Fairy-tail ending for homeless pets
The Scottish SPCA has shared some rehoming ‘tails’ to celebrate national pet month.
Elvis the horse, Velma and Roxie the cats, and Rocco the dog have all found loving new owners and are thriving in their new homes thanks to the country’s animal welfare charity.
Velma and Roxie came into the care of the Scottish SPCA’s Lanarkshire rehoming centre after they were left alone in a property.
When they were found they were extremely thin and malnourished, and riddled with fleas.
But, after some TLC from the centre’s staff, they found their perfect forever home with Lorraine Hummel just over six months ago.
Lorraine told the Reformer: “As soon as I saw Velma and Roxie on the SSPCA website I knew that they were meant to come and live with me.
“Roxie is still the more nervous of the two. She likes a tummy rub, but it’s always on her terms.
“Velma has become my little shadow.
“She sleeps on the bed with me, lies on the sofa beside me, anywhere I am she likes to be there too and she is very vocal.
“They are indoor cats but do enjoy going out of the cat flap and exploring the garden, Roxie especially. Both girls love to lie on the back of the couch by the window and bathe in the sun.”
Rocco the dog also came into the care of the charity’s Lanarkshire centre after he was picked up as a stray by the police.
He had various scars and wounds consistent with a ‘bait dog’ that had been used for dog fighting and then disposed of.
He couldn’t be rehomed for the first three months in their care as his skin was in such bad condition that he required specialist veterinary care, including special baths with medical shampoo.
But, he finally found his forever home with new owner Ryan, who said: “When we rehomed Rocco he weighed just 18kg. “He is now a healthy 23/24kg. “We had been searching for a dog for around eight months. We visited the SSPCA with only 10 minutes left until its closing.
“I noticed a dog lying down, very sullen, whilst all the other dogs were barking. We met him briefly for five minutes and straight away knew Rocco was meant to be part of our family.
“He settled quickly, but it probably took a good year of building a bond before he really let us in and started to trust us.
“Despite his background Rocco has a really calm and gentle nature, and is very friendly with people.
“The greatest thing that we have noticed is his change in confidence.
“Rocco means the world to us and we are very proud of how far he has come.”
The animal welfare charity has nine rescue centres across Scotland and the centre in Banchory is one of only two with the facilities to care for horses.
Ten-year-old Elvis arrived at the centre after his owners were unable to care for him.
He found a loving home where all his welfare needs would be met with a Scottish SPCA staff member and her two daughters nearly two years ago in June 2019.
Animal helpline operator, Lynsey McAlonie, has a long history with horses so Elvis couldn’t have hoped for a better home.
Lynsey said: “Although Elvis is calm and level headed, it took him a long time to trust us.
“Elvis loves being out in a field, just getting to be a horse!
“He loves playing with his brother Joker – often resulting in their rugs being torn.”
If you are interested in rehoming an animal, please visit the Scottish SPCA’s website.