AssetID: 56081397
Headline: Britain's 'loneliest dog' finds a home after three year wait
Caption: **VIDEO AVAILABLE: CONTACT INFO@COVERMG.COM TO RECEIVE** BY MARK WORGAN Britain’s loneliest dog has finally found a home - and it’s all thanks to TikTok. Sweet Collie cross Sadie was rescued by the RSPCA from a large-scale hoarding situation, where around 200 dogs were living in unsuitable conditions, in outdoor compounds with little socialisation. She then spent years watching hundreds of other dogs come and go while she waited patiently for a home of her own. After initially being up for rehoming at the RSPCA Cornwall Branch from September 2023, Sadie moved to the RSPCA Brighton & Heart of Sussex Branch in Patcham, Sussex, in April 2024. But gentle Sadie couldn’t be rehomed straight away due to legal processes, followed by her recovery and rehabilitation journey - and while many dogs came and went, she was sadly left waiting. In a desperate attempt to showcase her sweet nature as she approached 1,000 days in kennels, staff at the Brighton branch started a mission to make the pooch a TikTok star, posting a video of her a day to the social channel to help her find the special home she needed. And finally, on day 83, Mabel Edge stumbled across Sadie after a colleague shared a video of the sweet pooch. Mabel, 51, from Westward Ho! in Devon, said: “When I first saw the clips of her, I was taken by how sweet she seemed and couldn’t believe she’d been waiting for a home for so long. I found myself checking back in every day to see what she’d been up to, and said to my partner Al how sad it was that nobody wanted her. And then he said, well why don’t we go and look at her?” The couple hadn’t been looking for a dog, having sadly lost their previous rescue dog last year - but they knew their own background of rescue dogs and their rural life in Devon meant they could give Sadie the calm, patient home she needed. They drove down from Devon to Brighton to meet Sadie twice, spending time with her on four occasions before bringing her home. Mabel added: “We knew from speaking to the staff at the branch that Sadie would need patience and understanding, because of her difficult past - but we thought she’d be a lot worse. After a couple of visits with us, we could see her slowly letting her guard down and she was just so sweet. “We knew it wouldn’t be easy and we would need to work with Sadie, but we knew we could give her something better than what she had in kennels. “We were worried about how she’d be on the long journey, and we had a crate and bed set up for her in the back of our campervan - but she decided to sit up in the front with us in the footwell, and from that moment it was like she’d been in our lives forever.” As Sadie had never lived in a home before, the couple committed themselves to basics like toilet training, which she quickly picked up - and now, six months on, Sadie has settled perfectly into family life, enjoying cuddles, treats and adventures with her new paw-rents in the van. Mabel said: “She can be a bit of an anxious bunny, which is understandable given her tough start in life and long time in kennels. She likes to know where Al and I are all the time, and when she first came home she spent a lot of time scanning her surroundings for danger and was often on high alert. “But as time has gone on, we can see her learning to relax and learn that she is safe with us. “She’ll sprawl on the bed with us in the morning, and when the alarm goes off she nudges us for strokes - she’s so affectionate and has this absolute desire to love and be loved. “Living so close to a three-mile long beach, she gets lots of lovely calm, quiet walks often without many other people around, and she loves playing on the beach at sunset.” The couple have been working with a dog trainer to help Sadie overcome some of the fears left by her past - she can still be reactive when she sees other dogs, even from a distance - but Mabel says these moments are only a tiny part of their lives together. She added: “If you put it into perspective, it’s four or five minutes of reactivity or anxiety on an hour-long walk, and the rest of the 24 hours of the day are amazing - she’s a joy to have around. She can even come with us to cafes and pubs now and is happy to chill by our feet, something we weren’t sure we’d be able to do with her. “Sadie is quite an extreme case of some of the behaviours you might see in a rescue dog - but she’s already come so far with us. “For the most part, dogs need a stable home, commitment and love, and what a loving family can offer will always be better than what they get in kennels - staff there are amazing and give the dogs so much love, but ultimately a home is the best place for a dog to be.” Sadie’s happy ending comes as the RSPCA warns that rising levels of multi-animal cases are putting unprecedented pressure on its teams and volunteers across England and Wales - with 3,280 multi-animal cases reported across England and Wales already this year - an average of 410 incidents each month. In 2025 RSPCA frontline officers responded to more than 4,200 incidents involving 10 or more animals at a single address - nearly 12 every single day and 355 a month. These incidents involved 88,000 animals including dogs, cats, small pets, horses and exotic animals and 75 of those cases involved more than 100 animals - more than one every single week. And often, due to their difficult backgrounds, some of these animals will take longer to rehabilitate and rehome, and will need extra-special owners who are patient, understanding and prepared to take on additional training needs. “You need to be prepared for six to nine months of settling in, and understand that it may take dogs a while to trust you as they get used to a new environment. But it’s definitely worth it,” added Mabel. “Sadie is a beautiful dog, so loving and sweet - she brings a completely new dynamic to our house. Yes, there’s a lot of dirt and hairs now - but also so much joy and connection. “She gives us the opportunity to pause and enjoy the small things, to get out and spend time with her and with each other instead of being buried in work and life admin, and to have different conversations. Rescuing her really is the best decision we could have made.” Jenny Eden, manager at the RSPCA Brighton Branch, added: “Sadie sadly spent a long time with us - it really felt like she was Britain’s loneliest dog. “My team worked so hard bit by bit over months to build her confidence and help her learn to trust people. Then we really needed to find someone with the patience to give her a chance. TikTok helped us showcase her personality with people she knew, so it gave us a real opportunity to show the gorgeous girl she really is. “Sadie is a sweet, affectionate dog who just wanted to be loved, and we’re so glad she’s found that with Mabel and Al. “We’re thrilled Sadie is doing so well with them, and it’s wonderful to hear how much she is growing in confidence each day - knowing she’s out there living her best life brings us so much happiness, and outcomes like hers make all the hard work we do worthwhile.” Every October, the RSPCA dedicates an entire month to raising awareness of the amazing animals who are looking for homes in the charity’s centres and branches - dubbed “Adoptober” - after being rescued from heartbreaking cruelty and neglect. This Adoptober the RSPCA has partnered with inspiring vet care who are working in partnership with the charity to help improve animal welfare and pet rehoming across England and Wales. Their support is improving the charity’s rehoming service and helping spread the word further about their special animals, to help find them homes more quickly.
Keywords: feature, photo, sadie, rspca, dogs, animals, pets
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