Although his cute and cuddly disposition could melt a heart of stone, Aidan is the longest serving canine resident at Battersea Dogs Home. A record no good boy wants to break.
‘An affectionate, soppy boy’ – he has been described as ‘the perfect partner for a Netflix binge’ – the seven-year-old mongrel is still waiting for his forever home, after having spent six hundred days at Battersea.
During his long, lonely time at the shelter, poor Aidan has seen 3,714 other dogs find families, with the average stay at Battersea being just 35 days.
Gentle Aidan was first brought to Battersea after he was spotted wandering the streets of Woking all by himself, with no family to give him some much needed cuddles or wrap him in his preferred fleecy blanket.
Battersea doesn’t know what Aidan’s story was before he came to them, however he is known to become a bit ‘worried and insecure’ when facing new situations.
Aidan will therefore need to live within a very understanding home, where his owners will have the time and patience needed to build up his confidence.
Centre Manager at Battersea Old Windsor, Kaye Mughal, said:
Aidan is such an affectionate, soppy boy who loves nothing more than a cuddle on the sofa under a fluffy blanket.
It’s heart-breaking that, while 3,714 of his doggy friends have found homes, he’s still waiting to find a family.
Aidan found kennel life to be pretty stressful, and is currently spending some time away in a foster home, where he has been fully house trained.
After taking a bit of time to adjust, Aidan has grown in confidence, and is quite happy to be left alone for a couple of hours.
Kaye added:
Although his confidence has grown since being on foster, he’s still looking for that special someone who is willing to show him some love and understanding. He’s crossing his paws that someone who’s willing to take the time to show him how to become a more confident dog, will come forward.
Aidan is such a special and unique boy that he’ll need an equally special owner. Although we haven’t found them yet, we know they’re out there somewhere.
There is no time limit that a dog can stay in Battersea’s care for, and we will continue to look after Aidan until the perfect home can be found for him.
Said to be a highly ‘expressive’ and ‘clever’ dog, Aidan can become a wee bit vocal when he is stressed or excited, as indeed many of us can.
Communications Officer at Battersea, Sarah Copleston, told UNILAD:
Aidan is a really special boy who loves the sound of his own voice, and becomes more vocal at times of stress or excitement. This is a habit that is quite established for Aidan, and he is looking for owners who are not put off by this.
We think that Aidan hasn’t found an owner yet as he’s looking for someone who is willing to go at Aidan’s pace and take things slowly with him to build up his confidence.
Aidan loves a fuss and attention, and loves a cuddle on the sofa with a fluffy blanket- the perfect partner for a Netflix binge! He also has a favourite sausage dog toy and has insisted on being rehomed with it!
Aidan sounds like he would bring so much love and happiness to the right home, repaying a patient owner tenfold with his big, beautiful grin and the ‘comical wrinkly face’ he pulls when getting a well-deserved neck scratch.
Do you have room in your heart for a special boy and his beloved sausage dog toy? Find out more about about this precious, overlooked pooch here.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via story@unilad.com
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.