When Simon felt his dog Malibu could use a little more company around the house, he began his search on PetRescue. And that’s he came across sweet little Felix from Fnq Rescue's R Us, and went over for a meet and greet!
Felix with his adopter
“As soon as he saw us, he climbed into my wife’s arms as a 12-week-old large pup; he made himself pretty comfortable,” recalls Simon.
“It was love at first sight. He was a wriggly little brat with a broken tail that controlled his whole body when it wagged; he just couldn't sit still. He jumped straight up for cuddles which were pretty amazing since he'd obviously had a rough start to life. He didn't like us touching his belly for quite a while and hated being in vulnerable positions like on his back. How things have changed!”
Fortunately, as soon as Felix met Malibu, they became best friends, keeping Simon company on his road trips!
Snuggle time for Felix and Malibu
🦺 From foster care to apprentice, Felix is living the dream!
Felix’s life has taken an exciting twist from rescue dog to a beloved pet and… a budding apprentice! Felix loves spending time with his humans and occasionally helping Simon (but not really) at his construction sites. He’s happy to accompany Simon on road trips and chill in the backseat.
Felix’s infectious energy has captured all his humans' hearts, and they love having a pet who gets excited about all his adventures!
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“Honestly, from the moment we put Felix in his harness and strapped him into the car's back seat, he’s seemed pretty much at home. We were halfway through some major repairs on a property we owned in Brisbane when we adopted him. We live in Cairns and drove to and from Brisbane every couple of weeks. The dogs came with us every time. They loved the nearly two thousand kilometre journey, and we pretty much spent 24/7 with them the whole time we were down there. Felix loves to be involved in everything, be it helping me dig holes to helping me move tree branches or timber! He’s one of the best apprentices I’ve had.😄
“I try and take him to work with me when I can. When I have clients that are dog people or doing a project for ourselves, I bring Felix along. Malibu wasn't keen on the loud tools I use in construction, so he never really spent too much time with me on site. I just ensure Felix has something to chew and some water, and he's happy to help. You do have to keep an eye on where he is, though, as I've stepped down off a ladder onto an XL Kong that he thought I might like to play with before.”
🚗 Get road trip ready
Getting on the road with your pet isn’t always easy, but with plenty of prep and enrichment, it can be smooth sailing. In fact, Felix has comfortably travelled nearly 2,000 kilometres from Cairns to Brisbane!
“We use a car hammock, put their beds in and put a harness on them. Large dogs take up a lot of space on the back seat, but they just make it work. If they're comfortable, they'll happily travel thousands of kilometres.”
🐕 Living with big dogs
Big dogs on PetRescue often take 58% longer to find homes compared to their smaller friends, which is why stories like that of Felix and Simon prove that keeping an open mind to find the right pet for your lifestyle is vital.
“In our experience, large dogs are pretty easy to live with and look after. Sure, they eat more and take a bit longer to wash, but they are chilled out and happy just to fit in with our routine (or lack thereof) and lifestyle.
“All dogs need training and a fair bit of socialisation, and large breeds are no different. We've had a couple of dogs in the past that weren't socialised as much as they should have been (they spent a lot of time on a large property), and it showed. It's not hard to do, but you do have to put in some effort. Everyone should have a happy, socialised dog! The owner doesn't stress as much about involving them in their social life, and the dog is far less anxious in social settings. Often though, it seems the bigger the dog, the bigger the sook.”
Sadly, Simon’s other dog Malibu recently passed away, and Felix lost his buddy. Simon is ensuring that Felix is physically and mentally active to help him cope with Malibu’s loss. He is also looking forward to finding another companion for Felix on PetRescue soon <3
Pets like Felix get a new life when they have a human to love and care for them. Today over 7,000 pets listed on PetRescue are waiting for their own loving home and their own memorable road trips.
This is why your donations to keep PetRescue up and running and accessible to every human looking for their own Felix make a big difference. Donate here.