Bess is a ten-year-old Border Collie who was in residence at Last Chance Animal Shelter in Edenbridge, Kent since she was a puppy. After ten long years without a family to call her own, things finally changed for Bess. This feisty girl had a run of bad luck that left her hard to place but at long last, the right, patient family came along to take her home.
It All Started When Bess Ran Away and Got Hit by a Car
When Bess was just a puppy she ran away from home, which was a farm in Kent. She was hit by a car and suffered very serious injuries. Bess was taken into the care of Last Chance Animal Shelter where she made a full physical recovery. Her traumatic experiences left a mark on her emotionally, though. She was very sensitive at the sight of her most serious injury, her neck. She did not like wearing a leash and she took a very long time to become trustworthy of new people.
Shelter manager Jenny Mansfield told The Daily Mail, “She had pins in her neck and has always been sensitive about being touched around her neck. Her previous owners were unable to look after her because of a change in circumstances. She is a friendly with people that she knows, but it even took the staff a long time to build her trust. Because of her injury she was wary around other dogs; she was a bit funny about having a lead on to start with.”
Bess’s Trauma Made it Hard to Find a New Family
Trauma leaves a lasting impression on those who survive it. As a result of Bess’s terrible injuries, long recovery, and time without a devoted human she became a bit hard to handle. She was fearful of new people. She did not get along well with other dogs. She is very set in her ways. Unfortunately, all of this amounted to making it very difficult for the shelter to find her a suitable family.
Bess’s New Family Took the Time to Win Her Over
The shelter made an appeal to the public to help find Bess a home. The story went viral and got attention from all over the world. The shelter received applications from Australia, America, South Africa, the UK, and Ireland. It was wonderful to experience such an outpouring of interest after Bess languished for ten long years with no such luck. The potential adopters came to meet and get to know Bess. They visited her in the shelter five or six times, giving Bess ample time to become comfortable. Of course, Bess was finally won over and the elated family took her home.
The shelter is hopeful that things will work out long term for Bess. The manager told The Daily Mail, “Bess, who was with us for ten long years, is now being cared for by new owners on the South Coast. Great care was taken by our staff to find the perfect home for Bess, her new owners made many visits to the center to allow Bess to slowly get to know them. Bess is not the easiest of dogs and is very set in her ways, hence the amount of time she has been with us, so we still have all fingers crossed that this will be her forever home, so say a prayer. It was very emotional for everyone as she set off to her new life, but also very rewarding, as a loving home is what we want for all our dogs, and finally, we have one for our Bess.”
H/T ladbible.com
Featured Image: Triangle News
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