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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Paige Freshwater

Dog who always looks like she's smiling spends 365 days in kennel

When dropping a dog off at a rescue shelter, you hope they'll be rehomed within a few months - but this isn't always the case.

Two-year-old Maja has spent about 365 days at Barking Mad Dog Rescue waiting for an owner to come forward and offer her a place in their home.

Despite being overlooked by all potential owners, Maja's life in the kennels is still a sight better than what she had to endure on the streets.

Rescuer Claudia said: "For the last year we've been seeing a poor dog on the street when going out or when my son Cosmin was going to school.

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She always looks like she's smiling (Barking Mad Dog Rescue)

"She was always there eating from garbage, always pregnant.

"Everybody was chasing her away, kids throwing rocks at her! We couldn't get close to her she was so scared!

"Then one day when we stopped at the wheelie bins to throw out the tras,h we saw her coming towards us almost crawling, scared but famished. So Cosmin quickly grabbed some food and she came to him.

"This way we managed to catch her, finally! She had babies pretty recently, but we couldn't find any.

"We've been looking for them in the last days but no sign of them and she doesn't seem to wanting to go to them, maybe she knows they are not there anymore."

Taking Maja to Barking Wood Dog Rescue's centre in Dorohoi, Romania, Claudia was pleased to have finally secured her with a warm, safe place to sleep.

Children used to throw stones at her (Barking Mad Dog Rescue)

She added: Poor girl is so skinny and she's so at peace in her warm kennel that she doesn't even want to get out. Still, so scared but she'll be OK now! I'm so happy we got her."

However, one year on and Maja is still searching for a home in the UK with owners who want to show her what it is to be loved.

Hilary Anderson of Barking Mad Dog Rescue said: "Maya had had a pretty awful life in on the street before she was taken in by Claudia in Dorohoi, way back in March last year.

" She now takes the part of helping new dogs settle who come into rescue but really, Maja so deserves a home of her own.

"Again, Maja would really do better with another dog in the home to gain confidence from. She isn't very big but is quite tubby now. Maja is around 45 cms to the shoulder and 22kgs."

Hilary, from Scotland, launched Barking Mad Dog Rescue after rescuing her dog Pixie following a Facebook appeal.

Maja is searching for a new home in the UK (Barking Mad Dog Rescue)

She said: “Pixie lived in a park in Bucharest, with her mum, brother and six other dogs.

“They were fed, vaccinated and neutered by a woman who wanted to help the park strays.

“The pack survived the best way they could. Winters were harsh. Their guardian built them a kennel and locals smashed it to pieces.”

But their lives changed in 2013 when new laws came in ordering strays to be rounded up and killed.

“Pixie, like many others, found herself in a privately-owned shelter.

"Although safe from the dog catchers, Pixie had lost everything else - her freedom and her life. She stopped eating and couldn’t get used to life behind bars.

”In desperation, the woman who had cared for Pixie in the park posted her on Facebook asking for someone to take her away from Romania and give her the home she deserved.”

Hilary answered this plea and ended up adopting Pixie alongside two other dogs, Elsa and Kirsty, before starting up her own rescue.

The Barking Mad Dog Rescue team now return to Romania every two months to visit their own shelters in Constanta.

If you're interested in rehoming Maja, or any other dogs under Barking Mad Dog Rescue's care, submit an application through their website www.barkingmaddogrescue.co.uk.

Do you have a story to sell? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.

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