Willow welcomes winds of change
Willow patiently waited for 268 days before finding her forever family in January last year. Like a lot of larger dogs, this Mastiff x girl’s size may have put some people off. But her new family was up for the challenge, and Willow was up for a tree change.
We thought Willow was about two years old when she came to our Launceston Home in July 2023. Her human mum Katrina takes up the rest of the tale:
“We’d lost our old dog in 2023 and I wasn’t sure I was ready for a new pet. But my partner talked me into meeting a few dogs while we were on summer holidays. We met a couple of dogs but really liked Willow — she gave off both pure doggo joy and calm, big dog vibes. Not ready to commit, we headed home but I kept worrying someone else would choose Willow and we’d miss out. We went back that arvo and got her.
“We’ve not had such a big dog before and the first few walks were a challenge — she was so strong my arms were aching after a short lap of the block! So off to beginner dog training classes we went. Willow did surprisingly well at times (if we found the right treats), and the humans learnt some good strategies.
“Willow loves the farm life but it took a bit of time to help her understand how to be polite and safe around the various animals (chickens, horses, cats, rabbits and native hens). In fact, the first time she spotted the local feral cat she managed to pull me over, grazing my chin! Ouch! Lots of practice later, plus the addition of a Halti, means we can do our daily walk in a relaxed way which is much more enjoyable for everyone. I hope to be able to use just the chest harness soon for our local walks, plus exploring more exciting settings.
“Now she is just pottering about when we do the farm chores, and with the aid of the occasional treat she comes back to us when called. She is content to watch or sit on a patch of straw to snooze while I garden. She can be such a goofball with toys, enjoying chasing after a toy as well as short, energetic bursts of tug-of-war, though we haven’t quite mastered the ‘drop it’ part of a game of fetch!
“Willow loves nothing more than a sit and snuggle — she honestly believes she should be able to climb into our laps even though she is nearly 40kg. Usually we compromise with a head on a thigh and as much of her body in contact with us as she can manage. It’s now been more than six months with this huge bundle of love and we can’t imagine life without her.”
Click below to see the dogs available for adoption around the state.
