FOSTER HOME NEEDED (WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ADOPTION FOLLOWING A PERIOD OF ASSESSMENT)
(If all agree, following a period of assessment whilst in foster, Bailey’s fosterers may apply to adopt him, when an adoption fee of £300 will apply

BAILEY, 6YO NEUTERED MALE COCKAPOO (15kg/17”)
In good health

CURRENT LOCATION GLOUCESTERSHIRE

YOU MUST BE IN A POSITION TO FOSTER BAILEY WITHOUT DELAY

PLEASE ENSURE YOU READ THIS PURPOSEFULLY LENGTHY AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF BAILEY AND HIS NEEDS BEFORE SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION. PLEASE ONLY APPLY IF YOU MEET THE CRITERIA (WHICH ARE NOT NEGOTIABLE).

The image is a sketch by artist Silver Dog Animal Portraits from Bailey's photo. We are deliberately not sharing his photos at this stage because too many applicants are unfortunately only looking at the cute photos of our dogs and are not troubling themselves to read the details before applying

Bailey is an absolutely adorable, affectionate, engaging much loved family member who loves going for long, sniffy walks to the beach or woods. He loves playing with the hose! He is a very affectionate little doodle who loves nothing more than cuddling up on the sofa with his favourite humans. Bailey was very firmly at the centre of his loving owners’ world for the first 5 years of his little life, until the arrival of their first baby.

Bailey is anxious around small children, his anxiety being triggered when he first arrived as an 8 week old puppy and was passed around the extended family’s young children for cuddles. Bailey is struggling with sharing his home with a 10 month old toddler now they are crawling and walking, and is desperate to keep a distance between them. On off lead walks, he will move away and keep a distance from young children. When he is being walked on lead, his owners strongly advocate for him to ensure young children do not approach. Bailey has never bitten, but he will give a warning growl when he is unable to escape the feared and unwanted attentions of young children. Unfortunately, in his home Bailey is unable to create the space he needs to feel safe when the toddler is on the move, and the situation has now become untenable, with Bailey – who has had a lifetime of cuddles on the sofa - being shut away in the kitchen, which is making everyone miserable. Bailey is good with his owners’ older (12 years plus) nieces and nephews when they visit, but he has of course known them since he was a puppy. Bailey requires a home where any children or frequently visiting children are aged 14 or over and respectful around dogs and their need for space to rest and sleep. Younger visitors to the home will need to be carefully supervised to ensure they respect Bailey’s boundaries.

Bailey sleeps on his bed in his owners’ bedroom (occasionally getting up onto their bed for cuddles) and if this is a problem for you, please do not apply for him.

Following a very unsettling house move 3 years ago, Bailey now has separation anxiety and will bark and cry when left, and he is currently on fluoxetine. He goes to doggy day care, which he loves, when his owners are at work. Bailey will need someone at home much of the time (and at all times for the first few weeks at least) unless you can take him with you when you need to go out. Work from home is fine, as long as Bailey can be in the same room as you whilst you work, and not shut away elsewhere in the house (if shutting him away from his family was acceptable, his owners wouldn’t be rehoming him) Once Bailey has had time to settle in to foster, we can work on addressing his separation anxiety in the hope that he can eventually be weaned off the medication (note that our fosterers are required to follow the advice of our behavioural adviser and trainer)

Bailey is not currently crate trained. Once he has settled into foster, we will consider crate training to provide him with a safe space he can retreat to when he’s feeling overwhelmed (NOT to be shut in when you go out or are working) Bailey will chase cats and needs a cat free home. Bailey loves going to the groomer and hates going to the vet. He is good with other dogs out and about and happy to say hello on the lead whilst passing. He is a playful, happy little dog who loves to play with other well matched dogs. He is good off the lead (note that foster dogs MUST be kept on lead/on a long line unless being exercised in a secure dog field) and will walk past other dogs or loves to play if given the go ahead. He is good with visiting dogs if they are calm, but can be reactive (growly) if the other dog is too lively and excitable. We would consider a foster home with an older, calm neutered/spayed dog who will give Bailey the space he craves, although we feel he will be happier in a dog-free home.

CRITERIA TO BE CONSIDERED TO FOSTER BAILEY (NOT NEGOTIABLE)

* NO RESIDENT OR FREQUENTLY VISITING CHILDREN UNDER 14YO. Bailey gets very worried and anxious around young children, particular indoors or if they are allowed to approach him when he is (trapped) on lead outdoors (note: if you are potentially planning to start a family in the future, Bailey is not the dog for you)

* Bailey has separation anxiety. He is never going to be a dog which is happy to be left frequently or for more than an hour or two (and only then once fully settled) There will need to be someone at home at all times in the early weeks (unless you can take Bailey with you) Work from home is fine, as long as Bailey can be in the room where you are working, and as long as you have ample time throughout the day for the long, sniffy walks he loves. Bailey must NOT be shut away in another part of the house whilst you work/when you’re busy.
* Bailey sleeps in his owners’ room (sometimes on their bed) and if this is a problem for you, do not apply for Bailey

* Cat free home

* We will consider a home with another well matched calm (but playful) dog (neutered/spayed – vet evidence will be required) although Bailey would be happy as an only dog

* Bailey can be anxious when unfamiliar, boisterous dogs approach him when he is (trapped) on lead

* Direct access to a fully secure garden (5’ fencing) is required

* Bailey needs a calm home which can provide him with a safe space to relax and sleep, where he knows he will not be disturbed, which he craves. He is quite a complex little doodle who will thrive with loving, calm, mature and experienced owners who employ only modern, positive, reward-based training methods. You MUST be prepared to advocate for this little dog when outdoors, to ensure small children don’t approach him when he is on lead or is otherwise trapped (ie in a confined space such as a cafe) When off lead, Bailey will move away and keep his distance when young children approach.

* Bailey is a young doodle who absolutely adores his long, sniffy walks on the beach and in the woods. You will need to be fit and active.

* Foster dogs MUST be kept on lead/a long lead at all times when away from the home whilst in foster, unless being exercised in a private, secure dog field.

* If you hope that fostering will lead to adoption, you must be confident that your work/family commitments will not fundamentally change during his lifetime and/or that you will have arrangements in place to meet Bailey’s needs should they ever do so.

* Please do not apply if you have any holidays or short breaks planned in the next few months, unless you can take Bailey with you. This is a FOSTER placement and Bailey and his owners do not have the time to wait for potential fosterers to take a holiday.

* All resident family members must be in agreement with fostering Bailey. All family members (and any resident dog) will be required to travel to Gloucestershire to meet Bailey in the coming days.

We cover all costs associated with the care of our foster dogs and provide round the clock support. We are unable to respond to questions or requests for further information. Please do not message admin.

Those who know these dogs will know that doodles are highly sensitive dogs which can easily be sent into a “tail spin” if subtle signs of anxiety are missed and if resultant “behaviours” are mishandled. We expect our fosterers and adopters to employ positive, reward based training techniques which these dogs respond well to. We categorically do not support and will not tolerate the use of aversive, punitive “training techniques”.

Doodle Rescue is run by a small team of volunteers. We regret that we are unable to respond to unsuccessful applicants individually. If your application has been shortlisted to the next stage of our vetting process, or if we require additional information to enable us to fully consider your application, one of our volunteer admin will contact you via Facebook Messenger, by email or by phone/SMS within 3 days of your adoption application form submission. If you do not hear from us within this time frame, regrettably your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. We endeavour to provide sufficient information in each dog’s adoption bio to give an overview of our assessment of the dog and the required criteria to be considered to adopt the dog, to enable interested parties to assess suitability before submitting an adoption application. We regret that at this early stage of our vetting processes it is not possible for our volunteer admins to respond to requests for further information on a dog available for foster or adoption since – with limited resources and time - we must prioritise finding the right home for the dog and we are grateful for your understanding in this matter. We regret that we are unable to enter into any correspondence with unsuccessful applicants or with those who are considering submitting an application but who have not yet done so. Note: due to GDPR we do not retain unsuccessful applications on our system and a new application will need to be submitted for any other available dogs

Please be aware that our vetting processes are thorough to ensure the welfare of the dogs and by submitting an application you are agreeing to cooperate with our processes, which will include a home check and references.