Hi, my name is Rosie, previously known as Lilou, and I am a Shih Tzu living in Limousin. I have been asked to introduce this new weekly post on one of the vital roles carried out by Les Amis des Animaux – lifetime fostering.
What is Support Our Seniors?
For various reasons, dogs and cats ‘of a certain age’, end up without a home, and in a shelter. As older animals, with the aches and pains of old age, and having, mainly, come from a warm, loving, home, we don’t cope very well in a shelter, especially at this time of year. Of course, because we come with health issues, we are less likely to be adopted, as we usually come with escalating vet bills. Therefore, Les Amis run a scheme called Support our Seniors, and they pay all the vets bills except for, usually, but not always, annual vaccinations and regular antiparasitic treatments.
How did it help me?
I was very lucky. Having come from a home where my human became too ill to look after me, I had only been in a shelter for a few days, when Les Amis stepped in, and found me a new sofa to rest my old bones. My new humans are very well trained, having had lots of adopted dogs and cats, and a few fosters, including the original Support our Seniors poster boy, Taigh.
What support do I need?
I do have a few health issues, including a heart murmur, which means around €300 a year in heart tablets, and my eyesight is not the greatest.
And, the life it gives me?
I am still very playful, and love nothing more than chewing a good squeaky – for hours on end! I do go out with the pack for walks in the beautiful La Creuse countryside, but I tend to refuse the invite when it is too cold. However, the best part of the day, other than food time, is when the humans settle down for the evening, and the pack of 4 dogs, and two cats, curl up around them After 8 months in my new home, I think I have the humans where I want them – under my paw – but I have yet to usurp the other Les Amis adoptee Shih Tzu, Annie, as Empress.
