Scotland's 'loneliest dog' Roxy finds forever home after 767 days at SPCA shelter

Scotland's "loneliest dog" has finally found her forever home after spending 767 days at a rescue shelter.

Five-year-old Roxy has spent almost half of her life living in kennels at the Scottish SPCA's Lanarkshire Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre.

The animal welfare charity said the Staffordshire bull terrier was given up by her previous owner after a "change in their life circumstances" meant they could no longer look after her.

Roxy initially struggled to adapt to life at the centre but gradually improved and "learned to love life again" due to the hard work and support of the shelter's staff.

A number of appeals to find Roxy a new home were unsuccessful.

She was continually overlooked by potential owners until Gerrard Brown and his daughter Dawn visited the centre and saw her picture on the wall.

Mr Brown said: "We instantly fell in love with her face.

"The team managed to arrange a meeting that same day. She came out bouncing about and was an instant bundle of joy.

"The whole family went down again to meet her and we all took her for a walk."

They made several more visits, fostered Roxy for two weeks, and then signed the paperwork to make her an official part of their family.

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Mr Brown said she has "settled in well", adding: "She's very relaxed, and we're focusing on training and getting her used to family life.

"She's been loving getting spoiled with new toys."

The Scottish SPCA said it is changing the way it works to ensure "no animal has to spend that length of time in a kennel environment again".

Rachael Maclean, rehabilitation operations lead, said: "Thankfully Roxy's case is rare as we want to find animals their forever home as quickly as possible.

"Last year we saw a 25% increase in arrivals to our animal rescue and rehoming centres across Scotland, with 6,944 animals taken into our care in 2023.

"We also rehomed 3,881 animals to loving new homes, fostered 459 animals, and treated 5,163 wild animals.

"Our aims for 2024 are to enhance our adoption and fostering services with an expanded team.

"This means getting animals into the right homes faster and improving the experience for animals, fosterers and adopters."