A lonely dog has finally found a home months after nobody showed up to his Valentine's Day party.
Luke, a stray mongrel, shattered hearts across the world after being stood up at a special Valentine’s Day party thrown in his honour.
Finally, after 225 days in Battersea Brands Hatch’s care, and becoming a media sensation, Luke has found a loving new home.
After hitting headlines in the UK, USA and beyond, the five-year-old dog quickly accumulated a fanbase of people, who’d generously sent him fan mail, gifts and even made donations to the charity in his honour.
Many people from other counties, such as America, Canada and Italy, had even offered to fly this lonely Valentine to their homes across the world.
Sign up to our TeamDogs newsletter for your weekly dose of dog news, pictures and stories.
Having spotted Luke’s story in the press and expecting him to have already been rehomed, Karl and Jill Kendrick got in touch with Battersea’s Brands Hatch centre to see what dogs were looking for a new home.
Thankfully, Luke had not yet been rehomed, and after finding out a little more about the Kendricks, it was clear to see that Luke was their perfect match.
Finally, Luke’s search for love has ended, and he is now living with Karl, Jill and their two daughters in Derbyshire.
Although Luke had been living in kennels for quite some time, it didn’t take him long to settle in his new home- he now has his own place on the sofa and sleeps under a duvet at night if he gets cold.
Karl said “How Luke stayed in the care of Battersea for so long is a mystery to me, any new owner would have been lucky to rehome him.
"Since we’ve brought him home, he’s shown himself to be the perfect dog and has really settled in so quickly- we already love him so much and wouldn’t change him for the world.
“We feel so lucky to be the family who gives Luke his forever home and he has really made our family unit complete. He’ll never spend a Valentine’s Day alone again.”
Battersea Brands Hatch Centre Manager, Michelle Bevan, said: “Over the years we’ve seen many of our dogs appear in the news, but we’ve never seen any of our animals capture as many hearts across the world as Luke did.
"From receiving love letters, to gifts in the post, it’s clear to see that thousands of people fell in love with this very special boy.
"We’re so pleased that so many people support rescue dogs like Luke, and that he’s finally found the loving home he deserves.
“At Battersea we’re lucky enough to see every single day just how special rescue animals are. They may not be perfect but they’re certainly worth a second chance at life as a much- loved pet.
"We invite all animal lovers, whether recue pet owners or not, to proudly champion rescue and help us make ‘Rescue’ the nation’s favourite breed.”
This April, leading animal welfare charity, Battersea, is rallying animal lovers across the UK to declare their love for the wonderful, quirky rescue dogs and cats who just need a second chance in life.
The public are being asked to show their support for rescue by proudly wearing a special ‘Rescue symbol’ as part of the ‘Wear Blue For Rescue’ campaign which aims to celebrate all that makes rescue animals so unique, and help spread the word that "underdogs' can be 'topcats'.
Anyone can get involved with the ‘Wear Blue for Rescue’ campaign, whether they own a rescue pet or not. People and their pets can show their support by proudly wearing the new Rescue symbol, whether it be on a pin badge, a T-shirt, tote bag or a pet collar tag.
To get involved with the rescue movement and show support for dogs like Luke and Battersea’s ‘Wear Blue for Rescue’ campaign, visit https://battersea.org.uk/WearBlueForRescue.
To find out more about rehoming a pet from Battersea, please visit www.battersea.org.uk.
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
