1/4 Springer spaniel Truus is doing well with the foster family.
This summer, Els Adams and her Animal and Project foundation took care of fifteen traumatized dogs that were nominated to receive an injection. They had previously been seized during a raid on the premises of the controversial breeder Jan Paridaans in Eersel and ended up at so-called storekeepers. We follow five ‘dogs from Eersel’: German shepherd Roemba, Keeshond Nika, Labrador Mambo, Jack Russell Igor and springer spaniel Truus. How are they doing now?
Four-year-old Truus has found a place with a foster family on the Veluwe, and it is a match made in heaven. “The people who care for her used to train hunting dogs, exactly what she needed. Truus wants to work and needs to burn off her energy, it’s in her genes,” says Els.
That was not possible at the storage facility where Truus was previously. “Truus reminds me of a child with an imaginary friend,” is how Els previously described her. “She can spend 45 minutes devotedly working on an ant crawling on the ground.”
“She sleeps in a basket and lies well on the couch.”
Truus spends half of the day doing all kinds of things and once she has lost her energy, she turns out to be the perfect house dog. “She sleeps in a basket, lies well on the couch. She relaxes more every day,” says Els. “They still have a hunting dog, an older animal. In principle, she is temporarily with these people (a foster family is a stopover from shelter to a forever home, ed.) but recently they said: ‘Gosh Els, I don’t know if we can spare her anymore.’ I secretly hope so. She feels right at home there.”
“Igor is still with us at the shelter in Nispen. His passport said: ‘Very aggressive’. At first he acted ugly, but that was just fear. This little one is very sweet, but he managed to disguise that well. Now we can just pick him up and he slowly but surely turns into a cuddly dog. He’s starting to enjoy life more and more.”
“In his head he thinks he is paralyzed when he is on a leash.”
“But put a leash on him and he freezes. Then he can’t walk a meter,” says Els. “We have tried everything, but he just blocks. The front legs walk, but he only gets carried away with the back. In his head he thinks he says he is paralyzed when he is on a leash.”
“And if we put a leash on him and just let him sit without us holding him, he doesn’t move and stays in the same spot for hours. We hope the penny will drop with Igor, but there is it takes a lot.”
“Igor is not a tuttle dog that only sits on someone’s couch,” Els continues. “Most Jack Russell enthusiasts are outdoorsy, horse people. But before you can take Igor on a leash to get used to the horses, that is one thing.”
“He is kind to other dogs and leaves the cats alone.”
“At the same time,” she laughs, “if it is not possible to rehome him, he is also in a great place here, because he is kind to the other dogs, he leaves the cats alone and does not eat volunteers.” .”
