chloe

Chloe was adopted from NCDL at Evesham in November 2000 when she was four years old. In her first months with us, Chloe behaved like a visitor in our home and remained fairly aloof. Her behaviour has two extremes, she is either very quiet or very excitable and noisy.

Chloe gets on very well with other dogs but still has some issues with people, particularly men. She can become quite excitable and noisy with some strangers but is slowly gaining more self control and confidence now that she has the opportunity to make more human friends.

Chloe was very touch sensitive in the beginning, particularly around the head, neck, back, hind legs and tail and could become quite mouthy when touched. She was clearly unused to walking on the lead and had difficulty moving slowly in physical balance. Patience, quiet handling and lots of Tellington Touch have really helped but we still have quite a way to go to undo four years of habitual behaviour.

Happily, a few months down the line, Chloe is now very much part of our family and I pay tribute to the honesty of the NCDL in assessing her behaviour and being totally honest about her problems. Her ability to socialise with other dogs makes her a great asset to the Paws'n'Learn socialising team.

Chloe caused great concern in the Summer of 2001 when she suddenly became reactive to some people again. A physical examination revealed little but when she was taken to swim her action in the water was remarkable. She held her head in an odd position and twisted her body so that her right hind leg moved almost horizontally in the water. Further investigation and examination revealed severe pain on the left side of her neck and the right side of her lower back. Xrays revealed no significant bone problems but she has responded well to anti-inflammatory medication and physiotherapy. Her physical balance is much improved and she is at last able to walk slowly, without leaning into the lead.

In the Autumn of 2001 Chloe's temperament again deteriorated owing to pain from her injury. She was refered to a veterinary surgeon who practices Accupuncture and this has improved her life considerably. However, Chloe is no longer able to cope reliably with busy public places. The nature of her injury makes it very uncomfortable for her to wear a headcollar or muzzle for more than a few minutes at a time so there is a potential risk of her snapping at any strangers who might touch her without warning. It is therefore no longer safe for her to be exercised in public places. She is still enjoying life, is very attached and affectionate to family members and regular visitors to the home, has plenty of company, travels in the car and goes therapy swimming.

OBITUARY:

In September 2002 Chloe made it clear that she was no longer coping with the pain from her injury and became reactive towards the other animals and visitors to our home. Twelve months earlier I had made the decision to let to go to sleep peacefully if her quality of life became too painful or restricted. It would have been very unfair to isolate her further to keep those around her safe so the decision was made to help her to pass over peacefully.

Chloe is missed very much in our home. Her first few months here were difficult but when she decided that we could be trusted not to hurt her she really opened up and brought much us joy.