'Britain's most unwanted dog' finally finds forever home after 'thousands of rejections'

Mason, an eight-year-old German Shepherd cross breed, was abandoned in 2019 and has since spent more than half of his life in kennels trying to find a loving new home

Ethan Blackshaw Deputy Publishing Lead (Mirror)

11:08, 25 Feb 2024

['Britain's most unwanted dog' finally finds forever home after five years in kennels]

Mason finally has a new home(Image: Shropshire Canine / SWNS)

A German Shepherd cross breed, known as 'Britain's most unwanted dog', has finally found a loving home after spending five years in kennels.

Eight-year-old Mason was turned down thousands of times by potential new owners after being abandoned in 2019.

He was discovered extremely skinny and wary before being rescued and given a second chance at Hilbrae Rescue Kennels, near Telford, Shrops.

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Since then, poor Mason has spent more than half his life in kennels, hoping to find a caring new home.

[Mason was turned down thousands of times by potential new owners ]

Mason was turned down thousands of times by potential new owners (Image: Shropshire Canine / SWNS)

An appeal to find him a new owner was restarted at the end of January and even caught the attention of Geordie Shore TV star Vicky Pattison. She joined the campaign in early February, sharing Mason's story with her 5.5 million followers on Instagram.

Following the coverage, the rescue kennels were flooded with calls from all over the country and even from Sweden. Hilbrae has now announced that Mason has finally found the loving new home he desperately needed after spending more than 1,800 days in kennels.

In a Facebook post, they said: "Our special boy Mason left for a new home after far too long here. His new owner has taken the trouble to visit and get to know him and hopefully they will have a happy life together."

[Mason has spent more than half his life in kennels]

Mason has spent more than half his life in kennels(Image: Shropshire Canine / SWNS)

Cheryl Gibson runs Shropshire Canine pet care services and works to raise the profile of dogs in rescue centres. She started the campaign to find Mason, one of Britain's loneliest dogs, a new family.

Cheryl said: "Mason is a very special boy and him bagging himself a loving home is so amazing. I'm ecstatic, as are all the volunteers and those who walked him throughout the years and know what a good boy he is.

"This just proves that no matter how long a dog has been in kennels, or how many times they're rejected, we should never give up on them and their happy ending."

Marty Burrell, who has looked after the kennels for 50 years, thought Mason wasn't getting picked because he's a big lad. She said: "He is a big dog but he is really affectionate when he learns to trust somebody. He just keeps being overlooked and now he's eight.

[Cheryl said: 'Mason is a very special boy and him bagging himself a loving home is so amazing.']

Cheryl said: 'Mason is a very special boy and him bagging himself a loving home is so amazing.'(Image: Shropshire Canine / SWNS)

"We find bigger dogs do get overlooked more but not to this extent. Smaller dogs can be rehomed in a week.

"It may be due to the cost of living or people having smaller houses - but poor Mason is still here.

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"He has a really loving nature. He is a big dog, but not a dangerous dog. He was very wary and distrustful at first but we have worked to gain his trust."

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