Back in 2010 I lost my 2 dogs. One of them had been diagnosed with heart failure, so we were expecting it. We knew it was just a matter of time. So we spoiled her of course. Lots of her favourite walks, allowed her on the sofa, extra treats at dinner time… But with the other one, and only a matter of a couple of months later, it was a complete surprise. She had a brain haemorrhage.
We were in the middle of having a large building project done on the house and resolved to wait till it was done before we thought about another dog. But, I started to look at the rescue websites, the house seemed so quiet despite all the noise. I looked at the Cane Corso & Moloser site and saw Ozzie. When I looked at his photo it was as if he was looking straight at me!
I phoned them and arranged a visit. Ozzie was there to meet us, a little detached and not terribly interested. We took him for a walk and I loved him although I don’t think he loved me. Next visit we took our 2 sons with us, and we all decided we would like him to come and live with us. We had a home check, and after a little work on the fences, we passed. I had never adopted an adult dog before and was a little apprehensive, but the rescue was supportive. We adopted Ozzie in November.
In January I happened to be looking at the rescue page and there was a photo of this beautiful older dog, who had ended up in a pound through a series of unfortunate events. I couldn’t bear the idea of her in a cold kennel feeling lost and alone. The rescue was trying to secure a foster home just so she wouldn’t be PTS. She looked so sad and confused. I offered to foster her, just until a permanent home could be found. The following week we took Ozzie back to the rescue so that he could meet Ria, they seemed to get along by choosing to treat each other with indifference. We brought Ria home with us . They had very closely supervised contact for several months, not quite trusting each other.
Now 4 years down the line they are great friends, they are really like the odd couple. Ozzie is a little bit bonkers (being 1/2 boxer) and Ria is so calm and sensible. They are the perfect foil for each other, he livens her up, she calms him down. But he never forgets that she is the boss. They are both very much a part of the family, I think Ozzie is the cleverest dog I have ever known, he watches my every move and knows so many words. That was a huge surprise to me, that a dog adopted as an adult would get to know me so well. Ria is so devoted, whenever there is a knock on the door instead of running to the door ( which most dogs do) she runs to my side to protect me. Im sure they remember their past, and now can see their future, which they know is secure and full of love. Needless to say, Ria is no longer looking for a permanent home.