Ren, previously named Jabba, arrived in England from Spain in April 2022 aged four years old. He was originally adopted by a family near Manchester but soon found himself in emergency foster care with Annabelle and her family in West Sussex. However it didn’t take long for Ren to win the hearts of Annabelle, her husband, and their children Ella and Tobias; and on Valentine’s Day 2023 he officially became the newest permanent addition to the household along with English Pointer, Prudence, and Donut the guinea pig.
“I had been following Pointers In Need on social media for a few months as we were considering adopting another dog. When Ren appeared on their Facebook page as needing an emergency foster, I jumped at the chance to help.
Ren was advertised as a child friendly and high energy dog which I knew would be the perfect match for our active family (and Prudence!). It was mentioned that he needed to learn some house manners, so not being one for an easy life thought I’d like to offer him a temporary home to help and give him the best chance of finding a forever family.
The fostering process ran really smoothly – Karin, who did our initial home check, went through all of the finer details about what was expected of us and how to best to care for Ren. This made everything feel easy and gave me so much reassurance that we would have the support if needed along the way.
When we first met Ren, he was a ball of energy wrapped up in anxiety! The journey home in the car wasn’t far but he was incredibly anxious. Ren spent his first 24-48 hours with us extremely stressed, trying to destroy anything he could or humping any cushions, sofas and dog-beds that he could get his paws on! The only place he settled and behaved on the first night was when he managed to wedge himself in between my husband and I on our bed!
Ren has since settled remarkably well into his new life with our family. He loves nothing more than laying on the dog sofa in the conservatory with Prudence after their morning walk to soak up the warmth and have a power nap. He quickly worked out where the dog treats were kept, and if he could he would circle the kitchen island like a shark. He’s since been banished to sitting in the doorway after he managed to nab half an uncooked Victoria sponge cake, which he thoroughly enjoyed! I’m pleased to say he now sleeps on the floor not on our bed, although he is a bit of chancer and come 3am every morning tries to sneak up for a cuddle.
Ren has also been to the beach, although didn’t like the cold English Channel much, and meets every day with other dogs in our local park who he plays beautifully with. His recall is a bit hit and miss and will need more work, but if he’s got a tennis ball to fetch and retrieve he will come back every single time!
We all love Ren so much and he’s slotted into our family perfectly – he really is just a delightful, playful, loving dog. His personality is beginning to really shine through and he’s just so soppy! We still have a way to go but he is much happier and not so stressed. He now associates the car with exciting adventures so no longer has anxiety about travelling in the car.
Having had two Pointer rescues before I thought we were well equipped to deal with Ren, but the first few days whilst he decompressed were challenging! The support and advice that we received from both Karin and Claire was invaluable, and not only have we got a new member of the family in Ren but I really feel that I’ve now made two lovely friends in them, and a fabulous support network from all of the Pointers In Need team.”
