Rupert

Meet Rupert

When our other dog, Posie, turned 1, we promised to get her a dog. So technically, Rupert is her big brother AND her pet! Rupert was adopted as a 'free to good home' dog in the classifieds, and we drove halfway across the state to pick him up. He has had a hard life - being shuffled between multiple homes, and before that he was in the pound. As a result, we don't know exactly how old he is or where he was born. We fell in love with him straight away, though it took Posie a while to adjust to not being the center of attention! His ears are normally floppy, but spring up whenever he hears the words "walk" or "dinner". He prances when he is excited, and is fastidious about keeping his paws clean. In general, he's adorable. However, it became obvious why Rupert had been abandoned or given away so many times - he has terrible separation anxiety, causing him to do incredibly irritating things, like pee on our bed or the couch. With a lot of patience, effort and behavioural training, we can manage it. Unfortunately, Rupert's troubles are not over yet. A couple of months ago, he spent a week in intensive care with pneumonia. The specialists went through a range of diagnoses, such as masticatory muscle myositis, megaesophagus and polymyopathy. After a lot of tests, Rupert's condition is still a mystery. It seems unfair that such a loving little dog could have so much bad luck in his life, but I am just glad that we can look after him and attend to his ongoing special needs and love him back as much as he loves us!