Keira, the noisy dreamer

Why did you adopt a Romanian rescue via EverMore?

We have always had rescue dogs for a number of reasons. Mainly though, because there are so many dogs looking for homes, we would rather give one of those a home than look for a new puppy. We had already got Pepper, another Romanian rescue [through a different organisation]. Pepper was found at the side of the road badly injured; she lost an eye and has some damage to her jaw, but it is all the more rewarding to rescue a dog whose early experiences in life have not been great. We knew that EverMore dogs had a great reputation so when we lost our last dog (also a rescue but she was found in Lincoln), we decided we should get another dog as a companion for Pepper (as well as us of course!)

How has your dog settled into life in the UK?

I think that dogs are incredibly resilient animals. Having been abandoned by the last human they trusted, kindly saved and then undergone a very long journey to the UK, they arrive ready to trust and love again. Keira settled in remarkably quickly and Pepper, though unsure at first, has grown to love her new step-sister. She drew lots of attention in the village when we first started walking her. Her little legs and slightly odd look sparked lots of ‘what kind of breed is that’ type questions. However, she is now loved by everyone we meet and her legs are the perfect length to just reach the floor.

Keira always makes us get up to walk her in the morning and is ‘Miss Enthusiastic’ when there is any chance of going outside. The biggest challenge has been travel sickness. She doesn’t mind or worry about getting in the car, but she is sick within a few minutes of setting off. We have tried everything but nothing seems to work – maybe she will grow out of it one day!

We were so sad to lose our last dog and Pepper was clearly missing her but Keira has fitted in so well and brought her own personality to our household. Nancy, our last dog, was a bit of a barker, which used to set Pepper off but she has now stopped barking quite as much as Keira reserves her barks for only really important occasions.

What would be your dog’s idea of a perfect day?

We tend to get up about 6am and Keira will come and lie on us in the morning as a way of telling us it is time to get going. The first thing we do is walk the dogs around about a mile and half in the lanes around the village, and she absolutely loves walking and being outside. Rabbits are a particular obsession of hers and she spends most of the time spotting those. After the walk comes breakfast, Chappie and mixer, another highlight of the day, and then she will get toast crusts for pudding as we eat our breakfast. If it has been wet, she will spend half an hour furiously licking her armpits and paws.

Keira absolutely loves to be outside and so the perfect day would be in the garden. We are lucky to have a big garden and she finds a nice sunny spot to lie, preferably somewhere near some rabbits, and she just watches the world go by. Often there is important ‘mooching’ to be done and she patrols the garden with purpose making sure everything is OK before settling back down somewhere to do some serious rabbit watching.

Time spent on the sofa asleep is always good around lunchtime before heading off into the garden again. She loves a tummy rub if one is going. She will often play with Pepper in the afternoons, running as fast as they can around the garden. She is quicker than Pepper but slows down to allow her to keep up. Finally, tea then an evening of dreaming on the sofa (she is a very noisy dreamer- barking and sniffing in her sleep). At bed time there is a rush to be first on the bed ready for more sleeping.