It is so rewarding when adopted hounds reach new milestones; the first time they ask to go outside, the first time they roach, the first time they come for cuddles etc. It can take time for some of these things to happen, but after four years, Arlo’s family were absolutely delighted when he achieved a monumental ‘first’.
We adopted Arlo (was Teddy) from Forever Hounds Trust in 2020. He is a lovely boy and settled really well into living in a house, but he has never gotten to grips with stairs – he’s now 9 years old. He has never made it upstairs in our house, when we take him on holiday we have to find accommodation with bedrooms downstairs and after 4 years with us, we had given up on stairs being something he can do.
We live by the River Thames, and he often looks wistfully across the river to dogs walking on the opposite bank, as the only way to cross is via a footbridge with steps.
Well…one morning, for reasons only known to himself, he allowed me to take him to sniff those footbridge stairs, and with a little bit of encouragement, he discovered his bravery and we made it across to the other side! He loved having a new place to explore once we got there, but we didn’t go too far as I was a bit concerned that he wouldn’t be able to do the reverse crossing (at 33kg, he is a bit too big to carry!), but he did it.
We are so excited, as this opens up a whole new world of potential dog walks for us, and we are so proud that this lovely old dog did manage to learn a new trick.
Thank you for all the work that you do Forever Hounds Trust, and thank you again for bringing our lovely Arlo into our life.
Well done, Arlo, we are so proud of you. Here’s to many new and exciting adventures with your family!
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