Life didn’t get off to the best start for this loving Lurcher who longed for the company of a devoted family.
After being born in kennels in August 2020, it wasn’t long before Tillie and her siblings all managed to find homes. But little Tillie sadly found herself back at Darlington Dogs Trust as her owners could no longer care for her.
And despite staff finding a new home for Tillie, the unwanted pup was returned to the charity for a second time in January 2024. The upheavals in her young life caused her to become a nervous and worried dog who lacked confidence and struggled with being left alone.
But in summer this year she finally found her forever home with owners who now “can’t imagine life without her.”
Eve Canning and her partner Niamh Flynn spotted Tillie on the Dogs Trust website and “fell in love” with how adorable and friendly she looked. Once they heard more about Tillie’s past, they thought she was the girl for them.
“We know we have made one of the best decisions ever adopting Tillie”, said the couple, from Gateshead.
“Tillie has such a lovely personality, she is affectionate, playful and very goofy. While she is still anxious outside of the home and in new situations, she is a completely different dog in the home. We are so happy to see how well she has settled in and how much confidence she has gained since being with us.”
(Image: Darlington Dogs Trust)
Now, Eve and Niamh are looking forward to spending their first Christmas with Tillie and have already bought her lots of presents to open on Christmas Day. And Tillie has also won the hearts of the couple’s extended family, who are so invested in Tillie’s progress that the couple set up a dedicated Instagram page to keep them all updated.
They added: “We are excited to give Tillie a special first Christmas with us. We have already bought her lots of presents; in fact, she has more presents than anyone else. Decorating the tree was lovely as Tillie inspected all the boxes to see if there was anything in them that she could eat.
“Tillie is also an Instagram star as family and friends kept asking for photos and so we set up the account to share funny pictures of her. Her personality comes out more and more every day, we call her the Queen of the side eye which is one of her favourite looks. Tillie is such a huge part of our lives now. We can’t imagine life without her now.”
The training team at Dogs Trust Darlington spent lots of time with Tillie during her time at the shelter to help her slowly build her confidence. They found that she was such a loving girl whose only wish was to be by the side of her human friends, so the search began for patient and kind adopters who would give Tillie the time, love and attention she craved.
(Image: Darlington Dogs Trust)
Alex Hennessey, Manager at Dogs Trust Darlington said: “When Tillie came back into our care, she was a worried girl, so staff spent a lot of time with her to slowly help build her confidence and we witnessed her change in front of our eyes.
“It is what our job is all about, helping every dog in our care find the right home for them and we can’t imagine a better match for Tillie. We are thrilled she has well and truly landed on her paws, is content and loved in her happy place this Christmas. All of our dogs deserve a happy place – for Christmas, and for life.”
Sadly, not every dog will be in such a happy place this Christmas. But Dogs Trust is here to help dogs who already have a loving family stay with them, and to help dogs looking for a forever home to find one.
To see all the dogs currently waiting to be adopted at Dogs Trust Darlington visit the charity’s website here. To buy a Christmas gift for a rescue dog at the centre you can view the Amazon wish list, visit this link.
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View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/unwanted-puppy-returned-kennels-twice-30592040
