In May 2003 this little superstar joined the family. Found in Ireland as a stray and in very poor condition she came to us via the Dogs Trust Loughborough, who pulled out all the stops to get her to us and for that we thank them. She came with a lovely letter from her fosterers who obviously thought the world of her, as do we.
A little Irish collie, we can only guess what her history was, we suspect she had not long had pups, perhaps an abandoned farm dog, or maybe from a puppy farm. She was terrified of everything, cowered away from people, especially feet as they were walking past but when she first arrived, she came straight up to me and took a treat and from the first moment, she and Skye were firm friends. He loves other dogs, is super confident and has shown her how to be brave and that people really can be trusted too. The power of a confident friend to help you navigate challenges should never be underestimated!
It definitely hasn’t been plain sailing with Indi, although she is a truly loving girl her history had taught her that she needed to fight for her precious things and especially food; household noises are difficult for her; she is scared of the car; busy spaces are overwhelming and she will always be timid. But she is great with other dogs, especially puppies; loves to go tracking and do scent work; and has gone from a dog that we thought may never leave the house (this was fine BTW if that is what she needed) to one who enjoys walks; often comes to classes as my demo dog; greets people; comes on holiday and camping with us; and has even been into the odd quiet pub or two.
It isn’t a linear journey, we have setbacks when things she has been ok with for a while suddenly resurface as a trigger but we have been together for nearly two years now, she has taught me so much and we wouldn’t be without her.