My Roger Foger,
Hey ho. I thought I might be writing this soon, then I was sure I wouldn’t, because you were getting better, and then BAM. I am.
It’s been a long journey chap, hasn’t it. Shall we start at the start?
I’d just taken on my first foster, Summer, when the Deputy Manager at the RSPCA called and asked me to come down because she needed some help. I remember that call because I was sitting only about 100yrds away from the RSPCA with a puncture!
I rocked on up about an hour later and was taken into your area. You had a load of hutches and a lot of space and you were running in a blind panic. I never really understood what that meant until I saw you that day- up the wall, bouncing off anything and everything- not really seeing or aware of where you were. But in a tiny place, you would just cower. Very sad. My advice, for your safety, was to confine you, because then you couldn’t and wouldn’t run. This was ignored. We talked and you had been living with a wild colony and had been caught by an Inspector because you were black. You had the wildie shape and I’m sure you were complete wildie with a domestic ancestry in there somewhere.
I was then told that you weren’t coping and so there were only two options, which was for me to have you and see if I could bring you round, or you would be PTS. Well, that was a no brainer. You had to stay there to be neutered and 3 days post neuter you came to me.
We had a Fort Knox type setup for you. I just had a tiny hutch, inside a large run. That meant you could be shut up in the hutch whilst we sussed each other out, and I could get in the run and shut the led- this meant you could not get out or lost. On 5th September 2008, you came home.
And then we set to work. I was able to work really intensively with you. I would sit in the run for hours. I would sing to you (with the theory that anyone could sing the same song and you’d know). I gave a running commentary whenever I was outside so you’d never have any surprises (the neighbours must have thought I’d gone nuts), and you were placed right outside our French patio doors so that you could see movement from us and learn there was no threat.
It took me 5 days. Only 5 days! And then you hand fed. That was the most massive celebration ever. You didn’t like hands, or movement, but you would take food. 5 days. Still, even now, that astounds me. To see you go from where you did, to who you became, and the pit stops along the way was a privilege.
And we kept working. Quickly I was able to stop confining you to the hutch and allow you access to the run. You would run over to hand feed through the bars. I kept working and working with you.
After three weeks I was satisfied that you were secure enough in yourself to bond you with Summer in an open topped run (that was brave of me!).
That bond was amazing. Love at first sight. I think that’s the only one that has ever gone like that. I put you both together, you crawled straight over and groomed Summer’s eyes and that was that! She took total advantage of your lovely nature and you worshipped the ground she walked on. She’d only been with me a while but we’d fallen for her, head over heels. We fell for you too.
It was only a short time later I stumbled across ‘Floppy Mary’ as she was then (you know her as Tilly). She wasn’t being treated properly at the Centre (she had head tilt) and so she came home too, and was then bonded into a trio with the pair of you. And there you stayed. The little wildie who worshipped and adored the girls who were inseparable and best friends. You were the most ridiculous and mismatched trio, but you worked!
You guys came inside quite a lot and you grew and changed. Yes, you didn’t like movement but it scared you less and less. You ran around like a mad thing, especially with them. Remember how Summer used to run around with the treat ball and you and Tilly would run behind picking up all the food she was ignoring? You guys were hilarious.
You were a great group. I officially adopted Summer in the January (the 17th) when we found out she had cancer that had spread. My plan was to rehome you and Tilly when Summer was gone, but it didn’t take me long to work out that just wasn’t going to happen, so you guys were adopted on the 24th April 2009.
Summer stayed until the 19th June 2009, and was so lucky to have you both, and then you and Tilly were a pair. You were funny as a pair. You did ‘ok’ but I would have preferred you both to be in a trio, but you were happy. Again, you lived inside and outside as and when needed ad eventually Tilly succumbed to what was probably secondary lung cancer. You were with her to right before we left for the vets. You doted on her. You were amazing.
Hey ho. I thought I might be writing this soon, then I was sure I wouldn’t, because you were getting better, and then BAM. I am.
It’s been a long journey chap, hasn’t it. Shall we start at the start?
I’d just taken on my first foster, Summer, when the Deputy Manager at the RSPCA called and asked me to come down because she needed some help. I remember that call because I was sitting only about 100yrds away from the RSPCA with a puncture!
I rocked on up about an hour later and was taken into your area. You had a load of hutches and a lot of space and you were running in a blind panic. I never really understood what that meant until I saw you that day- up the wall, bouncing off anything and everything- not really seeing or aware of where you were. But in a tiny place, you would just cower. Very sad. My advice, for your safety, was to confine you, because then you couldn’t and wouldn’t run. This was ignored. We talked and you had been living with a wild colony and had been caught by an Inspector because you were black. You had the wildie shape and I’m sure you were complete wildie with a domestic ancestry in there somewhere.
I was then told that you weren’t coping and so there were only two options, which was for me to have you and see if I could bring you round, or you would be PTS. Well, that was a no brainer. You had to stay there to be neutered and 3 days post neuter you came to me.
We had a Fort Knox type setup for you. I just had a tiny hutch, inside a large run. That meant you could be shut up in the hutch whilst we sussed each other out, and I could get in the run and shut the led- this meant you could not get out or lost. On 5th September 2008, you came home.
And then we set to work. I was able to work really intensively with you. I would sit in the run for hours. I would sing to you (with the theory that anyone could sing the same song and you’d know). I gave a running commentary whenever I was outside so you’d never have any surprises (the neighbours must have thought I’d gone nuts), and you were placed right outside our French patio doors so that you could see movement from us and learn there was no threat.
It took me 5 days. Only 5 days! And then you hand fed. That was the most massive celebration ever. You didn’t like hands, or movement, but you would take food. 5 days. Still, even now, that astounds me. To see you go from where you did, to who you became, and the pit stops along the way was a privilege.
And we kept working. Quickly I was able to stop confining you to the hutch and allow you access to the run. You would run over to hand feed through the bars. I kept working and working with you.
After three weeks I was satisfied that you were secure enough in yourself to bond you with Summer in an open topped run (that was brave of me!).
That bond was amazing. Love at first sight. I think that’s the only one that has ever gone like that. I put you both together, you crawled straight over and groomed Summer’s eyes and that was that! She took total advantage of your lovely nature and you worshipped the ground she walked on. She’d only been with me a while but we’d fallen for her, head over heels. We fell for you too.
It was only a short time later I stumbled across ‘Floppy Mary’ as she was then (you know her as Tilly). She wasn’t being treated properly at the Centre (she had head tilt) and so she came home too, and was then bonded into a trio with the pair of you. And there you stayed. The little wildie who worshipped and adored the girls who were inseparable and best friends. You were the most ridiculous and mismatched trio, but you worked!
You guys came inside quite a lot and you grew and changed. Yes, you didn’t like movement but it scared you less and less. You ran around like a mad thing, especially with them. Remember how Summer used to run around with the treat ball and you and Tilly would run behind picking up all the food she was ignoring? You guys were hilarious.
You were a great group. I officially adopted Summer in the January (the 17th) when we found out she had cancer that had spread. My plan was to rehome you and Tilly when Summer was gone, but it didn’t take me long to work out that just wasn’t going to happen, so you guys were adopted on the 24th April 2009.
Summer stayed until the 19th June 2009, and was so lucky to have you both, and then you and Tilly were a pair. You were funny as a pair. You did ‘ok’ but I would have preferred you both to be in a trio, but you were happy. Again, you lived inside and outside as and when needed ad eventually Tilly succumbed to what was probably secondary lung cancer. You were with her to right before we left for the vets. You doted on her. You were amazing.
you worked wonders with him. I'm so sorry. Sweet dreams Rog, and Binky free xxxxx
