Etta is a 7 year old female Cross-Breed. She is fostered in Croydon. She has come into our care recently from another rescue that has sadly been forced to relocate all their dogs.
Etta is a slightly timid little girl with a very sweet personality once she has warmed to you. She has a deformed back leg from her past life in Romania which was left untreated back then and healed misshapen.
Her leg doesn’t hinder her in any way and the injury is too old to alter now. Etta will need another calm dog in her new home as she wouldn’t be happy as the only dog in the home.
Etta hadn’t been on a lead or in walks before coming to us but is learning fast and will just need to build confidence in the coming weeks.
Etta will need a qualmish home environment in her forever home, with no children under the age of ten, but will make someone a wonderful addition to the family.
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 in situations where unexpected triggers might happen (e.g. around bonfire night).
Nervous dogs may always need to wear a slip-lead as a backup 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.
