Poppy

Our dear Poppy came to Tailends while still a young dog. I do not believe she would have survived if we had not taken her. She is probably the most difficult dog which we have ever taken on. She is also very special and is the most affectionate delightful girl in all the world – with us that is!

I was asked to take Poppy by a rescue centre manager who knew that she was virtually unhomeable in the normal way. We may have thought more carefully about taking her on had we been in full possession of the facts, as Poppy was hardly an ideal dog to place with elderly dogs. However with careful management and care we have succeeded in keeping everyone safe – particularly her of course.

I did some research about Poppy’s background before she came to us and discovered that she had been one of a litter of pups born to a bitch who was rescued from death row in a welsh dog pound when heavily pregnant. She was homed to someone who (in an ideal world) should never have been allowed to own a dog – let alone one such as Poppy who needed a lot of time and patience. Poor Poppy must have suffered terribly at the hands of these people. She was dumped back at the rescue in a horrific condition. She had suffered a broken jaw and many broken ribs. Someone had beaten her brutally! This treatment has left her permanently scarred and dysfunctional. She is unable to relate to people or to other dogs. She is completely devoted to us and totally trusts us to make the right decision about her welfare.

We have taken Poppy to many canine behaviourists, but none were successful in being able to restore her to normality. However we do feel that Poppy was very likely born with her character defects. The fact that someone in her past decided that the best way to treat her was to beat her senseless has hardly helped.

Poppy has to be very carefully socialised with new dogs coming into our care. We use two indoor kennels in our lounge. One is her large overnight house, which protects against somebody roaming around in the dark and colliding with her, when she would instantly think she was being attacked. The other is for use when she is not being supervised. She has plenty of toys and it is placed against the patio doors so she can watch the rabbits in the garden when she is not sleeping.

I take Poppy out very early in the morning on the first walk of the day. She is accompanied by any of the other dogs who are capable of an hour’s walk through the dunes and along the beach – at the moment it is just Moss and sometimes Dopey. I always put a large comfortable muzzle on Poppy when she goes out so that I can let her off the lead in complete confidence enabling her to run up and down the dunes looking for rabbits. (They are always far too clever for her.) She loves to swim in the sea and always bathes in the little stream that runs down the beach whatever the time of year or the temperature. Poppy really enjoys her two walks each day and gets great exercise and pleasure from them.

Poppy’s problem is that she is terrified of everyone. She will do her utmost to keep away from people but if they approach her she barks in terror. I can almost hear her telling them not to hurt her and to stay away! Naturally we have to prevent her from barking at people so she is always kept on the lead when there is anyone around. We have tried everything to socialise her. We have succeeded in getting her to accept someone after repeated exercises and then half an hour later she will treat them as if they are a stranger again - and begin barking at them. There are some people, however, who she will accept and allow to pat her without a problem. I have no idea why this should be unless it is something to do with the pheromones or scents, which they emit.

Poppy has always been good with Sugarlump and is also fine with new dogs once she has got used to them. She does seem to have a special affinity with greyhounds – especially the boys! Poppy gets upset very easily and is always desperate to please me and do the right thing. Unfortunately she cannot always control her actions or make the right decisions so we have to be there to make them for her.

She is not aggressive and has never bitten anyone or even tried to - but she is very afraid of people, especially strangers. I made her a promise when I took her that I would keep her safe and I will continue to do that. It may seem harsh to some people but we use a large greyhound muzzle and she forgets all about it as she plays and runs around on her walks. It is to protect her from ignorance – not to protect people. They need no protection from her, as the worst she would do is to stand and bark a request to leave her alone. She does not know what else to do and no trainer has been able to overcome this fear.

Poppy is now nine years old. She is a pretty black girl with a white chest and looks a bit like a small Labrador. It seems as if her feet are on springs as she bounces up and down in the bracken – a bit like one of those deer found on the African plains.

Her great sensitivity and gentleness have touched those people who have taken the trouble to get to know Poppy. She is the most intelligent and affectionate of dogs. We believe that she has the best possible life here at Tailends and hope she will be here for years to come.