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Home plea for dog scared to go out

For man's best friend, the lure of the great outdoors can send even the stumpiest tail wagging in frenzied excitement.

But one timid dog is so petrified of what lurks outside her kennel that she rarely ever meets other dogs and their owners.

Staff at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home hope a televised appeal with Paul O'Grady will help the agoraphobic dog, named Whisper, find a new permanent place to live.

Battersea senior animal welfare assistant Karen Slavid has slowly built a rapport with the Staffordshire Bull Terrier by sitting quietly in the dog's kennel and feeding her.

Ms Slavid said: "Whisper is a gentle, loving, kind-natured dog, and she is going to make the most amazing pet for someone who has the time and patience to slowly build her trust and confidence.

"We know that she's going to need very understanding owners but more than anything we want her to enjoy a life outside kennels like any other dog. Whisper has had a terrible start to life and she really deserves a happy ending."

While most rescue dogs love going for walkies, Whisper will only leave her kennel once all the other dogs are in bed for the night and the staff and visitors have gone home. Only when the grounds are deserted for the day does she feel it is safe to venture outside.

Battersea staff have encountered all sorts of behaviours over the years but agoraphobic Whisper is one of the most extreme cases they have ever faced.

The six-year-old has been with Battersea staff since she was found cowering underneath a bush in Surrey in January. It is thought Whisper had been used as a breeding bitch before being brought to Battersea's Old Windsor Home as a stray.

Staff said Whisper's fear of the outdoors is probably a result of being kept in a shed or indoor cage.

Whisper's story is due to feature on ITV's Paul O'Grady: For The Love Of Dogs this Thursday at 8.30pm.
Full article and photo of lovely Whisper here...

http://www.sundaypost.com/news-views...o-out-1.601506

I do hope that the television programme helps Whisper to find her forever home.

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