Harlow: At Least One Murray's A Winner

27th January 2012, 14:39

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A stray puppy named after Andy Murray has been rehomed with an Essex family after waiting in kennels for more than 200 days.

Murray the Staffordshire Bull Terrier arrived at the Brands Hatch branch of London-based animal charity Battersea Dogs & Cats Home after being found as a stray in Bexley with his sister Martina.

The four-month-old puppies arrived in June last year when the Wimbledon Championships were in full swing and staff named them after top players Andy Murray and Martina Navratilova.

While Martina found a home after just 23 days, Murray had to wait for 217 days - the equivalent of four dog years. The average stay for a Staffordshire Bull Terrier is 63 days, but there is no time limit on how long they can stay at Battersea.

Murray is now 11 months old, and earlier this month he went to live with Anita Bailey and her partner Barry in Harlow.

Anita saw Murray on the Battersea website and made a 90-mile round trip to meet him. She said: "There was instant chemistry when we met him and there was no question that he was the dog for us. Our last Staffie passed away in September and we really missed him, but Murray has made our family complete again."

Battersea Brands Hatch rehoming and welfare manager, Michelle Bevan, said: "Murray is a very confident and inquisitive dog but when he arrived with us he hadn't had much training. We did a lot of training with him and I fostered him for three months, and he has blossomed into a lovely lad. We know he will really enjoy learning more with Anita and Barry and we're so pleased he will now have a happy life with them in Harlow."

Anita is now encouraging more people to visit Battersea Brands Hatch and think about rehoming a Staffie. She said: "We love Staffies, and if we had a bigger house we'd have more. They are loyal and have such great characters, and I have never known a Staffie with an unkind nature."