When an animal has had a bad start in life......

Status
Not open for further replies.
furryfriends (TEAS)

furryfriends (TEAS)

Forum Founder
Senior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Messages
15,924
Reaction score
21,701
Points
2,225
Location
Director at TEAS (East Hunsbury) Northampton
do they ever really get over it? Do they forget everything that has gone before or does part of it stay with them forever? I would be interested to hear people's views on this.

My little bunny Schmichael had a bad start to his life and I think it still affects him, even though he knows he is loved so much now. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
I agree... I took a cat in who'd been badly treated, and he knew I loved him dearly and he loved me, but there was always a part of him that didn't trust me 100%.. does that make sense?
 
i don't think they ever get over it, i rehomed a yorkie at 5 (nearly ten now) she was very badly treated and is psycologicaly (can't spell it) damaged. Bless her she's in the best place now
 
Schmichael is so very, very clingy, he follows me everywhere and constantly rubs his chin over me to put down his scent . It makes me feel very loved and wanted, but is it really because he was abandoned and almost starved to death when his previous owners went on holiday and didn't ask anyone to look after him! :'(
 
aw, poor Shmichael.. he sounds such a lovely wee bun, how could anybody not love him? :(

I've only seen his photo (your avatar?) and I'm in love with him! O0
 
I believe that previously neglected animals are definetely more appreciative to what they have now as they have never had it before.
 
Here's the little man doing what he does best! :smitten:

12082007076.jpg
 
He is luvverly! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:

I agree Clare, the cat I took in was the most affectionate cat I've ever had.. I just put it down to neutering him (which I had done pretty soon after I got him) but your comment made me think again. He was a lovely cat.. his name was Zeb.
 
furryfriends said:
Schmichael is so very, very clingy, he follows me everywhere and constantly rubs his chin over me to put down his scent . It makes me feel very loved and wanted, but is it really because he was abandoned and almost starved to death when his previous owners went on holiday and didn't ask anyone to look after him! :'(
Click to expand...

Remember I told you about my dutch rabbit Alex who I had to leave (to new owners) in Germany Boo Hoo, well he used to do the exact same thing, he used to follow me everywhere, rub his scent all over my feet,and used to make a cute grunting noise at my feet too. So maybe Schmichael isn't so damaged from his experience after all.lets hope so x x :)
 
maisydaisystar said:
furryfriends said:
Schmichael is so very, very clingy, he follows me everywhere and constantly rubs his chin over me to put down his scent . It makes me feel very loved and wanted, but is it really because he was abandoned and almost starved to death when his previous owners went on holiday and didn't ask anyone to look after him! :'(
Click to expand...

Remember I told you about my dutch rabbit Alex who I had to leave (to new owners) in Germany Boo Hoo, well he used to do the exact same thing, he used to follow me everywhere, rub his scent all over my feet,and used to make a cute grunting noise at my feet too. So maybe Schmichael isn't so damaged from his experience after all.lets hope so x x :)
Click to expand...

Aww the grunting noise...I have never heard any other rabbit grunt like that. Do you think it's a Dutch rabbit thing then? xx
 
they are so alike. I have actually read somewhere that it means they want to mate with you, can't rememner where i read it,and don't know if that is really true or not. But it could mean he REALLY likes you LOL X Paula X
 
maisydaisystar said:
they are so alike. I have actually read somewhere that it means they want to mate with you, can't rememner where i read it,and don't know if that is really true or not. But it could mean he REALLY likes you LOL X Paula X
Click to expand...

LOL - yes I have heard that too! Apparently the running round and round your legs is a sign of wanting to mate as well! Its good to be loved! :smitten:

I have always said there will never be another Schmichael but your Alex sounds so like him! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
:smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
my mum and dad took in ebony an american cocker that had been mistreated. she was 18 month old when they got her ,my dad died 4 yrs ago so my mum had her to herself with her yorkie she had from a pup its taken 5 yrs for Ebony to learn affection and that kisses are nice. bless her she still barely gets how to play ball. But now she gets the whole loving kisses sat on your knee,,,she apprechiates everything, she responds so over the top to good girl. Shes a fabulous dog, she may be my mums but god i love her to bits. This is the only photo i have of her at mo , ill have to get some but shes just like eyore from winnie the pooh . I call her ebony poohs lol
Picture185.jpg
 
lizz79 said:
my mum and dad took in ebony an american cocker that had been mistreated. she was 18 month old when they got her ,my dad died 4 yrs ago so my mum had her to herself with her yorkie she had from a pup its taken 5 yrs for Ebony to learn affection and that kisses are nice. bless her she still barely gets how to play ball. But now she gets the whole loving kisses sat on your knee,,,she apprechiates everything, she responds so over the top to good girl. Shes a fabulous dog, she may be my mums but god i love her to bits. This is the only photo i have of her at mo , ill have to get some but shes just like eyore from winnie the pooh . I call her ebony poohs lol
Picture185.jpg
Click to expand...

She's gorgeous! :smitten: Yes we need to see more pics of her! :) She is certainly a very much loved dog now! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
I have recently been watching the Dog Whisper on Sky 3, Thursday 8pm and I believe what he is saying about training and it probably comes into actual life of a dog too.
Dogs live for the moment, unlike humans they never dwell about the past. I do believe that dogs can have phycological(sp?) problems due to being mistreated but we humans put far to many emotions on animals which they simply dont have.
Dont get me wrong, I know animals feel pain, grief, joy, sadness etc but somethimes humans go far to indepth.

Emma x
 
furryfriends said:
maisydaisystar said:
they are so alike. I have actually read somewhere that it means they want to mate with you, can't rememner where i read it,and don't know if that is really true or not. But it could mean he REALLY likes you LOL X Paula X
Click to expand...

LOL - yes I have heard that too! Apparently the running round and round your legs is a sign of wanting to mate as well! Its good to be loved! :smitten:
Click to expand...

Aaarrgghh! And I thought our Dutch bunny George wanted to pleay Chase! The little monkey!

Our little piggy Lucky has had a very bad start in life as he was bullied by all the others in the pet shop and then shoved in a cage with a rabbit, and he's been poorly. i think he likes me better than other piggies now. I want him to be happy, but he'll always have his mum for cuddles! I think he will alwyas be scared of other pigs.
 
Awww

Our little boy Dylan had a bad start in life. He was part of a group of 70 piggies rescued from a house where they were all penned in to a small room, and from what we can tell he was badly bullied (as evidenced by the chunks mssing from his ears). Whilst in rescue they tried to bond him with other piggies and he was bullied by them too, and then he suffered a stroke which has left him with a head tilt.

When we got him he was very timid but since then he has come on leaps and bounds. When we first gave him his veggies he used to snatch at the first bit he could, and dive in to his stick house to eat it, now he's quite happy to take his time and munch on them in full view of Julie, me and the other piggies. After a while he learnt to climb on top of his stick house (depsite the head tilt sometimes affecting his balance) which he still loves to do, and (although he won't actually share a cage with him) has become quite friendly with Pepe. He also managed to work out how to escape from his indoor run by jumping over the fences; nsomething one of our other piggies have managed to work out how to do. He's also now the loudest wheeker at feed time (now that Scampy has unfortunately gone).

Best of all is that his head tilt, although still apparent, is nowhere near as bad as it was and he's a fighter too, as earlier in the year he had a bad case of diarrhoea (we thought we were going to lose him at one point), but he pulled through :) I just hope he doesn't catch whatever it is that's killed Blaze and Scampy as I think that may be a little too much for him to be able to handle.

I think they can get over a bad start in life, as long as you have the patience to help them through it, but I suppose there's always the worry that something may remind them of their early life and they may regress back.

Marty
 
Mum and Dad rehomed an abused lab/retriever back in the late seventies when we were only young - this poor boy had been kicked, walloped, shouted at and cigarettes stubbed out on his nose >:( and used to cower and back away for months. However, life in a family environment with lots of affection and love certainly suited him - he turned into the most affectionate and intelligent dog and was incredibly mad, used to spend ages tearing around the garden then flop down grinning, and even won a charity 'Best In Show' cup (It wasn't a proper dog show, just a village fundraiser with family dogs going nuts through some tunnels ;D ). I remember asking Mum if he remembered his old life and she said he had never again cowered with sudden movements, so probably not. Although she may have just been saying that to make us feel better! But I like to think that if he did remember it, he immediately thought of how spoilt he was with us next!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top