Rico Male Crossbreed
We were approached in June 2022 by Dog Watch asking if we could help with a six month old crossbreed stray who was not settling in a foster home. We met Rico and agreed to help. He had spent some time as a stray in Spain and naturally, he wasn’t too keen on humans – he knew how to do life on his own without our help. It is rare that we would take in a dog from overseas, but we felt that Rico needed our help. It was a big change for him to suddenly rely on us, especially (as his walkers will know very well) because he has a high prey drive and can easily catch himself a lovely bit of squirrel. It does still take a while for Rico to trust you and build a bond, but once he has, he puts his full trust in you and can be very affectionate. It has been especially funny watching his goofball personality shine through with the more confidence he builds. Rico has a particular dislike travelling in the van, but with time and patience, he is now happy to be a back seat driver in cars!
Whilst being a stray put a pause on him building relationships with the human kind, it only made him flourish with the other dogs at the sanctuary! Rico has been “Uncle” to multiple litters of puppies that have come in and has even helped Buddy come out of his shell and build his confidence with other dogs. Rico is now used as the test dog (sorry Rico) to see if other dogs are sociable or not. He is so incredibly tolerant and will put up with just about anything. He can however be a little bolshie at times so he does get some mixed reviews from the other dogs at the sanctuary! Rico’s socialisation skills have made him quite the local celebrity across the Canford Sang where he has many human and dog friends!
We know the right home is out there for him – someone with experience with big dogs and ready for a challenge – but for now he’s happy being a semi-permanent resident!
