401 days Hebe has been sitting in her kennel waiting for someone to “see her”. She is, by all accounts, one of the many “invisible dogs” that wait in every rescue across the country. Partly because of the way they look so many people have never known the true love or loyalty of a Staffie. And in Hebes case it’s doubly difficult because Hebe still carries the trauma of her past which makes her extremely nervous when faced with new people as she shakes hides away and becomes a submissive, trembling mess.
But once you can get past that obstacle, and it may take a little while, Hebe is one of the most loving, fun loving, sweet girls you could ever meet. Obviously we want to home Hebe responsibly, as we do with all our dogs, but as Hebe is classed as a restricted breed here in Ireland we need to ensure she is kept safe with a responsible owner at all times.
Hebe is looking for a quiet home without children, simply because of her shyness and fear right now that the noise and movement would be too much.
She needs a fully secure garden.
She needs to be the only dog in the home, not because Hebe has shown any aggressive behaviour towards another dog (in fact she loves a walk with her friends), to remove any obstacles that may cause Hebe to fail in those early days.
Unfortunately, due to her breed we are not allowed to place Hebe in council owned properties (that is their rule).
Hebe really has a lot of love, fun and loyalty to shows to those she knows and trusts.
Watch these videos and decide yourself whether she is deserving of a home like so many of her friends have found 
If you would like to apply to adopt Hebe, please complete a dog adoption application form.
In compliance with DAFM Legislation, the GalwaySPCA unique certificate number is GPT200022C.
Hebe’s Microchip can be provided on request.
July 2023
Hebe has been in our care for nearly 10 months. She was reported to us as a stray and arrived quite a traumatised girl. She is affectionately known at Heathlawn as “a tricky dog” which means she has more homing requirements than “less trickier” dogs, that move through our care quickly and who get an abundance of homing offers as soon as they hit our social media pages.
Hebe is extremely introverted in her kennel. She can usually be found huddled in her basket looking scared. She never welcomes us and it’s as though she is always expecting the worst to happen. However, when you put her harness on and step outside, Hebe transforms into somewhat of an extrovert with her tail wagging, bouncing and a big smile on her face. When you take her off lead to a paddock for some ball play, again, she looks and acts like a different dog. We see this sort of kennel behaviour quite often in nervous, trickier dogs. It’s as though they feel trapped and think they have no escape route, whilst in a contained area.
Hebe loves her walks up the road or adventures into town and has walked with other dogs, though she tends to get very excitable at times in their company. She has that staffie ability to go from zero to ten in a millisecond in her excitement.
Hebe has her “chosen human friends” at Heathlawn and enjoys her chats and cuddles with them in Pacos Den, on the sofa showing us that she can bond and love. Hebe still has a journey to go and we are really hoping that someone ,somewhere will be willing to give her the chance she needs to progress.
For now, at this stage of her journey, we are listing her requirements. That’s not to say with time, patience, routine and love, Hebe won’t be able to enjoy a totally different environment to the one we are searching for right now. Hebes greatest fear in life is people, so we are looking for a very quiet home with as few humans as possible in it.
*No children, as their sudden movements will be too much for her
*A rural or semi rural home with full fencing
*No other animals but possibilities of play dates as she progresses
A home who will understand that Hebe’s journey may take a long time and she may always have her “trickier” side. But she deserves to be loved, she deserves to have her chance.
Hebe is approximately 18/20 months old, is spayed, vaccinated and microchipped.
If you would like to apply to adopt Hebe, please complete a dog adoption application form.
In compliance with DAFM Legislation, the GalwaySPCA unique certificate number is GPT200022C.
Hebe’s Microchip can be provided on request.
