Meet the stars of The Dog House
Find out more about the stars of the show and the humans who helped them along on their road to recovery. See updates from their new families on how they've settled in and how we gave them a second chance.
Duchess
Duchess's owners absolutely adored their eight dogs, but they were struggling to care for them all. As things started to spiral out of control, they contacted the Woodgreen team for help.
With so many dogs in one home, tensions were rising especially for this nine-year-old Basset Hound. She was so unhappy competing for attention and food that she had started to guard her toys from the other dogs she lived with. Our team spent lots of time supporting Duchess’s owners and offering advice on what they could do.
After some thought, they decided the kindest thing to do would be to hand a few dogs into our care, including Duchess. When Duchess arrived, she was utterly terrified. It was really heartbreaking for the team to see her shaking and growling.
One of our dog handlers, China, saw that Duchess needed a few days to settle in with a bed of her own and a bowl of food all to herself.
We gave her the space she needed to help her settle into a new place with so many sights, sounds and smells to get used to.
“We kept her world quite small to begin with. She had a couple of key handlers including me to build her trust. And after a few days, she warmed up and we slowly introduced her to more people.”
Our brilliant veterinary team booked her in for surgery at once
If her nerves weren’t enough to contend with, poor Duchess also suffered from ‘cherry eye’, an inflamed gland in the eyelid. It appears as a very sore red lump poking out of the eye. We took her to see our amazing Veterinary team who immediately booked her in for a delicate procedure to tuck the lump under and stitch it in place.
We watched over her for the next couple of days; giving her some antibiotics and eye drops, China was also on hand with plenty of treats to keep her spirits up. Soon enough, her eye was completely mended and it seemed to give her a bit more confidence. She really started to come out of her shell, revealing her royal self!
Looking for a home fit for a Duchess
Duchess was a very sweet old girl, full of character and personality who everyone loved, especially China. Basset Hounds were born to use their nose and always look for new scents. Duchess is the perfect example of the breed with a sassy twist. You couldn’t tell Duchess what to do, she enjoyed taking her time on walks and once she stopped for a sniff, you were there for a while. “You don’t own a Basset Hound, they own you,” China says.
An older lady, Duchess longed for a blissful retirement where she could be the centre of someone’s world. She needed owners with lots of patience who could match her relaxed pace of life and potter around with her.
Duchess made her royal appearance on The Dog House where she first met retiree and successful businesswoman, June, in the meeting pen. June was looking for a loyal companion to do everything with her, but she thought Duchess was too big to be the lapdog she was looking for.
Finally, a forever home for this beautiful girl
Sometime later and after another unsuccessful match for beautiful Duchess, along came Jane and Alan. They were on the search for a four-legged friend who could slot seamlessly into their lives. Jane wanted a fur baby to love and take care of as they started their well-earned retirement years.
Alan is registered blind and can only see what’s directly in his line of sight, so they needed a dog that he could keep track of. The couple were really disappointed when their first match was too energetic for them, but Duchess was just the ticket!
Jane and Alan welcomed Duchess into their home where she immediately fit in.
“Duchess is settling in beautifully. She plays with her many squeaky toys, loves her walks and snores loudly when she snuggles up with us to sleep. Our life has definitely improved since we adopted Duchess, and we can't imagine being without her now.”
Thank you to our supporters
We’re delighted that our golden girl Duchess has found such a wonderful couple to retire with.
When one of our pets finds that perfect home it’s one of the most wonderful feelings in the world.
But the time it takes to mend dogs like Duchess, both physically and emotionally, when they arrive here at Woodgreen is only possible thanks to our supporters.
Thank you to everyone who supports pets at Woodgreen – you’re all miracle makers to us.
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Get your paws on a copy of The Dog House book!
The book goes beyond the scope of the stories told in the TV programme, giving real insight into the impact the dogs have made to family's from the show and stories from Woodgreen staff members.