Ben - Springer Spaniel (Tyne & Wear)

Ben is a 12 year old English Springer Spaniel who came into Oldies Club care after a change in his owner’s circumstances meant they could no longer care for him. He’s now in an Oldies Club foster home in Tyne & Wear, waiting for someone to offer him a permanent home.

Ben is a really lovely, friendly, sociable dog and has just had a summer haircut, which has taken years off him. Read on and see if Ben is the Springer boy you’ve been hoping to find!

Settling in: Ben was a little unsettled on the first night in his foster home but with some reassurance he settled and has quickly slotted into the routine. He is very well house trained and, apart from the first night, he has had no slip-ups in the house whatsoever. He can also be left for a few hours with no problems.

Good with other animals: Ben is excellent with dogs and other animals alike. He is very calm and collected and nothing seems to fluster him. His foster home doesn’t have cats, but he seems oblivious to them when out on walks, despite his doggy companion trying to move the earth itself to get to them! Ben doesn’t even seem to notice cats are there so his foster carer does not foresee any problems with them.

Good with children: Ben’s foster carer tells us: “He is fine with our children and I wouldn’t see any real problems with children of any age, however he does bark if he wants something which sometimes makes people a bit nervous if they are not used to it. But he has not shown any hint of aggression towards anyone at all. You can take his food away or take a bone out of his mouth without any resistance at all.”

Out and about: Ben is very playful when you get down to his level and loves nothing better than rolling around on the floor with you – or the grass:



His foster carer continues: “He loves going out for walks and gets very excited when you pick up his lead. He is excellent on the lead — we normally take him out using his flexi lead but as soon as we are away from roads he is fine to be let off the lead. He comes back really well and never wanders too far away. He is fine with being in the car but does need to be helped in and out as his back legs are not as strong as they could be, but they are getting better all the time and losing a little weight will reduce the load on them too.”

Loves attention: Ben is a very loveable and loving dog who demands plenty of attention. He will let you know if he thinks he is not getting it — whether it be going out for a walk, having his tummy scratched, or having some of your dinner!

Tubby tum: Ben is a little overweight but is on a diet and taking regular exercise to help combat this. He seems to do best on the dried food of the brand that arrived with, so his foster carers are sticking to keeping him on that food. Other than that, he seems happy to eat anything he can get to! Ben loves to get out and about for a walk and a swim, so with a sensible diet, it should be easy to keep him nice and trim.

Ben’s favourite pastime: Swimming!!!! Check his video link above to see him in action. He just loves the water and as soon as he knows it is there he makes a beeline for it. He can get a bit ambitious when he sees water and potentially could overestimate his ability to get back out. “I spotted this while he was still on the lead — he was eyeing a 2 foot drop into the water which would have been impossible for him to get out of. His new owner will therefore have to very careful of this! He needs a beach-like entrance to the water so that he can walk in and out, or you may end up getting wet retrieving him!”



No major fears: Ben doesn’t seem fazed or frightened of anything at all. He is really calm. The only thing he doesn’t like is being separated from you at home. He doesn’t like internal doors blocking him from getting to you — at night he sleeps on the floor in his foster carer’s bedroom.

Health notes: Ben has been neutered, vaccinated, flea treated, wormed and microchipped and has a clean bill of health from the vets with the proviso that he loses some weight.

Final notes from Ben’s foster carer: “I think Ben deserves a great loving home and he will certainly be a big miss in our home, so if you want him you had better be quick before we change our minds and keep him ourselves! Whoever has him will have to be committed to giving him all the exercise he deserves and be strict with his diet, as the sooner he loses his excess weight the happier and healthier he will be.

Four adjectives that describe Ben are: Gentle; Happy; Lively; Funny.

He is very intelligent and will make a great companion for whoever takes him in. He has a lovely personality and loves to be with you, resting his chin on your leg and looking at you with his big spaniel eyes or lying down next to your feet with his chin over your foot.”



I think it’s fair to say that Ben’s won over his foster carers! Can you resist those big brown eyes?

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If you can offer Ben a permanent home, please refer to our Adoption Procedures for information about the adoption process. You can then contact an Oldies Club rehoming co-ordinator as follows:

Email: rehome@oldies.org.uk
Telephone: 0844 586 8656

He can be rehomed anywhere in the UK, subject to a satisfactory home visit, but note that you will be required to travel to the foster home to meet him.

Aww if only.....He is gorgeous

There is a video on our website but i couldnt copy the details over at the mo.

Ben is reserved

Very pleased to hear it all goes well

AmyJo wrote:Ben is reserved

So glad to hear this...I was getting sorely tempted and receiving stern looks from the OH

Ben

no longer reserved they took on a younger dog.

Oh what a shame

Apparently Rehoming turned away an ideal home at the weekend because he was already reserved. Hope they get back in contact.

Ben is reserved again.

Ben

Ben has finally gone to his new home!!

Be happy Ben