RSPCA helps abandoned dog with emergency treatment

The Shih Tzu, named Morris by rescuers, was barely breathing and looked like a ‘pile of rags’ as his fur was severely matted when he was discovered by the side of a waterway in Greater Manchester.

A walker who first spotted Morris near the Ashton Canal, at Portland Basin, in Ashton-under-Lyme, on Friday, March 25 and confused him with a pile of discarded fabrics before realising he was actually a “terrified” dog.

The walker carried Morris home to recuperate and then took him to a nearby vet who reported the dog to the RSPCA.

Morris was rescued and had the fur, which stopped him from moving, cut off (Image: SWNS)

Staff at the charity then shaved off 1.3kg of matted fur that had stopped Morris from moving which led them to finding out he was blind.

After spending a few months with the RSPCA, pensioner Josephine Newhall, 82, fell in love with Morris and adopted him.

He now has the run of her bungalow, where he has found a girlfriend in the form of her daughter’s dog, a Lhasa apso called Ruby.

Josephine, of Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester said: “Morris is a beautiful little dog and enjoys snuggling up to me on the settee.

“He is great company and when you think where he has come from it is a miracle he is still here.

“We knew he was blind when we took him in. But I have the perfect home for him and he can get in and out of the garden very easily so it is no problem for him.

“I have also found out he is deaf too - but he doesn’t let these disabilities hold him back at all.

“He loves playing with his tennis ball and loves Ruby to visit but she can be boisterous for him sometimes so he will let her know.

"They are really good friends and it has helped his confidence.”

Morris is now happy in his new home and loves playing with his tennis ball (Image: SWNS)

She added: “The RSPCA did a fantastic job in rescuing and rehabilitating him and I am glad he has the happy ending he deserves."

Inspector Ryan King received a call about Morris’ condition and rushed him to the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital for emergency treatment.

He said: “When the man who found Morris first came across him he was laying next to a bench near the canal.

"As he wasn’t moving he thought the poor pet was already dead.

“On closer inspection, he realised he was breathing but his fur was so heavy and matted he appeared unable to move and he was obviously terrified.

“Vets at the animal hospital later found he was blind in one eye with glaucoma and had very little sight due to cataracts.

“So it is not surprising he would have been too terrified to move from where he was abandoned.

"Sadly the vets did all they could to save the eye with cataracts but it later had to be removed.

“Staff had to shave off 1.3 kilograms of matted fur - which was 10% of his overall body weight - as this was preventing him from moving and causing him suffering.

“Then he began to feel more comfortable and soon went on to make an amazing transformation at the branch."

Ryan said he was thrilled when he found out that Morris had been rehomed by a loving family.

He added: “I am delighted to see him settled in a new home loving life.

“It makes my job so worthwhile and this is why we need people to support our Cancel Out Cruelty campaign to help rescue and rehome more dogs like Morris.”

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Unfortunately, the RSPCA receives around 91,500 calls to its cruelty line every month and investigates 5,300 reports of deliberate animal cruelty.

However, in the summer, calls rise to 133,000 a month which is three every minute.

Dermot Murphy, RSPCA inspectorate commissioner, said: “Right now, animal cruelty is happening in England and Wales on a massive scale and rising.

“Each year, it reaches its terrible annual peak in the summer months – when an animal is beaten on average every hour of every day.

“The cost-of-living crisis also means the cost of rescuing animals is at an all-time high and our vital services are stretched to the limit.”