Bella 'Britain's loneliest dog' needs forever home after 15 months with Surrey RSPCA
Bella has had a difficult start to life
Bella, 'Britain's loneliest dog' who has spent 15 months in the care of the RSPCA in Surrey is looking for her forever home.
The beagle and lurcher cross was brought into the care of the Millbrook Animal Centre in Cobham in February 2020 after she had been in four different homes by the time she was just seven months old.
The animal charity say being passed owner to owner during a key stage of her development has left her with some emotional scars.
The behaviourist team at RSPCA Millbrook have been working hard to improve Bella’s socialisation and confidence.
Liz Wood, deputy manager at RSPCA Millbrook, said:
"Poor Bella has been in our care for over a year now. This February marked Bella's one year anniversary with us.
A stay of that length isn't something to celebrate - it's our aim to find all animals a loving home as soon as we can. But with Bella, we can celebrate how far she's come.
This past year of lockdown has made it incredibly difficult to rehome dogs, especially those with complex needs but it's also enabled our teams to work more closely with these animals, in quiet environments, to give them their best-ever chance of a happy ever after.
"When Bella came to us, she was very scared and very under socialised with dogs and people. Also, being a typical young dog who has had little or no suitable training, her attention and recall with people was limited which is all something we worked hard on with her."
Along with a behaviourist Bella has also been given anti-anxiety medication which has worked well.
What does Bella need in her forever home?
Bella who is one year old is described as cheek, full of energy and in need of an adult only home.
Ideally she needs to be rehomed to a rural, detached property as she would find living in a built-up area very stressful.
Bella will need an active home as she has lots of energy and her owner will need to around a lot to give her the attention she needs.
Liz added:
"Bella was living in a small flat before coming into our care and she is very wary of noises and unfamiliar people so she will need to be rehomed to a rural location with an enclosed garden away from the public so that she can feel calm and happy in her own space.
"At times, Bella can be high on life and her lovely, cheeky personality really shines through but if something scares her or is unfamiliar, she can struggle to cope so will need a patient and understanding owner who is going to help build up her confidence."
"She enjoys being with people she knows and trusts and would benefit from having an owner who has trained and had young, complex dogs before.
"We'd also like her to be rehomed close to the centre so that we can offer support and guidance for her new owners as she starts the next chapter in her life."
We have worked hard to improve Bella's socialisation and confidence and are now at the point where that socialisation, training and confidence building needs to continue in a home environment so we are really keen to find the perfect home for Bella.
"As she has already been in four homes, we want to make sure that this time she ends up in the right, permanent and happy forever home that she so desperately deserves."