Lovely 4-y-o Lottie will soon be looking for a forever home...26.09.16

by Paul
(Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey)

Lovely Lottie is a spayed female black + silver mini schnauzer who turned 4 this June. Her current home is near Kingston-on-Thames in Surrey. She's full of beans, and was recently given a clean bill of health by the vet (during her visit for annual inoculation and general check-up). She's obedient, very affectionate, and well socialised with other dogs - she's even used to meeting deer and horses, and is fairly indifferent to both. Not so rabbits, squirrels, and birds - all of whom she chases with great energy but (thankfully) little skill. Interestingly, Lottie displays some male characteristics, such as scent marking (which is quite unusual in female dogs).
She's very keen to please and craves praise and reward, making her fabulously trainable. She is micro-chipped, in excellent health, and comes with a Kennel Club pedigree certificate, full vaccination record, wire crate, fabric crate (for travel/car), and various other bits + pieces.

On the downside, she suffers terribly from separation anxiety, and cannot be left alone in the house for any length of time (although she will happily remain as quiet as a mouse in her crate in the car when out shopping). She tends to be quite 'clingy', having only lived with a single person previously - but she might well relax in a family environment. She is also quite wary of people she doesn't know, and may bark when they try to touch or handle her - but she will soon become very friendly after a few meetings, especially if strangers wait for her to come to them rather than them trying to approach her too soon.

All in all, she's a super dog, with great potential to flourish in the right environment. Be warned though - I must insist on being extremely picky about who has the privilege of owning Lottie. The sad truth is that she has been re-homed once before, at about a year and four months - roughly 3 years ago. Her first owner wasn't properly suited to dog ownership, being a single woman who worked office hours - so Lottie was left for long periods. My mother took her on after her previous schnauzer passed on - but she's recently been diagnosed with dementia, and has also suddenly become much less vigorous, so can no longer exercise Lottie properly.

As she’s been re-homed once already, I feel I have a duty of care to find Lottie the perfect forever home. Previous dog ownership is a must (preferably schnauzers, preferably more than one). Please don't enquire if you are a first-time owner, or if you live in rented accommodation (as she needs stability in her new home).
I will need to be convinced that Lottie will never be left alone for longer than an hour or so, that she will enjoy daily long walks, and have access to a reasonable sized garden. I believe she would thrive in a family environment, or in the company of other non-aggressive dogs - or better still, both ! Lottie's never lived with children before though, and I don't think she'd be suitable for a home with children under the age of around 10 or 11 - and even then, they would have to understand that she's wary of being handled until she's familiar with new people. Lottie is not an aggressive or dangerous dog by any means - but it's only fair to point out that she might bark or even nip at a child who is trying to be too friendly too soon. Once properly acquainted though, she absolutely loves physical touch, and responds with great enthusiasm.

I would love to keep in touch with whoever takes Lottie into their home, and hopefully even see her once in a while (after a suitable period of separation, of course) - so ideally her new home will be within driving distance of her current home in Surrey. I can't say exactly when she will be ready to move on as I'm currently looking for a suitable care home for my mother, and I wouldn't want to separate them before those arrangements are in place - but I think it'll be within the next few weeks. Ideally I would like to arrange to meet any prospective owners and take Lottie for a walk together, and it feels like now is the right time to get the ball rolling.

Lottie really is a fantastic dog, and I will miss her terribly - but she needs and deserves a perfect new home, and soon. So if you're interested, (and not in a hurry) then please get in touch with any questions you may have and a few words about why Lottie might enjoy life with you, and we'll take it from there. But please - experienced dog owners only, and the more of the above criteria you can meet, the better. Please forgive me for being so very fussy, but I owe it to this lovely dog.
paul.granger.ppg@gmail.com