A dog who spent almost half his life living in kennels has found a new home thanks to a family from Essex.
Scooby was taken in by Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in October 2011 and ended up spending 263 days in the charity's care, which is six times the average stay for dogs.
Sandra Rayner, who has given Scooby a new home, said: "Scooby is such a lovely dog and he's settled in so well - it's like we've always had him.
"He's so much fun and is great with everyone. We really can't believe our luck and can't understand why no-one else wanted him!"
She added that taking on Scooby from Battersea has been extremely rewarding and the family cannot imagine their life without him.
Philip Heron, operations manager at the charity, explained that Scooby found it difficult living in kennels so spent some of the time in a foster home.
He said it is sad when dogs end up living at Battersea for so long, but the wait for a new home has paid off.
