Q: Hi Alex; How did you find out about Sosad and Deerness Animal Shelter?
A: I first came across the Deerness and Sosad Facebook pages after a few weeks of looking for North East rescue centres.There were some lovely reviews from people finding their life long best friends here after adopting.
Q: Why did you choose a rescue dog?
A: During 2017 we unfortunately lost our 18 year old Collie. He was a rescue dog and a wonderful companion, a puppy trapped in an old mans body. Living without him was tough and 6 months later we decided to look into having another dog, under the condition that we would adopt a dog and not buy a puppy. There are too many misunderstood rescue dogs needing homes and too many people irresponsibly selling puppies.
Q: Did you have any concerns adopting a rescue dog?
A: No.. not about him being a rescue dog. Our few concerns about Reno was his strength. He’s an excitable puppy in a bears body and doesn’t realise how strong he is, but also he seemed to have a bit of a stubborn streak at first that I thought would be really troublesome. After some positive training though, Reno has flourished and is starting to listen to commands and walk much better on a lead. His age of 5 and a half worried me as I thought he wouldn’t have the active energy of a younger dog but that is the furthest from the truth. I think older dogs are the loveliest and a lot of fun.
Q: Why did you adopt Reno?
A: I saw Reno on the Facebook page and thought he was amazing, a big handsome boy with a soft face. My partner looked at the post not long after and suggested that we call for more information. His size and strength seemed to put most people off and I thought that was sad. After getting the opportunity to meet him at the centre, I knew he was going to be our dog.
Q: How long did it take Reno to realise he had found his forever home?
A: Reno was very suspicious of us and our home at first, he wouldn’t eat for the first day and spent all of his time exploring. It took time for him to settle in and even more time to trust that we wanted the best for him and that his new dog bed wasn’t some kind of trap or that treats weren’t poison. Over time he’s become an amazing companion, he’s always happy to see me after I come home from work, we spend loads of time out on fun adventurous walks and we have a fair share of naps and playtime in the House too. His personality has really come through, he’s a bit of a diva and is fussy but he’s defiantly up for cuddles.
Q: What has been the highlight of having Reno?
A: The highlight of having Reno is that he’s the picture of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. Most people are a little scared of a big dog, but he’s a furry cuddle buddy who loves people. Some people expect a rescue dog to be loaded with issues, but the only real issue we’ve had is that he’s not a big fan of other dogs, other than that he’s a totally normal dog, he does tricks for food, he chases toys, he rolls in mud and expects a cuddle when I come in from work. I honestly can’t believe he spent so long in the rescue centre when he was just there waiting for someone to be his best friend.