Daily Mail - 12.08.2019

Daily Mail, Monday, August 12, 2019 Page 
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Is this Britain’s

loneliest (and

unluckiest) dog?

Sam is stuck in shelter for 901

days after 3 families return him

By James Tozer

Playful and

gentle: Sam

the lurcher

designer dogs are on the rise.

There is an obsession with these

aesthetically perfect pets.’

Miss Quilton added: ‘When peo-

ple think, “Oh, I’d love a dog”,

quite often in this country the

first thought isn’t, “Oh, I’ll go to

the local rescue centre”.’

She explained that while some

pets have not been rehomed, it

does not mean people won’t find

an ‘aesthetically pleasing’ dog in

a rescue centre.

She said: ‘I also think we’re a

nation of dog lovers. When peo-

ple look for a dog, what isn’t

dogs and puppies in rescue cen-

tres,’ adding that they house

many different breeds.

Miss Quilton added that she

believed there was a ‘perfect

dog out there for everyone’.

This series of Animal Rescue

Live, which Miss Quilton hosts

alongside Professor Noel Fitz-

patrick, star of Channel 4’s The

Supervet, and presenter Steve

Jones, asks viewers not only to

help rehome animals, but to

donate money to help support

the work shelters do. Around

250,000 animals go into UK res-

cue centres each year, and shel-

ters across the UK are struggling

to cope.

Miss Quilton has also presented

a number of health-related pro-

grammes, including Channel 4’s

Food Unwrapped, which investi-

gated food production.

Animal Rescue Live: Supervet

Special will be on every night

this week starting this evening

on Channel 4 at 8pm.

RESCUE dogs are being over-

looked because people are

obsessed with ‘perfect’ pets that

look good on Instagram, accord-

ing to TV presenter Kate Quilton.

The 5-year-old star of Channel

4’s Animal Rescue Live said she

wanted to ‘shine a light’ on the

plight of dogs who are being left

behind in favour of animals that

look ‘cool’ online.

She told the Daily Mail: ‘In this

Instagram age people are

obsessed with perfect pets, and

By Eleanor Sharples

TV & Radio Reporter

‘Obsession with

perfection’

For 901 long days, Sam the

brown-eyed lurcher has watched

as other unwanted dogs come

and go from the animal shelter,

carried away to loving homes by

new owners.

All the while the ‘playful, gentle’

eight-year-old has languished there

unwanted – leaving him with the title

of ‘Britain’s loneliest dog’.

Staff at the Destitute Animal Shelter in

Bolton adore Sam, and are in no doubt

he would prove to be the perfect pet

for someone.

Though Sam has always been well-

behaved, the short-haired dog has been

in and out of the shelter since he was

first rescued by staff in 2014.

He’s had a taste of the good life – hav-

he’s been here ever since. It’s never any-

thing Sam’s done, he’s just constantly

found himself in the wrong home at the

wrong time.

‘He’s currently our longest-serving resi-

dent. And yet he’s playful, gentle and

absolutely loves people.’

She added: ‘We need to find someone

who can take care of him. He deserves

nothing less than an amazing home.’

The shelter admits that, as a former

working lurcher, Sam is not for everyone.

A household with cats or small dogs

would not be suitable, although he is fine

around children above the age of six.

rather than being a recognised breed,

lurchers are crosses between sight-

hounds – typically greyhounds – and

another breed such as a terrier.

Traditionally used for hunting, they are

known to be affectionate and intelligent.

Sam is one of 12 cats and 20 dogs all look-

ing for new homes at the shelter, which

recently announced a new charity part-

nership with local energy switching firm

Love Energy Savings. It hopes the part-

nership will help cover its £180,000 annual

running costs.

Joining Sam in the ranks of unlucky

dogs is Blake, a seven-year-old grey-

hound who was attacked by another

dog in autumn last year and narrowly

avoided being killed.

Blake’s owner couldn’t afford the vet’s

bills and asked for him to be put down,

but instead the vet operated for free and

put him up for rehoming.

For more information and details about

the adoption process call 01204 526 486.

‘He makes

you laugh’

Ready for love: At the animal shelter

necessarily common knowledge

is that it is really possible to find

a breed of dog in a shelter that

really fits your lifestyle.’

She said: ‘You will find pedigree

Pets shunned for failing the Instagram test

ing been rehomed three times before

winding up back at the shelter.

Sam was last returned in February 2017,

his owner having died six months after

adopting him.

According to the independent shelter,

Sam is ‘a great dog’ who is ‘fun and

makes you laugh’.

‘He is playful and loving and can be

quite lazy as well. He is obsessed with

teddies and likes to rip them up to see

what’s inside,’ shelter manager Karen

rickards said yesterday.

‘Sam has been so unlucky, and it’s

through no fault of his own.

‘His last owner died in 2017 – which was

his third, brief attempt at being re-

homed. He was there for six months and