Skinny dog finally finds forever home after agonising two-year wait as ‘longest ever rescue’

A skinny pooch has finally found her forever home after an agonising two-year wait as one kennel’s “longest staying dog”.

Tan-coloured crossbreed Spicer spent more than 730 days in care.

She was taken in by the RSPCA in April 2023 after being removed by police from a house in the West Midlands due to welfare concerns.

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At the time she weighed just 42 lbs.

She was so skinny that her body condition score was just three out of nine.

A healthy dog should score five, as reported by What’s The Jam.

Spicer was taken to be checked over by vets at the RSPCA’s Birmingham Animal Hospital, who noted that despite her visible ribs and spine, she was a very “bright and bouncy” pooch.

She was cleared to be moved to RSPCA Chesterfield and North Derbyshire in April 2024 – where she remained until May this year.

Spicer was unable to be rehomed until she put on enough weight to become a healthy, thriving dog again.

After a lengthy rehabilitation, kennel staff decided to look for a foster home for seven-year-old Spicer.

But after offering to take her in temporarily, foster carer Sophie Burnside decided she couldn’t give her up.

Sophie said: “I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason – and I truly think I was meant to get the call about Spicer.

“She needed a foster home and I was somehow the one who picked up the phone – and from that moment, everything changed.

“Spicer has come on leaps and bounds – sometimes quite literally.

“She tears around the garden like a bat out of hell, or prances like a majestic gazelle.

“She’s absolutely hilarious, full of quirks and what I can only describe as multiple, delightfully chaotic personalities.”

Now a healthy 60Ibs, Spicer loves fuss, attention and back scratches.

Sophie said: “Underneath it all, she’s gentle and incredibly sweet.

“She loves nothing more than a good game of tug-of-war or sprinting around like she owns the world.

“But my favourite time of day is after dinner, when we curl up on the sofa together, just the two of us, in our quiet little bubble.

“Spicer is quickly becoming my best friend.

“I feel so lucky that our paths crossed – I get to spend the rest of her life loving her fiercely and giving her the safe, happy life she’s always deserved.”

Rachel Gray, branch manager at RSPCA Chesterfield and North Derbyshire, said: “Spicer is such a lovely girl – with a sweet smile, she’s playful, affectionate and a joy to be around.

“She was our longest-staying dog, and we were all stumped as to why she was overlooked for so long.

“But everything happens for a reason and we’re so glad she’s finally found the perfect home.”

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