Introducing the Newest Member of the Pet Stories Team ...

Say hello to the new addition to the family. Alan. At 4 months old, he journeyed all the way from Cyprus, and already, he's settling in and making himself at home. We're 7 days in and highlights of the week include, learning to sit, his first poo in the park and him finally braving stairs.

We're not too sure of Alan's breed. His doggy passport says Pointer mix, but with his striking orange colouring and markings, we've started to wonder if he has some Ridgeback in him. For now though, it's kind of exciting not knowing. He's got big paws, long floppy ears and a narrow snout. Despite only having him for several days, we've already noticed a difference in him. In such a short space of time he's grown both in size and confidence. He's learnt to sit (which is very handy when he goes into manic puppy biting mode) he's made a good start with his toilet training and he's becoming bolder and more adventurous with each day. His favourite thing to do is to sneak upstairs when we're not looking. To think that he'd never even seen stairs under a week ago. 

We found Alan through the amazing rehoming charity, Wild at Heart Foundation. They fund animal welfare projects all over the world and work with Europe-based rescue centres, connecting strays with their forever homes. The moment we saw Alan (online), I can't describe it, we just fell in love and had to bring him home. His mum was rescued as a pregnant stray from the streets of Limassol, Cyprus, so Alan was born in a pound. One of the nicest things about adopting Alan has been the way in which we can stay in contact with his mum's rescuers; two lovely ladies that also looked after Alan and his brothers and sisters. Through a Wild at Heart Foundation Facebook page, we've been able to keep touch with his siblings' owners too and what a helping hand it's been. Using a group chat we've been able to share tips, pics and techniques on our puppy progress. We're hoping to meet up one day and reunite the litter. 

So this past week, Pet Stories has taken a temporary back seat, with all of my attention focused on making sure Alan gets settled in. I've not shared a lot of pictures since Alan arrived; I've been conscious of the fact that a lot of things are new for him, so I didn't want to scare him with a big camera in his face (easier said than done). But as his confidence grows, no doubt his presence throughout Pet Stories will too.

Make sure you're following the Pet Stories Instagram for updates on his progress.