Adorable Glasgow Dogs Trust rescue dog finds a home in Kirkintilloch right in time for Christmas

A beautiful Boerboel dog who spent 449 days in Dogs Trust care has had his Christmas wish of a forever home come true. 

Three-year-old Toffee, who is as sweet as his name suggests, will spend this Christmas as a rather large part of the Dodds family in Kirkintilloch.  

When Toffee arrived at Dogs Trust Glasgow rehoming centre in December 2021, he was an anxious boy with little known about this past life including whether he had ever lived in a home before.  Toffee was unsure of both strangers and dogs and so began spending time with Dogs Trust Rehabilitation Trainer Rachael who used positive reinforcement training to help Toffee learn that new people and dogs aren’t so scary.   

Throughout his training, Toffee’s reactive behaviour began to change and with time and patience he flourished, allowing his true personality to shine. Toffee was muzzle trained as an extra precaution and was slowly introduced to new people as well as other dogs.

After months of hard work, he progressed to being able to run off-lead with his new doggy friends. He became more confident and just like a caterpillar metamorphosising into a butterfly, the unsure dog transformed into a bundle of fun with a mischievous streak, who never failed to put a smile on the face of his canine carers. 

One of Toffee’s comical party tricks - of tilting his head to the side when he hears his name – was the very thing that first attracted the Dodd’s to their soon-to-be new pet.  After spotting him on Dogs Trust Glasgow Instagram account they arranged a visit and fell in love with the cheeky boy who they say, “lights up a room”. 

The Dodd’s met with Toffee-pops, as he is now affectionately known, numerous times at the rehoming centre to build a relationship which then progressed to home visits and in March this year, staff bid an emotional farewell to Toffee as he went to his forever home. 

Speaking about Toffee, Christopher Dodds said: “All our previous dogs have been rescue dogs, so we were prepared for it to be a gradual process getting to know Toffee.  It’s a very rewarding experience and to anyone considering adopting a rescue dog we would say think seriously about what is involved, as it can be tough at times, but it is totally worth it.  Toffee has changed our life for the better and we love to celebrate the small things he achieves. 

“Toffee has a cheeky personality and he’s our best friend. He loves the sofa, where he gives the best cuddles, and he enjoys meeting new people now.  Everyone in the street says hello to him when we are out on walks. 

"Life with Toffee is organised chaos, but we wouldn’t want it any other way and he is without a doubt going to be spoiled this Christmas.” 

To see all the dogs currently waiting to be adopted at Dogs Trust Glasgow click here. To buy a Christmas gift for a rescue dog at the centre you can view their wish list Amazon.co.uk