Ruff guide: Cent had to be taught English by staff at the rescue centre When their commands fell on deaf ears, staff looking after an 18-month-old collie at a rescue centre would have been forgiven for thinking he was a mischievous dog.
However, a month after Cent was handed to the RSPCA in Oldham by a family who were expecting a baby, workers realised they were barking up the wrong tree.
The pet wasn’t responding to calls of ‘sit’ or ‘heel’ because he didn’t understand them – after only being spoken to in Polish by his previous owners.
The family had asked for the dog to be rehoused as they felt they couldn't give the dog the time or dedication it deserved.
Staff at the Rhodes Bank centre then had to re-educate Cent before he could be found a new home.Now the hound can understand commands in both languages.
Animal care assistant Roxanne Greenwood said: ‘It turned out that Cent had only ever been spoken to in Polish.
‘I've been here four and a half years and we've never had a bilingual dog here before.
‘We went on the internet to look up some words but weren't really sure how to pronounce them as the language is quite different to English.
‘In the end we just trained him as we would any other dog, by giving him treats, hand signals and lots of encouragement.
‘He picked up his new language in a month, which just goes to show how bright he is.’
After four months in kennels, staff at the shelter are hoping the New Year will be a new start for Cent.
Ms Greenwood said: ‘It's a long time for a dog to be in kennels.
‘It's a stressful environment for him and he is now desperate to find a good home where he will be given lots of exercise.
Choose me? Max is another dog at the Oldham Centre looking for a new home‘He can do all of the basic commands now including sit, come here and recognising his name. Whoever adopts Cent will need to have a bit more time to keep training him and bring him on.
‘He loves to run around so if there is anyone with a garden or field nearby he would love it. He will make someone a fantastic pet.’
The kennel staff said Cent is ideally suited to families with children over the age of ten as he can be quite energetic and bouncy.
To find out more about adopting Cent or one of the charity's many other animals, contact them on 0161 624 4725.
source: dailymail
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