Darlington's Dog Trust is appealing to the town's dog lovers to open their homes (and their hearts) to several four-legged friends seeking permanent residence.
Dogs Trust Darlington has plenty of rescue dogs looking for a forever home.
We have compiled a list of seven pups hoping to bring some light into their new owner's lives.
Take a look at all of the dogs here.
Luna
Breed: Lurcher Cross
Age: 5 - 7 years
Sex: Female
May live with: Primary & Secondary school age children.
Size: Medium
Luna is looking for a home where someone can give her all the TLC that she deserves. Luna is a sensitive girl with the biggest of hearts, she enjoys meeting new people, albeit a little over-enthusiastically sometimes, she is working with her foster carers on learning that not every passer-by wants to say hi.
Going out on adventures, where she can enjoy lots of sniffs and investigations. Other dogs do make Luna anxious so she is looking to be the only dog in the home and prefers to walk in quieter areas away from other dogs, but she is doing fab on her training around other dogs.
She can be left home alone without issue and her carers have left her for around two hours at the moment, so there will be scope to build this further once settled in her forever home. Luna could live with children aged 10 and over and she is a loving lady who enjoys human company.
Shawn
Breed: Lurcher
Age: 2 - 5 years
Sex: Male
May live with: Dogs and Secondary school age children.
Size: Large
Shawn is ready to find his forever home with committed owners. He will require ongoing training with help from his family.
He can be very excitable which can lead to him jumping up and mouthing. For this reason, it would be best to live with older teens – 16yrs+. Someone at home throughout the day would be Shawn's dream, to keep him company and entertained. Any alone time will need to be built up gradually.
He is dog social and is very good at adapting his playstyle to suit. He may potentially share the home with another playful pooch pending a successful introduction.
Polly
Breed: German Shepherd Dog Cross
Age: 1 - 2 years
Sex: Female
May live with: Polly needs a home with no other pets or children.
Size: Large
Pretty Polly is a young girl who is looking for a home with not too many visitors as she can become overwhelmed with too many new faces.
Polly would like to be the only pooch in the home but her family will be encouraged to continue working on her socialising around other dogs as she can be unsure of how to behave around them.
As Polly can be a worried girl when meeting new people she will be best suited to living with older teens who are aged 16 and over. Polly will need adopters to visit her a few times before she heads off to her forever home.
Bagel
Breed: Crossbreed
Age: 8 + years
Sex: Female
May live with: Bagel needs a home with no other pets or children.
Size: Medium
Bagel is a lovely older girl who has had a bit of a sheltered life. She hasn't been used to the home environment so will need someone to show her the ropes and allow her time to settle in.
She does have a sensitive side but with the help of food does make friends. She will be best suited to live with older teens (16 years+) and her family will need to be understanding not to rush her into new situations too quickly. Bagel will need a home without any other pets.
Making dog pals will need to be worked on as she has not had much socialisation with them. Training will need to be carried on in the home with this as well as confidence building, house training and leaving hours.
Patch
Breed: Spaniel (English Springer)
Age: 5 - 7 years
Sex: Male
Size: Medium
Medical care: I need ongoing medical care
May live with: Patch needs a home with no other pets or children
Patch has had a difficult life and needs a specific home with adopters who are willing to work with him and our rehabilitation trainers.
He had no access to beds or toys when younger, so now he puts very high value on both, and it needs to be properly managed. When it comes to other dogs, Patch is quite reactive, although he has been brilliant in the past.
For now, he would be best as the only dog in the home and carry on furthering his social skills out and about. It's possible that the time of day in which he has been walked left him little exposure to other dogs, particularly during the lockdown of the last two years.
Loki
Breed: Siberian Husky
Age: 5 - 7 years
Sex: Male
May live with: Loki husky needs a home with no other pets or children.
Size: Large
Loki is a sweet, sensitive boy who has had a difficult start in life. He is looking for an adult-only home with no visiting children as he requires quite a lot of guidance and time.
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He will need to be the only pet in the home but can have dog-walking friends to build up his social skills.
He will need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation and is very strong on the lead. He is an excitable, playful boy when he knows you. Loki enjoys having company from his people so will need someone around for him all the time. As Loki can be worried by new faces he will need to have a few meets with potential adopters before going home.
Greg
Breed: Crossbreed
Age: 2 - 5 years
Sex: Male
May live with: Greg needs a home with no other pets or children
Greg is on the lookout for a quieter home where he can be allowed the space and time to settle in.
He does make friends quite easily but prefers to keep food to himself and can be uncomfortable with formal handling.
He will not be suitable to live with children or with them visiting. His family will need to be able to read his body language to recognise when he needs a time out which the Training Team will discuss on the multiple visits with Greg. In the home, he'd like to be the only pampered pooch and enjoy his on-lead walks without bumping into other dogs as he has been reactive towards them. A home with a garden will be ideal so he can have easy access to some off-lead playtime.
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