Well, we thought if a proper groom might help him get on with life, we decided to have one less groom ourselves and put that towards Ernest’s grooming.
We wanted to lend him a helping paw – just to be sure that humans coming to meet him will not judge him by his looks – that they will see that he is the sweetest, most gorgeous and cheeky little boy – ready to be loved and who needs a loving home.
It didn’t go as planned. 🙁
This was Ernest all washed and cleaned by his fosterer the day before. He loved his bath – like Georgie does. We think Georgie just loves any attention he gets – in any form.
Yesterday Julia, a professional groomer came to give him a cut. She came with a portable table and all her equipment. But as soon as he was put on the grooming table, even before Julia could even fasten him to the overhead arm of the table, Ernest freaked!!!
He was in a blind panic darting about and shaking like a leaf. His eyes flicked everywhere and he snapped if any hand went near to him. He urinated on the table. His fear level was so high that there was no way they could continue.
What must have happened to this little guy?
Instead, they decided as long as was required, they would hold Ernest calmly, cuddled him and rewarded him with treats as Julia gently scissored his face.
Just tidying up his face took them three hours. Every 15 minutes they took him for a short run around the field to shake off the build-up of stress. A whole box of treats later, they managed to make him feel more comfortable.
Julia had found that he had matted fur around his eyes – probably due to an eye infection that had been there for a long time. So every time she went near his eyes, he panicked. It wasn’t a job that Julia was proud of but Kathy and his fosterer said the objective was to help Ernest feel better. And now we can also look into his soft eyes – actually eyes like Georgie’s. 
Don’t they look similar?
Today, they took Ernest to the vet where he was put under anaesthetic so they could investigate if he has blocked tear ducts or ingrowing eyelashes which are causing persistent eye problems. Maybe now they can definitely help him feel better.
May’s comment: We just wanted to help highlight this little fella, Ernest at the West Yorkshire Dog Rescue.
We’ve been told that Ernest is the sweetest, most gorgeous boy who desperately needs experienced, kind owners to give him a forever home. He needs loads of attention and reward based training methods that do not rely on confrontational techniques. Ernest needs a calm, quiet loving home.
They think Ernest will do best in a home who can give him all the attention – someone to adopt him who will put him first and spoil him, give him loads of walks and cuddle up on the sofa at night to watch TV and not just get shut out in another room.
“I cannot emphasise how gorgeous this little man is and how much I worry about finding the kind, patient home for him who really will treat him right. It is this constant concern about the dogs in our care that makes Rescue so very stressful and stop me sleeping at night.” – Kathy, Founder
To see how to apply for Ernest please go to West Yorkshire Dog Rescue
