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Lexi’s new life in the Huon Valley: tales of boundaries and poo piles
The theme of this year’s Dogs’ Home Winter Appeal is that every dog deserves a loving home — and that loving home can come at any age. The joy of adoption and getting to know your new family member is a special one for all dog lovers. Here, Ruth relates Lexi’s first year with her forever family.
In June last year our darling Staffy Lexie-Lou crossed “the rainbow bridge”.
Our hearts were heavy with loss, but we knew the way to heal would be with the help of another dog in need of a home. My husband Steve and I have always adopted, and this time we agreed it would be a long-term resident or a senior.
When this little face appeared on the Dog’s Home page one year ago, I knew I’d found our next family member — it was meant to be with the name Lexi! Unfortunately, I was in quarantine with Covid, but Steve was out that very day. I showed him the photo, handed him the car keys and our other pooch Poppy, and sent him on the adoption mission.
We live in the Huon Valley, well over an hour away from the Hobart Home. I called to talk about a cat warning in her adoption profile (she had just not met any), and to reassure myself no one had already taken her. It was the longest 90 minutes, constantly checking the Facebook page, hoping she would still be there when Stevie arrived.
Luckily she was, and their meeting went beautifully. Poppy wasn’t fussed either way, so there was no barrier there. When it came to the adoption paperwork, the lovely, caring and protective staff were worried that I wasn’t there for the meeting.
“What if you take her home and you get in trouble from your wife?” they asked. Stevie’s response: “I’ll only be in trouble if I DON’T bring her home!” So home she came.
What a snuggle bug! Not shy at all, happy to explore the house and straight up onto the lounge, onto our laps and into our hearts. What a darling, we thought.
But we were newbie Jack Russell Terrier owners. We soon discovered how chatty (bossy) they can be: meal times, outside times, play times, treat times, any time! Ro-Ro is one of her many other names. We also learned the “nose down/off on the scent/see ya — bye!” trait of the Jack Russell. This characteristic unfortunately led to a number of absconding incidents. Luckily for us we have wonderful neighbours who all now know our little Lexi. She has well and truly settled in now and knows her boundaries.
We have two horses, two goats and seven chickens, and we were a bit worried about how she would react to them.In the first week she did chase a chook and got a mouthful of feathers. She was scolded by us and then we made sure to watch her more closely. But there was no need — the next time she was near them she was resoundingly pecked on the head and now won’t go anywhere near them! We have to shoo the chooks away from the gate or she won’t even come into the paddock. She does love a good roll in the various poo piles though.
She is so entertaining. We love her quirks and her adorable personality. It has been a year of learning her words and her ways, and a little of her getting used to us. Poppy and Lexi are (mostly) friends and cuddle buddies. She is the most beautiful addition to our menagerie and we love her to bits! Thank you to the Dogs’ Home and your wonderful work.
— Ruth, Steve, Poppy, Shadow (the cat) and Lexi
