Charlie’s owner, Jessica, was devastated at the prospect of having to rehome her dog who was traumatised following a visit to a new groomer.
An animal lover from Renfrewshire has been able to keep her beloved Toy Poodle following ongoing support from the Scottish SPCA.
Jessica, who has owned poodles for over five decades, was heartbroken at the prospect of having to rehome her dog Charlie after he had been traumatised following a visit to a dog groomer.
She took Charlie to a new groomer as her usual groomer was unwell. When she collected Charlie, Jessica was concerned to see that Charlie was distressed and desperate to leave. With his usual groomer, Charlie is calm and ready to go out for a walk.
Charlie’s behaviour continued to worry Jessica
After a short walk back home, Jessica was alarmed when Charlie began to snap and growl at her. He refused to let her near him to remove his lead or harness. Throughout that evening, Charlie’s behaviour continued to worry Jessica when he refused to leave the front room and join her in the bedroom to go to sleep – as was their standard routine.
After growing increasingly concerned, she took Charlie to the vet for a check-up to discuss what could have caused his sudden shift in behaviour. The vet advised that Charlie had been traumatised at the new groomer where he had been placed on a small ledge, his hair cut short and then been put in a small waiting area with three other dogs – all of which were much larger than Charlie and proceeded to circle him.
Jessica contacted the Scottish SPCA, fearing that she wouldn’t be able to keep her pooch any longer. Community Animal Behaviourist at the charity, Joanne Vasey, called Jessica back to explain about their new service which supports owners who have pets with behaviour problems to help keep them together.
Jessica began to recognise stress responses
With Joanne’s help and guidance, Jessica began to recognise stress responses in Charlie and learn ways to give him more control of his environment. One suggestion was to give him a small set of stairs so that he could get himself up and down from the bed to allow him to feel more comfortable and in charge. The impact of this change has meant that the pair’s usual bedtime routine has resumed.
Jessica said: “I can’t recommend Joanne and the Scottish SPCA highly enough. I encourage anyone in my position who needs support with their pet’s behaviour to reach out as without them, I wouldn’t have been able to keep my best friend which is just unthinkable. Thanks to the Scottish SPCA, Charlie is home for Christmas with his mum.”
Joanne is still continuing to support Jessica and Charlie and is working to ensure Charlie is a confident dog again. She said: “I worked with Jessica and Charlie over several months at a time when things were very grim.
Both dog and owner were struggling with each other
“A bad experience at a groomer had resulted in a worried dog when it came to handling and both dog and owner were struggling with each other. Without our Community Behaviour help, there would have been no option but for Jessica to have rehomed Charlie as the situation was likely to deteriorate and affect the mental wellbeing of both.
“With some explanations about why he was behaving this way, it allowed Jessica to understand him so much better and then we worked on some simple behaviour techniques to rebuild trust.
You could not ask for a more committed owner
“There have been a few setbacks along the way, but the continued support has meant things have settled down and Jessica knows what to do in any future situations. Without our help a lovely dog would have been uprooted from a wonderful home needlessly, so I am so glad I was able to help them both.
“You could not ask for a more committed owner!”
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