History:
Rio came to us after a change in his owner’s circumstances meant he could no longer care for him.
Current:
Rio has been in foster for a weeks now and has settled well.
His foster mom says: "He is very attention seeking and affectionate so he loves to have a fuss, cuddles and kisses but as he doesn’t like to sit on the furniture, you will need to be prepared to spend a lot of time lying on the floor!
"His favourite thing to do is sunbathe in the garden. So on a sunny day, just pop him a blanket and bowl of water down and that’s him sorted for hours living his best life!
"He does come to work at the office with me most days and is good as gold, so if someone else could do that, that would be amazing.
"He can be very vocal and you will need to learn the different barks, cries and whinges. Most of them tend to mean he needs or wants something...but he can bark sometimes after he has been fed, walked, played with, had a fuss etc. ...and we are still figuring that one out!.
"He enjoys being around people and seems to settle better when there’s a lot going on rather than when it's quiet.
"He is houstrained and will let you know when he wants to go out."
Walking:
Rio will only walk on a collar and lead. If you put a harness or a coat / hoody on him, you’ve got no chance of him moving. Sometimes he decides he no longer wants to walk and will turn around, hunker down and not move until you head back in the direction where you started. He can't walk too far, but on a good day he can get a couple of kilometres done, it just takes you a while.
Rio is a bit unstable on his legs and will trip himself up occasionally, so he needs to avoid hazards like drains, holes, edges etc.
The foster carer has been doing around a kilometre a day and that takes between 30-40 mins to cover.
Travelling:
Rio will sit in the front passenger seat of the car and wears his harness and seatbelt. He travels in the front as he does fidget and will tangle himself up in the seatbelt, but if someone was sat in the back with him he would be fine.
Once he has got comfy, which doesn’t take long, he will sleep the entire journey. He does sit in peculiar positions that do not look very comfortable, but he very much is as he just lies there and snores!. He can't jump in and out the car though because of his back legs, so you will need to be able to pick him up and he is heavy (23kgs).
He enjoys car journeys more than walks!
Vets:
Rio has been to the vets on a number of occasions and has always been very well behaved.
Health issues:
When he first arrived in Senior Staffy Club care, Rio was struggling to walk. This has now improved, but he is still very stiff jointed and his back legs do still wobble a little. He cannot jump to get on furniture or in the car, so does need to be lifted.
He has been on various pain killers for his arthritis and he is now trying monthly injections to see if that improves the issue at all. He doesn't seem in pain, but it does affect his mobility. He has also been treated to some hydrotherapy by his foster parents which he enjoys.
He has had various blood tests and they have indicated a higher than normal liver reading. He has also had two scans but, nothing worrying was seen. So to help his liver he takes one Destolit tablet a day and two liver support tablets. He is also having Royal Canine Hepatic wet food and biscuits.
He has recently had an infection between his toes, this is currently ongoing. The vet was unable to take a biopsy, but she feels it is a reaction to grass pollen. Rio currently has his feet wiped using CLX wipes daily.
Senior Staffy Club will discuss vet care costs on application and offer support with them if required.
Dogs:
His foster mum says: "Rio seems very friendly with other dogs and cries because he wants to go over and say hello to them. When he gets there, he is then unsure of what to do and just sniffs them. He has been in contact with plenty of dogs on walks and has only been unhappy with 2 of them (one was an extremely energetic puppy that was off lead and tried to jump all over him, the other was an off lead dog that decided to get to close and then snap at him, in both cases the most he did was growl slightly and try to get away.) He loves calm dogs and will attempt some sort of play, but I don’t think he really knows what he's supposed to be doing bless him. He has been to a relatives home where they have a male Spaniel who is very calm. After some careful introductions, Rio was fine with him and they shared the house and the garden together."
Rio has never lived with another dog but does seem to enjoy their company, so he may be able to live with another older calm dog. There would be a requirement to do at least two meets (maybe more) with the two dogs before Rio was adopted. As Rio is not neutered (on vet advice) any resident dog would have to be spayed/neutered.
Ideal home:
Rio is a big lad and can be very strong, so he wouldn’t be suited to an elderly person as they wouldn’t be able to pick him up or move him when he is stubborn.
Rio has some health issues, so any adopter should be prepared to deal with those and be able to to take Rio to the vets as and when required.
He can get up and down stairs, but very slowly and it's best to watch him just in case he was to slip. Therefore a bungalow would be ideal, but if not, he would have to be managed on stairs.
He enjoys being around people and seems to settle better when there’s a lot going on rather than when it's quiet, so a family home may be suitable with dog savvy children 8yrs plus. Although he does sometimes want his own space too and will just take himself off to a quieter room for a nap...so any children would have to be respectful of that.
He hasn't been left a lot so someone home most of the time would be good, but if he is to be left for a couple of hours this may have to be built up.
His foster says: "Rio he is a giant cuddle monster, he is extremely placid and all he wants to do is half roll over so you can rub his tummy."
Could you be Rio's cuddle buddy?
Standard information:
Rio is vaccinated and microchipped. He is not neutered. This was upon vets' advise as they were concerned that with his liver issue, he may not deal with the anesthetic well.
He is currently in foster in Wolverhampton, but he can be rehomed anywhere in the UK, pending a successful home visit. However, any adopter should be willing to travel to meet him at least twice where he is at the moment.
There is an adoption donation of £120 for Rio and all money donated goes directly to helping all the Senior Staffies in our care.
If you think you could offer Rio a new home, please click the panel under to complete an application form