Gwen
Although Gwen is not the first dog on the Trust's records she is one of the very reasons why the Trust was formed, and is typical of so many dogs that are desperate to have a good home and to be loved.
We had so many rescue dogs at Mainline in 2006 that we had to make the decision to 'close the doors' and not take in any more dogs until some of our Golden Oldies had passed on leaving us with some more kennel space. At that time we had neither the kennelling nor the resources to keep on taking dogs in.

Shortly after that decision had been made we were contacted by a vet to ask us if we would take Gwen. She had been taken in to be 'put to sleep' but as she was only six years old they has sought permission from the owner to try and find her a home. We couldn't take her in but we had recently met John and Jacqui Nicol who were willing to foster a rescue dog until a home could be found. So Gwen was spared and in the winter of 2006 she went to live with John and Jacqui. It is not an easy task taking on a foster dog but they did a sterling job with Gwen and six months later she went to her new and, we hoped, permanent home. However it was not to be. Gwen's new owner had other dogs, one of which was a male that was inclined to be aggressive, Gwen was no shrinking violet and was more than capable of sticking up for herself but the situation became intolerable and six months after she had been adopted and in the first official month of the Trust Gwen was brought back into our care. The Trust had been formed because of Gwen and dogs like her and suddenly there she was, one of the reasons and then one of the residents.
During the following weeks it became apparent that Gwen's sight was not very good, but apart from that her health was excellent and she loved running around the farm. She specialised in 'big hugs' and would have dearly loved to have moved into the house, that wasn't an option but she had permanent sanctuary with the Trust for as long as it was needed. Gwen was on the Trust website and in FoS for quite some time, and fate must have decreed that Gwen had to bide her time and be patient while she waited for the phone call that was to change her life. She is now in absolute heaven with a lovely young couple who have given her exactly what she would have had on her wish list. She has a cosy rug to lie on and a warm fire to lie beside, she even shares her life with cat (at one time a definite 'no'). She is taken on a variety of walks and I have it on good authority that she is popular at the local pub! But above all her new family accept her problem with her sight and cater for it, they have a routine for her and everything around her is familiar so if her sight does deteriorate she will be able to adapt with few problems.
So Gwen is one of the Trust's 'founder' dogs and one that that now has a wonderful home and I'm sure she'd be the first to say it was well worth the wait.
For more information on the Trust visit
www.fostbc.org.uk