Now for another happy success story - Meet Bonnie

We lost our GSD a few years ago at the age of 12 and were naturally heartbroken. Not wanting to go through the heartache yet again we decided not to look for another..... However, taking a sneaky look at the 'Dogs in Need' page in December 2024 this beautiful female caught our attention.... BONNIE (B)... 8.5yrs old and had been in kennels for quite a while. She needed a quiet area to live, with a garden as she does have the hip problem... this suited us as we live in a rural area surrounded by farmers fields, with a wood outside the back gate...so we made a note of interest; knowing nothing would come of it over the Christmas period, but the wheels were in motion.

Early 2025 we were contacted to confirm our interest and arrangements made for a home visit by Dorothy and Carolyn which went very well. Next step was to meet and walk with Bonnie at the Kennels.

We thought she 'sort of' liked us after the first visit, even taking a treat. Our 2nd visit was much better as we walked her in the local wood by ourselves, taking in lots of rests so as not to over walk on her hip. As we handed her back she rolled over for a belly scratch which she duly got... lots of it. Lots of discussion with Dorothy followed and the following week we did another visit but this time Bonnie came home with us. Bonnie travelled exceptionally well in the car for nearly 2hrs.

We kept the house very quiet for the next couple months and she settled in very quickly, however she did become very protective, charging at the gate if anyone walked past and barked at everything. She pulled on her lead but on a positive note she didn't get spooked by the wildlife around us, in fact she ignored them. With Dorothy's agreement we asked a Dog trainer to help with the 'protective' issue. The trainer has been 4 times since her arrival.

We have had Bonnie for 10 months now and the difference is remarkable. She no longer pulls on her lead. Will quite happily walks alongside another dog, only barks if she is barked at. No longer charges at the gate and sits happily watching people and their dogs walk past. She still has issues with being protective but the trainer happily comes into the house without any problem. We are in the process of getting friends to visit whilst the trainer is here but at the moment Bonnie is very content and we are happy with that. She has lost 3kg in weight by just being outdoors more often and is definitely more active. She now has a waistline and her coat is much improved. You would think she was half her age the way she runs around the garden playing with her ball. She is very loving and affectionate, funny and cheeky at the same time.

We love her to bits, and so pleased we took that 'sneaky' look back in December 2024. Thank you to Dorothy and Carolyn at German Shepherd Rescue Scotland for your hard work and to Carol at the Kennels for looking after her so well until we brought her home.