A horse rescued from a housing estate is settling into his new, greener home in the north-east.
Elvis was handed over to the Scottish SPCA after being found in a housing scheme when his owner could no longer take care of him.
The 10-year-old was taken to the charity’s animal rescue and rehoming centre at Drumoak – one of only two in Scotland that cares for horses.
Now, Elvis has settled into his new home with one of the charity’s own helpline advisers Lynsey McAlonie.
Elvis’s story is being highlighted as part of National Pet Month, which aims to celebrate and raises awareness of responsible pet ownership.
A loving home
Ms McAlonie and her two daughters took Elvis in nearly two years ago, using her 36-year experience with horses to nurture him.
Before joining the charity, she was a groom and riding instructor so knew only too well the work it would take to develop his trust.
She not only gave Elvis a home but also a new friend as he now lives with Joker the pony.
She said: “Although Elvis is calm and level headed, it took him a long time to trust us.
“His coping mechanism, if he was upset or anxious, was to just shut down.
“After being with us for a year, we restarted Elvis’ education as we’re unsure how much, if any, ridden work he had done.
“We soon discovered that Elvis was in discomfort and since then he has been having ongoing vet treatment.
“The vets are hopeful that Elvis will make full recovery but it is just going to take time and lots of rehabilitation.
“Elvis loves being out in a field, just getting to be a horse. He loves playing with his brother Joker, often resulting in their rugs being torn.”
She added: “He really thrives on routine, and his favourite treat of all time is mints. He will lick his lips for ages after to show his appreciation.
“No matter what his ridden future brings Elvis will have a loving home for life with us.”
Those interested in rehoming an animal should visit the Scottish SPCA’s website: www.scottishspca.org/rehome/rehome
Horse in a house
In 2016, pensioner Stephanie Noble took Western Isles Council to court, challenging the move of her horse, Grey Lady Too from her house on Lewis.
The council seized the horse from the semi-detached property at Back in 2014, on welfare grounds.
Ms Noble moved Grey Lady Too into her home on Christmas Eve 2012 claiming there was nowhere suitable to keep her.
She had challenged the legal premise on which the action was taken as, she argued, it had been living in the house for two years without a problem and, she insisted, was well taken care of.
The legal challenge was raised at Stornoway Sheriff Court in 2016 on the grounds that the council acted beyond the boundaries of animal welfare legislation.
In March 2018, Sheriff David Sutherland upheld the council’s actions in protecting the welfare of the horse, ruling it could be sold.