Azelia was a Pointer cross who was found in terrible condition tied to a post by a main road in mainland Greece. Heartbreakingly, the scars on her head showed that she been beaten and she needed surgery to deal with an infection caused by a bug in her ear. The assumption is that she had been bred for hunting and had been abandoned because she had no aptitude for it. Once Azelia was restored to health and fit to travel, Claire brought her to the UK, where she stayed initially in a foster home in Stockport.
Enter Vanessa, whose mixed-breed rescue dog had died at 18 years of age and left a huge gap in her life. A friend of Vanessa’s knew that she was ready to have another dog and was just waiting for the right one and mentioned this to her daughter, Amy, who trains and shows at Crufts and knows Claire. They both thought that Azelia and Vanessa would be ideal for each other and in April 2023 Vanessa went to meet her.
“She just melted my heart,” says Vanessa. “You couldn’t get anywhere near her. She was petrified, trembling, head tilting, falling to one side. I just wanted to bring her home there and then.
“Claire was fantastic when I spoke to her,” continues Vanessa. “She explained the process to me, Ruth’s history and arranged for all the information to be sent to me so that I could fill it in. It was quick and easy and I think it helped that Amy could vouch for me.
“When we collected her in May 2023, I renamed her Ruth. She cried in the car all the way back to my home. Once we were there she mostly cowered on the floor, but I gradually managed to put a collar on her, and then a harness so that I could slowly take her around the large garden and introduce her to her new world.
“Each day, I took Ruth on the lead around the garden and eventually she realised it was her space and she was safe. Slowly, I gained her trust and after a few months we started to go for walks around the estate but she was understandably so scared of cars. Luckily we can get to heathland and woods across the way every day where I can now let her off the lead to run, dance and play. She has the best time.
“Ruth decided that she likes to sleep with my best dressing gown, so now each night she’s wrapped up in it, cute as anything. She is just so happy and loves being with us.
“She’s great with my grandchildren, loves being by the fireplace (she feels the cold). When you talk to her she tilts her head as if she completely understands you. She’s filled my heart and I think that we saved each other. She goes almost everywhere with me. I’m lucky to have her and I’m grateful to have her in my life.”
Adopter: Vanessa Taylor