Eric is a beautiful gentle boy(Mioritic Shephard) rescued in a terrible state from Bucharest in Romania. Due to the traumas he suffered he is very fear reactive of other dogs. This combined with his size meant that finding a suitable adopter for him was not happening. He hates travelling, house training is still hit and miss, he digs craters in the garden. His safety as well as others was at risk had he ended up in a home that was not able to accommodate his needs. Eric was found starving, and emaciated with a serious skin condition. When rescued, he was so malnourished that he had no muscle tone in his back legs which regularly gave way under him. He was very unwell, weak and unable to stand up to any bigger, healthier dogs to protect himself. In Romania, Mioritic Shepherds are used as livestock guardians to protect livestock against wolves and bears. They are gentle and loyal dogs, but become fierce and brave when their guarding instinct is triggered. They are often used just for a season, and then either cruelly abandoned or kept chained up. Eric has been through so much that we cant even imagine in his life... and his cut left ear is a visual reminder of just some of the cruelty and pain he has suffered.

Eric and I were so lucky to have been sponsored by Andrew Hale (Bsc ISCP.Dip.canine.prac ), a wonderful, compassionate behaviourist from TRAINPOSITIVE www.trainpositive.co.uk, whom I contacted regarding Erics fear reactivity. Andrew now works with Eric and myself for just a donation to cover the cost of his fuel to get to us. I will always be so grateful to this man for his kindness and compassion. The next step is a plan for Eric to meet his stooge dog as a positive role model so his reactions can be assessed further, and he can learn some positive associations in relation to other dogs.

Incredibly we have also been offered the use of an amazing space of land where we will not meet other dogs for training and exercising purposes. This has been generously offered for just the cost of a donation to St Lukes hospice each time it is accessed. Eric has brought so much into my life..., for every challenge there are more rewards seeing this beautiful boy start to blossom and trust again. We have encountered so much generosity and love on this journey, that is so far from the pain and cruelty from where it all began.

When he first arrived with me on December 3rd 2017..., he was totally shutdown and avoided any physical or eye contact. He had never lived in a home environment before, so needed toilet training from scratch. His coat was matted and he was very depressed. Right from the start though..., he showed such trust and allowed us to do whatever was needed without never so much as a grumble. As he started to come out of his shell and feel safe to express himself more, it became evident that he was very triggered and reactive on walks. Traffic and other dogs were the key problems. His anxieties spiralled and it became clear he would need a very special home. On top of this he had various health problems, the main one being a serious skin condition. After lots of testing and expense made possible by generous donations for which I will be forever thankful...,it became evident he was allergic to certain grasses and dust in the environment. He now is on a lifelong prescription for Apoquel. This is an expense that is a struggle to manage, on top of food and the other routine preventative costs. However it is wonderful to see him healthy again. Due to his thick, heavy coat it has also become clear that he needs professional input to manage his grooming needs! Initially we had a groomer kindly donate her time for free, but I cannot expect her to continue to do this.

Any donations would be so greatly appreciated and will enable further resources to be accessed by Erics behaviourist to help him enjoy a healthy, happy and fulfilled life. If you would like to donate on a monthly basis this is also an option.

Eric has his own fb and Instagram page and regular updates will be posted and sponsors personally updated as to where any donations go. Erics Journey