Like most others following GSR Scotland we love the breed and couldnt be without one. Our last boy Blake affectionately known as goofy was adopted from GSRS and unfortunately after only 4 years we lost him to ill health in August 2022. We were all devastated as he was an amazing dog who was truely loved by everyone who met him. Soon after, we made contact with Dorothy and Carolyn about adopting again and it wasn't long before we were heading off on a 5 hour round trip for our first visit with Jax.
When we arrived a GSRS volunteer was waiting on us with Jax and we had a lovely walk through the forest, chatting about Jax and hearing his life story up until that point. He was a gorgeous boy who had lots still to learn about pretty much everything but we could tell he was a quick learner with a sweet nature.
Jax hadn't had the best start in life and as a 15 month old he had already lived in 2 homes and was underweight for his age and build. We visited again not long after. This time we arranged for all our family to visit and on the journey home we decided Jax was the one for us. Once all the necessary plans were in place we brought him back to his forever home. 3rd time lucky.
The first few months were most definately a challenge. Jax had no boundaries at all and every morning i was awoken in the early hours with an over grown puppy bouncing all over my head! Recall was non existent and Jax had no awareness that was even his name! He wouldnt come in for anything or anyone and wanted to spend every minute of the day outside running wild in the garden. He would steal anything he could and run outside happily looking for a chase. He barked at everything and i mean everything, birds, bees, people, dogs, cars, other animals and even the garden hose and in the early stages would even eat his own poo. Jax mouthed everything he could find his object of preference was usually my labs body but mostly when communicating that he wanted to play. There were times i could have easily thrown in the towel but as a family thats not what we do so we persevered.
After lots of patience, understanding, conststency and love we are making progress. Jax is the sweetest GSD we could ever ask for. He is so much better at socialising, now he has had experience of different surroundings. He shows awareness of his name and responds when called. Jax is more engaged in playing games with his humans and during his restful times loves to cuddle up on the couch or even sneak onto the beds when no one is watching. We use the long line less often now in the garden and have been able to take trips out to shows and parks without the constant barking and pulling on the leash. Jax is gaining weight steadliy and has built a fantastic relationship with our older lab. We couldnt be happier with how Jax has settled in to our family and look forward to making more memories and learning new things along with him.
Thank you once again to GSR Scotland for everything you and your volunteers do. You've helped make our house a happy home once again
