Meet Sunny

Sunny, a small Jack Russell cross, came into our Berkshire centre just over two months ago due to behavioural issues, derived from the fear of being touched.

As her tail wags with excitement, it’s clear there is fear that lurks behind her eyes. As we have got to know her, you can see that her want for love and affection is outweighed by the overpowering sense of anxiety and fear.

It became apparent when the staff would try to touch Sunny, she did not like this. Attempting to check her paws or put a harness on, brought this little dog such intense fear that instead of growling she would go shock-still with her entire body tensing, ready to fight in defence.

The team suspected her fear might be in response to pain, so they carried out numerous investigations with the help of a wonderful team of vets from Donnington Grove. It turned out that Sunny is in fact a very healthy little girl, as all the scans and blood work came back normal.

Sunny begins her journey at our centre

After getting the all-clear from the vet, it was time to investigate a little further with the help of a local dog trainer who regularly volunteers for the centre, enlisted by centre supervisor Taryn Beaumont. Taryn has said:

“It was clear to us, from staff interactions, that Sunny was completely terrified of being touched. Although my team had worked up to being able to get a harness on Sunny, she still wasn’t keen to let the team near her. After an initial assessment, our wonderful dog trainer concluded that it is likely Sunny has PTSD. It is suspected her terror at being touched comes from the worst reason of all; that she may have been beaten in her past.”

This absolutely devastated the staff, to think what this poor dog had been through. But it has also given them the determination to reassure Sunny that there are brighter days ahead.

Making progress

With lots of love, patience, and reassurance the team are delighted to announce that there has been some progress made. Sunny now allows the occasional touch but has found her greatest joy is just having the company of kind caring humans around her.

Taryn explained;

“Though she is frightened of being touched, the second anyone walks into the room, she breaks out into the most excited wiggle, which will just make your heart burst with happiness. Just having your company is everything to her. She loves when staff go in and sit on the sofa and watch her as she plays with her toys. She’s even jumped onto some of the team members laps, just to show off her fancy rope toy and how she plays with it!”

The staff at our Berkshire centre are hopeful that there is someone out there, who has the time and patience for Sunny to hopefully earn her trust. Taryn continues:

“She has an incredibly long journey ahead of her, but we know there is a perfect home out there for her! You may not be able to give her all the pets she deserves, but just by earning her trust, you mean the world to her, and your company gives her all the love and attention she could ever want. She’s such a special, lovely girl and we adore her so much. Dogs are just so compassionate and loving, even after everything they may have gone through. We hope we can find her an amazing home!”

We are appealing to help find Sunny the perfect home she deserves. All she needs now is a loving family with lots of patience and understanding. Sunny has so much love to give but her idea of affection is to simply enjoy your company, rather than being touched.

Could Sunny be the dog for you? Or perhaps you know of someone who is looking for a loving little companion. If so, then you can find out more about her here: https://www.nawt.org.uk/rehoming/dogs/d2900