Rescue dog has his bags packed but has nowhere to go

A sweet little dog who has had a difficult start in life is desperate for a home of his own after spending more than 10 months patiently waiting to be adopted – with only one application.

Two-year-old crossbreed Dude has packed his bags ready to go off to his new family – but he sadly has nowhere to go.

He was rescued from the streets of Romania and lived with his owner until her tragic death. Sadly, her family couldn’t cope with his challenging behaviours around strangers and asked the RSPCA for help.

The RSPCA’s York, Harrogate & District Branch took in the little dog and their behaviourists spent months working with him to boost his confidence and get him used to a new setting and new people.

Mandy Broadhead, from the centre, said: “Dude is such a sweet little chap but he can be complex. He needs really understanding owners who are experienced with dogs and can give him the time – and space – he needs to get used to a change in circumstances.

“He’s such a friendly, affectionate and loving lad once he knows you but he’s incredibly anxious around strangers. We’re really hoping to find him a home with a single person who he can spend one-on-one time with and build a strong bond.

“His new home will need to have few visitors as Dude finds it really difficult when new people come into the home. He finds it hard to trust new people and it takes him a long time to build a relationship with someone so any new adopter will need to be willing to put in the time to gain his trust.

“We understand this can be a challenge but Dude is certainly worth it and we really hope there’s someone out there who can give him the chance he deserves. We’re certainly not ready to give up on him!”

Sadly, in the 10 months Dude has been waiting for a new home, he’s only had one application and that didn’t work out as Dude found it difficult to bond with the wider family. Now staff are pulling out all the stops to find him his perfect match.

“Dude is ready for a fresh start and he’s got his bags packed to go off to his new home but sadly he has nowhere to go,” Mandy added. “It’s heartbreaking that nobody seems to want him.”

Dude walks with a limp due to a historic injury so this may need medical attention if it causes him problems later in life. He’ll need an adult-only home without other pets.

He walks nicely on the lead and is very bright and intelligent so would thrive with training. He can be left for short periods of time.