It was May 2020 nearly 3 months into the pandemic. We were dogless, we had been considering for a while to give a rescue dog a new home. We were going to wait until after our holidays but when lock down came and holidays were cancelled we decided to start the search.
It wasn't an easy task, we searched the rescue centres over the internet daily looking for a dog who we thought we could give a good home to.
We had a profile which we needed to match to to ensure that whichever dog came to live with us would be the right one, the right size, have just the right amount of energy etc. We also needed to take into account that he would be coming from a rescue centre, and that there may have been previous events in his life which which could have traumatised or had an impact on how they dealt with daily life.
We got most of the information on the Rescue Centre websites of how to look for a new pet and what we may expect from a rescued animal.
By matching the profile we would be able to give him/her whatever they needed, would therefore be with us forever.
Gender: was not important to us.
Size : Very important, We need to be able to cover all his/her needs:
Age: Not too old, we wanted this to be a long term commitment.
Issues: To be discussed when we meet him/her.
Due to the pandemic, people were unable to visit the animal shelters. We were in total lock down. We were about to give up our search as everyone during the pandemic appeared to want a dog. As soon as a profile of a suitable dog was on the rescue websites, it was snapped up.
The prices of private dog sales on the internet was soaring, a dog or pup which would have cost you £300 before lockdown, was now being advertised for sale for as much as £3,000. There was a huge demand for dogs of all sizes and breeds.
We almost gave up looking, until we came across this little bundle, who was with the RSPCA in Felledge and now looking for a new home. So we applied online to adopt her.
The RSPCA didn't just hand her over to us we had to go through a thorough process to ensure we were suitable and that the dog was suited to us. We couldn't visit the centre so they sent us videos of her out walking with the kennel staff. It showed her barking madly at other dogs, she was jumping round in circles and almost choking herself. She wouldn't settle until the other dog was out of sight.
We were interviewed several times by telephone, we sent pictures of our home inside and the garden. They used google maps to check out the area we lived in. We told them where she would sleep and what she would sleep in. We told them how we planned to look after her, support her needs and try to deal with her issues. We were told if all went well with her meeting which was the last test, we would be keeping her.
Coco was being neutered before she left the rescue centre, as all animals are before they go to their new homes. So we had to wait a further 2 weeks for her recovery time.
We went on Amazon (all the shops were still closed) and ordered all the equipment and toys we thought we needed for her, and more.
We were given a date for a visit to our home from an RSPCA officer (using social distancing rules from the pandemic) so we could get to meet Coco. In the meantime the staff at the rescue centre kept us informed regularly of how she was progressing during this time. The meeting was to take place in our back garden, and we were told if all was well we could keep her.
It was Wednesday 17th June at 1pm, when the officer arrived with Coco. If all went well she would stay with us. It was hard to judge the size of Coco from the photos we had seen. We new she was going to be small, but when we met her she was tiny. She was still underweight and her hair was clipped short. She walked into the back garden like she was on a mission, she wasn't shy and once of the lead, she had a good walk round the garden and house. She investigated everything she could. She seemed to have confidence and a bit of a taste for adventure. The officer stayed for about an hour while Coco got to know us.
After talking with the officer and completing paperwork we were asked if we wanted her. It was a big yes from us both.
As far as we know Coco had a pretty tough little life, the RSPCA couldn't tell us much about her background. So we know very little about what she actually went through in her first 3 years. Its very sad to even think of what traumas she has dealt with. All we were told was she was reported to the RSPCA by someone who had noticed the neglected dog and what a state she was in. An RSPCA Officer had visited her home and removed her from the owners.
We are so thankful to that person for reporting this, as this put an end to her suffering and was the beginning of her new life.
Coco had spent some time living in the RSPCA kennels, where she was cleaned up, checked by a vet and put on a weight gaining diet and assessed to be suitable for a new home. It wouldn't have been a very happy place for her coping with her anxiety around other dogs.
The story so far is saddening to think just what she may have been through in her relatively short life time. But from here on we plan to give her lots of love and attention and take her outside into the world that she has missed.
This is one of the first photos we saw of Coco she looked so thin and so neglected. Her coat was very matted and smelly, she had sores on her skin, and her nails were growing into her pads. She needed to be cut so short to get all the tatts out. She was thin, her bones were showing. She was also very worried around other dogs.
and this is her today 3 months later.
