Clover: A Potted History

Clover came to the attention of Four Paws after a failed re-homing by the RSPCA.  They refused to take her back because it had taken so long to re-home her in the first place, so Kirsty took her into kennels at Claire's.

Her story wasn't great.

She had been a breeding bitch in a puppy farm for most of her estimated 8 years. No one knows exactly how many litters she produced, but I suspect she was kept very busy.

Clover suffered from a range of issues; there were scars and a partly shredded ear, she had a fear of cars, vans and people and was absolutely terrified of going for walks.

We originally took Clover from kennels as a foster dog, but we soon realised that Clover's many problems would not endear her to many prospective new owners.  She had some visitors but some were unsuitable due to the time that they would want to leave her alone over the daytime and others said that she was not what they were looking for and that they would prefer a dog with more 'pep'!

Anyway, as many of fosterer's know, sometimes you just have a feeling that the dog you are looking after will never find the right home.  We felt that way about Clover!

When she first came to us she would tuck herself away in corners and be reluctant to move.  It took her over five days to feel relaxed enough to flop onto her side next to Sox and sleep.

There were issues with our dogs too.  Sox, the old matriarch, was dominant and would tell Clover off in no uncertain terms if she deemed Clover had overstepped the mark. Sym on the other hand was sneaky and would take a nip as she tried to pass him or would deliberately block her way. This all fizzled out when they became more comfortable with each other and they all realised that none of them posed a threat to any of the others.

She soon began to settle and slowly but surely began losing her fears one by one. She would go outside on her own, we could take her for walks without her panicking and she even started to enjoy outings to the park (although it would take months for her to stop throwing up in the car).

We continued to foster and Clover was (in a motherly sort of way) a very calming influence on our other fosters.

Dinky (Clovers favourite), Lacey, Millie, Ben, Jack, Cody and Rory all benefited from Clovers calming influence.

Dinky loved Clover, as she did him!  They had a mother/son relationship which very often saw them curled up together in the same bed.  He would jump on her, over her and sometimes try to jump through her and she never batted an eyelid.

Dinky & Clover

She has never barked or growled at anyone or any other dog.  She will whimper when she wants something such as fuss or to go outside but otherwise is the quietest of dogs ... while she is awake!

When she sleeps, she snores ... she growls ... yelps ... and twitches.  She seems to be re-living the bad old days! A pat one the head usually calms her and lets her sleep easier.

We did eventually decide to adopt her ... well, she'd become part of the family and to see a once troubled girl so settled ... it would have been too difficult for her and us to let her go to another home.

Now,  'sibling' rivalries are all forgotten.  Sox and Clover often share a cushion in the living room and quite often share their food.  Clover seems to be in love with Sym and frets when he's not close by.  Sym, for his part, politely allows her to chase his ball, knowing full well he will always get there first.

We made the right decision!

Our home without Clover just wouldn't be the same.