An unfortunate stray dog has ended up breaking the hearts of social media users, after allegedly going more than 900 days without being adopted.

The dog, which is currently being looked after by carers at the Destitute Animal Shelter in Bolton, in Lancashire, England, is an eight-year-old lurcher named Sam. Sam has been living at the shelter since 2017, and the staff really want someone to give him a loving home.

This week, the shelter uploaded several adorable pictures of the unlucky pooch to their official Facebook page, accompanied by the caption: "Sam is a great dog, he is fun and makes you laugh. He is playful and loving and can be quite lazy as well."

They added: "He will need to be the only pet in the home and kept on a lead when on a walk as he will chase small furies as he is a retired working dog and we know he is not good around small furies (cats, rabbits, small dogs etc.) He is obsessed with [teddy bears] and likes [to] rip them up to see what's inside. He is fine with children [sic]."

A number of Facebook users, stricken by Sam's plight, took to the comments to express their sympathy. One person wrote: "I hope someone takes him in soon, no dog should have to wait this long to find their forever home."

Meanwhile, someone else chimed in: "He’s gorgeous if we were closer and didn’t have 3 already we’d be seriously considering adopting him." Another said: "I just saw this on Facebook in the USA and shared it for my friends in the UK. Praying he finds a forever home. He is such a cutie. ❤️ Please keep us posted on him."

Sam's original owner allegedly passed away in 2017, and there have been several attempts to rehouse him since then. But despite the fact that Sam is a friendly dog with a gentle nature, circumstances have sadly conspired to keep him from finding a family or an owner to love and care for him.

Lurchers are not a pure breed, and are typically a cross between a sighthound and a working dog breed, such as a Collie, or other kinds of sheepdog. The dogs often make excellent pets, although their temperament can vary depending on the character of their parents.

So if you'd like to adopt Sam, or one of the many other animals at the shelter, please don't hesitate to visit their Facebook page and message them.

An unfortunate stray dog has ended up breaking the hearts of social media users, after allegedly going more than 900 days without being adopted.

The dog, which is currently being looked after by carers at the Destitute Animal Shelter in Bolton, in Lancashire, England, is an eight-year-old lurcher named Sam. Sam has been living at the shelter since 2017, and the staff really want someone to give him a loving home.

This week, the shelter uploaded several adorable pictures of the unlucky pooch to their official Facebook page, accompanied by the caption: "Sam is a great dog, he is fun and makes you laugh. He is playful and loving and can be quite lazy as well."

They added: "He will need to be the only pet in the home and kept on a lead when on a walk as he will chase small furies as he is a retired working dog and we know he is not good around small furies (cats, rabbits, small dogs etc.) He is obsessed with [teddy bears] and likes [to] rip them up to see what's inside. He is fine with children [sic]."

A number of Facebook users, stricken by Sam's plight, took to the comments to express their sympathy. One person wrote: "I hope someone takes him in soon, no dog should have to wait this long to find their forever home."

Meanwhile, someone else chimed in: "He’s gorgeous if we were closer and didn’t have 3 already we’d be seriously considering adopting him." Another said: "I just saw this on Facebook in the USA and shared it for my friends in the UK. Praying he finds a forever home. He is such a cutie. ❤️ Please keep us posted on him."

Sam's original owner allegedly passed away in 2017, and there have been several attempts to rehouse him since then. But despite the fact that Sam is a friendly dog with a gentle nature, circumstances have sadly conspired to keep him from finding a family or an owner to love and care for him.

Lurchers are not a pure breed, and are typically a cross between a sighthound and a working dog breed, such as a Collie, or other kinds of sheepdog. The dogs often make excellent pets, although their temperament can vary depending on the character of their parents.

So if you'd like to adopt Sam, or one of the many other animals at the shelter, please don't hesitate to visit their Facebook page and message them.