Shakira is my foster dog. She doesn’t sing, she doesn’t perform. She’s just one of those abused dogs that end up in the Canil de Portimão, with total loss of trust and confidence. She was brought in by her owner, who told the staff at the canil that she was 15 and he did not want her and her puppies anymore. Later they found out that she was about 7 years old and had been on a chain in a garage all her life, with the occasional visit from male dogs. The GNR visited the owner in response to complaints from neighbours and summoned him to take her to the canil.

At the canil, she fell under the responsibility of the Association Friends of Canil de Portimão and the Friends became her protector. They put her in a big kennel together with her puppies, so she could feed them. But poor Shakira was so terrified she just sat shaking and trembling in a corner and wouldn’t even go near her babies. She was there for several months and slowly got used to her new surroundings, the volunteers, and she even allowed them to pet her.

After a while, when they had grown enough, the puppies went to Puppyland, and they have all been placed with good families. But poor Shakira (the shake in her name still so apt) was left to her own devices. Very old dogs and puppies, they eventually all find good homes. But a 7 year old, very insecure and scared dog is not much in demand.

Just like human beings

Dogs are mammals, just like human beings. That means they need company. Maybe not all the time (I don’t !) but socialising is part of their nature, and they need to know what that is like.

If they grow up, like my foster dog Shakira, with an owner that keeps her on a chain all the time, they have no idea how to behave among people, among other dogs.

The first few days and nights she did not want to come into the house. She slept under a bush at the end of my plot, and I fed her outside. After a week she had gained enough confidence to come inside to sleep, with the sliding door open so she could go outside if she needed to.

She explored the whole fence around my plot and found several weak spots. In the first month she escaped several times by digging under the fence. It was easy because the earth was loose because of the rain we had. The first time she dug her way out, after five days in my care, I was, of course, super worried, and I walked and drove around the area, all the while realising that there are too many hiding places everywhere, and if she wanted to stay hidden, I would never find her.

Credits: TPN; Author: Scarlett Verkuijlen;

But, lo and behold, two hours later she just wondered in, as if she had been doing this all the time. After two weeks, I decided to take her with me and my own dog Belle, for the morning and afternoon walks. No lead because this is all in the countryside with only two small stretches of road, a dirt road and an asphalt road. Both with little traffic. Her recall, which was about zero when she arrived, has improved dramatically and is now at about 90%, the 10% being due to plain, obstinate adolescent behaviour. Now she has been with me for seven months and she is coming into her own more and more. Though we need to keep in mind that a traumatised creature will never be completely free of that trauma.

She’s a good dog for someone who is patient and loving, because a change of surroundings will make her insecure again. She can still be jittery and jumpy at unexpected sounds and movements, but her eyes have lost that frightened look. She does need a big garden, to roam around in, because she likes being outside during the day.

Shakira (I usually call her Kira) is of medium size, as is my own dog Belle, and weighs around 24 kilos. She is house trained. She will eat anything, and loves all treats. Occasionally she will put her paw in her bowl, so it won’t slide too far away. A remnant of her days on the chain, when she needed the bowl to stay within reach.

Anyone who is interested in meeting her or would like more information, please send me an email at scarlett@theportugalnews.com. Alternatively you can WhatsApp Holly van Deursen of the Friends at 923 525 129. I live between Porches and Alcantarilha, south side of the N125.

Please remember: Adopt, don’t shop. Foster if you cannot adopt and sponsor if you cannot foster.