Alfie - 2 year old Westie Boy - fostered in Abercynon *REAVAILABLE*

[DextersMum]

Breed - Westie
Age - 2 years
Dog friendly - lived with another dog but being assessed
Cat friendly - previously lived with a cat
Child friendly - yes

Please meet the lovely Alfie.  He was handed in to Four Paws as his owners were working long hours and he's only come into foster with me today so I'll be assessing him over the next little while.  He's a little nervous around the two resident labs, the male especially and he's quite vocal when Dexter comes too close.  I'm not sure why this is as he's used to living with a big dog and I'm hoping this will settle down over the next few days as they get used to each other.

He's had a busy day today, he's had a little haircut (thank you to Barkers at Pugh's Garden Centre where Marilyn the lovely groomer commented on how good he was  ), a bath, a wander round a very busy garden centre where he was petted by several children and seemed to love it    He's also met Lisa's two, Ruby & Cody, plus his sister Ella who he hadn't seen for a few days since kennels so much excitement all round   and we took them to the pub for lunch.  Then, he had a two hour journey home in the car - he travelled brilliantly and slept most of the way back.  A lot to take in all in one day, but he has behaved impeccably.

He walks really nicely on the lead after the excitement of the first few minutes.

Alfie has a skin condition and at the moment his coat is quite fine and his tummy doesn't have hardly any fur, bless him.  He is currently on medication to hopefully resolve this issue.

I'm hoping to get some better pictures of him over the next few days as he settles in, but here's a few to be going on with  

   



Alfie is neutered, fully vaccinated and micro-chipped.

If you are interested in Alfie, please put in an application in the first instance.  Successful applications will be homechecked.  Our application form and procedures are here http://www.fourpawsanimalrescue.org.uk/adoption_procedures.html

[Lisalobe]

  I'm currently fostering Ella (the Weimeranar) who lived with Alfie previously & I spent the day with him yesterday after collecting him from kennels with his lovely foster mum Fran. He is a lovely little boy and is soooo handsome now he's had his long awaited haircut!, he was very friendly with all the people he met & was as good as gold at the groomers & even tho he had quite a few nasty knots around his little face that had to be groomed out he didn't even flinch bless him 

...and he does look so posh in his lovely new lead & collar!

[Maggie]

My 1st dog as an adult was a Westie & she was a perfect pet, she used to have "summer skin itches" 

[Lisalobe]

Had to post this one, this is poor Alfie suffering the humiliation of me putting one of Seren's clips in his fringe (pre-haircut) as the poor mite couldn't see a thing!



Sorry Alfie!

[DextersMum]

Alfie making himself at home 

[DextersMum]

He really is a handsome boy and once his coat grows back to its full glory, he's going to be a stunner     He's a right cuddle monster too and will sneak onto a lap given half an opportunity!  He's been out for a long-ish walk today so now he's snoring happily on the sofa.

It would be lovely if his forever home came up soon.

[Julieann]

Funny I always said I wanted a Westie as a pet and I ended up with Big Mac,   then I thought I'd have a Westie to foster some day and I end up choosing the lovely small Staffy Reese   ... Think someone's trying to tell me something ...   Alfie's really lovely and he looks completely different with his new hair cut and a wash than he did at the dog show a few weeks ago   He behaved beautifully at the show considering it was a strange place and lots of stranger people and dogs and he wasn't phased by any of it  

His before shot

[DextersMum]

Thanks for posting Julie, the difference a haircut around his face has made is amazing!

We're just back from our morning walk - me, Dex, Maisie and Alfie.  I can't get over how well Alfie walks on the lead, he just trotted along next to my two  .  I haven't deliberately tested his recall yet, but just as we were getting into the fields he managed to reverse out of his harness and trotted off.  I called him back and after a few seconds he came back to me, tail wagging, looking very pleased with himself.  When we first collected him from kennels he didn't seem to know his name at all, but now he's relaxing a little bit he's quite responsive and I realise he was just ignoring us 

He seems to have used a crate before and when I got it out yesterday he went straight in there.  I can't say that he loves it like some dogs do, but he does settle down fairly quickly after a little bit of whinging.

I think Alfie would love to have a forever home where someone was around a fair bit.  He wouldn't mind being an only dog, he seems to be more interested in people than other dogs and isn't bothered about playing with mine, but he could live with quiet-ish steady dog.  He doesn't seem to have had all that much socialisation with other dogs and gets nervous when they bark, he retaliates in typical terrier fashion and it all gets very noisy!

He really is a lovely boy 

[DextersMum]

I've just been to do a HC and took Alfie with me.  He behaved brilliantly and LOVED the three young boys that he met while we were there.  They lay on the floor next to him petting him and I swear he was smiling    He also joined in a game of footy with them.  So, I think its safe to say that he can be homed with children 

[DextersMum]

Alfie is playing with Dexter for the first time since he arrived .  He and Maisie getting along is a work in progress!!

I've been out for a couple of hours this evening (to see SATC 2 which was brilliant) and I left him in the kitchen behind a baby gate just in case of any arguments while I was gone.  He was a bit vocal as I was leaving, but when I came back I came up the path quietly and looked through the window and there he was, fast asleep curled up in his bed without a care in the world  

[DextersMum]

Alfie's doing really well, he's settled down a lot in the last few days and is getting along much better with Dex & Maisie.  I think when he first arrived he was, understandably, a bit overwhelmed and that made him nervous and very grumpy with them but now they're all living together quite happily.  He's definitely a people dog though, he loves everyone.

He's completely housetrained and has stopped the wee marking that he did for the first couple of days.

I've left him each day for a couple of hours and he's been a good boy.  He doesn't like being shut in anywhere though and I just use a stairgate to confine him to the kitchen when needed so that he can see out, see the other dogs, and doesn't feel isolated.

He's met my cat from a distance a couple of times and didn't make any attempt to chase her - could have been down to the fact that she was hissing and spitting at him like a demon    He's going to be properly cat tested at the weekend.

He sleeps on the end of my bed (naughty I know ) and gets very excited when its bedtime as its the only time he gets to go upstairs.  He doesn't make a move or a sound all night 

Alfie was meant to be a temporary foster, just to get him out of kennels for a little while, but he's sneaked his way into our hearts and will be staying until its time for him to leave for his perfect forever home.

[DextersMum]

A couple more pics - he's looking a bit scruffy because he got wet yesterday and he's all curly    Think he'll be having a bath and a good brush before Homes 

     



My Dex is such a good boy, he takes all these fosters coming and going completely in his stride 

[Bunter]

Alfie has now gone into foster in Abercynon with several other dogs and some cats...

[Peppa]

What a happy looking chap 

[shepherd lover]

This  is still looking for his forever home, I feel a lot of people are put off due to his Skin as we're unable to say when he would have a flare up and costs.