A lurcher that was terrified of the outside world and wary of people has finally found a permanent home.
Eight-year-old Dana was found as a stray and arrived at Dogs Trust Merseyside in 2017 and the team in the Huyton re-homing centre were aware that finding a home for her may take some time.
Georgina Lowery, manager at Dogs Trust Merseyside, said: “Dana had obviously been through some trauma before coming to us.
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"She was terrified of the outside world. 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 were committed to being by her side every step of the way.”
Dana had been at the centre for two years when the country went into its first lockdown in March 2020.
However, that began the process which has led to her new home.
Dana was one of many dogs walked by Jonathan and Alison Rutter, who have been Dogs Trust volunteer dog walkers since 2004.
Alison said: “When lockdown happened, we couldn’t volunteer on site but we wanted to continue to help, so we chatted to the team about fostering Dana.
“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 was scared of everything - the fridge door opening, sound and movement on the television, and going out for a walk was not an option.
Yet, the loosening of restrictions over the coming months meant that Dana’s world started to open up.
Alison added: “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.
“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.”
Georgina added: “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.
“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.”
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