Oldest ever rescue dog finds happy new home

A 22-year-old dog, believed to be the oldest dog ever cared for by Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, has found his furry-tail ending and has happily settled into a new forever home.

Ty, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier Dalmatian Cross, arrived at Dogs Trust Bridgend in August after a change in his family’s circumstances meant they could no longer keep him.

The team wanted to find the Older Age Pooch (OAP) a home as soon as possible and their wish came true when Bruno de Brito and Lee Szopa from Penarth saw Ty on the charity’s website.

Bruno explains:

“We have two other dogs, six-year-old Gizmo, a Chihuahua cross, and  our beautiful 15-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier Fizz, who we adopted ten years ago. Lee has been concerned that Fizz is getting on in years and one day his mum sent us the information on Ty from Dogs Trust’s website to reassure him that Fizz could have many, many more years to enjoy life.

“That had unintended consequences! As soon as we read about Ty we knew we wanted to go and see him and find out if we could give him the new home he deserved.”

Just days later Bruno and Lee headed to Dogs Trust Bridgend to meet the team.  Ty was introduced to  Gizmo and Fizz and all went well, and it was decided they were the family Ty had been waiting for and the Dogs Trust team had been dreaming of for him.

Bruno remembers:

“It was love at first sight, for all of us! Ty and Fizz are now inseparable, even sleeping by each other’s side. We all go out on walks together and Ty is like a puppy! We didn’t expect him to be as lively as he is, but he is full of life and it’s fantastic.

“For the first couple of weeks he was understandably a little anxious but now he is so happy. He can be a stubborn old gent so if we’re out on a walk and planning to go one way but Ty wants to go the other, we tend to go the other! He makes us laugh and we are so glad we could give him a home. He’s brilliant.”

Melissa Cook, Assistant Manager at Dogs Trust Bridgend, says:

“It is always fantastic when our dogs find their perfect family, but when it’s an older dog it’s very special. Given Ty’s age, how we felt to see him head off with Bruno and Lee and his new doggie family is beyond words.

“Ty is a gorgeous dog, full of fun and full of love and we are so pleased he is back at the heart of a family who adore him.”

To find out more about dogs still waiting at Dogs Trust to find their special someone go to www.dogstrust.org.uk

Over recent months, Dogs Trust has received a record number of calls from people needing to rehome their dogs in the face of the new cost of everyday living.  Whilst some require a lot of extra support, many residents are looking for a dedicated foster carer who can offer immediate support and help out with the cuddles and a comfy sofa until they find their forever home. Dogs Trust covers all costs involved in fostering. By becoming a foster carer, you’ll help many more dogs by freeing up a kennel ready for the next dog who has nowhere else to go, as well as enabling staff to free up really valuable time to provide specialist attention to dogs who need a little extra help. To find out more about fostering go to  https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/fostering