A dog who was first rescued as a stray, has now been approved as a Pets At Therapy Dog to work with foster children.
Luna will be helping to give hope to children who had a difficult start to life just like she did.
She was rescued by 24-year-old Owain Groves and his partner Eleanor from Cardiff Dogs Home two years ago.
She had first been found in a sorry state – was 10kg underweight on the streets and Cardiff Dogs Home had to work hard to help her put weight on.
When Owain and his partner Eleanor adopted her, she was friendly and desperate to please, but unsure how to navigate everyday situations.
Owain told TeamDogs : “She has always been a very friendly dog, but didn’t know how to react around new people and jumped about 3ft in the air to try and say hello.
“She would become overwhelmed very easily and sprint around the house in excitement.”
Luna had never lived in a home before, so Owain had to carry her up the stairs as she’d never encountered them before.
He said: “She’s now 30kg so that was quite a challenge!”
Now, Luna is incredibly loving and her favourite thing is curling up on the sofa with her head on Owain and Eleanor’s laps.
Owain, who is an assistant psychologist for the NHS and works with people he felt could benefit from a friendly therapy dog like Luna.
“She adores meeting new people, and that’s a big part of why I chose to have her assessed as a therapy dog.
“Luna is fantastic with adults and children of all ages, and greets everyone with a waggy tail and lots of cuddles.
“My goal is to work with children in the foster care system, as I feel they would be able to relate to her difficult past.
“I feel that this would provide children with hope that things do get better and that their past doesn’t define who they are or what they can achieve.”
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Luna has now been approved as a PAT (Pets As Therapy) dog and Owain is finalising the paperwork before taking her out into the community.
“Rescue dogs are often very loving, caring dogs; they might not have had the best start to life, but with a little patience, understanding and love, you can be part of rewriting their future,” said Owain.
Source: Wales Online
