RSPCA launches plea to find home for 'frightened' terrier living at Aylesbury Vale farm

The RSPCA has launched a new plea to find a home for a ‘frightened’ dog raised in ‘awful living conditions’, now recovering at an Aylesbury Vale farm.

Three year-old Butch, a fell terrier, came into RSPCA care in March 2022 after he was part of an investigation by inspectors who found him living in awful conditions and had only known life in a kennel.

It has meant he has found the world quite frightening, especially being indoors and new environments - but staff at the Blackberry Farm Animal Centre in Aylesbury have been working hard to build his confidence, the RSPCA reports.

Julie Allen, centre manager said: “Butch has the sweetest little face and it broke our heart to see how frightened of the world he was - because of his past experiences - while we can’t talk much about his history he has indeed had a really hard start to his life.

“Having only known life in an outside kennel - he found being indoors - confusing and frightening and we had to spend so much time reassuring him that he was safe and could trust us.

“What is lovely to see is that toys really bring Butch out of his shell and it's so heart-warming to see him play with them and be the dog he always should have been.

“He also loves to have a wander with all the different smells and is independent when out walking and he has started to relax in indoor areas around the site and in a home.”

RSPCA staff believe that Butch needs a home where adopters have previous experience with nervous dogs and know how to read dog body language.

Butch can be a little unsure of new people but has bonded with regular handlers and will now seek out a fuss, the RSPCA adds.

He also frequently spends a short amount of time in a staff member's home and has slowly started to show signs of being relaxed in the environment.

Butch, can become stressed with noises, so he must live in a quiet semi-rural location where he can be away from busy traffic and relax on walks, the RSPCA advises.

Interested parties are encouraged to contact the farm via email and attaching a completed application form, which can be accessed here.

Staff at the farm state that Butch loves to walk around with his friends as he benefits a lot from following what they are doing. Due to how much Butch relies on another dog, the centre is looking for a home with a female dog that can become his new friend and bring his confidence up.

The RSPCA is only looking to place Butch in a house with filled with people 16 and over. This is due to his trouble background, the charity also asks that he is placed in a home with no other pets, other than dogs.

Butch would bring so much love and a rewarding feeling to someone who can be patient with him to adjust, the RSPCA concludes.