A neglected deaf dog who was rescued from an empty building - where another dog was found dead - is now searching for a new home.
Misty, a Catahoula leopard dog, a working breed from Louisiana, was taken to the Chesterfield and North Derbyshire branch of the RSPCA.
The two year-old pet with beautiful blue eyes was rescued by RSPCA inspector Helen Smith from an empty property in the Wirral area in July last year.
She was one of two dogs shut away with no food and water in a filthy building and sadly her companion did not survive the ordeal and was dead when the RSPCA arrived at the scene.
Misty was rushed to the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital for emergency treatment and once she was strong enough she was transferred to the branch to begin her rehabilitation.
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Steph McCawley, supporter engagement officer at the branch, said: “Misty was in a bad way when she first came to our branch for rehabilitation
“She was very underweight and needed a special diet to bring her back to a more healthy size- she was also very frightened and timid following her ordeal and needed to learn to trust again.
“Staff at the centre working with her also soon realised she was deaf and so have been teaching her sign language commands to help her in the next chapter of her life.”
Now Misty is ready to find her forever home and staff at the branch are keen for her to find her paw-fect place and get her first real chance of happiness.
Steph added: “She is full of energy and a zest for life now. When she first spies you in the morning, her eyes light up, her voice sings, she bounces with excitement.
“You try to get the lead on her and she’s so busy working out where she’s off to next that she forgets to sit still long enough to actually clip it on!
"She puts her paws to your chest, and looks into your eyes with hers, tongue lolling. Her face is a picture. . You can’t spend time with her and not love her.
“She wants to be loved and she wants to be happy again. She is safe now, she is well, but our environment cannot meet all her needs, she is an active, bouncy young dog with an undimmed zest for life.
“We try our best but she deserves better than what we can offer - she needs a loving home where she can get the attention she needs and deserves to help her put her sad past firmly behind her.”
Inspector Helen Smith added: “I could tell MIsty was a special girl when we took her into our care. She was obviously timid but was a lovely dog - and her transformation at the branch is amazing. I hope she finds the loving home she deserves soon.”
Misty will need a new owner who is active and willing to provide plenty of stimulation, they will also have to be patient insofar as she has never experienced normality before, and so it may come as something of a shock to the system Her special new home will need to be adult-only and her new owners will need to be patient and empathetic to help Misty.
Any potential owner will need to be aware of how to manage a dog with deafness but there are excellent resources out there to help an owner who might be unfamiliar with the quirks of training a deaf dog.
More information about Misty can be found here and more information about adopting from the branch can be found here
To help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in desperate need of care please visit our website or call our donation line on 0300 123 8181.
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