Troy and Diane

OWNER  Diane and Antony

LIVES  Morecambe

FAMILY NAMES AND AGES Phoenix 6 yrs, Kai 2yrs

DOG NAME Troy

BREED German Shepherd

AGE 18 months

WHERE DID HE COME FROM?    A breeder in Morecambe.                                                                                                        

DID YOU HAVE DOGS WHILST GROWING UP? 

Yes an ex-Police dog called Tiger. Troy is the spitting image of him (finds and shows photo).  He died when I was young.  We then got a King Charles Spaniel called Paddy.  We had Paddy for a while.  Then Rocky a Staffy/ Jack Russell cross.  We got Molly who was a Collie Corgi cross.  We got her when she was 7 after being with another family member and needed rehoming.  We had her until she died at 10.  Woody and Shadow were Springer Spaniels and we had them for 10 years.  They were brilliant dogs.  They could do everything.  Really devoted.  

While still at home, I had a Rottweiler, called Honey, until she three and half months.  She started having seizures which turned out to be aneurysm.  A blood vessel had burst and she died.  Then we got another Rottweiler called Angel.  She was a legend.  Phoenix adored her.  Angel would lie on the floor and allow Phoenix to lie on her.  Really gentle and loving. Unfortunately due to family circumstances, my stepdad would get rid of dogs after a while, we had to rehome her to a friend.  Monty and Cadbury were two miniature poodles.  Monty had a bad reaction to one of his first vaccinations and became very poorly.  He had to be put to sleep.  Then Cadbury due to similar family circumstances was rehomed too.

 WHY DID YOU GET A DOG? 

I had always grown up with dogs.  I wanted to have one and be in charge.  Not be dictated to by my stepdad which dog was staying or going.

DID EVERYBODY IN THE FAMILY WANT A DOG? 

Yes.  Phoenix especially.  I believe in teaching the children to be respectful to dogs and animals.  Phoenix was bitten by a Jack Russell when she was two and although not a nice experience it made me more determined to teach her to be good and respect dogs.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SPECIFIC BREEDS THAT ARE TARGETED AS DANGEROUS?

It’s a load of rubbish.  It is how you bring them up.  It is not how they are.  Antony believes it too.  Staffys used to be known as the ‘nanny’ dog, as it would look after the children in the mines.

IS HAVING A DOG HOW YOU IMAGINED IT TO BE?

Yes and no.  It is not like I have a pet.  I have a kid in a fur coat.  There is stuff you cannot cut corners with dogs otherwise somewhere along the line troubles will turn up.

HAVE YOU HAD DOGS BEFORE AS AN ADULT?

When we moved up to Morecambe we got our first dog as a couple.  A staffy called Boo she was 6 weeks when we got her.  Then when she was 3 months old we rescued a deaf Rottweiler called Tara for a while.  Whose pedigree name Turarks Kiss and Cuddle!  We then managed to rehomed her on to an elderly couple.  A lovely dog just a bit temperamental and needed one to one attention.  Really beautiful dark red colouring.  Tara and Boo would lie as a sandwich all cosy.  At 2 years old Boo became pregnant and for some reason rejected all the pups.  After the pups had gone she started acting funny.  Odd behaviour that she had not done before.  For example she jumped on a neighbour’s child, not hurting him but frightening him.  Even though she had a muzzle on when she was outside I felt I could not trust her then.  I did not know how to deal with it.  So we rehomed her to friend in Penrith.  He does not have children so it was not an immediate problem.  He is able to train her through her issues and give her that one to one attention.  She is doing really well now.

WHAT ISSUES HAVE YOU HAD WITH TROY?

He used to chew through plaster and he made a hole in the kitchen wall.  He could also be very possessive over me (Diane) at times. 

HOW DID YOU CORRECT THEM?

We had to speak to a trainer it.  He is very possessive over me and at times would cause problems.  We did not know how to deal with it.  Farah, the trainer sent us some information about body language which has helped a great us deal.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER PETS?

Yes, three rats and three snakes.  The rats are Dumbo males, Bubble and Squeak.  Charlie is a fancy rat, a Champagne Albino.  One snake is14 weeks old and is a Jungle Carpet Python.  One is a Lesser Royal and the other, Khan is a normal royal python.  He is the oldest one.  The kids play with him.

HOW DOES THE DOG SPEND HER/HIS DAY?

Most of the day is he is either eating or playing with the kids.  The kids know when to leave him to sleep.  Phoenix sits and talks to him a lot.  He sings when we play the harmonica!

WHO GENERALLY WALKS THE DOG?

Me (Diane), everyday without fail.

WHAT IS HIS FAVOURITE ACTIVITY?

Hide and seek with the local kids on the field.  They fuss him and then run off and hide.  I then let him find them.  He circles where they are.  He is lovely with kids.

WHERE DOES HE SLEEP? 

He sleeps on the floor on my side of the bed.

WHO IS THE DOG MOSTLY FRIENDLY WITH IN THE HOUSE? 

With me (Diane), he is my shadow.

WHAT TIME DOES HE SPEND IN THE HOME WITH FAMILY MEMBERS?

He is always with us.

TELL ME A FUNNY INCIDENT INVOLVING YOUR DOG

As a family we were all sat watching a film.  There was a scary moment with the creepy music.  Troy suddenly woke up and howled in horror werewolf film way.  Looked at us and then went back to sleep as though nothing had happened.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A NEW DOG OWNER/OR PEOPLE THINKING OF HAVING A DOG?

Do your research on the breed. We would not recommend a breed that is notorious for hyperactivity for a first dog.  It might be too much to have a demanding breed straight away.