Loesje in her golden basket, with her best friend Mr. Pig
July 2013. They were on their way back from the evil killing station of Los Barios. Fabienne had just rescued her from the cage where she waited her fate, crammed in with dogs large and small. A terrible situation for any dog, let alone one who was heavily pregnant.
They took her just in time. The little dog, scarcely older than a puppy herself, was scared and stressed. Her four tiny puppies were born in Fabienne's Renault on the way to El Refugio. She became a mum in the car - and they called her Madre Lucilla. She was a great mum; her puppies did well. Now we needed to find her a golden basket.
Last February, Madre Lucilla - now called Loesje, Louise in English - flew to the Netherlands and went into foster with Erna. She was great fun to be around, a beautifully little dog, like a small fox. From the very beginning she fitted in well with her temporary family and the pack.
By an extraordinary coincidence Loesje was spotted during a walk in the woods by her prospective adopters. Not much later they got to know her and she won their hearts. And soon she'd joined their family. It was all very exciting - the rabbit Millie, three free range chickens in the garden - a lot for a small dog to take in.
Fortunately she showed she could quickly learn what was expected of her. She was fine with the rabbit from the start. With the chickens she sometimes gets a bit excited and occasionally wants to chase them, but she's improving and she does know that she really mustn't do it.
Loesje has settled well with her new owners; she's quite found her place. She knows exactly when the boss comes home from work and happily sits in the shopping basket on the bike. She finds it fun to learn new things, especially since she always gets a treat as a reward. Because Loesje loves treats!
Sometimes she shows a bit of her less pleasant side. If she has something in her mouth that's not allowed she'll growl and won't let go. And running around on the moor is not always relaxing, because if Loesje doesn't like a dog she will run over to them. She will act very dominant with them on occasion and will chase them, even if they are much bigger than she is. And she doesn't like staying at home and will sometimes keep barking.
Fortunately Loesje is very sweet and her owners are very sensible. They understand that behaviour doesn't change all by itself and that you need to work to find solutions to problems. They try to find clever ways to lead her; when she behaves less than nicely they don't react and correct her patiently without drama. And Loesje knows that they really love her. And that she'll get lots of cuddles.
Loesje has really fallen on her feet. A lovely family. The rabbit and the hens. All this and a few weeks ago she went on holiday to Denmark, where she was very well behaved so they may go again. Here are some really nice pictures of Loesje, with Millie the rabbit, with her favourite stuffed animal, Mr Pig, with Valerie the hen and on the bike.
Loesje and Millie under the table.
With Mr Pig
Loesje and Valerie.
Riding in the basket.
Sleepyhead!
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