A dog that faced being put down after being hit by a car has been saved by a rescue centre - after his owners could not afford a sky-high vets bill.
Staff at Thornberry Animal Sanctuary stepped in when the owners of Catahoula Leopard Dog crossbreed Zeus appealed for help to raise the cash. Zeus, five, suffered a clean break to his back left leg after breaking free from a garden where he was being kept for up to 13 hours a day while his owner worked.
He was rushed to a vet but his owners faced the prospect of having to end his life as they had "no means" to pay more than £1,000 to amputate his leg. The centre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, said they worked with the vet to reduce the charge for his treatment before taking him into their care where he is now recovering.
A spokesperson for the centre said: "The owner called all local rescues asking for help. We saw a post on Facebook stating that Zeus potentially was going to be be put to sleep and we knew we couldn't let that happen." Zeus had been left to roam around his garden during the weekdays while his owners were away at work.
The excitable mutt had broke loose on two previous occasions before he was struck by a car on the third time he escaped the garden. A spokesperson from Thornberry Animal Sanctuary said: "He was being left in the garden whilst his owner was out at work for up to 13 hours a day. He is a clever boy and managed to escape not once but three times!! Unfortunately for Zeus it was third time unlucky and he was hit by a car.
"His back leg had a clean break and he was taken to the vet for immediate attention. His owners had no means of paying for his treatment and not qualifying for help from the PDSA, they recognised that Zeus deserved a better life than they could offer him."
When they later shared the tale of his plight on social media, pet lovers donated enough money to cover the outstanding bill. But staff at Thornberry Animal Sanctuary still need to find over £1,000 to cover the cost of ongoing treatment. And they are now looking to find a forever home for Zeus.
Visit the Thornberry Animal Sanctuary website to find out more.