RSPCA Friends of West Hatch Newsletter Spring 2021 | Issue 18 | Page 14

COLLIES get their happy ending

By Dawn Snowball
Taz
Back in August 2019 a small group of collies came to the Centre after spending a short time in boarding kennels .
Pepper , Trio , Taz and Ben were found living in horse boxes on a farm . When they arrived at the Centre they were very under socialised and petrified of absolutely everything .
Collies are an intelligent breed and are notorious for struggling in the kennel environment . It took several weeks for them to form any kind of bond with members of staff , but with the help of cheese , hotdogs , kindness and patience they were soon making friends with a small number of staff .
They had to learn how to walk on leads , play and trust people . It took several months , but eventually they were enjoying going out for walks and making friends with other dogs .
Just before the lockdown in March 2020 , Pepper was the first to be adopted by a lovely family with a female lab cross collie for Pepper to learn from and gain confidence . Even though there have been ups and downs and lots of learning curves , they love Pepper and are giving him the best chance .
Hector & Taz
Taz , a favourite among staff due to his cheeky and playful nature , was adopted by a couple in September 2020 . They had previously adopted a poodle crossbreed called Hector from us in 2015 . Hector had been at the Centre for 18 months due to being part of an ongoing prosecution case . Hector was also a timid and under socialised dog , so Taz was going to be in good hands with his new family . Due to lockdown Taz hasn ’ t experienced as much as he would usually in a new home but he is full of mischief and loves running around the large garden of the home he now lives in .
Ben took a little longer to warm to people , but formed a strong bond once he got to know you , and we were able to witness his playful and loving side . When he was ready for adoption , a very patient couple who made many visits to the Centre to get to know Ben , reserved him . He is now in a safe , warm and loving environment with a beautiful big garden to explore and play in . The completely opposite to the environment he was rescued from .
6 Pepper