A Lurcher who has been looking for love for half of her life has finally found her ‘furry-tail’ ending.
Eight-year-old Dana arrived at Dogs Trust Merseyside in 2017, having been found as a stray. Scared and wary of people, the team at the Huyton-based rehoming centre knew that they would need to find a very special home for her – however long it took.
“Dana had obviously been through some trauma before coming to us,” said Georgina Lowery, Manager at Dogs Trust Merseyside. “She was terrified of the outside world. She didn’t want to come out of her kennel and was nervous even taking a walk around the grounds.”
“We knew Dana had a long road ahead of her, but we were committed to being by her side every step of the way.”
Dana had been at the centre for two years when the country went into its first lockdown. But that was when her journey to a happy ever after started, thanks to Jonathan and Alison Rutter. Jonathan and Alison have been Dogs Trust volunteer dog walkers since 2004, and Dana was one of many dogs Alison walked.
“When lockdown happened, we couldn’t volunteer on site but we wanted to continue to help, so we chatted to the team about fostering Dana,” Alison explained.
“We said we’d foster her during lockdown, thinking that would just be a few weeks, so we could help the team learn how she reacted to being in a home and find out what type of home would be best for her.”
Alison and Jonathan soon found out that Dana was scared of everything – the fridge door opening, sound and movement on the television, and going out for a walk was not an option. But in the coming months as restrictions continued and the world closed down, Dana’s world started to open up.
“She started to get used to things at home and began to relax, although we didn’t have the TV on for quite a while! At first, she would tentatively walk with us to the end of the garden path, then down the street and then finally around the edge of the park. Now, she loves the park! She has lots of doggie pals, some of whom we pick up on the way, and she is a very happy girl,” Alison said.
“Two weeks of lockdown fostering, has turned into two years! In all that time nobody has come forward to adopt her, so she is staying with us.
“Together, through love and understanding we’ve got to where we are today. She is the bravest dog in the world because she chose to trust us and let us help her. Now we can’t imagine our life without her. It’s wonderful to see the transformation. She is so full of life, and we are so full of love for her.”
“Dogs Trust never gives up on finding a dog a new family and we knew that with Dana it might take some time to find her perfect match, but thanks to Jonathan and Alison, and ironically lockdown, she has,” Georgina said. “Dana is a wonderful example of how just because a dog has been with us for some time, it doesn’t mean they can’t happily settle into a new forever home and find the ever-lasting love they deserve.”
To find out more about dogs still looking for love at Dogs Trust, visit www.dogstrust.org.uk
