TJ the Lurcher came to our branch on the 22nd November 2023, however he had actually been under RSPCA care in a kennels since 28th June 2023.
He had come from a house with 51 other dogs present, the previous owner being a single male who had initially had around 8 dogs, none of which were neutered/spayed – you can imagine how it got to that point.
Some of the dogs had never been outside, and only a small handful of them were properly socialised. Unfortunately when the dogs were first found and being collected, the dart used to subdue them missed one of the dogs, which was sadly attacked by the other dogs and didn’t survive.
This initial stressful experience coupled with the inadequate life he’d lived so far meant that TJ was a largely feral dog, flinching at the slightest wrong movement or unexpected noise. It took a lot of time and hands-on training to get him comfortable, but once the kennels were able to achieve this, he took larger strides towards improving.
Whilst with us, he ate well, slowly got used to walking on the lead, and grew comfortable enough with the kennel staff to accept fuss and love from them. The biggest thing of note was that he loved socialising with other dogs, so we were on the lookout for a family with a resident dog to ensure he was happy.
With the first visit from a potential adopter, things seemed to be looking up, as they ticked all the boxes – but unfortunately things fell apart when they brought their dog along, things didn’t go as well as was hoped and unfortunately this didn’t result in his rehoming just yet.
In July, like a bolt from the blue, we saw a perfect application arrive from a really keen adopter. We followed the usual process and waited with baited breath for the fateful meeting of TJ and the owner’s current canine companion… Luckily, things went swimmingly! It really was a great pairing, as the current dog’s previous companion had passed away and she was lonely, so it was great to help out two dogs at once.
Shortly after, TJ was rehomed on the 14th July 2024, and we’re pleased to say he and his doggy friend are getting along better than ever… “although peeing in the bedroom wasn’t his finest hour!” – TJ’s adopter
