The Dog House stars open up on heartbreaking reason for adopting ‘Harder to say goodbye

The Dog House: Stray dog with leg injury is named Manwell

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Channel 4 viewers tune in each week to The Dog House to see canines from Wood Green Animal Shelters in Cambridge get matched with loving new owners. In a recent instalment of the heartwarming show, Natasha and her son Jacob adopted a timid chihuahua cross called Wingnut who they later renamed Raffy. Natasha has now opened up on the moving reason she wanted to give the tiny hound a new home. 

Natasha and Jacob featured on a recent episode of The Dog House which documented their adoption journey with Raffy. 

The duo had always fostered dogs, but they had their hearts set on adopting a pooch. 

Natasha wanted to rescue a small dog, but Jacob initially wanted to take on a larger breed like a Siberian Husky.

During their episode of the Channel 4 show, they were introduced to a black longhaired chihuahua cross who was named Wingnut due to the size of his large ears. 

Despite Jacob’s reservations, he soon warmed to the petite pooch and they both decided to adopt him.

In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, Natasha and Jacob detailed how Raffy has settled into their home.

Reflecting on why she contacted the shelter, Natasha said: “I phoned up the centre to get a dog because we have been fostering dogs and it’s getting harder to say goodbye. 

“I was actually looking around various charities and I was always going to get a rescue, I knew that from the start.”

The mum-of-one said she signed up to Wood Green Animal Shelters and a member of staff later got in touch and matched her with Raffy.

Speaking about her experience with dogs, she said: “I have always wanted a dog and I’ve always grown up around dogs and so has Jacob. 

“We have been helping friends out with their dogs and then we started fostering.”

Ahead of appearing on The Dog House, Natasha was caring for two Jack Russells. 

She explained: “We knew they were our dogs, deep down, and they should have stayed but actually, we got them rehomed and we found them a gorgeous family. 

“But we broke down actually when we said goodbye to those dogs. 

“We broke down and for months afterwards we were thinking about [rescuing] and I reached out to my landlord and said, ‘Look we have been here a long time now, what do you think?’”

Luckily the landlord agreed they could own a dog which left the pair thrilled. 

“Even growing up we’ve [looked after] dogs who had come from dangerous homes or been mistreated or abandoned and we’ve always been surrounded by these dogs who had come from these troubled backgrounds,” Natasha exclaimed.

She said she felt rescuing a dog permanently was the “right thing to do” for her and Jacob. 

“I didn’t want to go to a breed, no disrespect, but I didn’t feel comfortable paying for a breed when there are so many special loving animals out there,” she added. 

The Dog House continues Thursdays on Channel 4 at 8pm. 

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