HEARTBREAKING: The ‘adorable’ dog so unlucky in love he has been rejected 3,000 times

NO wonder this doleful dog lives up to its name of Blue… He’s the Valentine’s Day pet whose quest for love has been turned down thousands of times.

PUBLISHED: 11:35, Thu, Feb 14, 2019 | UPDATED: 11:38, Thu, Feb 14, 2019

The way Blue the lurcher has been left in the lurch for the last 465 days is being highlighted today to show which dog breeds are most overlooked at animal rescue centres. Rhodesian ridgebacks, English bull terriers, American bulldogs and Staffies are the breeds that spend longest waiting to find a new home. Yet for poor Blue his marathon stay at a rehoming centre has left the RSPCA astounded.

Since he arrived at the RSPCA’s Suffolk East and Ipswich branch in November, 2017, when his owner was struggling to handle him, he has been overlooked by potential new owners more than 3,000 times, with one adoption failing at the last minute.

Manager at the rescue centre Zoe Barrett said: “If you want a dog to go and sit and have a cuddle with, all the staff here go and sit with Blue. He is a real favourite for all of us. We absolutely adore him and just want to see him settle into a long term home.”

As the RSPCA was making a case for Blue to be rehomed, it detailed the average times different breeds spend waiting at its rescue centres before being adopted.

Latest figures show Rhodesian ridgebacks have an average stay of 118 days followed by English bull terrier crosses, who wait 97 days, and American bulldogs with a 76 day wait.

Staffies, recently voted the nation’s best loved breed in an ITV poll, are the most frequently seen dogs arriving in RSPCA care and spend an average of 47 days in care before they are rehomed.

By comparison, smaller breeds are being snapped up by new owners. Toy poodles take on average only 10 days to find a home. Pugs wait two days longer while shih-tzus spend an average of two weeks before they have new owners

2 Comments

Helen Burton 2 years ago


I’m surprised to see that RRidgebacks stay so long in rescue ,I ‘ve very ra rely ever seen one when looking at the available rescue dogs,I must be looking at the wrong sites, or are they ridgeback crosses ? They have a rescue purely for ridgeback s and even then they usually
have a waiting list for them !!
Jayne 2 years ago


I am learning everyday Helen!