Sky

In September 2010 Meike,John and Toby found the website of PPAR and contacted Jayne who then put us in contact with Sam who had BC11 in her care as a foster dog looking for a new home.

Subsequently we arranged to travel to Weymouth to adopt BC11 ( aka Fly ) , this involved driving from Surrey to Dorset over a distance of 105 miles, which was entertaining when we decided to buy coffee from a Little Chef in the New Forest, the coffee was hot and very very strong but 8 teaspoons of sugar made it just tolerable enough for John to drink between gritted teeth.

We only had one picture to go by and when we met her we were happy to see she was exactly as we had seen maybe a little smaller than anticipated but size isn't everything.

Saturday 11th September 2010

When we finally got BC11 home we decided to rename her Sky which hopefully is close enough to her temporary name of Fly and not be too much of a problem when it comes to conversing with her. We have a cat called Maggie who was a little upset at first and spat her indignity when Sky came through the front door but soon settled down to scowl at Sky from the dining table.

Sky was at first interested to know what Maggie was, but Maggie's reaction was enough to ensure Sky knew who was boss in the house, we decided to have a nice cup of coffee and relax into our normal routine and let Sky make herself comfortable where ever she wanted to be. This currently is on the floor between our two office chairs with Maggie the cat watching from the dining table behind Meike.

Our son Toby as all young boys of 13 years switched on the TV and that is when we found that Sky was totally bemused and uncertain as to what a TV was ( see photo below ) needless to say after awhile Spongebob Squarepants and the Wizards of Waverly Place became just something to be ignored until the adverts came on.

Maggie the cat was still unsure of this interloper but decided the best course of action was to just glower at Sky from the dining table in a nonchalant manner.

We will leave this here for now and progress onto the days that follow, please check back now and then to see the progression of Sky and Maggie's relationship.

Monday 13th September 2010

Sky has settled down a little bit but Maggie still insists on having a hiss at her if she gets within 2-3' of her but Sky is aware of this and each has a mutual respect for each others space – at least Maggie isnt chasing Sky and Sky is not chasing Maggie not that she would.

Maggie sleeps on the floor on a pile of rug samples ( small pieces of carpet ) and Sky sleeps under John's computer/office desk – she has her own sanctuary and safe space.

Saturday 25th September 2010

Sky is not so worried about leaving the house now but she is still nervous of cars especially if she thinks we are going to get in one or someone is getting in or out of the car. However once she is moving and we don't stop when passing a car then she will scoot along past it quiet happily in a low posture very similar to how she sometimes does when running up to us.

We finally made it past all the parked cars to a nearby hill where there is plenty of grass and stuff to sniff – sniffing takes priority to any other activity so it took us nearly 30 minutes to walk around the open field which is on the top of the hill and is a water reservoir so open to the public.

Here is Toby with Sky having a moment together. We found that it was best to purchase a halter that spreads the stress over her body and doesn't hurt so much when she pulls hard. She still has her collar on but we don't use it when walking its just there for extra security if we need it otherwise she is on this extendable lead and halter as seen above.

Wednesday 29th September

After much consideration it has come to Sky's attention that strange creatures come into our garden on a regular basis – cats !

For over an hour Sky sat at the back door watching for these elusive creatures.

Friday 8th October 2010

It's been a a few days since I updated this but Sky has not lost the fascination for C.A.T.S.

What Cat ? I see no Cat !

She has a new Training Lead that is 30' long and this allows her to explore outside the front of the house with safety – she is still nervous about cars and in her panic could run the wrong way so for now the Training Lead is a necessity around the area – when she gets nervous she has a tendency not to hear us talking to her hence the added safety of the lead and also provides a way for us to impart some control over her without interference with her explorations.

What Cat ? OH that Cat !

Latest video of Sky
Please excuse my poor video recording skills.
Oh and you may want to turn the volume down a bit as I tend to talk loudly.

26th May 2011

It was an interesting start to the year - not much snow but enough to make walking tricky and crunchy as most of the snow in our part of town turned to ice after a few days.

Sky has come on very well but is still leash walked as she has a profound habit of forgetting I am with her and gets so focused on sniffing things and looking for things to herd. She has learnt to play ball but sticks are not a favourite thing and being dangerous we have decided they are best left on the ground as they are not toys. Her interest in the BALL is very short lived and she really only plays a little indoors when there is not much else to do.

She has also recently decided that cars are fun as we have been taking her to interesting places in the car and this fear of getting in and out is greatly reduced, she is still apprehensive of the doors being shut so we assume that is where her broken tail originated. As far as obedience - she has little interest in being sociable with other dogs but treats them more as herd animals to be controlled and put in their place.

She walks to heel as long as we constantly talk to her and has developed the nice habit of sitting right next to John's left leg when we stop to cross a road or stop to talk to someone.

She has been chipped and checked over twice now by the Vet and has put on 5 kilos more than when she first arrived with us and now weighs in at around 20 kilos total. She is still concerned when John sneezes and no matter how John tries she still hides under his desk but we believe this is more concern than fear so we just try to ignore her and she may eventually realise sneezing is nothing to worry about - trying to allay her fears/concern does not help her come to terms with this event.

In the coming months John will be training Sky for distance work however she is still nervous and if John raises his voice too much she becomes a little fearful so kid gloves and high tones. Getting her to sit and lay down while she is at distance only results in her returning to John's side and sitting down as close as she can. She still lacks some confidence and apprehension but time will overcome these hurdles.

June 24th 2011

I bought a new Shepherds Whistle a few weeks ago and a Clicker as well - she is not happy about the Clicker but she is responding well to the Shepherds Whistle.

She has now learnt and so have I the Lay Down Whistle and the That'll Do ( Return to me ) whistles even if I do them a little wrong but with practice I will get them clearer and she will understand them too.

Sky Learns Shepherds Whistle - I am still learning too.

I have made a BIG mistake and that is while trying to get her to Lay Down and Stay at distance has resulted in here taking the command STAY as the command to walk forward a reasonable distance and then lay down - it will take a little practice to alter this so I will have to change the STAY command to STAND STILL or as she is familiar with WAIT. It is my own fault and one which I will have to work on to make it clearer in future what i wish her to do. Nothing is broken just a misunderstanding of commands - however my choice of words may be wrong so this is where Whistle Commands may be the best solution if i can remember the correct sounds.

August 20th 2011

It has been very warm this summer so walks in the country as Meike is also on holiday has been something of a treat for SKY.