03-03-16 UPDATE
She doesn't know it yet, but Eleanor is THE prettiest little cocker spaniel in the whole wide world! And this is despite her having a constant worried expression on her face, and despite her eyes looking so sad and sunken. This little lady has had a really really hard time in life. She has never been shown any love or kindness until now.
At the moment, Eleanor spends her days hiding away in her bed with her friends in the bedroom part of their kennel. She won't come out unless her friends do. She sticks to the sides of her friends like glue.
Eleanor has never experienced friendly, gentle human beings before, so consequently and understandably, runs away from us if we go anywhere near her. She will hide and cower behind her friends. If you do manage to get anywhere near her though, she will allow you to stroke her, and in fact doesn't shake in fear any more! She obviously still feels a little uncomfortable with human contact though as she just can't bare to look at us, and looks to the floor or at the wall instead.
.....I carried Eleanor around the rescue centre today and it was clear this girl hasn't seen much of the outside world at all.....she looked up at the trees in amazement, at other happy doggies walking on leads in confusion, and was quite scared of a lot of things she saw. Lots of movement/busyness and noises unsettled her. I had to be careful she didn't try and jump out of my arms, which she tried doing when I took her back to her kennel and back in the company of her doggy friends. She was so happy to be back in her comfort zone and her tail wagged a little...she loves her friends so much.
Eleanor is currently getting used to wearing a harness so that we can take her into the outside world safely. It is also in preparation for harness and lead training. Eleanor is a really good girl and doesn't mind wearing one at all!
.....Eleanor loves her food but doesn't yet trust us humans enough to take treats out of our hands, but will happily munch on them if you throw them on the floor for her. She is unresponsive to toys at present and looks at us humans as if we're stupid when we try and play with her! Eleanor enjoys going into the play yard with her friends to experience "freedom" for a short while.
Eleanor is looking to find a home where her new mummy or daddy are going to be around a lot. Her new mummy or daddy will need to be extremely patient and understanding with our Eleanor, as she has absolutely no idea what a normal life for a dog is like. She will also need to find a home that already has a more confident resident dog living there. This is because this is all Eleanor's ever known and her new forever friend will provide her with comfort and feelings of security, and will also provide her with the confidence and support that she needs to help settle into a normal home environment. Her new friend will show her the ropes around the house and help with house training etc too. This gorgeous girl has survived a life of hell - she really does deserve to begin her new life ASAP. If, like us, you think Eleanor is just gorgeous, and your dog would like a new very special friend - come down and meet her today! I'm sure she will break your heart and you won't be able to resist! Maybe you will be that special person who manages to get Eleanor's pretty little face to light up!
