A dog that was branded the "world's saddest stray" has finally found a loving home in Scotland after spending eight years in a shelter.
Sam the dog arrived at the Adjud Public Shelter in Romania as a young pup in 2015 and was overlooked for years until rescue organisation Pawprints to Freedom shared a heartbreaking photo of him.
The team launched a campaign to find Sam – now aged around nine – his forever home and his photo soon captured the heart of dog lover Sally McGregor, the Daily Record reports.
"I just couldn't scroll past that picture of him," said Sally, who lives in the Craigie area in Perth and Kinross. "I couldn't stop crying."
A few weeks later, Sam boarded the 'Happy Bus' – Pawprints to Freedom’s minibus, which the charity's volunteers use to transport dogs to the UK – and arrived at his new home.
His new family now includes Sally's fiancé John, son Clay, and fellow rescue pets Boycie the dog and Flash the cat.
"Sam's such a happy, relaxed boy," said Sally, a social work assistant. "He's so happy to see us; his tail wags every time."
Pawprints to Freedom founder, Rebecca Smyth, who started the charity in 2017, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that Sam has found such an amazing forever home after all this time. Our hearts broke when we found out how long he’d been at the shelter, sad and terrified.
"We’re very grateful to everyone who shared his story and helped to find him the loving family he deserves.”
Pawprints to Freedom primarily operates in Romania, where the charity has three shelters housing dogs waiting to be adopted in the UK, along with a shelter in Cheshire.
Besides rescuing dogs, the organisation also educates local communities about animal welfare and organises spay campaigns to fight the never-ending horror of the stray dog problem.
To help other dogs like Sam go online and visit www.pawprints2freedom.co.uk/donate
