirit, kennel life in a busy rescue becomes tedious and stressful and, with certain dogs, detrimental to their behaviour. For a super intelligent, young dog like Hitch this was soon the case. Little did we know that our, and Hitch's, path would soon cross with the most amazing couple Paul and Keisha.
Paul and Keisha had submitted a foster form, eager to do what they could to help a dog in need and with Pauls love of training, some search and rescue work, both outdoors and hikers we knew that they would be perfect to help Hitch develop his clever mind.
And that is exactly what they did. They took a young, highly intelligent dog who was struggling with boundaries and boredom and turned him into the amazing dog we always knew Hitch could be, in the right hands. Obedience training, wild camping, hikes, adventures but most of all routine and boundaries using Hitch's Malinois genes to his advantage. Of course, there were lots of coffee mornings and chilled cuddles on the sofa too showcasing his Lurcher genes. They turned him into a boy who they could be very proud of because of their commitment to him.
Most of all they turned him into a very rehomable boy. Now, all we had to do was find a home who would be equally as committed to continuing with all the things Hitch loved to do.
And we found her. Alannah, despite being only in her twenties, sent in an adoption form outlying her interest in adopting a dog she could work with in training, enjoy outdoor adventures with and still have cuddles and love with too.
Once again Paul and Keisha committed to Hitch, this time introducing him to Alannah on walks, showing her how they get the best out of Hitch with positive training methods, how to keep his intelligent mind relaxed but working and soon came the day for them to hand the lead over to Alannah.
Alannah and Hitch have been a bonded pair for some months now. They continue with their obedience training which they both enjoy, they go on adventures and hikes and Hitch is fulfilled and loved.
It takes a chain of people sometimes to bring a dog full circle and we are forever grateful to Paul and Keisha for their dedication and love to Hitch and to Alannah became the final link in that chain by committing to ensuring Hitch continued to be fulfilled as her dog.
We love a happy ending and this is one story we have enjoyed watching unfold.
Thank you.
