Dana world started to open up
Eight-year-old Dana arrived at Dogs Trust Merseyside in 2017. The team at the rehoming center knew that they would need to find a very special home for her. However it took so long.
“Dana had obviously been through some trauma before coming to us,” said Georgina Lowery, Manager at Dogs Trust Merseyside. “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 are ready to be by her side.
Dana had been at the center 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 work as a volunteer dog walkers since 2004, and Dana was one of their dogs.
“When lockdown happened, we couldn’t volunteer on site, 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 feels scared from everything. 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.”
