A dog who was near death when she was picked up by RSPCA officers has made a remarkable recovery and is now heading to a loving home.
Penny, a saluki, was weak, starving and dehydrated when she was found collapsed, dumped on a heap of rubbish in East Tilbury earlier this year.
Now the 18-month-old saluki is happy, healthy (and rather spoiled!) in her loving new home.
Penny was found in East Tilbury, Essex, on 2 June by chance by two men after their vehicle broke down and they waited for help to arrive.
They spotted the skinny dog curled up amongst the rubbish and called the RSPCA.
Inspector Rebecca Benson rushed to the scene and took Penny straight to the vets.
She couldn’t stand and could barely lift her head. The charity launched an investigation and Penny was taken in by Danaher Animal Home, in Braintree, for much-needed care and treatment.
Just under two months later, Penny had a special trip to London to appear on ITV’s This Morning with Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford in a bid to find her the paw-fect home.
And within a few weeks, Gordon Oxley and his wife Carol made the long drive from County Durham to Essex to meet the pooch.
Gordon said: “We saw Penny online and read her description. She looked lovely and we went to see her.”
It was love at first sight for the retired couple who had been searching for the right dog for some time.
Gordon added: “We feel we have been really lucky because she has settled in really well. She’s everything we could want.”
The couple began walking friends’ dogs when they retired a year ago and soon decided they’d like to welcome their own four-legged friend into their home.
After spotting Penny online and having a successful meet, the sweet saluki went off to her new home on Saturday (12 August).
She’s already befriended a local whippet and her new owners are hoping to take her on holiday to France next summer.
“Apart from a few accidents she has been clean in the house and has taken to sleeping in her cage.
"We thought a crate would give her somewhere secure to go to and she has her meals in there and sleeps in there at night.
“We have access to a nice, fenced field so she can have a run off-lead, she can definitely move! She is quite happy to come to us to a whistle.”
The lucky pooch now enjoys long morning walks and spends her afternoons sleeping in the sun in the couple’s conservatory or lazing in the garden.
Danaher manager Deborah Satchell said: “Penny’s story is a real rags to riches tale but if any dog deserves a life of pampering it’s this sweet girl.
“She was in such a state when she first arrived at the RSPCA so it’s absolutely wonderful to see her settled and safe in her new home – she’ll never be left thirsty or hungry again.”
To rehome an RSPCA rescue dog, please visit the website: www.rspca.org.uk/findapet to find your paw-fect match.
To help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in desperate need of care please visit: www.rspca.org.uk/give or text LOVE to 87023 to give £3 (Text costs £3 + one standard network rate message).
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