Meet Zen, the lovable dog who's looking for a home in Milton Keynes after spending his entire life in kennels

A special appeal has been put out by the RSPCA for local people to consider adopting a loveable giant of a dog called Zen.

Sweet Zen was born in the charity’s kennels in 2021 and this week is nearing the heartbreaking milestone of 650 days in RSPCA care.

His mum was part of an RSPCA cruelty case and ongoing legal proceeding meant he could not be put up for rehoming for a year, until November 2022.

He has spent his time at the RSPCA’s Blackberry Farm rescue centre in Aylesbury, where staff and volunteers have doted on him.

They have done all they can to find him a new home - even giving him a name change (from Blitzen) in the hope it might spark some interest.

Even his party trick – sleeping on his back with all four legs in the air – has failed to make him stand out from the crowd.

Blackberry Farm centre manager Julie Allen said: “Poor Zen - we can’t understand why such a beautiful happy little boy has not found his perfect home yet.

“It breaks our hearts when we see him in our kennels and the days and weeks go by but he still gets overlooked.

“We have highlighted him lots of times on our Facebook pages - but to no avail - but we know that somewhere out there there will be a family who would be the perfect fit for Zen.

Julie added: “While we all love him and he’s such a pleasure to be around - him going off to his perfect new home is the ending we all want for him.

“We are urging people to consider adopting Zen or if not please share his story far and wide so that we can help find his new family.”

Zen is described as a loving boy who is full of beans. He is very affectionate and likes to jump up and lean against your arms for a good cuddle.

He is always on the go and will need a lot of mental stimulation to keep his mind occupied. Despite all of his energy, Zen does enjoy some peaceful downtime and can often be found laying on his back in his outrun with all four legs in the air.He is looking for adopters who have experience with large breeds and are confident handling big, strong cheeky dogs!Adopters will need to be around the majority of the day so they can build up time he is to be left on his own.

Zen can live with children over the age of 16 or over. He will need to be muzzled when out on walks due to his prey drive, but he is a really friendly boy so it would just be for safety reasons.Zen must also be an only dog as he can become frustrated when meeting dogs. This will be discussed in more detail with potential adopters. He cannot live with cats or small animals.If you can offer Zen a forever home, send your application form in to [email protected].