MEET Louie - a four-year-old American bulldog who needs Globe readers' help in his search for a new home.
He has lived at Birkenhead Council Kennels since January, following the death of his owner and has become so stressed that he has begun to self-harm, chewing his own tail.
Staff are appealing to our readers to re-home him.
Sam Simpson, kennel manager, feeds Louie a treat this morning. Pictures: Craig Manning
He is due to be transferred into care of the RSPCA centre in Cross Lane today, with the hope of finding a new home.
Sam Simpson, kennel manager, told the Globe: “He was handed in as a stray on January 30, and we only found out a few days later that his owner had died.
“He spins, salivates, barks and tries to eat the floor, he has been on medication to help calm him but he is now on stronger medication.
“He has also started to chew the tip of his tail, through stress and boredom.
“He will not be re-homed with dogs or children, because he is so strong but he is a very well-natured dog, absolutely loves people and is very affectionate."
“The problem with is that he is quite fixated with toys.
“Although this a lovely aspect of his character, the danger is he could grab one out of a child’s hand and could end up hurting them, unintentionally.”
Louie has undergone extensive training with a behavioural therapist and has shown improvement, however experts at the kennels say that he needs to be in a home environment.
“He has had a lot of interest on Facebook, with people changing their profile picture to his."
Sam Simpson, kennel manager, feeds Louie a treat this morning.
“We’ve had a lot of potential new owners over the last few weeks. They come in and see him, but are not fully aware of how strong and big he is.
“He doesn’t cope with loneliness and would need somebody who was around for most of the day.
“He has been trained by an animal behaviourist and the new owner would need to ensure his training routine continues.”
You can contact Birkenhead Council Kennels by calling 0151 556 1220 or the RSPCA centre on 0151 638 6318.
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