Rory: male dog to adopt

Rory was found as a stray and dumped in a local kennels in Cyprus before he found his way to us. An adorable, energetic and excitable boy in good health, we felt certain that Rory must have come from a home but sadly no one came to claim him and so he began the journey to find a new family. If he did have a home in Cyprus before he came to us they did minimal training and socialisation with him, but he truly has a heart of gold, he just needs someone with the patience and experience to work with him.

Unfortunately for Rory, since he arrived in the UK he has had nothing but a string of back luck. This will be Rory's third time seeking a new home: his first home's resident dog wouldn't accept him, and his second home surrendered him back into our care due to lack of experience. Rory just needed more than they were in a position to offer him.

Rory is only a year old, so right in the midst of his adolescence. He is suspected to be a Golden Retriever/Spaniel mix and is an extremely friendly boy who believes everyone is his best friend, including the vet. He is an energetic, intelligent and highly trainable dog, and he would do best in a home with someone who has some past experience with lively breeds and their characteristics. He is a very sociable and confident dog with people, but has been let down over the course of his short life and it’s clear that now he’s struggling to understand how to behave when he doesn’t get what he wants. He has so much potential to be an amazing companion, but he just needs a confident, patient and experienced handler.

He doesn’t show any nervous behaviour around people and will jump up excitedly to say hi when meeting someone, but after five minutes will settle. At the moment however he is struggling with lead frustration when he's not able to see someone/another dog, and this is a work in progress. He is not an aggressive dog, but has not learned how to cope with frustration yet.

Rory has done really well with training and is obviously a smart pup. He learns new things quickly and is very motivated by food. He knows commands such as sit, paw and lie down, and understands cues such as bed and pee pees. He has only been in a home environment for a short time but has already learned so much, so with continued training there’s no question that Rory will keep flourishing. It is evident however that this is a new experience for Rory and he's still not clear on boundaries and expectations of him, so his manners, especially around human food, need a bit more work. This uncertainty of his new living situation can also show up as separation anxiety when he is left on his own.

Rory likes toys that require a bit of concentration such as a Kong or puzzle toy, but also enjoys rope toys that he can tug and shake. He has no issue letting them go, or dropping them. Being a teenage dog, he will try and grab anything he can to run through the house with it for fun - kitchen roll, packaging, shoes etc. He has never chewed or damaged anything he has run away with though, he just likes to carry it around and hold it, a trait common in both retrievers and spaniels!

Rory would make an excellent companion, particularly for an active home who lives in a semi-rural area. He would love a home with a garden as this is what he is used to now, and he will continue to make fantastic progress with more focus given to his training. As Rory is in his adolescent stage and has a lot of spaniel traits such as being bouncy and nippy when he’s over excited, we’re looking for a home with older children only. He has never shown any negative behaviour towards kids but with this being his third home, we don’t want to give him any more unfamiliar factors to contend with. He is not suitable for a home with cats. Homes with other dogs with right dynamic match will be considered.

Rory is currently based in kennels in Rotherham and is looking for a new home as soon as possible. He has a clean bill of health and we are able to accommodate meetings for any interested families.

Please note, any mention of breed is nothing more than an educated guess based on what we know about the dog, their appearance, behaviour, and common breeds in their country of origin. We can never guarantee breed specifics, nor can we confirm the exact age of our dogs, unless they were born in our care. Age estimations are made by our vets based on the development of the dog, their general health and energy, and assessing their teeth.