A second chance at happiness for senior dog Monty
For senior dog Monty, life in a kennel was stressful but our team were on hand to keep his spirits high and help him find his new perfect match!
When Monty’s family were sadly evicted from their home, they had to make the agonising decision to give up their beloved companion. The boisterous Labrador arrived at our centre full of beans, bouncing around to meet everyone. But his excitement soon turned to confusion in his kennel.
It must have been a very worrying time for poor Monty. His surroundings and daily routine had suddenly changed, and that’s a lot to process for a dog in their senior years who’d been used to a home for so long.
At 11 years old, Monty had the spirit of a younger dog but was held back by his weight, which was on the heavier side and putting pressure on his joints.
Getting to know Monty's personality
Our experts realised that Monty could be quite reactive to other dogs. He’d pull on the lead and bark excitedly because he wanted to play with them so much, but his size and strength made him hard to control.
Our behaviourists taught him to focus and channel his emotions. He also started a special diet to reduce his weight and improve his overall health. This was an important part of how we helped Monty because the extra pounds made it difficult for him to stay active.
While waiting for a new home, Monty spent time with Shelly, one of our devoted foster carers. She continued his training and offered lots of TLC, helping him make great progress. The pounds started coming off, improving his mobility and enabling him to flourish into the dog we knew he had the potential to be.
After coming on leaps and bounds with his training and weight loss, Monty was ready for a loving new home. The team introduced Monty to Tom and Maxine, who were looking for an older canine companion. It looked like Monty would fit the bill.
The big meet got off to a mixed start. Monty showed a lot of interest in Maxine and played fetch with her, but he didn’t engage much with Tom. Everything changed when Tom invited Monty to play a game of tug, and he quickly saw how playful lovely Monty could be.
Monty’s now enjoying life with his new family and Tom and Maxine couldn’t be happier with their new canine companion.