Love is in the air at the moment, but one poor dog in the care of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, has been missing out on having a loving home of her own for way too long now.

Missy, who is a marvellous mongrel, has been in the charity’s care the longest of all their canine residents, and it’s high time she found her soulmate. So far, she has passed over 120 days in the London shelter – but let’s hope that Cupid can help her find a happily ever after. The average length of stay at Battersea is a month, so clearly, Missy is overdue to find a new owner.

One year old Staffordshire bull terrier cross, Skye, is hoping to find love this Valentine’s Day. She’s currently in the care of the RSPCA’s Leybourne Animal Centre in Kent, and staff are hoping to fine the paw-fect match for her.

Skye was found abandoned in Dover, and has since spent 188 days in kennels at the charity. She is a cuddly girl who enjoys going for walks – but she wants someone to share those walks with her.

“Skye is such a sweetheart and has the most beautiful brown eyes,” says Mel Dolling, an animal care assistant at RSPCA Leybourne.

With Valentine’s Day looming, let’s spare a thought for the most “unloved” dogs in the RSPCA’s care. In general, it takes a cat, dog or rabbit in the care of the RSPCA 39 days to find a new home – but for some unfortunate animals, it takes longer. And sometimes, it seems, their breed has a bearing on the length of their stay at a shelter.

Analysing the data, the charity has found that American Bulldogs are the breed most likely to spend the longest time waiting for their forever home. 66 days is the average length of time and American Bulldog spends at the RSPCA.

True love can be hard to find these days, but there is none truer than that lavished on us by our dogs. To celebrate this dogged devotion, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in Old Windsor is holding a special Valentine’s Day event on Saturday 11th February. Dog lovers – and their four legged best friends – are welcome to visit the centre and revel in Puppy Love.

Leading welfare charity Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is calling for punishments for animal cruelty crimes to be taken more seriously, as the Government once again ignored demands for appropriate sentences in its response to a Westminster Committee report on animal welfare released today.

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has announced that HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is going to be their new Royal Patron. The announcement was made on the day the Duchess made her first visit to the Home’s Old Windsor centre in Berkshire.

During a tour of the rescue and rehoming centre, the Duchess met Vet nurses, receptionists, kennel and cattery staff as well some of the Battersea residents who are looking for forever homes.

Battersea’s Chief Executive Claire Horton said:

The Mayhew Animal Home is celebrating the fact that one of its longest stay residents has finally found a forever home. Poor Prince had spent almost a year – 330 days – at the home before he found his happily ever after.

Prince, an American Akita, left an impression on the home though, and even has his own “pawtrait” to commemorate his time there. That painting is now being auctioned to raise money to support The Mayhew’s vital work rescuing animals in need.

We’ve covered quite a few unusual dogs in need of a forever home on DogCast Radio, but I can’t recall one quite like Jodie before. Jodie is an older Staffordshire bull terrier, and as such is not an uncommon resident of a rescue shelter. But Jodie is extremely unusual in one respect – she is a hermaphrodite. This means that she has the reproductive organs of both sexes.

The RSPCA took Jodie in when her previous owner abandoned her, and they are now seeking a special home for her. The search is proving to be a challenge.

A headline caught my eye today, that a dog was adopted by a senior home after her owner passed away. Clicking on the link to find out more, it emerged that poor Izzy was left homeless when her elderly owner died after they both went to live in an assisted living facility in Tennessee, USA.

Her owner's family were unable to take Izzy in, and that's the point at which so many dogs find themselves entering the rescue system, facing an uncertain future. Incredibly luckily for Izzy, that's not what happened to her, because she has become so popular with seniors in the home, as well as with staff and visitors, she is now the home's official meeter and greeter.

What more could a dog want? Well obviously, I'm sure