A homeless hound at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home could be one of the loneliest dogs in the UK after spending over 260 days at the world famous animal charity and receiving little interest from potential owners.
The average stay for Battersea dogs is just 35 days, but four year old Lurcher Shadow has been at the rescue centre for over seven times that, making him the charity’s longest stay resident.
Like 46 per cent of dogs at Battersea, Shadow was brought in by his owners in July last year as they could no longer care for him. Rob Young, Head of Rehoming at Battersea said: “Poor Shadow must feel really unloved as he’s been here for so long and is desperate for a family to call his own. He’s such a gorgeous boy and will make a fantastic companion – we just can’t understand why he’s been with us for this length of time. There’s no time limit on how long dogs stay at Battersea. Some dogs go within hours, but unfortunately some take much longer to find their happy ending. Hopefully Shadow’s luck will change soon and someone will fall for his charm.”
To break up Shadow’s time in kennels, Battersea put him in a temporary foster home for two months and he did really well, showing his foster carers what a wonderful pet he is. Rob Young added: “Placing dogs in foster homes not only helps those that are stressed and poorly, but it also helps staff understand more about what a dog will be like in the home environment. Shadow did fantastically well in his – he’s housetrained, travels well in the car, is very obedient and above all gave his foster parents lots of love and laughter.”
Shadow is a sweet and loving boy who adores people and cuddles on the sofa. He is looking for owners who are around for most of the day and would rather be the only pet in his new house. If you can offer lonely Shadow the home he needs please contact Battersea Dogs & Cats Home on 020 7622 3626 or visit www.battersea.org.uk.