After more than 1,800 days at Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, the UK’s ‘unluckiest dog’ has finally found his perfect match.

Star, a seven-and-a-half-year-old Staffie, has spent most of his life living at the rescue centre after being found by police, tied up behind a derelict building in July 2013.

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He showed signs of significant neglect, being greatly underweight and having nails so long they curled underneath the pad of his paw.

The Herald:

Over the years, the Home’s staff worked tirelessly to help Star recover from his physical ailments and heal his mental scars. While other animals came and went at the rescue centre, Star continued to be overlooked.

In February this year, the Home launched an urgent appeal to find Star’s special someone. Shared across social media, the appeal quickly went viral as media and celebrities promoted the search, including Hibernian FC player Marvin Bartley, who offered a personally-delivered Hibs shirt signed by the entire team to whoever took him home.

Many people came forward offering to take Star, however, they were not suitable due to his specific living requirements — a child and pet-free home. That was until Graeme Webb, a professional photographer from Hawick in the Scottish Borders, heard about Star’s appeal.

“After seeing Star on social media, and seeing he was still available after thousands and thousands of views, I thought to myself, ‘why is no one taking him?’, so I decided I’d go and see him for myself. When I saw how happy and friendly he was, I decided he was the one for me,” says Graeme.

Following several visits with Star, the Home’s kennel staff were convinced it was a perfect match and so the rehoming process began. The UK’s ‘unluckiest dog’ had finally found a family of his own.

“When he arrived ‘home’ he was a bit stressed, so that first night I slept on sofa and Star slept on his bed next to the sofa,” says Graeme. “Since then I've slept in my own bed and Star has claimed the sofa as his.

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“He settled in quite quickly really. After a few days, he was more relaxed, but he is still reactive to other dogs, so we've been avoiding them as much as possible.

"The only real issue I had was in my gallery where I have floor-to-ceiling windows. Star would react to dogs walking past and wouldn’t settle, so I bought some opaque window film and put it along the bottom of the windows. That instantly settled him down as he feels there is now a barrier between him and the other dogs.”

The Herald:

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home Director of Operations/Deputy to the CEO, Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine said: “Everyone at the Home couldn’t be happier that Star has finally found his forever family. To see the way he looks at his new dad with such trust and love makes the long search for Star worth it.”

“Star is an example of our team’s love, passion and dedication to not only caring for him and training him, but in also finding him a forever home — this is an organisational-wide movement. Our never-ending pursuit when there is hope for a home is something that continues to inspire and move me.

“Star has finally been given the loving home that he always deserved but our work continues on with the many other dogs who are still waiting and yearning for their new family to walk through our doors. While they continue to need us, we will never give up.”

For more information about rehoming a dog or cat from Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, please visit https://www.edch.org.uk/rehome-pet or visit 26 Seafield Road East, Edinburgh EH15 1EH.