MARIO – READY TO BE LOVED

*Mario is already in the U.K. – Now in private Kennels*

Sadly Mario has come back to our Charity having only been in the U.K. for a couple of weeks.

Mario’s former Adopters say the following about him: ‘Mario is a gorgeous dog, inside and out. The history, as we understand it, was that he spent a year as a stray and then around 18 months in a pound. Since then, he has experienced two weeks of home life with us.   His three favourite joys in life seem to be walks, hugs (literally) and food. His great super-power is that sad, innocent look he gives when he wants to be stroked – and will often just lean his head, or entire body, on you for physical contact.  

When Mario arrived, he was, as you’d expect, very stressed. The first two days took some settling, and he was an avid escape artist within the house. If there was a gate or barrier, it was there to be pushed, leapt over (including the new 4ft gate we’d had installed), or otherwise circumvented. However, once we had gotten into a bit of a routine after those first several days, he became a different dog entirely. He calmed down significantly and slept downstairs, throughout the night without accidents.   He loves going for walks, and, whilst he does still pull on the lead – and is very strong when doing so – we have made some progress towards loose-lead walking. There is still a long way to go as he can get easily flustered (and therefore lose attention) when encountering sudden loud noises – particularly with passing trucks or buses – or, seemingly, squirrels. We’ve had no problems with bicycles, but we are careful to simply ignore all interactions at this stage and just continue the walks as if these are all normal and expected. He has shown interest in other dogs whilst out, but again, since he has only been with us a very short time, we have so far avoided all physical contact and, much like with bicycles, have just continued walks whilst ignoring any passers-by – so this would need gradual introduction and probably best only once he is fully settled. He has joined us on one of our runs, and this went particularly well. Leading to a good sleep afterwards.  

Mario can get quite excitable and loves to play. He’s had his zoomies in the garden, though is also becoming receptive to Time Out when he gets a bit too eager. Food and stroking are great rewards for him, but he still needs to learn when these are not being offered. Having said that; despite his upbringing, he is incredibly gentle when receiving a treat – provided he has been made to sit first.  

Whilst with us, Mario has been living with two dog-savvy cats. Initially, if they ran, he would chase, but we are now at the stage where they can be nose-to-nose without issue.  

Unfortunately Mario cannot live with children. He has displayed fear around the family’s children during supervised interactions and it’s possible that he was abused in some way by children in the past. We would recommend having highly controlled interactions with any children, only once he is fully settled into his new home and any stresses have lessened.  

Mario truly is a wonderful dog and will add great character, affection and enjoyment to any family. He still needs a lot of training and patience, but his improvements over the past two weeks suggest a highly intelligent, if stubborn, companion. He is great with adults, and we have had no issues in introducing several new adults into the home (we’ve not done this on the lead outside as yet, however).’

Do you have a Mario sized space in your home? If you would like to know more about Mario, please contact our Adoptions Team at: Adoptions@spanishstraydogs.org.uk Mario is available to adopt in the U.K. Homecheck and adoption fee of £320 will apply.

www.spanishstraydogs.org.uk

Mario is available for adoption in the UK.  Homecheck and adoption fee apply. Adoption fee includes neutering, passport, microchip, all vaccinations, blood tests to screen for diseases, worm and flea treatment. Adoption cost in Spain (if no transport required) 155€ for males and €165 for females.

Adoption costs to the UK £570, this includes all DEFRA paperwork and transport by DEFRA registered carrier(using the TRACES system) by road direct to your door. We sort all the arrangements for you.  For dogs brought to the UK by SSDUK to go on foster, adopters will still be required to pay the full adoption fee of £570 to cover the above expenses.

In some cases, for example a failed adoption of a dog already in the UK, the fee may be reduced to £320 where the initial transport costs from Spain have already been met. This is to cover transport within the UK, kennel fees and any checks required.  

For adoption costs elsewhere, or for help and advice please e-mail adoptions@spanishstraydogs.org.uk

For more information about this dog, including advice and custom made video contact adoptions@spanishstraydogs.org.uk now.