Can you help Whisper - the adorable agoraphobic dog?

A tragic dog is struggling to find a new home because she suffers from an extreme form of agoraphobia.

Whisper is a six-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier that is terrified of people and the outside world.

She was found cowering underneath a bush in January and has been at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home ever since.

As she will only leave her kennel once all the other dogs are in bed for the night and the staff and visitors have gone home no one has come forward to rescue her.

Dogs at Battersea only spend an average of 29 days waiting to be rehomed - but Whisper has been there for almost ten times this.

Staff home have come across all sorts of behaviours in the past, but Whisper's case is "one of the most extreme" they have come across.

They now wonder if she will ever meet a new owner.

Karen Slavid, Battersea senior animal welfare assistant, is making progress and has now managed to coax Whisper out with treats when everyone has left for the day.

She said: "Whisper is a gentle, loving, kind-natured dog, and she is going to make the most amazing pet for someone who has the time and patience to slowly build her trust and confidence.

"We know that she is going to need very understanding owners but more than anything we want her to enjoy a life outside kennels like any other dog.

"Whisper has had a terrible start to life and she really deserves a happy ending."

It is thought Whisper was used for puppy farming before she was taken into the Windsor branch of Battersea Dogs Home in January.

She was undernourished, and her teats were terribly stretched after giving birth to and feeding litter after litter.

Whisper's fear of the outdoors is probably a result of being kept in a shed or indoor cage.

She was given her name as the slightest noise or movement would have her cowering in her bed, too scared to leave her kennel and petrified of people and other dogs.

Her sad story will be told this week on 'Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs' on ITV on Thursday.