“Diamond” in the rough staffie completes family
A “diamond” dog who was all alone on the streets is now the centre of the family, in his own rags to riches tale.
Happy chappy Salty is full of beans today and is loved by the Bowling family, but when he came to Blue Cross as a stray dog he was very sad.
An untreated skin condition had left him with sore, angry red areas on his body, and caused him to lose so much fur that the top of his head and the area around the base of his tail were completely bald.
Salty needed daily medicated baths to soothe his aching skin and soon it began to heal. He must have been very uncomfortable but he didn’t use his medical issues as an excuse to get down in the dumps.
The lovely two-year-old staffie kept his head up and showered our whole team with affection throughout his stay.
Salty didn’t have any manners when he first arrived at our Tiverton rehoming centre in Devon, and Animal Welfare Assistant Charlotte Mullarkey worked really hard to teach him to be a gentleman, starting with the basics.
It wasn’t long before he mastered ‘sit’, ‘down’ and other basic skills he would need to become a perfect pet.
Thirty-eight days after the friendly chap arrived in our care, he went home to live with a new family who have fallen head over heels with him already.
New owner Aaron Bowling, said: “He’s amazing. We’ve had him two weeks now but it feels like two years. He’s settled in really well and is part of the family.”
The Bowling family wasn’t put off by the breed’s reputation when they searched for a new dog this time, but Aaron admitted he had been put off by the negative image in the past.
Aaron explained: “When we got our previous dog, we actually visited the rescue centre with another dog in mind, but it had already gone. They suggested this staffie girl, and I’ll admit we didn’t want a staffie because of the bad reputation. But within minutes of meeting her, we knew we had to have her. When we lost her, there was no doubt we’d get another staffie.
“Salty’s very bouncy and he’s very lively, but he’s an absolute diamond. He is very well behaved… most of the time, and can be quite mischievous and has us laughing a lot!”
Aaron would recommend rescuing a homeless staffie to anyone who is looking for an affectionate cuddle monster to keep everyone entertained and become part of the family.