Bobby is a sweet 11 year old lurcher who is in an Oldies Club foster home in Leicester with his best friend, Alfie. Bobby and Alfie came into our care due to a change in their owner’s circumstances. They are very good friends and their personalities complement one another beautifully so we really hope that we will be able to find them a new home together.
Their foster carer tells us about Bobby: Bobby will run and sniff and, occasionally, play fight with Alfie in the garden. Then he is content to laze about the house, keeping an eye on his carers.
The boys settled into their foster home almost straight away. Their foster carer tells us: For the first week or so they were the very picture of politeness, definitely on their best behaviour. After that, as they came to realise that they were likely to have some permanency here, they began to ‘chill out’ more and become more at home.
The boys have been left alone for 3-4 hours at a time and they appear to cope well. There is no mess or sign of destructive behaviour. They are both very good dogs, generally content to lay about on the sofa or floor and sleep or watch the world go by.
Social skills: Bobby can be a little skittish on the lead when meeting other dogs and has sometimes growled or made a snap if they get too close or intimate with him. He could potentially live with other dogs though, depending on their personality as, after an initial grumble, he was fine with a poodle visitor to his foster home, and of course he loves living with Alfie! Bobby seems very interested in chasing cats, squirrels and rabbits, so he would be best in a cat-free home. Bobby is fine with people and happy to accept a fuss from anyone. He should be OK to live with children of 8 years old plus but he is nervous of sharp movements so living with ‘hyperactive children’ would not suit him.
Out and about: Bobby walks very well on lead and doesn’t pull. He responds to ‘Wait’ and ‘Leave’ and is happy to ‘Wait’ before crossing the road. He is very keen to sniff everything - nose down all the while. Bobby’s previous owner told us that Bobby is OK to walk off lead in parks etc and will not stray far. His foster carers have tried Bobby off the lead and his recall is good but they have found it best to put his lead back on if they see other dogs approaching. Bobby is fine in the car.
Favourite pastimes: Bobby was described by his original owner as ’shallow’! Basically his needs are simple and few - feeding and fussing! If you stop fussing he will nudge you for more! He seems to be the more laid back and accepting of change. He probably copes better than Alfie with being left. He has shown no inclination to get up to mischief.
Dislikes: Bobby appears skittish and nervous with sudden movements, particularly hand movements. He was fine with the New Year fireworks though - neither he nor Alfie batted an eyelid!
Bobby’s perfect home: A warm and loving home with adequate lounging space and a fairly spacious garden for chasing about in. He needs at least two good walks a day but otherwise is low maintenance. He is OK with stairs but only bothers with them to check on his foster carers when they’re upstairs. And, of course, Bobby’s perfect home would be the one where Alfie lives.
Bobby is neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, wormed and flea treated. He has been vet checked and is in good health. Bobby is a bit of a wuss though. He tends to overplay any injury and whine like a baby - this behaviour will be familiar to sighthound owners! However, he quickly gets over it.
The foster carer sums up Bobby as follows: Affectionate; Soft; Tentative; Quiet. But can run like the wind!
And finally: These two boys are a most loveable pair. They have been no trouble at all and have fitted right in. They complement each other very well in terms of their personalities and are two good friends reassured in each other’s company. We really do hope they can be rehomed together. They have happily got on with all our guests and family members and have slept in the same room as Xmas hampers and snacks - without any problems (except for Alfie’s chocolate incident which, give him his due, was our fault for leaving them so accessible!). We agree with their previous owner that they may have experienced abuse in earlier years which might account for their occasional nervous reactions, but it is clear they simply want to be loved. They have gradually built up their trust in us, made apparent by their increased positive response to us. Their antics do make us laugh and we are certain that they will make the most loyal and loving addition to the right forever home.
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If you would like to find out more about Bobby, please refer to our Adoption Procedures for information about the adoption process. You can then contact an Oldies Club rehoming co-ordinator as follows:
Email: rehome@oldies.org.uk
Telephone: 0844 586 8656
Bobby can be rehomed anywhere in the UK, subject to a satisfactory home visit, but note that you will be required to travel to the foster home to meet him.
