Rocco fostered North Walsham Norfolk.
Rocco is a seven month old cross breed pup who will grow to be no more than medium size.
Rocco is from, what followers of safe rescue know to be, the barking Bush in Crivatu Romania. It is an area of shrub land known to be used to dump rubbish, furniture, and unwanted dogs.
We have a history of busting a gut to catch dumped dogs from this area before anything bad happens to them. In Rocco’s case he and one sibling escaped death by only twenty four hours.
The day after volunteers managed to catch them and get them safe, the rest of the litter were mercilessly slaughtered and left in the rubbish.
Whilst their siblings were being given a respectful burial, Rocco and his sister were being taken to a private shelter where they remained safe and cared for until we could take them here in the UK.
Rocco’s foster mum says….
“Rocco is now a friendly pup who’s just beginning to understand the freedoms he has now. He arrived very submissive and would crawl on his tummy for a stroke. Now he’s spending more time on all fours and is getting more and more confident every day.
His true cheeky nature is emerging slowly but surely and he is already enjoying sitting with us for cuddle’s.
Lead and house training has just started so his new adopters would need to continue working with this.
Being more human focused we feel he would be happy as an only dog however he lives currently in a multidog household and interacts perfectly well with them. He could live with respectful children aged ten plus and is a good boy with the guinea pigs but enjoys watching them”
When you adopt a Safe Rescue dog, you MUST use a slip lead. This will keep your dog safe: your new dog will be nervous and will not trust you, and you will not know which situations might upset your dog. If your dog panics, then a slip lead is the only way to prevent your dog from escaping (many dogs can escape from a collar and/or harness).
It will take AT LEAST 3-6 months for your dog to settle-in and for you to know your dog fully (longer for nervous dogs). The slip lead must ALWAYS be used during this settling-in period.
Even after your dog is settled, it is safest to use the slip lead in situations where your dog may become scared (e.g. visiting new places, around unfamiliar people, at the vet), and it situations where unexpected triggers might happen (e.g. around bonfire night). Nervous dogs may always need to wear a slip-lead as a back-up safety measure.
The slip lead is a safety device and must NEVER be used as a training tool. Using the lead to apply pressure to the dog’s neck is damaging. If your dog pulls on the lead, then we can advise you on training methods that avoid harm.
Once your dog is settled, you may want to consider using a harness (together with the slip lead) if your dog is comfortable with being handled when it is fitted. Most harnesses are not escape-proof, but harnesses with a strap behind the ribcage (e.g. Ruffwear Webmaster or Perfect Fit Harnesses) are safer.
Retractable / extendable leads must never be used on our dogs.
Adopted dogs must be collected from the rescue and transported straight home in a crate.
Fences and gates must be 5foot minimum in height and secure.
