A TWO-YEAR-OLD Lurcher found living as a stray is looking for a home after being taken in by a Taunton shelter.

Piper has "grown in confidence" since being looked after at St Giles Animal Welfare, and is now ready to find her forever family in a cat-free home.

St Giles Animal Welfare said in a post: "Gorgeous girl Piper is a 1-2 year old Lurcher who has sadly made her way to us as a stray.

"She was quite timid on arrival and didn't like being handled too much, however, her confidence has grown since being with us and she now loves a cuddle!"

Piper is "still quite nervous" on a lead and her new owner will need to continue lead training to "increase her confidence", St Giles said.

As a "very cuddly and friendly girl", Piper would "benefit from someone who is around a lot of the time", and would need to "work up to being left alone for longer periods of time".

The shelter added: "She is a calm-natured girl who loves spending time and playing with the staff in our enrichment area and will be straight over for a cuddle on the sofas."

Piper is currently being assessed to see if she can live with other dogs, but staff at the centre believe she "wouldn't cope with a dog with high energy" due to her timid nature, but may be able to live with a calmer one.

As a Lurcher, St Giles staff recommend that Piper is not homed with cats or small animals.

St Giles staff said they've not seen any "reactive behaviour" from Piper.

They believe she will be able to live with children 12+, but aren't certain of her reaction to children.

The shelter states: "Due to being a stray, we do not know what she is like with children, but Piper does have a very sweet, calming temperament and would probably be able to live with children over 12+ years of age."

Piper is 14.5kg and eats a mixture of dry complete and meat three times a day.

A spokesperson for St Giles said: "We are currently looking for people to sponsor kennels and pens to help us on a monthly basis to keep the welfare going.

"Without local support with donations, cash and food, we simply could not continue. Like most animal rescues we are doing a massive job with limited funds."