A runaway pooch has survived alone in a forest for three months after running off before meeting his forever family.
Aged only 20 months, the dog spent half that time in a cramped kennel at a slaughterhouse in Belarus.
Luckily, Fudge was rescued by an animal rights group and was brought to Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany.
A family from North Frisia wanted to adopt the dog, however, Fudge managed to escape during the handover.
The pooch disappeared into the nearby forest and spent three months zigzagging between northern Germany and Denmark, covering hundreds of miles in the process.
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Luckily for Fudge, he was being observed by volunteers of the animal rights group K-9 Tiersuche Nord with the support of another organisation in Denmark.
After three months of trying to capture the dog, he was eventually lured into a live trap in Denmark.
K-9 Tiersuche Nord spokesperson Stefan Bargmann, 59, said: “He was in good health and was well fed.
“We were told that he was always out and about in a Danish village where he was regularly fed, also helping himself to scraps from bins and food left out for hedgehogs.”
However, the family who tried to adopt Fudge no longer wanted to keep him after he escaped during the handover.
As a result, the dog is being kept at an animal shelter in Flensburg while they try to find him a new home.
Bargmann said the pooch’s tough start to life has left a mark on him: “Fudge is not only very nervous, he really panics when you walk towards him.”
Volunteers said he plays very well with other dogs, but they are working very hard to build up trust with humans.
Bargmann said: “Now we are looking for a person who can finally give him a safe home, someone who has experience with fearful dogs and a lot of patience.”
“He has never snapped at a person and is very friendly with other dogs.”
The shelter has stopped re-homing animals until January 3 to prevent families from thoughtlessly taking in a Christmas pet only to give it back a short time later.
They hope to find Fudge a forever home early in the new year.
