A happily ever after for Grovehill dog

THE lives of Averil and Will Sproule of Omagh were hurled into heart-ache in September 2021, when their elderly Jack Russell finally crossed the rainbow bridge.

And while they got 14-and-a-half years of joy and love, it was never going to be enough time with their beloved pet – an experience many pet-owners are familiar with.

All the love they once poured into precious pooch was now sitting idle – that is until the call came in from Janice at Grovehill Animal Trust, a charity which helps homeless animals across Omagh.

“Janice rang to tell us that a small dog had been straying around the refuge centre in Carrickmore,” began Will.

“She said that the dog appeared to have been abandoned, and was seeking food in the skip.”

So then, what was once a nameless and homeless dog, who had become known as ‘Skip’ – found itself safe in the welcoming arms of Grovehill.

Janice, in her expertise, then matched Skip with Averil and Will, who immediately fell hopelessly in love with him – renaming him ‘Finn’, after Will’s childhood dog.

Averil and Will, who also adopted a cat, Smokey, from Grovehill in the thick of the first lockdown, took Finn into their home on a three-day trial run.

And from the first moment Finn arrived in the couple’s Mountjoy home, he wasn’t budging – content and pleased with his new family.

“Once he got here for a day we knew he was never leaving again,” said Will.

“He just immediately fitted in, even sleeping in beside us in the bed.”

Smokey the cat enjoys keeping the rodents at bay and lives in perfect harmony with Finn, who loves to eat ice-cream and squirrel-watch.

And, as many dogs are within the home, Finn is spoiled rotten.

Each morning he has boiled egg for his breakfast, and has even stayed over at some of the most lavish hotels in the North.

Averil praised the work of both Grovehill as well as Corry and O’Hare for their first-class work within the community to ensure that all pets are safe, healthy and loved.