Finding forever homes for the dogs no one wants

Shep spent half his life in a Romanian kill shelter and has been looking for a forever home for almost a year, but there has been no interest in him

An animal rescue centre that gives dogs a second chance in life has been looking after some of the animals for years while they wait for a new home.

Oakwood Dog Rescue in Hull takes in animals from overseas, but on arriving in the UK they often suffer from anxiety due to their traumatic pasts.

Kennel manager Maria Hollis said Shep – a rescued dog from Romania – was a typical example who "probably never had people be kind to him" before he arrived there.

The charity wants to rehome all the dogs that arrive at the centre, and it is looking for more people to show an interest in adoption.

Maria Hollis has been at Oakwood for five years

Ms Hollis described what a new home meant to some of the rescued animals.

She said it was "the difference [between] the dogs they are when they arrive – when they're terrified of us – and dogs that are going out and running on the beach and just having their own family to love".

"That's the aim for every single dog that we've got," she added.

Sweetpea has gone from being shy and anxious to being loving and cuddly

'Absolutely terrified'

"We have some dogs that are super-friendly. They've arrived absolutely terrified and they've learned all they want is to be with people," Ms Hollis said.

But some of them have been waiting at the sanctuary for homes for up to two-and-a-half years.

"We have 19 dogs and a lot of them have been in for a long time," said Ms Hollis.

One example is Shep, who is a "very scared boy" who cannot be handled yet and cannot live with other dogs, cats or children under 14.

However, the team at Oakwood believe he can make lots of friends once he trusts his adopted family.

"We have a lot of dogs like Shep who can't yet be handled, but we know the day is going to come," said Ms Hollis.

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