Sunday Success - Bertie’s Story
It's time for another Sunday success story featuring a special boy, Bertie!
Bertie had a tough start. We met him at around 3 years old, rescued from the Constanta kill shelter and brought to our fosterer, Madalina.
He faced many challenges in the UK, including a short adoption and time in kennels, struggling to adapt to home life. Then came Linda, a remarkable and patient woman who became Bertie’s savior. Initially a foster, Linda soon joined the 'failed foster club' and became Bertie’s forever person. What an incredible duo they are! Here’s what Linda has to say about her life with Bertie…
“I didn’t think that I was a dog person but I became a foster for OUR Dog during lockdown. Bertie was my second foster dog and he had already been in a failed adoptive home, kennels and a foster home before he came to me in July 2021. I did not know what to expect and I certainly wasn’t prepared for Bertie!
He was described as antisocial and a loner by the staff at the kennels and he was a frightened dog. No-one knows what Bertie experienced for the first 3 years of his life as a street dog, but from his reactions to most things, I can imagine some of the horrors he has survived. I hadn’t met a dog like Bertie before. He didn’t want to play with toys, he didn’t like being touched and he certainly didn’t want to go in the car which made walking him difficult as he was to frightened to walk along the street.
There were many tears and I often wondered if I was enough for Bertie. I didn’t understand what he needed.
I reached out to the wonderful volunteers at OUR Dog and they arranged for me to speak to Mary Williams. Mary helped me put things into perspective and gave me some valuable advice. I also found a trainer who was experienced in working with reactive dogs and the vet referred Bertie to a vet behaviourist.
It’s been a slow progress but we are getting there. I have had to learn to go at Bertie’s pace and take it slow and steady. I think about all the things that Bertie can do rather than what he can’t. We are now practising walking along the street without panicking and it is lovely to see Bertie run across the field to a human he knows and occasionally he will even initiate play with another dog.
Bertie has changed my life for the better and I wouldn’t be without him. He brings me so much joy and I wouldn’t change him for the world. I am a proud dog mum”.
Bertie’s progress is a tremendous testament to Linda’s dedication, and we can't thank her enough. We need to find more fosters and adopters who can offer the same level of commitment to our other dogs with troubled backgrounds – for some, it may be their last hope.
Please message O.U.R Dog Foundation if you believe you could offer a dog like Bertie a foster or forever home.