A dog has been branded Britain's 'loneliest' after spending 901 days at a Greater Manchester shelter.
Eight-year-old lurcher Sam has been at Destitute Animal Shelter in Bolton since February 2017 waiting for his 'forever home'.
The adorable mutt is now its longest-serving resident.
Sam has been briefly re-homed three times. He was first rescued in 2014.
He made a return to the shelter on February 21, 2017, when his owner died six months after adopting him.
Sam has been there ever since.
Staff at the shelter, which is an independent charity, adore Sam. They they're desperate for the 'playful and gentle' pooch to find his new family.
Shelter manager Karen Rickards said: "Sam has been so unlucky, and it’s through no fault of his own.
"His last owner died in 2017 - which was his third brief attempt at being re-homed - he was there for six months and he’s been here ever since.
"It's never anything Sam's done, he's just constantly found himself in the wrong home at the wrong time.
"He's currently our longest-serving resident. And yet he's playful, gentle and absolutely loves people.
"We need to find someone who can take care of him. He deserves nothing less than an amazing home."
Destitute Animal Shelter, which only takes in strays and unwanted cats and dogs in its local area, is currently taking care of 12 cats and 20 dogs.
Seven-year-old Greyhound, Blake, who narrowly avoided death after being badly attacked by another dog last year, is also at the shelter.
"It’s a miracle Blake is still with us," Karen said.
“His owner took him to the vets and asked for him to be put down after he was attacked by another dog, as they couldn't afford the vet’s fees to patch him back up. His wounds were horrific.
“Thankfully the vet rang us and suggested that if they operated on him for free, we could take him in and re-home him. Of course, we said yes.
"Blake's fur grew back and the attack didn't seem to faze him too much. He recovered well and was adopted in October last year.
"But he was returned in April this year, as his new owner moved to a new home that didn't allow dogs.
"So, he's also still looking for a new home. He's a gentle giant, but he loves an energetic game of football!"
She added: "The sad thing is, 90 per cent of the animals are brought in by their owners who simply no longer want them.
"They either admit that or pretend they've just 'found' the animal. If you're not committed to caring for a dog in the long term, don't get one."
The shelter needs £180,000 per year to run and has been chosen by Bolton firm Love Energy Savings as their chosen charity partner.
For more information and details about the adoption process visit the shelter's Facebook page or call 01204 526 486.
