Britain's loneliest dog finds happy home in Devon

A RESCUE pooch who was saved from a home with more than 200 other dogs finally has a family to call her own in Devon.

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 - and then she 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.

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.

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.

“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.”

People can visit the RSPCA’s Find A Pet page to see other animals across the country currently waiting for their perfect match, or support the charity’s work by donating to help animals like Sadie get the second chance they deserve.