'I wanted to rescue a dog nobody else wanted, then he ended up rescuing me'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

When Nathaniel Whiles first set foot in Manchester Dogs Home, he was in a dark place. Little did he know that he was about to meet his "soulmate".

Nathaniel had never had a dog before but wanted to give one a loving home. "I had always wanted to rescue a dog," said Nathaniel, 28, from Oldham. "I wanted to get one that nobody wanted." On a visit to the rescue centre, in Harpurhey, Nathaniel met Floki, a large Presa Canario and Dutch Shepherd mix, who had spent the last eight months in kennels.

Since he was found on the streets, the rescue centre had little information about his past. He had already been rehomed and returned to kennels twice because of his size.

After several visits to Manchester Dogs Home, Nathaniel adopted Floki in December 2022. Two years on, they have just celebrated their third Christmas together. "I saw Floki and thought he was absolutely brilliant," Nathaniel said. "It was almost like a soulmate, we just got on straight away.