Staffordshire bull terrier Kali has been rehomed.
Poor Kali was covered in bloody wounds, bite marks and sores when she arrived in RSPCA care having been rescued from a dog fighting ring. Some of her physical scars can still be seen today, but her life couldn’t be more different.
Three-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier cross Kali was found cowering in a garden, in Hertfordshire, in March last year (2017). Vets who assessed her said her injuries were consistent with dog fighting.
The RSPCA’s special operations unit launched an investigation and Kali was taken in by the charity for treatment and TLC. She spent more than a year at RSPCA Block Fen Animal Centre, in Cambridgeshire, while her former owner was prosecuted for dog fighting and animal welfare offences and then it was time for her to find a home.
Georgina Arnold and boyfriend Owen Gray, from Yaxley in Cambridgeshire, had read about Kali’s story in the local newspaper before they started their search for a four-legged friend.
Georgina said: “I saw her story on the Cambs Times Facebook page and tagged my partner in it.
“A few months later, after we’d given it a lot of thought, we started looking for a dog. We went to the RSPCA centre to meet some dogs that we’d found online. We’d not originally gone to see Kali but when we met her we realised she was the dog we’d read about online.
“I was shocked she was still there, I don’t know why no one else had chosen her. But we took to her instantly. We’re really glad we found her!”
The couple collected Kali on Saturday (2 June) and staff were sad to see her go.
“It was quite emotional when we picked her up, all of the staff were so sad to see her go, but happy too,” Georgina said. “Everyone at the RSPCA was so helpful and so lovely. We wanted to rescue and the process has been so easy.”
Now, Kali is settling in well with the couple at home. She loves going on long walks and enjoys destroying her toys!
“We love her so much, we couldn’t be without her now,” Georgina said.
“I couldn’t believe it when I found out the life she’d had before. The whole experience for her must have been so frightening.
“She has scars and is missing teeth so she has been through a lot. But she is so kind, she is like a teddy bear, there’s not a bad bone in her body.
“I’m just glad that she’s safe now and she’ll never have to know fear or cruelty again. She’s going to be our only pet so she’ll get all the attention and love that she deserves.”
If you’d like to offer an RSPCA rescue dog a new home please visit www.rspca.org.uk/findapet.
To help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming dogs like Kali please donate by visiting www.rspca.org.uk/give.