By Christie Breen
Reporter
A GROUP of dogs found near Moffat have ‘come on leaps and bounds’, with more of them now ready to find their forever homes.
The pack of six were found wandering the B719 between Moffat and Greenhillstairs in July 2022, exhausted, terrified, underweight and in terrible condition.
Dumfries and Galloway Canine Rescue Centre (DGCRC), took them in where they became known as ‘the Moffat six’, with each given a name linked with the town: Charlotte, Rae, Glen, Brodie, Meadow and Toffee. [caption id="attachment_63367" align="aligncenter" width="483"]
FOREVER HOME . . . Charlotte[/caption] Recently, Charlotte was the first to find her forever home with couple Catherine and Simon, who say she’s taken to home life very well. Catherine said: “When we were getting to know Charlotte she was very hesitant at first, which is understandable after all she’d been through, but we managed to build that trust by visiting her at the centre about three times a week for a month and it has been well worth it. “Now we’re seeing improvements every day, she’s almost a completely normal dog. She gets scared at night and hesitant at things like the hoover, lawnmower and the car, but we absolutely love her.” Now centre staff are confident that fellow rescues Toffee, Rae and Meadow won’t be far behind. Staff member Emma Scott-Carroll said: “They’ve come a long way, their progress is absolutely incredible. “Obviously it’s still a challenge for anyone wanting to take one of these dogs on, they’ve never been in a home before, so that’s going to be a lot of work. But just seeing Charlotte take to it so well, we’re hoping that people will see that and want to give these guys a home too. “Toffee, Meadow and Rae have made real progress so we’re thinking they’ll be the next to go.” [caption id="attachment_63368" align="aligncenter" width="680"]
PAW-FECT PAIR . . .Emma Scott-Carroll (left) with Meadow and Lhea Johnstone with Rae[/caption] It’s clear when entering the centre how much the Moffat six are cared for, as visitors are greeted with a mural of the pack painted by staff member Lhea Johnstone. She said: “I just took inspiration from their story and it was something to brighten the office up and it’s talking point for visitors.” Meanwhile, dog trainer Gemma McNair has been working closely with ‘special case’ Brodie to de-stress him. He is unlikely to go to a home but is still making improvements, as Gemma explained: “We’re really looking at the whole picture and setting a couple targets in areas like social interaction and instinctual behaviours, so we can get a bit more information about what’s going on for him, find out what he really likes. [caption id="attachment_63369" align="aligncenter" width="441"]
IN TRAINING . . . Gemma McNair of Cydymaith Dog Training is
working with Brodie[/caption] Emma is confident the right owners are out there, adding; “Since they’ve had such a traumatic time they really need to feel that bond to be secure with someone. So we would need someone who can commit to coming out multiple times a week to build that bond. “We are looking for separate homes for them because to take on two of them would a huge commitment. “But just spending calm, quiet time with them is enough to start with. Glen is really shy and struggles to meet new people still, so patience and dedication is really important with all of them. “But Charlotte is doing so well now, that it just gives us hope that the right person will come along for each of the others. They’re so worth it, they’re going to be great pets, they just need a chance.”
