Bonnie came in to our care in February 2022 after her owners could no longer care for her.
She was taken to our Ayrshire centre where she arrived as a very reactive and unpredictable dog.
Bonnie spent her early days fearful of our staff and would not let anybody close to her. Every time a dog barked nearby she would growl and lunge and our staff would have to step away. It was one of the most challenging cases our team had encountered.
Fast forward a few weeks (and a lot of treats) and Bonnie eventually let Clare, one of our animal care assistants, into her kennel and take her for a walk. She still got scared by leaves blowing in the wind and the sound of someone walking next to her, but our team were thrilled with even these small steps in the right direction.
On the third walk, Clare brought her own dog along and found that a canine companion helped massively with Bonnie’s confidence.
As Bonnie started to meet her other dogs and become more comfortable in her surroundings, her personality began to shine through. She started playing with her canine friends and taking treats and showing that, underneath her scared outer shell, was a really loveable dog.
Now more confident and happy to interact with the team, Bonnie was seen by our vets who then operated on both of her eyes and gave her a clean bill of health.
Happy and fit, Bonnie was then put up for rehoming and soon spotted by Karen.
Karen, an experienced shar pei owner, came in to our centre every couple of days for a few weeks to bond with Bonnie and earn her trust. Soon, Karen was able to take her for a walk and even introduce her to her own shar peis. It was love at first sight and Bonnie soon went home with Karen and became part of the family.
Our staff were thrilled to see Bonnie overcome her fear and find a loving home but, having spent a lot of time with her and fallen in love, they did miss her! Karen and Bonnie pop back for the occasional visit and it’s clear she’s now a happy and content dog.
We would like to thank Karen for taking a chance on Bonnie and giving her the forever home she deserves.
Please apply online if you would like to offer one of our rescue animals like Bonnie a fresh start in life.
