Welcoming a new pet into your home is filled with mixed emotions. When Scott saw Quin’s profile, he was instantly smitten. After losing both of his beloved dogs in the same year to old age, Scott said to himself:
“I don’t want another dog. All they do is break your heart. But I found the house so empty without a dog, so not two days later, I was trawling the PetRescue pages.”
Scott is a disability pensioner on the autism spectrum, having been diagnosed later in life. As he spends most of his days at home, finding a dog who would become his companion was really important. All he wanted was to spoil his dog and receive love and appreciation in return.
Scott said:
“Quin was a bit bigger than the dog I had in mind, but he’s perfect. He does take up a bit more room on the couch, and sometimes we have a bit of a power struggle! If I move to get comfortable, he will vocalise his disgust and jump off and go to his bed! He makes a few funny noises. It’s almost as though he’s talking to me!”
Even though their couch power struggle might always be there, Scott said he loves being with Quin. Spending that quality time together playing and rewarding him with lots of pats.
“He has no idea what he is supposed to do with a ball, and the beach is a bit wasted on him as he doesn’t like getting his feet wet! In the warmer months, we walk on the beach. There are times when he’s allowed off-leash, and he loves meeting other dogs, and it’s terrific when he meets another whippet, and they chase each other! It’s pure joy!”
Scott and Quin share their space with two cats, Poirot and Miss Marple. The cats ‘tolerate’ Quin but prefer to keep to themselves. Scott said sometimes Quin doesn’t even notice the cats are there and will race through the pet door as soon as his leash has been removed with pure excitement for his dinner. This does mean if the cats are in the way, they assume Quin is chasing them, and he has taken a few scratches to his nose as a result of this!
When asked about how Quin’s personality developed once he came home with Scott, he had this to say:
“I’m not sure Quin’s personality has changed. He was just the most beautiful dog from the very beginning. He was full of joy in the shelter, and it was love at first sight!”
He goes on to talk about the journey of bringing Quin home. As Scott made his way to Ballarat, Victoria, to pick up Quin via train, the only way to transport him home was in a pet crate (a standard rule for this particular train line), and the one he had brought was a little smaller in size. Quin being a medium-sized dog, Scott wasn’t sure what he would do, but luckily as soon as he opened the crate door, Quin walked straight in!
Once the pair got home, it was time to see if Quin would fit through the cat-sized pet door.
“When I got him home, we were watching television, and then he went out to the kitchen. He was very quiet, so I went to investigate. He wasn’t there! Where was he? I opened the front door, and he was on the other side! That was when I knew he could use the pet door!”
Scott is happy that Quin is settled into life with him and is fully crate, pet door and toilet trained! His lovely temperament makes living with Quin a dream.
“Quin is a constant companion for me. I really cannot emphasise enough how important this is.”
Quin was adopted from Ballarat Animal Shelter, which Scott said was brilliant and highly recommends them.
