If there was a word to describe the life one-year-old poodle cross Frewyn has had so far, it would be ‘unfair’. Not only has this gorgeous boy been grossly mistreated by humans his whole life; his own little body has caused him hurt and discomfort in more ways than one.

Now The Lost Dogs’ Home’s Echuca Shelter is seeking to undo so many of the wrongs done to this sweet and gentle boy by finding him a family who will cherish him forever.

“Frewyn arrived at our shelter towards the end of July terrified and shaking,” Echuca Shelter Manager, Kate Kemp said. “He was petrified of humans, his coat was putrid and matted, and he had severely painful infections in both ears.

“However, after monitoring Frewyn, we soon noticed he had an even bigger medical problem; one that would have been very uncomfortable for him but which his previous owners had obviously felt wasn’t worth consideration.”

Frewyn had a rare congenital condition called Phimosis, meaning that the opening of the skin around his penis was too small and he couldn’t urinate properly. Staff at the shelter noticed Frewyn’s unusual toileting behaviour and, after giving the patient young man a groom to rid him of his horrible, sticky coat, took him to the Echuca Veterinary Clinic to see Dr Roger Carmody.

“Dr Carmody said that while Frewyn had adapted to urinating in a different way, he would still need surgery to correct the problem — not only to make Frewyn more comfortable but also to ensure he wouldn’t have problems later on, such as urinary tract infections or skin irritations,” said Kate.

The surgery was scheduled and three weeks later, Frewyn was happily urinating like any normal dog. With his ears being cleaned every day and on the road to recovery, it was time for our team to tackle Frewyn’s fear of humans through lots of TLC and encouragement.

“It is highly likely that Frewyn had spent most of his short life locked up and forgotten about… he certainly doesn’t appear to have ever experienced love or attention from humans,” Kate said.

“To overcome this, each of our team took turns spending time with him, letting him know people can be kind and showing him what a nice pat, a cuddle and a belly tickle was like.”

“After a while, he started to respond with a slight tail wag here and there and now he mostly feels comfortable around our staff,”she added.

Meeting new people is still a pretty scary experience for little Frewyn but Kate said he will now move his head around to see who is in the room — a huge step for the shaking little dog who could barely bring himself to lift his gaze from the floor when he first arrived at the shelter.

“Frewyn still has a long way to go,” Kate conceded, “however, we know that with the right care, he will make a wonderful pet for someone special. We are calling on anyone who feels they can continue to show this gorgeous boy what it’s like to be loved to call the shelter.”  

Anyone interested in adopting Frewyn must be able to commit to further socialisation and obedience training to help him conquer his fears, learn how to interact with other dogs and help secure his bond with his new family. Being a poodle-type breed, Frewyn must also receive regular grooming to keep his coat soft and tangle free, and his ears will need to be monitored to ensure the infections do not reoccur.

“Frewyn is a very special little dog who fate has simply dealt a very poor hand,” Kate said. “He so deserves to know what it’s like to have a family who loves him and who will treat him right after everything he has been through.”

Once again, if you think you could be that family, please call the Shelter first to discuss Frewyn’s needs, on 03 5480 3005.