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Good Lord!

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By Helen Lee Gray


Meet Lord, our temp dog. We've adopted him until some neighbours return to Pera permanently in April 2011 or until some other neighbours arriving in October want to take him permanently.

Lord was living in the village with an elderly couple who both had to go to hospital in Lisbon. Their neighbour looked after the dog in the back yard, by feeding him and clearing up after him. This was supposed to be a short term solution, but the couple are still in hospital and will be for some time. Poor Lord was left outside on a very short chain, never walked and surrounded by his own mess. Lord was covered in ticks and fleas and his ears and eyes were very eaten by fleas.

In the end Jon and Laural cleaned up the area Lord was in, Joaquim and Ana gave him a new dog house and together he was bathed in de-flea solution. Peter and I started to walk him once a day and he was getting much happier, excited to see us, not nervous and really enjoying his walks.

Peter and I adopted him last week and it has been a trial by fire. First he was attacked by a dog of some Lisbonites here for the summer. I screamed in the street and this dog finally went away, leaving a puncture mark in Lord's neck. The next day I was out in the woods and saw a wild boar while walking the dog, then later that day the dog that attacked Lord got into the garden. Our garden is not very secure, with lots of entry points and our next door neighbour - Ameila - feeds all the local dogs which can come in. So, after a melt-down then 80 euros spent at the store, Jon and Peter secured our garden as much as they could. It's still not 100% secure, but it is the best it is going to get.

Lord lives outside, he is not 100% sure of coming inside, he is on a long chain now and he is walked twice a day (we've arranged that the attack dog goes out at 9am and I walk Lord before that). This week he has mostly been eating meat (refuses his dog biscuits) and learning to sit, fetch and return to his name. He's won the Lotto compared to the life he had before.

I always wanted a dog, but having one is not what I thought it would be. I worry too much! Still he is very very cute, although he has started trying to hump my leg - bloody typical, so much for being ALPHA, it would appear the pecking order in our house is : Peter, Lord then me! Didn't you just predict this would happen!!!

Comments

  1. The geckoSeptember 26, 2010 at 1:10 PM

    Well I think it sounds like you're doing a grand job - well done. I hate dog fights so good that you have arranged something re the walking time - are the people returning to Lisbon at some time? And does that dog attack other dogs, or only Lord?
    Meanwhile, we have 4 little chickens that are too afraid to leave the hen house and go into the run!
    Take care!
    Jackie

    ReplyDelete

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