AN over-excited pooch who spent more than a year in a shelter has shown that no dog should be given up on.

Young lurcher Virgil was living at Cheshire Dogs' Home as he was rehabilitated to stop biting from over-excitement.

Last month, after training and guidance, he was finally adopted and bid farewell to the Grappenhall-based shelter.

Virgil is now settling in well with his pack mate Flint, enjoying spending time with other dogs at the Dogs Country Club in Lowton every weekend.

Cheshire Dogs’ Home manager, Anna Stansfield, says: “Virgil is a living illustration of why we spend time and money working with many dogs with behavioural issues, including our weekly visits from a professional canine behaviourist.

"Virgil is a great character who just needed the right training and guidance to become ‘re-home-able’, and while some dogs are adoptable as soon as they’ve had their medical checks, we do get other dogs coming through our doors where it’s obvious that quite a bit of behavioural work is needed.

"Sometimes it doesn’t take much at all to get a dog ready for re-homing, but in other cases we can spend a lot of time and energy on them.

"In cases like Virgil’s, though, it’s easy to see why it’s worth it – he loves his new family, where he’s becoming a wonderful companion for both Flint and his human family.

"If we’ve got room for a dog, we take them in even if we know we’re going to have to spend a lot of time and resources on them.

"Just as we never gave up on Virgil, our staff, volunteers and behaviourist always try to work with dogs to solve their problems and give them a second chance in life.”