Shih Tzu that shot to fame in Sussex has found a forever home

A diabetic Shih Tzu that captured the hearts of dog lovers across Sussex has finally found his forever home.
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Little Alfie had been at Dogs Trust Shoreham for more than 250 days, waiting for a new owner, when we put out an appeal.

A huge number of people across Sussex and beyond responded, taken by six-year-old Alfie’s cute face, his blue bandana and the heartbreaking story.

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Chris Barnard, assistant manager at the rehoming centre, said: “He was a firm favourite at the centre, having spent almost a year in our care.”

Alfie the Shih Tzu was at Dogs Trust Shoreham for months, much longer than usual for this popular breedAlfie the Shih Tzu was at Dogs Trust Shoreham for months, much longer than usual for this popular breed
Alfie the Shih Tzu was at Dogs Trust Shoreham for months, much longer than usual for this popular breed

The average wait time for this popular breed is 24 days, so people really felt for Alfie when our Dog of the Week appeal went live, and he soon found fame across our Sussex titles, meaning Dogs Trust Shoreham was overwhelmed with responses.

Due to Alfie’s diabetes and eye condition, staff at the Brighton Road centre needed to find a special family who could visit multiple times to get to know Alfie and his needs.

Howard and Georgina Cherry were the lucky couple and they have spoken about how they bonded with Alfie.

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Howard said: “We weren’t looking for a dog but I happened to be on the Dogs Trust website and spotted Alfie wearing his blue bandana.

Howard and Georgina Cherry were the lucky couple and they have spoken about how they bonded with AlfieHoward and Georgina Cherry were the lucky couple and they have spoken about how they bonded with Alfie
Howard and Georgina Cherry were the lucky couple and they have spoken about how they bonded with Alfie

“Having showed Georgina, she phoned to arrange a visit a couple of days later. Living an hour or so drive from the centre, we knew nothing about his celebrity status, so it all came out of the blue a couple of weeks later when Georgina googled him to show his video to a friend and found out more than she bargained for.

“We did have to think long and hard about whether we could match Alfie’s needs but he made it clear he felt we were right for him early on, climbing on to my lap on one of our early visits.”

Georgina said Alfie was shy when she first met him but after five or ten minutes, his bubbly personality came out.

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She added: “I found myself melting. The Dogs Trust staff were great at showing us how to administer his jabs to manage his diabetes and that reassured me that we would be able to manage his condition. By our third visit, Alfie was climbing on my knee and drooling in ecstasy during some very long tummy rubs.”

The couple were able to take Alfie home to Guildford just before the lockdown and he made himself at home very quickly.

Howard said: “He astounded us at how quickly he settled in – he was curled up on the sofa within five minutes. Since getting home, he’s been his usual self. Due to the diabetes, routine is key, and we’ve kept this the same as it was at the centre.

“He loves a nap on the bed after breakfast and can typically be found on the sofa or on the floor by our feet. If I go out, he’ll usually be found lying along the back of the sofa looking out of the window waiting for me to come back.”

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Alfie loves to explore, helping the couple to find lots of nearby places near their home that they had not previously known about.

Georgina said: “As a bonus, he’s getting fitter by the day and has mastered going up and down stairs. He’s not quite the dog we expected based on seeing him in kennels. He’s much livelier and likes to make friends with people, like the workmen opposite.

“Social distancing is much more fun with an Alfie and I’m looking forward to introducing him to the family once we’re allowed out. He’s not the greatest at video conferencing.”

Dogs Trust has almost 1,400 stray and abandoned dogs in its care.

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Chris said: “We are so glad that Alfie has finally gone to his forever home. Howard and Georgina really took the time to get to know Alfie, visiting the centre multiple times to work with our team on building trust and learning to administer his medication. We hope they will be a very happy family.”

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