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Post by rrosie on Jan 3, 2014 13:58:58 GMT 1
So sorry to read this Jan, you were very lucky to have shared such good times with such a lovely dog. They can be a trial at times, but all the best ones are aren't they, we would not have it any other way?
The pain will ease in time but the memories will live on. He sounds like he packed a whole life into his short one.
Rrx
sorry, cross posted with myself!
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Post by lizpurlo on Jan 3, 2014 14:17:35 GMT 1
Oh Jan, I'm so sorry to read this - Scamp was such a wee sweetheart and I know he was your constant companion. What a dreadful thing to happen, my heart goes out to you both. Loss of a beloved animal which is in its prime is always the worst thing to bear.
But do get another dog soon...... the longest I've ever lasted between dogs is about four days. There's another loveable soul out there just waiting for you. xx
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Post by happysnail on Jan 4, 2014 23:53:06 GMT 1
Sounds very fitting. Sending a hug and thinking of you. x
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Post by portiabuzz on Jan 7, 2014 18:27:46 GMT 1
hope your ok jan xxx
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Post by janwilky on Jan 7, 2014 23:20:56 GMT 1
Thanks PB and everyone. It's been an awful week, but gradually feeling a bit better if a bit flat. Yesterday was pretty horrible, as it was Ru's first day back at work and he won't be home until Thursday night so it's just me and a long report to be written and no Scamp to keep my feet warm and pester me for yet another walk break. At least I have the horses to break the day up, but it is just too quiet and I miss my naughty little black shadow more than I can say. I've made tentative enquiries with the cocker breed rescue people, I don't know if it will lead anywhere but it made me feel a bit better to do something positive. Apparently they've got record numbers of dogs on their books and they've even got a 10 week old show cocker puppy which the stupid owners paid over £700 for before Christmas. Grhh, people do make me very cross sometimes!
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Post by portiabuzz on Jan 8, 2014 11:41:06 GMT 1
indeed so irresponsible! Sending  my thoughts are with you xxxxx |
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Post by jill on Jan 13, 2014 15:41:26 GMT 1
There's a 5 month old male black cocker in Wolverhampton Jan - if you don't follow it up I might :)http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=109249.0 ETA someone was looking at him when I rang just, he might have found a home  |
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Post by janwilky on Jan 13, 2014 16:30:10 GMT 1
He looks very sweet Jill, hopefully he'll find a lovely home. Looks like a show cocker from the pic, probably won't be quite so busy as the working types (which Scamp was). I couldn't face another black boy though, not at the moment anyway, I think it would break my heart to have another that looked like Scamp but wasn't him. I still miss him horribly.
We had a home visit yesterday from CAESSR (cocker & English springer rescue) and have been approved by them, so we're available if the right dog comes along. It needs to be either a puppy or a trained dog with good recall for us though, as we live literally in the middle of a shoot. No sheep chasers either, or we'd be unpopular with both the gamekeeper and the farmer! Scamp was just starting to learn to control his pheasant hunting urges at the age of six! Luckily he never looked twice at a sheep though, too busy dashing around with his nose to the ground, usually dragging half a bramble bush along by his ears. Never known such a fearless, incorrigible dog.
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Post by jill on Jan 13, 2014 18:32:30 GMT 1
I also mentioned cavaliers when I rang them (not as busy or sporty as other spaniels, so maybe less inclined to chase my hens/horses/cat/elderly JRT) and they said they do get a fair few in. You are lucky to have got a home visit from CAESSR - when I emailed them they never even replied!
I have often pondered getting a puppy in preference to a rescue, to begin that all important training to ignore very early on, but there are just so many rescues in need. They all come with habits and often baggage though.
ETA You aren't a Johanna Vardon then - she has had a sequence of apricot poodles all called Gigi and a series of dalmations, whose name (always the same) I can't remember. Very odd.
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Post by janwilky on Jan 13, 2014 20:08:58 GMT 1
APRICOT POODLES CALLED GIGI?  I'd never be able to show my face out of doors round here again  Scamp was the first dog I've ever had from a puppy, but he had a very, very strong prey drive from the start and I missed my opportunity to be consistent enough with the early training. I had a new horse at the time, and also my last dog had been a border collie and I didn't know about spaniel selective deafness. I do now though!! He did get better as he matured, but he never could resist tearing off after pheasants given half a chance. I'm torn between another puppy and a rescue too, pretty much for the same reasons as you Jill, but I don't feel ready to start again with a puppy just at the moment so if the right rescue dog comes along we'll go for it this time. They do get a fair few well-trained dogs apparently, ranging from victims of divorce, emigration or job changes to ex-gamekeeper's dogs. I knew of one locally a year or so ago, a 12 month old bitch who wouldn't go more than 20 feet from her handler so was proving useless as a shooting dog. I was interested, but someone had already snapped her up when I enquired. Pity, she'd have suited us perfectly. I don't think I could cope with a dog with major issues just at the moment - three horses with issues is quite enough, my dog needs to be my down time not the cause of more worry and stress. The lady from CAESSR said it's well known that black male working cockers are reputed to be the worst for selective deafness/high prey drive. Certainly all the black ones I know of are a bit similar to Scamp - absolutely fabulous temperament, the most loving and joyful dogs but more than a touch partial to going free hunting whenever the opportunity arises  . Odd that CAESSR didn't reply to you though, I had a phone call within a few hours of submitting an online enquiry. The lady who did the home visit said their admin isn't always very reliable and that I should keep pestering them now we've been approved as they tend to forget who is on the waiting list unless prompted, so perhaps that explains why you didn't hear back. Both our neighbours have lurchers, one of whom was Scamp's best friend. A lurcher would be a very sensible choice for a horsey lady who also works at the computer a lot. Give them a good 20 minute run and they're happy to snooze the rest of the day. Bebo never could work out why Scamp ran everywhere with his nose to the ground, she followed him faithfully trying to work it out but failed completely . They just don't do it for me though - I like them, but I adore spaniels. It's no good, I'm hooked  |
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Post by jill on Jan 13, 2014 21:08:44 GMT 1
Whoops sorry - white poodle. Someone else had the apricot - that was a standard and a fabulous dog.
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Post by ladyndibs on Jan 13, 2014 21:47:02 GMT 1
I've got a greyhound Jan and did a lot of research before taking him on, some lurchers are fine but depending what the cross is you could end up with a dog the size of a small horse who acts like he's on speed. We had a few hiccups with Nutty initially but to be fair to him 99% were our fault, we hadn't had a dog for a long time and our previous dog was a dream, NEVER naughty or should I say never exhibiting unwanted behaviour . I don't know if you've seen the random photos thread started by Liz but there is a picture of Nutty with my three horses taken early last summer, there are sheep in the next field and he takes no notice of them, not an aggressive bone in his body unless he sees a rabbit, he caught four last year though only ate one, the others he left for freddy fox. I would never rely on his recall out near traffic, he's not the sharpest pencil in the box but down the field it's 100% for me though strangely not quite so good for OH. We decided on a greyhound/lurcher for lots of differant reason, I went to see a bull lurcher a couple of times who was lovely but I didn't feel any conection with him, I went to see Nutty, he'd travelled over from Ireland 5 days before, I saw him and I fell in love, the following day I was home checked and the day after I collected him. I think what I'm ham fistedly trying to say is if you are after a breed that will enjoy a good run but will love to snooze while you work you could do worse than consider a greyhound. |
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Post by janwilky on Jan 13, 2014 21:47:32 GMT 1
I do think poodles are great dogs, but I'd still never live it down if I got myself a Gigi! My neighbour's sister has a cockerpoo, she's black cocker x miniature poodle and she's utterly adorable. Scamp was rather partial to her |
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Post by janwilky on Jan 13, 2014 21:52:42 GMT 1
Nutty sounds lovely Ladyndibs. I had a lurcher once, and have known some lovely greyhounds but I just can't see myself with one at the moment and nor can Ru. Perhaps it's just because I once fell in love with a naughty little black bundle of wayward cocker, but my heart seems to belong to spaniels now.
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