This month at Lizzie’s Barn Sanctuary, Kidwelly, Kiara is our dog of the month. She has been waiting for almost a year and still that elusive forever home, she is still hoping and searching for her future best friends. It would make our year to see her settled in a loving home.
Beautiful Kiara is 6 years old. She is spayed. Her microchip registration lists her as a crossbreed, but we think she is a Belgian Malinois x Greyhound. She was homed as a wonderful sociable affectionate and loving puppy in 2017 to a gentleman who made her his world. Sadly, roll on the years and her owner had become very sick. When it became clear he wasn’t going to recover, and became increasingly frail, his family decided they couldn’t keep Kiara and returned her to us. We don’t know what happened, but Kiara was a different dog to the one who left us in 2017, she had become very anxious, and we suspect that as her owner, and best friend, became sicker, the family tried to keep her and her owner apart, separating her from him, creating that anxiety.
Kiara is a beautiful and very unusual-looking girl. I guess the best description is that she is a Lurcher Plus! She is incredibly intelligent, great fun to teach, agile, and can be high energy, but like a greyhound that initial mad burst of physical activity is short-lived, however, unlike a greyhound she has stamina, and can and does enjoy long walks, and fun activities. If over-stressed, and not distracted, she is prone to pace and will make a running track around the garden. It is not difficult to distract her and prevent this. Kiara is very tactile and loves to be stroked, and brushed, and never tires of affection. She is wonderfully calm when relaxed and content, loving to snooze in the sun, or on your bed if you are not paying attention. She adores people, adults and children alike – though she has been around children of all ages, she hasn’t lived with small children, so we will only home her with children over 10 years old.
Although previously she was very sociable with all dogs she now gets very jealous over her people and would be best as an only dog, or with a large placid male who won’t be pushed around but will not react with aggression. So she is currently fostered, and living as an only dog with a lady in her 80s, and behaving beautifully, with one of us walking her.
Kiara ignores most dogs when out, but needs very careful supervision until you are sure she is comfortable around them, and you are aware of the signs indicating she is uncomfortable or has had enough. She walks nicely on a lead, and is content to run on a long line when out in the fields, forest, and beach, and takes little notice of most dogs we come across, though we don’t let them meet. She runs off lead in our fields, where we know we won’t meet unknown other dogs and runs happily with some of mine.
She wants to chase cats, rabbits, and squirrels in typical doggy fashion.
She can be very ingenious at escape and has damaged property and herself in doing so, so does need a good solid 6ft fence. However, she seems to have calmed a lot in the last few months as we have gotten on top of her general anxiety, and has stopped trying to follow me around the property, being content to stay in with my mother, even being left alone for the odd 20 minutes now and then. Staying home alone is an issue that will need to be built up to once she has settled in her new home and feels safe and secure, and will need time and patience to work with.
Kiara loves the car and is calm and relaxed, loving to accompany us when we go anywhere- even if there is no walk at the end. We can leave her in the car, whilst in a shop or the vet, or even outside the house, and she is more than happy to watch the world go by or simply snooze.
We feel Kiara would do best living out of town. Can you be Kiara’s best friend, and help her find security again, and be prepared to go the distance, and work with her long enough, for her to feel safe, secure, and loved?If so we have a questionnaire for you to complete, and references and home checks apply.
Applications and information requests via email please to:-
rehoming.lizziesbarn@gmail.com
