A DOG which was due to be euthanised on Christmas Eve before a rescue charity stepped in with just an hour to spare is once again looking for a new home.

Dutch shepherd Maisie first came into the care of Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity (BARC) in 2023 as an eight-month-old nervous dog but was showing signs of improvement when she was re-homed earlier this year.

However, after six months in her new home, kennels manager Kerry Flood received an anonymous phone call on Christmas Eve saying that Maisie was due to be put down.

Kerry told the Chronicle: “We first got Maisie in 2023 when she was eight months old.

“She’s a very nervous dog and she’s scared to death of certain situations.

“She went into a foster home in April and then was re-homed in June.

“We thought that she was doing really well it was only in October when we were receiving videos and photos saying she’d been coming on well.”

So, for everyone at BARC who knew Maisie, it came as a shock when it was revealed that she was due to be put down at 3pm - an hour before Kerry managed to rescue her.

“At 2pm we were informed that Maisie was due to be put to sleep at 3pm,” she added.

“We then rang her adoptee who confirmed this was the case.

“We immediately took action to retrieve Maisie from the adoptee and took her back into our care.

“When questioned, her adoptee claimed Maisie had behavioural problems, was lunging at strangers, pulling on her lead and was reactive towards other dogs bearing in mind they were fully aware of her issues that needed working on and had agreed to commit to.

“Since she’s been with these people it seems as though she’s been put into situations she doesn’t like.

“It’s like we’re back to square one now.”

Maisie is now back in the care of the charity and there’s hope that she will be re-homed in the near future.

Kerry added: “We offer full rescue back-up.

“It is stated in our contract when adopting an animal from BARC that if care can no longer be provided the animal must be returned back to us.

“Under no circumstances should adoptees take the decision to euthanise without contacting us first.

“It is our decision, not theirs.

“Poor Maisie did not deserve this and is now looking for another home.

“We’ve reassessed her and she’s not half as bad as what has been said.

“We’re looking for someone who has experience with the breed, with no children or pets and someone who is around to help her.”

Anyone who can help should get in touch with the charity online.