He is a playful, affectionate and friendly pooch but lonely Charlie is still on the lookout for a new home today.

MARTLESHAM: He is a playful, affectionate and friendly pooch but lonely Charlie is still on the lookout for a new home today.

The two-and-a-half-year-old pure white Staffordshire bull terrier has been charming staff at the RSPCA centre in Martlesham since her arrival in July 2009 - but she has failed to have the same effect on potential owners.

He has watched from his kennel as scores of cheeky, more boisterous, darker-coloured Staffies have been snapped up by new owners and left for their new homes.

His plight has led to staff at the centre making a desperate appeal to help find Charlie a loving family home.

Main carer Sam Boast said she believes the only reason he is still homeless is because he is an all-white Staffie.

“We have had a lot of people looking for Staffies, but they always go for the coloured ones,” Miss Boast said.

“We have had badly behaved Staffies get re-homed before Charlie. I think he is gorgeous looking - we just need someone who can come down and meet him and think he is beautiful too, someone who can see beyond his colouring.

“Generally he is a happy-go-lucky little dog. He would make such a lovely family pet, he would love a busy household, somewhere where he could have a lot of fun with lots of things going on.

“He is great with kids, very well behaved, he doesn't jump up, he loves playing with a tennis ball and could play fetch all day.

“He is very sad at the moment. I go into his kennel in the evening to give him a cuddle and he looks so sad. As much as I will miss him I am desperate for him to find a new loving home.

“It is such a shame that people aren't interested in Charlie as he is a fantastic dog. He just doesn't get the chance to show people his lovely nature and character.”

Rebecca Fox, deputy manager at the centre, added: “Staffies are lovely dogs but people sometimes have fixed ideas about them.

“If they can just see past the undeserved reputation they have gained, they would find fantastic pets who really deserve a second chance at life in a loving home.”

Charlie walks well on the lead and harness and needs a home with children over ten-years-old. Anyone who is interested in Staffies should contact the centre to arrange a meeting. To find out more, call 01473 623280.

Have you adopted a rescue dog? Tell us your story - write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

Filmed nipping at the tails of crocodiles, the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin had a female Staffie named Sui. She was often filmed just inches from her owner as he wrestled alligators.

Movie star Vin Diesel, famous for his role in the Fast and the Furious films among others, is a fan of the breed. He has a male Staffie called Winston.

Comedian and actor Raymond Romano, from the popular hit series Everybody Loves Raymond, owns a caramel-coloured Staffie.