Lonely ‘giant puppy’ spends six months in Chichester rescue centre without finding a home

One-year-old Cane Corso Kodak came into the care of the RSPCA’s Mount Noddy Animal Centre, in Chichester, West Sussex, after being rescued by the charity’s inspectors.

He’s now spent six months patiently waiting at the centre - run by the RSPCA Sussex West Branch - to find his paw-fect match, but sadly he hasn’t had a single enquiry or rehoming application.

Manager Susan Botherway said: “Kodak is such a sweet lad who’s had a difficult start in life. He just needs someone to give him a chance and to show him what a loving home is really like.

“Sadly, for months, we haven’t had a single person contact us to enquire about him and the only applications we had when he first became available for rehoming were completely unsuitable.

“We’ve rehomed lots of animals but, day after day, Kodak waits by his kennel door hoping that it’ll be his chance to trot off to his happy ever after, his tail wagging. Sadly, that day still hasn’t come, and our hearts are all breaking for him.”

Kodak is a sweet and friendly boy who loves people once he gets to know them. But he can be anxious at first so the RSPCA is looking for experienced owners who can continue to work with him and improve his confidence.

Susan added: “Kodak has come on leaps and bounds since coming to us. He now walks nicely on the lead and is calm when he’s around other dogs, horses and livestock. He’s very clever and knows several commands, such as ‘sit’, ‘rollover’ and ‘wait’.

“He’s a youngster so he still gets a bit over-excited at times and can jump up so we feel he’d be best in an adult-only home or with a family with older children, as he is a big boy and, really, is still a giant puppy!

“He can be nervous around new people and will bark at strangers as well as unfamiliar noises so we think he’d be best in a quiet, rural home. He has sadly shown signs of separation anxiety so his new owners will need to slowly introduce him to time spent on his own.

“Kodak is a curious boy who loves to explore and really enjoys using his nose. He’s busy and is always on the go so can, at times, struggle to switch off. We think he’d really benefit from living with another dog.”

To find out more about Kodak, visit his online profile or email [email protected].

The charity will see a rise of animal cruelty over the summer months with 245 reports of cruelty every day. And with the increase in pet ownership and the cost of living crisis putting a strain on people’s finances, the charity fears that they may see more animals coming into their care at a time when rehoming has slowed.

RSPCA frontline teams are working hard to rescue animals in need this summer but need donations to help to Cancel Out Cruelty. To adopt a rescue animal, visit www.rspca.org.uk/findapet.

To help RSPCA Sussex West Branch continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals like Kodak please donate online.