Alf

January 2014 from Diana: “I am crying as I write this, but we have very sad news about Alf. He had not been well and was in considerable pain. We have been back and forth to the Vet for tests and sadly the Vet felt he was suffering from a brain tumour or possible damage caused from the abuse he had suffered in the past and the kindest thing would be to let Alf go.

We do all in our power to save dogs, this decision has been the hardest but we cannot allow a dog to continue to suffer. It breaks my heart that we cannot repair what others have broken, but we have to try. Alf had 6 wonderful months with his foster Liz Vater. He knew Love, affection, patience and care. He lived in a house, he had the sofa to himself and cuddles when he wanted them. He was loved and he was able to live like a proper dog – even stealing cake from counters!

Alf passed away peacefully in the arms of the people he knew – he will never be forgotten, he is in the hearts of the people that loved him. I hope you appreciate this is a time of great sadness for us, we will need time to mourn.”

Alf is a delightful male deaf dog. A wire fox terrier, approximately seven years old, twelve kilos and the face of a cherub!

Alf has come a very long way since he arrived in the UK. We don’t know much about his history, but his behaviour indicates he was abused, then abandoned, ending up in solitary confinement simply due to being deaf. His frustration – and possibly some pain, which we think has been rectified since being neutered – caused him to spin and snap when upset or frustrated. In the 4 months he’s been in foster, this has gone from 20-minutes at a time, many times a day, to occasional barking at his bottom. The fact that he’s improved so dramatically gives us hope that with continued love and training, he’ll carry on relaxing, learning and chilling out.

He’s been let down so many times that he’s just ecstatic to wake up and realise that he’s still in a comfortable home with people who love him and aren’t going to hurt him. It’s been wonderful watching him learn how to be a dog again, and his puppyish antics are adorable. His tail was docked, but his whole back end wags when you come into a room, to the point that he nearly falls over.

He just wants to be with you as much as possible and is perfectly happy to lie at your feet or to help out with whatever you’re doing, whether that’s tidying up (he gently takes things back out of the bin to inspect them), cooking (he’s a very good sous chef) or gardening (either sitting in the flower beds or eating lavender).

As soon as the lights go out in the evening, he heads for the sofa and sleeps quietly for as long as you want him to. He’s fine being left on his own (he misses you but isn’t at all destructive) and is good on short trips in the car (hasn’t been on longer ones so can’t assess).

He can’t hear himself, so his little noises are very endearing, especially when you get his lead, when he chunters and yelps with excitement. He LOVES his walks and although he can get agitated when he sees other dogs, he’s learning to calm down. He loved our previous resident oldie and after some initial skirmishes (largely instigated by our territorial little terrier) they’d play happily for hours.

He’s a typical fox terrier so he can be feisty and certainly likes his own space. Because he’s deaf (and presumably because he’s been beaten before), he can snap if you suddenly invade his personal space, but is learning that a warning growl or air-snap is better behaviour than a nip. The more he trusts you, the happier and more relaxed he is and the more his personality emerges.

Alf, quite simply, just wants to be loved. He’s an adorable clumsy lummox who wins over everyone he meets. He’s a work in progress, so his forever home will need to take on continued training and be prepared for an extended settling in period. But if you’re good at stroking his lovely head, he’ll love you for ever.

He has some behavioural issues and we have enlisted the help of an animal behaviourist to determine further his requirements. We will continue this commitment to him in his new home.

Alf is a project, but the reward will be tenfold the effort. He has a valid pet passport and applications from outside the UK will be considered, although prospective adopters would have to travel to meet him in the first instance.

If you are interested in this dog, please apply by filling in our rehoming questionnaire on this website, in the first instance.

Alf likes baking and can often be found in the kitchen waiting for a nice pear tart.