Gabby “The Gabster remembered”

Adopted 14th August 2016 to 11th October 2023

When I first came across her, a mum in a hell hole of a dog pound in Romania, she had no name. She had been rescued by a remarkable vet called Daniel who has dedicated his life to helping the abandoned and brutalised dogs of Romania. She had been pregnant and that was probably what saved her. She was being attacked by other dogs in the pound and on one occasion she was badly hurt and so Daniel got her to a safe place where she could find peace and look after her puppies. When I heard about her she had one offer of adoption fall through and the fear was that as her puppies were getting to the stage when they could leave her, the only future for her would be a life of misery in the pound and probably an early death either at the hands of the dog catchers or by other hungry dogs.

So I agreed that to get her out of the pound and to this country, I would take her for a couple of weeks while she was assessed and a forever home was found for her.

My friend and dog behavioural Susie came with me to collect her from the kennels somewhere in the East Midlands, we were greeted by a dog that seemed broken in spirit, accepting of whatever fate had in store for her.

I had arranged for Lilly my Collie to be on the back field close to where I lived, playing ball and we took Gabby there to meet her. Gabby immediately tried to attack Lilly, which wasn’t a great start. ( I had named her Gabriella, but this was shortened to Gabby and she was known as the Gabster, a tribute to her attitude to life generally)

It took an hour or so for the two of them to settle, but they soon seemed to get on, which was a relief and slowly over the next few days her spirit came back.

As the days became weeks, it was clear that we were going to struggle to place her with a suitable adopter. She suffered from fear aggression and was very reactive to both other dogs, and most men. (Lilly and I were exempt fortunately)

To cut a long story short I agreed to take her on. I had bonded with her, she could be very loving and affectionate, and there were people that she took to straight away, Susie was always a favourite, and she loved going to the vet as long as she was seen by the female vets and nurses. She was very fond of Beckie who was often sitting outside her house as we passed on our way to the field for a walk or a late night comfort walk. Gabby always looked out for her and if Beckie was there we always had to stop and say hello.

Her health was not good however, she had suffered in the dog pound and developed arthritis quite soon after she arrived in England.

Despite all these difficulties she enjoyed her life with us. She had peace and quiet, a safe place that was hers, food and warmth. I miss her every day despite that fact that life was difficult and until we discovered Naomi at the local kennels, going away was difficult if not at times impossible. In Gabby’s world, Naomi like Susi and Beckie were superstars and when I got her bag out to take her to the kennels, she would jump up and down and squeak with pleasure. She was always very pleased to see me when I collected her though.

In the months before she passed away, I took her to the local K9 hydrotherapy centre. She quickly became very fond of Gemma and used to cry with pleasure when she went for the sessions. She would not go into the tank though despite many attempts but she loved going and seeing Gemma and getting all the treats that were used to unsuccessfully bribe her into the tank.

I lost her very suddenly one evening over the space of two hours. She had a twisted stomach and we decided that given her age and health it was kindest to let her go. She deserved better. But somewhere in Romania perhaps her six puppies will keep her genes alive and there is a Gabster looking after someone.

Footnote – She lived with us for 7 years and we didn’t know exactly how old she was, though according to her passport she was 6 years old when she came to England.