A border collie given the title of Britain’s loneliest dog – after spending ten years in a rescue centre – has finally found a loving home.
Bess arrived at Last Chance Animal Rescue in Edenbridge, Kent, when she was very young after being hit by a car, when her owners were no longer able to care for her.
Ten years on, staff at the shelter launched an appeal to find Bess a place to live out her final years, and were inundated with hundreds of adoption applications from all over the world.
Now, Bess is settling into life with her new family in the south coast of England, after the centre’s staff carefully whittled down their options to find the dog’s perfect match.
Centre manager Jenny Mansfield, 37, said: ‘Bess came to us a long time ago, she was living on a farm but ran away and was hit by a car.
‘She had pins in her neck and has always been sensitive about being touched around her neck.
‘Her previous owners were unable to look after her because of change in circumstances.
‘She is a friendly with people that she knows, but it even took the staff a long time to build her trust.
‘Because of her injury she was wary around other dogs; she was a bit funny about having a lead on to start with.
‘It took a long time for her to get to know people and we had to do 5 or 6 introductions with her new owners before she felt comfortable.”
A spokesperson for the rescue centre said: ‘It is with very great pleasure Last Chance Animal Rescue can announce we have found a wonderful new home for Bess our longest ever resident at our Edenbridge Centre.
‘Bess, who was with us for ten long years, is now being cared for by new owners on the south coast.
‘Great care was taken by our staff to find the perfect home for Bess, her new owners made many visits to the centre to allow Bess to slowly get to know them.
‘Everyone at Last Chance loved Bess and wanted to make sure we found the best home for her and we think we have.
‘Bess is not the easiest of dogs and is very set in her ways, hence the amount of time she has been with us, so we still have all fingers crossed that this will be her forever home, so say a prayer.
‘It was very emotional for everyone as she set off to her new life, but also very rewarding, as a loving home is what we want for all our dogs, and finally we have one for our Bess.
‘Thank you to everyone who offered Bess a home, and there were literally hundreds of you.
‘Kind people from all over the world contacted us – in fact from Nova Scotia to Australia and many countries in between.
‘We were amazed and very touched by peoples’ kindness and compassion. We’ve done it.’
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