An emaciated dog who was abandoned on Christmas Day in North Yorkshire was in such an appalling state she was lucky to be found alive.
Rosie, a seven-year-old lurcher, was collapsed and barely responsive when she was discovered hidden in a hedgerow at Spen Common Lane near Tadcaster at about 7.30am on Christmas morning by a member of the public who was out walking her own dog.
Partly hidden from view and covered in a purple antibiotic spray which had been used to try and treat numerous puncture wounds on her body, she was so weak she couldn’t lift her head and had to be carried back to the finder’s house.
She was then rushed for urgent veterinary treatment by RSPCA animal rescue officer James Dack, who was working the Christmas Day shift, after the animal welfare charity was contacted about the incident.
Rosie was immediately put on a drip and has been receiving round-the-clock veterinary care ever since at a 24-hour animal hospital. She is said to be making encouraging progress and there has been a slight improvement in an infection in her rear hind leg, although it’s not known at this stage if the limb will need to be amputated.
The RSPCA, which is funding the cost of Rosie’s care, is appealing for anyone who recognises her or saw what happened to get in touch.
James said: “Rosie was sniffed out by the member of the public’s own dog. She was extremely fortunate to be discovered as it was a quiet country lane and there were very few people around.
She had a number of sporadic wounds all over her body and an infection in one of her hind legs which thankfully seems to be responding to treatment.
“We’re not sure how long she’d been lying there – possibly overnight – but I think she may have succumb to her injuries and the cold had she not been found.
“She had clearly been dumped and left to die. There had been an attempt to treat her wounds with an antiseptic spray, but whoever callously abandoned her has probably thought, ‘she’s injured, she’s on her way out, I’ll just leave her’.
“It was a shocking incident to have to deal with on Christmas Day but it’s why we are out there 365 days a year and it was a pleasure to be able to help Rosie. We’d like to extend our thanks and gratitude to the kind member of the public who stopped to help – without her I think we could have been looking at a different outcome – and to the wonderful veterinary team who have been caring for her since.”
Although Rosie was microchipped to an address in Nottinghamshire, the details were not up-to- date and the RSPCA has been told she was sold to someone in the ‘Wales/Shropshire’ area about four years ago.
Anyone with information about her is urged to contact the RSPCA’s appeals line, in confidence, on 0300 123 8018.
The incident comes at a time when the animal welfare charity is reporting that incidents involving abandoned animals have soared to a shocking three-year high. Already this year, up to the end of November, the RSPCA has received 19,457 incidents, with 1,619 reported last month alone.
This year the animal welfare charity is asking supporters to Join the Christmas Rescue and help its rescue teams who are out on the road this festive season.
