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| Name: |
Bruno
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Age: |
Eleven years old
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| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Collie mix
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| Home: |
North London, England, United Kingdom |
I would like you to meet Bruno, he will be 12 years in March 2020. He has lived with us in North London for nearly four years. We don't know what breed he is, but we think he looks a bit like a Collie cross.
He came into our lives when we needed him the most, having lost our beloved rescue dogs, Bonzo, a large Labrador/German Shepherd and a year later, our lovely Lurcher Maisy. We were heart broken. Two months later we received a call from an old acquaintance, an elderly lady, whom we had not seen for 30 years. She told us that she had been unwell for a long time and now had to go to hospital, but she was very anxious about what would happen to her beloved dog Bruno, who at the time was almost eight years old. She told us his story - she wanted a small puppy, easy to look after and one that didn't need a lot of walking, so unknowingly she went to a puppy farm in the countryside, where she found cages upon cages of puppies crammed into filthy spaces, and at the end of the row she saw a grown dog sitting in a cage by himself looking miserable. She felt very sad for the dog and inquired about him, she was told he was two and half years old - and had been born there. She just couldn't leave him, so she took him home. She knew she was not able to offer him long walks and playtime, but at least she could give him lots of love.
Life was difficult for both her and Bruno. He became very destructive, restless and anxious, but at the same time very loving. I realized the distress he was in when he was brought to us, there was peeing and pooping on the floor and on the sofa after a few minutes, and he literally bounched off the walls. He also jumped out of a first floor window, but luckily he landed in the garden and wasn't hurt. He did not eat or sleep for about three days. My husband ignored an advice not to let him off the leash, but having tasted freedom for the first time in eight years, his behaviour started to change.
With a lot of love and attention from us, he is now a calm and happy boy, except when there are fireworks and thunderstorms, and he is very friendly with visitors.
Bruno has a bit of arthritis, so we bought him a memory foam bed that is next to ours, but he prefers to sleep in bottom of our bed and cuddle up. :) A few years ago, we bought him a huge pool that he really enjoys during hot summers.
We feed him home cooked food, sweet potatoes with lots of different vegetables and meats, but he has developed an allergy to chicken, so that is off the menu now. He loves his treats - Denta sticks being his favourite.
Being almost 12, he has slowed down a bit, but on his daily AM and PM walks in the park and a nearby wood, he still loves to run around and fetch his squeaking ball, his favourite toy. We enjoy those walks as much as he does. He is very popular with girls of the canine kind and loves a good flirt - in fact, he has a girlfriend down the road who often visits. May it long last.
We love our boy so much! Seeing him happy means everything!
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