RSPCA: Special home needed for dog who has spent almost entire life in rescue centre kennels

The RSPCA is hoping someone feeling the Valentine's Day love will consider opening their home to a special dog, who has spent almost her entire life in its kennels.

Four-year-old Dutch Shepherd Mia - a rare breed in the UK - was rescued by RSPCA Inspectors and taken into the charity’s care in October 2019. She was just nine days old, and was found with her mum being kept in extremely poor conditions. The pup wasn't made available for rehoming until November 2022, but she’s now spent a total of four years and four months in RSPCA care - more than 32 dog years.

She was initially in a foster home as a tiny puppy and also spent many months in kennels working with staff on a training plan, before beginning her search for a new home. Sadly, since she first arrived at the RSPCA, she’s seen 1,596 of her furry friends at Southridge go off to their new homes, including 400 other dogs.

Claire Hoffman, who takes care of Mia at the charity's Southridge Animal Centre in Hertfordshire, said: "She had such a challenging start to life and, despite her early experience of awful living conditions, we’ve shown her as much love as we can and she’s grown into a really lovely dog." But she added living in kennels for such a long time was "no life" for a dog like her, and no one had shown any interest in her in over a year.

“What she really needs now is an owner who can give her the one-to-one time and attention she deserves, and can help her adapt to life in a home," she said. Mia is intelligent and active, but can also get a bit over-excited at times. Her carers described her as very loving and affectionate, but said she really needed to find "her person".

Mia can still be unsure around new people, so any potential adopters will need to visit her at Southridge several times to build a bond with her and get to know her. Ideally, the charity said someone with an interest in dog behaviour and training would really suit Mia, as she loved to learn new tricks and games.

“Mia is full of energy and very bright and creative; and she has so much potential. She is keen to learn and will make a wonderful companion for the right owner," Ms Hoffman continued. “She needs someone who is experienced with dogs and can dedicate time to her training, and we believe she’s best suited to an adult home where there won’t be any children visiting and where she’ll also be the only pet. We’d really like her to have a secure garden where she can play with her football and enjoy roaming."

While staff looking after Mia had spent lots of time getting her used to normal everyday experiences like walking in busier areas and taking her for short car journeys - they think she’d do best in a quiet, semi-rural home. The pup was muzzle-trained and used to wearing her muzzle when walking on the lead, although she could eventually go without it in the future, with more training.

If you think you might be the right home for Mia, you can find out more about her by visiting here online profile here. You can also contact the centre by emailing [email protected] or calling 0300 123 0704.