Clayton, with his RSPCA handler Anne Swarbrick, was one of the longest-serving residents at the Weston Creek shelter – but he now has a new forever home. Photo: RSPCA.
RSPCA ACT boss Michelle Robertson reckons there must have been a lot of pollen in the air last week, judging by the number of her staff and volunteers with red swollen eyes and tears – coincidentally the day when Clayton, one of their longest serving residents, finally went ‘home’.
It was a huge day for Clayton, as it was for the RSPCA staff who had cared for him for more than a year after the kelpie cross was found tied to a tree as a three-month-old puppy.
“We couldn’t be happier for Clayton that he has finally found his forever home,” Ms Robertson said. “He had been with us for so long.
“There’s a unique thing about working in an animal shelter that you can only really understand if you work here. These animals come in, and you learn to love them, but you don’t want to come in and see them every day. You want them to be in a home, to find their forever home.
“Clayton was one of those dogs. He pulled on all our hearts. Every morning I’d come in and see our wonderful volunteer walkers with him – but he was still here.”
Clayton is already at home with his new family – he/his humans sent the RSPCA a video about his new life, including early morning snuggles with his humans in bed, lots of walks and learning about life.
“Clayton was a lovely boy, but he needed to go to a home that understood that he was very energetic and that if that energy was not harnessed properly, it could turn into destructive behaviour.
“What was wonderful was that Clayton’s new family understood him and accepted him. They had experience with dogs before and were prepared to continue to work with him and give him what he needed – love, understanding and structure.”
But it wasn’t just Clayton who needed a new home. Ms Robertson said while small, cute, fluffy dogs and cats found homes easily, big dogs like Clayton were often harder to find permanent homes for.
“We have some others who have been with us for a long time, like Jack, who has been with us for 219 days and Ruby, who has been here over three months.
“There is nothing wrong with these dogs, they just need to be with families who love them, who can care for and understand them.
“Sadly, it often seems to be the big dogs like Clayton who come to us, through no fault of their own, because they haven’t had the best start to life. I feel they are here for a reason; maybe they weren’t treated right or socialised properly, so they’re left with challenging behaviour, which could simply be fear.”
Living in an animal shelter can be stressful for some animals, so the sooner they can find their forever home, the better.
Ms Robertson said the last thing she or her staff wanted was for the dog to come back into the shelter.
“That’s why it so important for us to make sure they go to the right home, to people who are prepared to put the time in for animals who need it.”
For more information on other RSPCA dogs who need a home, visit RSPCA ACT.
Loading ...
