Frodo

We fell in love with Frodo when we first saw him at the rendezvous point arranged by British Dalmatian Welfare. He had obviously been well looked after and was a really handsome boy. He was reluctant to get in the car and was very nervous, shaking and looking bewildered, however sitting in the back of the car with me he soon began to snuggle up for a cuddle and began to relax.

On reaching home I was dropped off to pick up our dog, Jojo, from my fathers and Roger drove home and walked Frodo to meet us in the park.  They took to each other immediately and happily walked home together where they played for hours driving us mad!!  Finally they bedded down tighter no problem, a very satisfying introduction.

At first we fed them at different ends of the kitchen but it was obvious there were no issues so they now feed together from a double bowl with no worries.  If Jojo leaves any for later he will not touch it.

Frodo settled in straight away, the only problem being how to stop them playing, they do play hard and sometimes we have to step in and calm things down a tad.  They did have a couple of spats the first day, but nothing serious and one of these was over a bone.  The have called it a day now we can hold treats in one hand and they will wait their turn to take them, very civilised, and they give things up to each other, so all is good.

At first Frodo was very reluctant to get in the car and also visitors made him nervous and he wanted nothing to do with them.  We don’t know how a dogs mind works but we thought maybe he associated this with being moved on, but all is well now and he loves his trips out and visitors receive a lively welcome.

We have had to work on Frodo to get him to give things up but he is much better now.  Sometimes he will think about it for a while but he will do it eventually and when praised he is really pleased with himself and looks for his treat.

After a couple of weeks he became very confident in himself really strutting his stuff, bouncing along a very impressive looking dog. Unfortunately with this confidence he has become aggressive with some dogs, so we are working on this with our friend who is a dog trainer, and this is improving. The only negative but this will be resolved.He does pull on the lead so we are working on this also and he is getting better. Frodo likes to please so we are sure he will improve, as he is a powerful dog this is a must. Jojo- our GSP- is up to something all the time non-stop, but Frodo is really laid back and lets her get on with it, which is handy!!

He loves cuddling up on the sofa and sometimes flatly refuses to go for an evening walk.  But he can’t wait for this morning walk however and has lost of regular friends, lots of chasing and playing ball.

Sunbathing is definitely another of his favourite pastimes and he has recently noticed this fish in the pond, he stands fascinated for ages.  He thinks feeding them is a waste of time and would syphon the food off the water if allowed.

We like to take them with us whenever we go out if possible and he is very well behaved when we are out (pub lunches etc.)

Frodo is a real gentleman and so well behaved (most of the time) he is one of the family and has fitted in perfectly.  We are so pleased it has gone so well. Taking on another dog was a risk but it could not have gone better.

We were impressed with the way everything was handled by British Dalmatian Welfare and trouble taken in matching the right dog for us.

We love our Frodo and by the amount of tail wagging we think he feels the same about us.

Debbie and Roger Chapman