Hugo and Alfie

I'm not sure where to start as I have so much to share and I don't want to leave anything out!

At the beginning: we adopted Alfie as a pup 10 years ago. He was a rescue dog that came with his own set of issues and with help over time we resolved them ...until recently! (I'll explain later!). As he was my first dog I joined the Kennel Club, puppy training, socialising; you name it, I did it at the time. He wasn't allowed on sofas, chairs, certainly not beds but little by little over the years I allowed him only of course for a cuddle!

We had been looking for a second dog for over 12 months. We heard it could give Alfie a new lease of life and we were preparing ourselves for the inevitable, which is never spoken out loud.

We wanted another rescue dog aged between two and three years. We would meet dogs that we thought would be a good match, unfortunately when Alfie was introduced they did not like him. The last rescue centre suggested we consider a puppy. We decided to put it on hold.

Then one sleepless night I  looked on the website and lo and behold there were seven puppies all named after the Seven Dwarfs: five girls, two boys. Once we watch the video and saw Grumpy - one of the boys - that was it!

If adopters were not found the dogs would be put down so we completed enquiry and application forms. We had the home visit and go-ahead. During the two months waiting for the new puppy my long term relationship ended, building work on house started and was ongoing for six months with no garden, and my sister had a breakdown! So I was hesitant - should or shouldn't I go ahead... moving forward. When I picked him up he was so scared and traumatised, which was expected after the journey from Spain and the separation from his siblings. It became apparent within the first few weeks he was very damaged and so so scared of everything and everybody, especially men. I knew I needed help and soon.

Friends recommended Sally - well, what a blessing! I was exhausted... by this time five weeks from adoption, little pup (now named Hugo) and Alfie were both running rings around me.

Sally walked into our lives and everything changed. She is a hard taskmaster but oh my god she knows what she is doing - she really is the real thing. I never forget her opening line "whatever I say to you is not personal".

Without Sally’s advice and support, I would not have been able to keep Hugo, let alone retrain Alfie – She has been amazing! I now have a life and see her as my fairy godmother.

The dogs go to kennels, I get respite and Sally continues to provide training, support and advice.

Thank you Sally

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