A dog who earned the unfortunate distinction of becoming the longest resident of a north-east rescue kennels won’t have to go through another Christmas alone after he was finally adopted by a loving family.
Benny, a black and white crossbreed, had been at Mrs Murray’s Home for Stray Dogs and Cats for almost two years before he caught the eye of his new family.
He is now settling into a comfortable life with proud owner Alan Busson, his partner Carol and mother Dorothy at their home at Cushnie, near Alford.
Mr Busson said the family wanted a dog around the house to give his mum, who is almost 94, some company during the day and Benny had taken to his new role instantly.
He said: “Benny, who is now called Ben, has already fitted in perfectly to our family, and so far he has been behaving impeccably.
“He’s sort of a collie-spaniel cross, with the head of a collie and the body of a spaniel.
“We had been talking about it for ages and we finally decided to go for it. I thought that my mother would appreciate someone else to keep her company during the day apart from her carers, and so far Ben has been giving her loads to talk about and has provided her a lot of companionship.
“He was cowering in the back of the kennels when we picked him out, we really felt sorry for him because he had been stuck there for 18 months.
“He is such a great dog and has fitted into what is probably quite a complex household with lots of comings and goings.
“We thought we could give a dog a good home, and rest assured, Ben will not just be for Christmas.”
Marie Simpson, manager of the Aberdeen-based Mrs Murray’s centre, said Ben had come in for rehoming because of a one-off act of aggression.
She said: “He came to us after he bit his previous owner’s postman, but it was an isolated incident and he’s such a calm dog.
“We’re running a doggie-elf-a-day for the Christmas period by dressing up our dogs that need homes in elf hats and posting them on our Facebook page, and Benny was our first elf.
“He was one of the longest staying residents we’ve had at the home, and had been with us for almost two years. We were waiting on an owner that lived out in the country because he’s not suited to an urban environment.
“We are absolutely ecstatic that Benny finally has a new family to care for him, especially ahead of Christmas.”