Elsa was born in Madrid and used as a hunter’s dog where she was badly abused, she was closed in cupboards and not given much food to eat. After running away and being feral for about two years she was finally coaxed into the care of Pointers In Need. Once ready to be put up for adoption it was her gorgeous deep brown eyes, which looked like they was searching for someone to finally trust to look after her, that struck a chord with Helena who lives in leafy Surrey.
“She looked so sad in her pictures and her story was so sad, if we could have scooped her up there and then we would have! We already have one rescue pooch, a very cheeky Foxhound called Nelly, who spurred us on to explore rescuing a second dog. We knew from Nelly’s background that she would be best matched with a hound-type dog and through some thorough research and discussions with Nelly’s rescuers, we found Pointers in Need.
Elsa – who has many nicknames such as Elsie, Els, Elsie-girl, Elsa-beans, Biz Biz and Elizabeth – is now believed to be around 11 years old, although since she had such a rough start in life it means the obvious clues wouldn’t have been so easy to decipher. Elsa was treated very poorly before coming to Pointers In Need, she was terrified of most people and has only really come out of her shell in the last eighteen months to two years. We were lucky with Nelly as she is confident and boisterous, and we knew that Elsie would be greatly supported by her to feel more comfortable in our home, and they are certainly a match made in Heaven!
Josh was away when we first had to meet Elsie, so I went alone. Elsie was terrified – she was hiding under a table and shaking, she certainly didn’t want to be bothered. So I sat away from her on the floor and waited with some treats in hand. Nelly came with me and she was great – eventually we managed to coax Elsie out and she sat next to us both, I think even then she knew that she could trust us and that we would look after her. From day one, her favourite spot has been sitting on top of Nelly!
Elsie was slow to adjust to her new environment but she was never aggressive, even when our cats were being curious. Some days she would hide and some days she was more confident. She didn’t like our noisy relatives and would retreat upstairs to the peace and quiet. Elsie has always loved going for a walk, and she especially loves being hooked onto Nelly so that she can go for a run without us worrying about her sprinting off – her hunting instincts are still intact, but her recall is certainly better than when we first rescued her.
When Elsie had been with us for a couple of weeks she got spooked and had what I can only describe as a “poo-nami” on our landing – she couldn’t control her bowels but was so excited to be with us that she couldn’t stop wagging her tail. Luckily her bowels are now completely under control! Elsie has had multiple vet visits in her time with us – five or six of which have been due to her diagnosis of “waggy-tail syndrome”, something our vet described as her being overly excited to finally have her family that she couldn’t stop wiggling her bum!
Elsie has found her voice which is wonderful. She is now our main protector and loves nothing more than sitting in her garden or at the top of our stairs and barking at anybody who dares come near her home. She is a very popular member of the neighbourhood and regularly gets complimented on how much she has grown in confidence. She has a basket of cuddly toys, her favourite being a Triceratops which she likes to throw around the living room. When out on walks Elsie loves to collect sticks and chew on them and is always immensely proud to show them off by throwing them in the air and catching them!
Elsie is a gentle soul, she is still wary of new people but those she trusts she loves with her whole heart. She is cheeky, loving and cuddly and shows us every day how grateful she is to be with us – even if it’s just by putting her head on our laps or wagging her tail and giving us a lick when we come home from work. She is a joy to love, and we feel so very blessed to share our lives with her.
We are so grateful for Pointers In Need’s efforts, without them we wouldn’t have the wonderful Elsie in our lives today. They care most of all about the people who will be looking after the dogs, which I think tells you a lot about a charity – where they put the emotional welfare of their animals above anything else. They could see how much we adored Nelly and knew that Elsie would be in good hands – it also helps that we are avid gardeners and love going for long walks!
Thank you to Pointers In Need for brining Elsie into our lives and for introducing us to your community of Pointer-loving furriends.”
Adopters: Helena Craig and Josh Cumbley