“Pepe joined our family in May 2023 as a nervous older gentleman who was no doubt confused by what had happened to his former life. He had ended up at a shelter at 12 years of age and then came to VicDRG. Initially he was a little bit reactive and did not want to be out of my line of sight. However, after about 2-3 months of being with us, Pepe began to show his gorgeous (and smart) personality. Pepe started regularly and consistently using the doggy door to go outside by himself when nature called. No training needed to teach him the dog door, he just did it. Pepe also sleeps through the night now with the 2^nd dog in the family, and is not at all fazed by me leaving the house for periods of time. He has really settled in now and I am sure feels that he belongs with our family now forever.

Pepe has been on two family holidays to country Victoria and is also a favourite at our local cafe – Advieh, where he managed to be added to the cafe Instagram posts as one of the frequent cafe dog visitors.

Fostering Pepe taught me that we need to be patient over the first 3 months with a rehomed dog, as they learn to trust and become comfortable and routine in their new home. Pepe is definitely a treasured member of our family forever.”