Francis

Francis was rescued from his life on the streets of Bosnia. He came to the U.K. and found himself a wonderful family but due to a severe allergy, they can no longer care for him. 

The following is a bio about Francis from his family-

Francis is a very loveable, funny and cheeky boy. He absolutely loves having his belly rubbed and tickled especially first thing in the morning. He makes hilarious noises when he is lying on the floor and wanting your attention that will make you laugh so much. He is always happy to see you and spends most of his day wanting to be near you or next to you, although he equally loves to sleep and to play! Francis is now really good at playing on his own with his toys and gets excited if you introduce one to play with him. He has his mad 5 minute ‘zoomies’ each day and is so funny to watch when he does. Francis is obsessed with squirrels and will always bark and try to chase them in the garden!

Francis has a cheeky side- if he wants you to play with him or make room for him on the sofa with you, he will sit and look at you and do a little high pitched bark for your attention! A bit cheeky but we have grown to love it and laugh when it happens. 

Francis is a very happy chap. He can be left alone in the house with no problems, although he will likely regress a little in a new home due to being nervous. Rest assured you will be able to build that up though, just like he has done currently. Francis can be a bit nervous and scared of new things, and is much more anxious in the dark if on a walk, you notice this from a quicker pace and he turns round more to check what is around him. He can be apprehensive going into new places and although he has grown loads in confidence, it is important to continue to work on this with him and build his confidence up slowly. He can be more quiet and subdued in new places if he is a bit unsure. Francis does not like water, and won’t go out in the garden for the toilet sometimes if it is raining heavily, which is not uncommon for some dogs. As a result, he was not keen on hydrotherapy when he needed it earlier this year (see below) but he did manage a few sessions.

If someone new comes into the home he is fine as this is his safe space and he is always excited to meet new people, but outside he finds the big wide world more scary. This is the same with dogs and once Francis is settled and confident, only then should new owners start to work on reactivity with him. Francis needs to feel secure, confident and trusting before you work on this. He is however used to living with and being with another dog who is a german shepherd. Francis was initially scared and reactive when he met her, but they are now great friends; so he is able to be with dogs, but this needs to be built up in his own time. 

Francis is house trained and likes to go to the toilet on the grass or somewhere soft. In the night if he needs to go out (very rare) he will bark to let you know. He can have a sensitive tummy so there are foods to avoid which can be shared with you. He absolutely LOVES his food, so it’s really easy to use small amounts to support training. Francis can sit and do paw. Some of his training was delayed due to the operation he had to have 4/5 months after coming to the UK but he is doing really well now. Francis had to have a Femoral Head and Neck removal in June 2023. This is removal of his hip joint due to Legg Perthes Disease. Francis was in a lot of pain prior to this, and it impacted on his moods and behaviours, he was very sensitive to touch and movement and was snappy at the time. He hated being picked up and still does not enjoy this – even though he loves a cuddle and snuggle! Since his operation and recovery Francis is a different dog and back to his playful and loving self. He is no longer sensitive to touch and movement in the same way and has come on leaps and bounds. Francis did need hydrotherapy to support his recovery however he was very scared of the water and tank, so didn’t’ have loads of sessions. 

Francis has seen a behaviourist like lots of rescue dogs who knows him well and has provided lots of advice that can be shared with his future family.

I would like to remain in touch with his new family and offer support, guidance and any holiday respite if helpful/adopters are willing. Francis loves nothing more than being loved and having attention and he is the sweetest little boy who has been through a lot in his short life to date. He is an absolute heart breaker and anyone will fall in love with him.