A dog that spent 461 days at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and was one of the charity’s longest stay dogs has found her forever home with a family from Waltham Cross.

Two-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier Cleo arrived at Battersea in September 2010 after her owner had bought her on Gumtree and could no longer look after her. The average length of stay for a Staffie at Battersea is 63 days and the team at Battersea were completely baffled as to why Cleo had been continually overlooked by potential new owners.

Cleo gained many admirers at Battersea and met the Minister for Animal Welfare, Lord Taylor, the comedian Bill Bailey, and even won the heart of international supermodel David Gandy on their visits to the Home.

However the day of her dreams came on 24 December when the Gibson family gave her the second chance in life in a happy home which she had been waiting so patiently for.

Tracy saw Cleo on the Battersea website and immediately knew that she was the dog for her family. They came to Battersea specifically to meet Cleo and were thrilled to find out they were likely to be a perfect match. Cleo, who has been renamed Cara, can now look forward to a life of long walks in the woods, trips to the countryside which surrounds her new home and holidays with her new owners.

Tracy Gibson said: “We fell in love with Cara as soon as we saw that sweet, mischievous face of hers. As she’d been in Battersea for such a long time, we wanted to offer her the chance of a fresh start and a new life in the country. All the staff and volunteers came along to bid us farewell so she’s obviously been much loved here. Cara is a very calm and chilled out girl who just loves to snuggle up on the sofa and get all cosy.”

The Gibson family had previously owned a rescue dog, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Keira, who had sadly passed away recently.

Tracy added: “I would definitely recommend rehoming a Staffie or Staffie cross to anyone who thinks they can take on a pet. They are the most lovable, affectionate, loyal family dogs you could ever meet.”

Carly Perry, Battersea’s rehoming coordinator, said: “It was just wonderful and a bit emotional for the team at Battersea to finally see Cleo get the loving home she really deserved. It will always be a mystery as to why she was in our kennels for so long when she has everything it takes to be a wonderful family pet. We hope that Cleo will have lots of happy times together in years to come with her new family.”

If you think you could give a home to one of the hundreds of dogs and cats currently in Battersea’s care, log onto www.battersea.org.uk or call the rehoming team on 020 7627 9234.

Based on information supplied by .