A female dog rescued from Brent canal in London by two observant passers-by, now has a loving forever home.
When poodle crossbreed, Lilly, was spotted in the Grand Union canal in Brent this June, it was only thanks to the quick response of two observant passers-by, that she avoided drowning. Lilly was quickly taken by one of the caring dog lovers to the nearby Mayhew animal welfare charity for support and recovery.
After having been carefully and thoroughly cleaned and assessed by Mayhew vets, (who estimated her to be around eight years of age), Lilly was spayed, vaccinated, microchipped and also had her teeth scaled and polished.
However, as building Lilly’s confidence following her traumatic experience was deemed a key part of her overall treatment journey, the team at Mayhew felt she would benefit from living in a loving and peaceful home environment with an experienced and trusted foster carer.
As Merryn Walker, Mayhew Head of Kennels, Dog Adoptions and Fostering explains, “Lilly is one of those horror stories you read about. We were so shocked by her condition when she came into Mayhew after being rescued from the canal. She was covered in putrid, muddy canal water and was understandably very nervous and traumatised by her experience. We won’t ever know whether she ended up in the canal by accident or if she was thrown into the water. Either way, it was only thanks to the quick-thinking individuals who spotted her and contacted Mayhew that Lilly is alive today. The foster carer really helped re-build Lilly’s confidence so the sweet dog that was always there could come back to life again.”
“It was love at first sight”
Having received expert care from the Mayhew veterinary team and Animal Care staff, as well as support from the foster carer, Lilly made a slow but steady recovery from her distressing canal incident. Her confidence soon returned and when she became available for adoption, dog lover and Harrow resident Jessica Etherington, jumped at the opportunity of being able to give her a forever home.
As Jessica explains, “When I saw Lilly’s profile on the website it was love at first sight. She sounded like a loving and affectionate dog and my partner and I knew that we could give her the quiet and caring home that she deserved. When we heard about Lilly’s background, we couldn’t believe the sweet and sociable dog that we met at Mayhew’s foster carer’s home had been through something so shocking. It’s amazing how Mayhew and her foster carer have helped her to trust and grow in confidence. She is such a joy to have with us and makes us smile every day. She seems more confident all the time as she gets to know us and the area more, and she’s already queen of the sofa in our house! We love her so much and we’re so proud to be giving her a forever home.”
