A Special Story - Pumpkin
Pumpkin is a beautiful 7 year old lurcher bitch who came to LAA as a stray in December 2003. An initial assessment proved she was very playful once her trust was gained but she was very wary around people she didn’t know and could demonstrate aggression towards some strangers. She loved her food and learnt to play with toys. She was selective towards other dogs and certainly didn’t like cats. Through careful and steady training and socialisation Pumpkin began to make new friends – both human and canine. We were very careful to ensure no one was put at any risk and she quickly accepted wearing a muzzle. She responded very well to training and had a very good obedience level.
Time rolled on for Pumpkin in kennels and by September 2004 she still hadn’t found anyone that would give her a chance at a new home. Training and socialisation continued to help build her confidence around new people and she seemed to prefer ladies to gentlemen! She still needed to wear her muzzle but had now found many new canine friends to spend her day with.
We hoped that 2005 would find Pumpkin with a new Mum or Dad and she did catch the eye of a couple that visited her regularly to get to know her. Pumpkin then went on a trial home visit for a day and evening to see how she may settle in to a new environment. She proved herself to be a good girl but sadly it wasn’t to be and she came back to the kennels.
A few months later a lady spotted her and spent a couple of weeks making friends and brought her dog to meet. Everything seemed to be going well and she went home again for a second home trial visit but unfortunately the lady had decided to wait a while longer before taking on a second dog.
Just when we thought that Pumpkin would become a long-term resident with little chance to find a new home, a gentleman visited the Centre in December 2005 and immediately noticed her. We all hoped that this would prove 3rd time lucky for Pumpkin and she was finally adopted on 5th January 2007. Her new Dad loves her and she clearly has bonded with him. We all wish Pumpkin and her Dad the very best of luck for a happy and healthy future together.
