Young at heart

Sitting pride of place in the living room is a giant dog bed, and lying on it, proudly, is Sheba.

“I made her that bed,” says Carole Jagger, who along with her husband Richard, adopted Sheba from Blue Cross 18 months ago. “She likes to be comfy and I couldn’t find one big enough. It’s only some bits of foam with a cover.”

Carole speaks modestly about her efforts to make Sheba feel at home, but those efforts are just one sign of everything the Jaggers have done to make Sheba part of a loving family, especially considering her past.

Sheba was abandoned in the waiting room of our Victoria animal hospital in June 2021. Details about her past are sketchy, but we believe that before she found peace with Carole and Richard, she had likely been used for breeding, suffered a life-threatening womb infection, and had surgery for cancer.

Despite multiple attempts to contact her owner, we received no response, and so transferred Sheba from our animal hospital into the care of our Southampton rehoming centre in Hampshire to begin her search for a new home.

Amanda Rumball, London Welfare Officer, who looked after Sheba during her early days in Blue Cross care, said: “Sheba was the sweetest dog while she was with us at the hospital, and loved her toys!

“Initially she was overwhelmed and distressed as she didn’t know what was happening to her, but she loved having a comfy bed and a snooze. I remember how much she loved to play and she soaked up all the TLC and attention from the team.”

Our rehoming centres have kennels where we care for dogs with no place else to go, including those whose owners have sadly passed away or those found straying. But a kennel environment doesn’t suit every animal, and some can become very upset by the experience. Poor Sheba was one of them.

Kirsty Smith, Rehoming Supervisor at Blue Cross Southampton rehoming centre, Hampshire, said: “Sheba was friendly with us but extremely kennel-stressed, so we tried to have her out in a room with us as much as possible, but she still found kennel stress really tricky. After 15 days we placed her in foster where she was instantly much calmer and enjoyed the home comforts.”

It’s perhaps unsurprising that the older lady relaxed once she was placed in a quiet foster home with stability and one-to-one attention, allowing her to begin to rebuild her life. She had arrived in our care severely underweight and suffering from tummy problems, but thanks to being cared for by those who understood her needs, and who made sure she got the veterinary attention she needed, Sheba began gaining weight and her stress levels fell.

Our vet checks revealed a couple of lumps that needed surgery to remove, and our behaviour team helped her to become more comfortable around other dogs and enjoy her walks. Once she was ready, we began the search for loving new owners.

On the day we caught up with Sheba, she is celebrating her twelfth birthday. That sensitive stomach means a birthday cake is off the cards, but Carole has wrapped up her favourite treats for her to open. This is a dog who has fallen on her paws.

Still fearful of other dogs, Carole and Richard often take her to an enclosed outdoor dog exercise space where she is free to potter about off-lead without the distractions of other dogs, and spend some quality time with her devoted owners.

Carole said: “She absolutely loves going out in the car. Especially when we pull up outside the Paw Paddock, she seems to know that’s her time. There’s no dogs there, she’s got no fear, she can’t get out of the car quick enough. She’s looking at you as if to say ‘where’s the ball then?’ because we throw the ball.”

And back at home, Sheba is the queen of the Jaggers’ hearts. She has her favourite spot in the garden, toys galore to cuddle up with, and devoted attention from her owners.

Carole adds: “She means the world. We love her dearly. We’ve never had children so both of us have always preferred animals, sometimes rate them higher than some humans to be fair. She means the world.

“We adore her. Just adore her.”