THE TALE of a Lurcher at the Dogs Trust in Kenilworth could give The Curious Case of Benjamin Button a run for its money.
Peter was initially thought to be an older Patterdale Terrier, in need of some love and attention, when he was brought into the dog rehoming centre.
But after receiving care from staff, they discovered that Peter was not a fully grown adult Patterdale Terrier but was in fact a very young Lurcher puppy.
Peter suffers from a skin condition which left his skin flaky and dry, making him to look much older than a puppy, and more like an adult Patterdale Terrier. However, during his initial assessment at Dogs Trust, Peter displayed lots of puppy type behaviours and, following his initial health checks, staff discovered he had all of his puppy teeth in place.
Armed with this new information, the staff at Dogs Trust reassessed his age at just four months old.
After spending just over a year in the care of the Dogs Trust team, Peter no longer resembles an older dog, and instead looks like the handsome 18 month old Lurcher he really is.
He does still have his skin condition called Ichthyosis, also known as Fish Scale Disease, and while there isn’t a cure for this, it is controlled with medicated shampoos to keep him happy and comfortable, and it doesn’t seem to affect him day to day.
Peter is now searching for his forever home. He can live with children over the age of 12 who are confident around bouncy and boisterous dogs, and he would need to be the only pet in the home.
Rehoming centre manager Emma-Jane Thomas said: “You can imagine how surprised we were to find that Peter, who very much looked like an older dog, still had all his puppy teeth.
“Our team have worked their magic and turned back the hands of time with Peter – our very own Benjamin Button. He is now very clearly a young Lurcher, and is a beautiful, special boy – we all absolutely adore him here. He still has some very puppy like characteristics, but he’s making lots and lots of progress and is doing so well.
“He had a tricky start to life and has spent much of his puppyhood in kennels so needs a helping hand as he settles into his new home. Although he no longer resembles an old man, he will need ongoing support with his skin, and we’re all really hoping someone can look past his medical condition and see the beautiful boy we all love.”
For more information about Peter and the other dogs in the care of Dogs Trust Kenilworth visit www.dogstrust.org.uk/kenilworth
