The five-year-old dog, Alvin, was rescued by the RSPCA from a house in the West Midlands in May 2022.
Alvin was ‘struggling with untreated injuries caused by hunting’, which the owner had failed to get veterinary treatment for.
He was then taken to the RSPCA’s Warrington, Halton & St Helens Branch in Cheshire where he was cared for until his owner was dealt with in court, and signed him over for rehoming.
Described by staff at the centre in Slutchers Lane as an ‘adorable couch potato,’ Alvin became a ‘favourite’ at the centre.
Sadly, despite several rehoming appeals last year, Alvin was ‘continually overlooked.’
Just before Christmas, in a bid to increase his chances of finding a new home, Alvin was moved to the RSPCA’s Preston and District Branch rehoming centre in Ribbleton.
Since then, he has ‘settled in well’ and has been ‘enjoying the recent snowfall.’
Ashleigh Kay, manager of the Preston rehoming centre, said: “We work closely with our colleagues at other centres to give animals the best possible chance of finding a home.
“We’re really hoping Alvin’s move to Lancashire will help introduce him to a fresh audience of potential owners this new year.
“Because of his sighthound heritage, people may think he has bags of energy and will need lots of walks.
“Of course he loves getting out and finding new scents to explore but he’s also quite relaxed and laid back and he’ll love nothing more than stretching out his long limbs on a sofa and having a cuddle.
“He’s a loveable gentle giant who has already won us over in the short time he’s been with us and we very much hope to be able to find him a wonderful new home as he’s only a young dog with the rest of his life ahead of him.”
The staff and volunteers at the Warrington rehoming centre grew ‘incredibly fond’ of Alvin during the two and a half years he was with them.
Katie Buckley, animal care manager at the Warrington rehoming centre, said: “It was heartbreaking to watch people continually walk past and choose another dog and not him.
“We were very sad to see him leave but we hope a change of location will spark some interest as he’s waited a long time and has been through such a lot.
“Alvin really deserves a home of his own and we hope the start of 2025 will bring him that little bit of luck.”
Alvin is described as a ‘large but very polite dog who loves his food and his treats.’
He’ll need owners who are willing to ‘patiently build up his trust’, although once he gets to know you ‘he loves a fuss.’
He prefers female dogs over male ones, and introductions with other animals will need to be done ‘slowly and at his own pace.’
Because of his breed, he has a ‘high prey drive’ which new owners will need to be aware of when they are out walking him.
He could live with older children aged 10+ but will need to be the only pet in the house.
If you are interested in adopting Alvin or chatting to the centre to find out more about him please visit the Preston & District Branch’s website or call 01772 792553.
Source link https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/24839353.gentle-giant-lurcher-dog-hopes-find-new-home-lancashire/?ref=yahoo
