Hello from Donatella & Ray in London

[dodigna]

Hello every one!
We are new to the board and joined after our friend Mattie insisted we would love it here!!! She has always been right so far!

We live in NW London, I am Italian originally and have been in the UK since '93. Ray is a two year old staffie cross with a big heart and sometimes a bigger head that he can carry Me and my partner adopted Ray when he was aged 5 months and had practically spent all his socialization periods in kennels, he landed a foster placement a few weeks before we got to him. He is our first dog.

Ray has been a scardy pup and then a bulshy teen, now he alternates from great, to scardy, to bulshy, but mostly fairly good! And has been teaching me the hard work and joy of sharing your life with a dog with issues, the tears have flown at times with both despair and joy! I wouldn't change him for the world!

[Doglover42]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

[emmabeth]

Hey hey - do you post on TDL as well? If so ive noticed you over tehre (rarely get time to post there though i think my username is still the festive one from xmas!!)

[dodigna]

yep, that would be me!

[wvvdiup1]

Hi and welcome aboard!

[Mattie]

I Donatella, Welcome, I nearly missed this, going back to the caravan soon.

Donatella has done a remarkable job with Ray, when I first met her she was in despair but never thought of giving up with him, he was for life. Thanks to all the hard work that she and her partner have put in, as well as help from friends of Emmabeth's, Ray has been turned round. Like all dogs, he will never be perfect but a perfect dog will be far too boring.

[Sarah83]

a perfect dog will be far too boring.

Gotta agree with that, I had a perfect dog. Well, he was perfect except for the fact he was perfect and never did any wrong and that in itself made him imperfect. Or something like that. I think I just confused myself Although now I have Rupert I sometimes wish I'd appreciated Wolfs perfectness a bit more

Anyway, welcome Donatella and Ray.

[dodigna]

Thank you all!
Mattie you are too kind, Ray (and us) are still work in progress, his set based personality is that he is a nervous dog so there will always be something that needs addressing, but he has been a great learning experience, I guess I can safely say that even though Ray is my first dog it has been like having a crush course in dogs keeping so I am grateful and hope thanks to him to be able to be a better dog owner for future pooches! All the mistakes I have made with him will be hopefully taken on board in the future.

[Mattie]

No matter how much we work with our dogs Donatella, they still need work, remember how Gracie used to be, a real terror even when she was 17.5 years old. Ray is very lucky to have found you, he is adored and has owners who care enough for him to help him work through his problems, what more could a dog ask for?

Kind, me, you know me better than that.