Surrey rescue dog, hit by a car, still looking for forever home
An unwanted rescue dog has been waiting for a new home for so long, he decided to head to the Royal Residence to ask the Queen to help him find his new family.
One-year-old rottweiler cross collie Sam has been waiting for his forever home for over six months, but has had only one application which didn’t work out.
The dog was taken in by the RSPCA after he needed treatment for a broken leg having been hit by a car.
He came back into the charity’s care in June 2021 when his injury became infected and his owners were struggling to afford treatment. They signed him over for treatment and rehoming.
He’s been waiting at RSPCA Millbrook Animal Centre, in Surrey, ever since but has had only one application, which didn’t work out. In that time, he’s seen 72 dogs go off to their forever homes, including his best pal, Corgi Rudi.
Animal care assistant Hannah Potbury, pictured with Sam, said: “Rudi told Sam that Corgis live in a castle with the Queen so he decided he wanted to go on an adventure to see them and to ask the Royal Family if they can help him find a home fit for a prince!”
Hannah came into work on her day off to take Sam for his day out with fellow kennel assistant, Shay Thorpe.
Hannah added: “We had a special t-shirt made so everyone who saw us while we explored Windsor would know Sam was looking for a special new home and we also printed off business cards so if anyone was interested they could easily get hold of more information.
“He really enjoyed his day out and it was a great socialisation experience for him as he can struggle with anxiety and nerves, but he did brilliantly.”
It’s the latest in a line of stunts the centre staff have pulled to try to find Sam his forever home. Last month, they set up a kissing booth for Valentine’s Day in the hopes it would help Sam find his true love; but he had no such luck.
When Sam first arrived in RSPCA care he was traumatised by his experience and was terrified of everyone.
It took a long time for the staff to gain his trust but now he’s friendly and sociable and loves everyone he meets.
He is very playful and has lots of energy so he’d like an active home where he can spend lots of time with his family.
He’s still recovering from his injuries so his owners will need to slowly build up his exercise and bear in mind that he may always be restricted physically so they may need to come up with other creative ways to keep him busy.
He is a big boy and can be strong on the lead. But he loves to socialise and play with other dogs, and may be best as an only dog in his new home but could potentially live with another calm dog pending successful introductions.
As Sam can be nervous, he’d be best in an adult-only home and without other pets. He finds the vets particularly scary so will need someone to help hold his paw and get him used to the experience.
The charity say he’d like a private, enclosed garden with 6ft fencing and without stair access as this can be tough on his leg.