Hi Red Foundation supporters, my name is Hope and here is a bit about me……..

The weekend I was found had been quite a difficult one for the lovely TRF team and I was named Hope by my caseworker, it seemed a fitting name for me. You see, I was found under a bush in Essex. I have had many litters of puppies and was still lactating when I was found. I also had a horrible skin infection which covered the whole of my tummy, my nose and the backs of my legs, it made my skin look more like a rhino than a dachshund.

My Mum fell in love with me instantly (to be fair she is a bit of a sucker for a daxie) so when she came to pick me up I knew she’d look after me. I was absolutely terrified, the lovely man from the kennels picked me up and put me in Mum’s car and that is where my new life began. I was taken straight to the vets where they told my Mum that they thought I was about 5 years old and had just had a litter of puppies. It is thought that I spent my whole life in a whelping box so I was very overwhelmed with all the attention I was getting. I was given some antibiotics and special shampoo for my skin and was also told that I have a significant heart murmur that would need investigation. I then went to my new house to meet my other Mum and my dachshund brothers. Mum was a bit worried about this, but she needn’t have been, I am a tough warrior princess and I very quickly made myself at home, loving to be cuddled and the sofa….. The sofa is just the best, if you need me for anything that is where you’ll most likely find me. I am learning about blankets from my brothers and although I love the feel of them I don’t like to have my head covered up like they do.

I love food, well I say that, I love meat, my Mums keep trying to feed me vegetables but I always leave them, but if there is meat in my bowl it is gone in seconds. I had to have many baths in my first few days, my Mum says I smell much better now and all the lovely food and treats I have been sent in my adoption pack have helped me to become the shiny girl I now am.

I had a heart scan, they had to sedate me as I had so much excess skin and wriggled so much they couldn’t get a clear picture of my heart. My mum was super worried about me, but I always knew I’d be OK. I was diagnosed with a leaky mitral valve in my heart and a grade 2-3 heart murmur. I will need regular heart scans for the rest of my life and The Red Foundation will cover the cost of these to keep me as healthy as I can be.

I am a quick learner, I know how to “sit” and I am learning to “spin” (my brothers love to do tricks so they help me) and I know now that toileting should be done outside, but the humans need to be quick as I don’t give them much notice when I need to go and actually the carpet is quite a comfy place for a princess like me to have a wee. I am a bit barky, certain noises make me scared, I hate anything that beeps, but for a girl who has probably never lived in a house before I think I am doing really well and so do my Mums and the TRF team. All the humans that I meet think I’m lovely, I know just how to wrap them all round my paws and win over their hearts.

I love to go out on walks as long as my Mum is near. I am getting a bit more confident and even managed to waggle my bum with my brother’s on a recent trip to the beach.

Without the support of people like you, dogs like me wouldn’t get the chance to have a home of their own, so I am super grateful to all of you and I look forward to keeping you all updated with my future adventures

Much love

Hope