Rachel is a very scared girl who has come to us from a breeder. She is understandably overwhelmed by her new surroundings and clearly hasn’t had much socialisation before. However, since being with us, she has slowly started to show small signs of progress as she begins to realise she is safe. Although she still finds being handled very frightening, we are beginning to see small but meaningful improvements in her trust. She is looking for a home with adopters experienced with traumatised ex-breeding dogs who can provide the reassurance and stability she needs to continue building her confidence and learning about trust and kindness.

She will need an adult-only home that can offer a calm and predictable environment where she can take things at her own pace. Rachel will also need at least one kind and confident resident dog to help guide her and provide comfort, as she can still become easily overwhelmed. She takes great reassurance from the presence of other dogs and shares everything beautifully with her kennel companions.

Rachel has never lived in a home before, so she will need very patient and understanding adopters while she learns about house training, walking on a lead and accepting gentle handling. She follows a daily routine beautifully, happily running out to the exercise yards and returning to her kennel when it is time to come back in. She is not currently 100% kennel clean, but we are confident that she is likely to take to toilet training very well in a home, as she toilets almost immediately when she goes out into the yard. Her adopters will simply need to give her plenty of opportunities to go outside while she learns the new routine.

The big wide world still feels quite scary for Rachel, but she is beginning to show curiosity in safe environments, and gentle time in the garden will be a great way to help her slowly explore and build confidence. She is not yet cat tested, but we feel cats are unlikely to be an issue for her, although this would need to be assessed appropriately.

Rachel is only acting out of fear, but we are continuing to see glimpses of a softer side as she begins to relax in familiar surroundings. Although she still tries her best to avoid being touched and may attempt to bite when she feels frightened, her reactions are already less severe than when she first arrived. She still has the potential to bite if she feels backed into a corner, specifically when she is being picked up or handled, so it is imperative that her adopters fully understand her behaviour and are confident managing her needs.

Recently, Rachel needed to have her thick coat clipped during the warm weather, which unfortunately had to be done under sedation as she is not yet ready to be groomed. Despite how frightening this experience must have been for her, she coped far better than we ever expected, allowing herself to be carried to the vets and held for her injection once she was safely in our arms. We couldn't have been prouder of how brave she was. As her coat grows back, we will continue gently introducing her to grooming so she can slowly learn that being brushed doesn't have to be scary.

Rachel has so much potential and, with time, patience and kindness, we truly believe she will continue to make progress and learn that she is safe and loved. She really is an easy dog to care for in every other aspect – she is wonderful with other dogs, thrives on routine and never puts a paw wrong. She just needs a truly understanding home where she can continue building on the trust she has started to develop and finally blossom into the dog she is meant to be.

Rachel came to us with a pea-sized cyst on her shoulder, which was removed at the time of her spay.

Rachel has been given the Gift of Life by Tracy Davidson

Can live with other dogs

This dog can be homed with a resident dog.