A little puppy has finally found a loving new home – despite his wonky legs.
Aptly-named Bentley, a seven-month-old Staffie-cross, was handed in to an animal rescue centre after a lack of nutrition or over exercise left him bow-legged.
Caring staff at the Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary at Edenfield, Lancs, quickly used splints and bandages to try and mend his damaged limbs.
But the adorable pooch caught the eye of Andy Dooley, 40, and his partner Lorraine Gunshon, 44, after the couple fell in love with Bentley and his wonky pins.
Vets are not sure if the dog’s deformity is down to poor diet or his own over-exertion with a previous owner.
Andy, of Salford, Mancs., said: “We have been waiting for six long weeks to get Bentley home – and we’re over the moon.
“He needs specialist care and treatment – but his legs are looking much better and they are almost straight.
“We need to keep the bandages on for another month or so and then we hope he will be good as new.”
Andy and Lorraine are both nurses and have been caring for their one-year-old Staffie-cross called Louie who was run over and needed rehab on a badly broken leg in November 2015.
Lorraine had been visiting Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary with Louie so staff could see how he was getting on.
But staff convinced Lorraine to get a friend for Louie, and one day when she was visiting, one of the team told her: ‘We’ve got another dog for Louie to play with’.
The couple then waited for six weeks to see how Louie was around Bentley until they were finally allowed to have their new dog home on Sunday (July 24).
Andy, who has already seen improvement in Bentley in just a week, said: “With my girlfriend going up there every week she kept seeing Bentley in his early recovery stages.
“Even though he has really crooked legs we fell in love with him as soon as we all met him for the first time.
“He’s a brilliant dog and his disability has not stopped him being such a happy pup.
“The sanctuary had really looked after him and it wasn’t fair on him to be kept there throughout all his young life so we couldn’t wait to get him back home.”
Speaking about the daily routine of caring for Bentley, Andy said: “We put splints on Bentley everyday and it gets a bit sore and we have to put bandages on.
“But he’s ‘a chewer’ so I put a cone on his head to stop him tearing at it.”
The couple are keeping the pair of dogs apart to not aggravate Bentley’s healing process – but Andy says both Bentley and Louie have already become the best of friends.
Because Bentley is so young he needs the splints to help strengthen the ‘soft’ cartilage in his legs which has become manipulated and warped – giving him bow legs.
Lorraine said: “We’d like to thanks Sally and Caz at Bleakholt who have looked after Bentley so far on his recovery journey.
“They’ve been taking great care of Bentley and always ask how Louie is doing since we got him last year.”
Stuart Murray, operations manager at the Manchester-based sanctuary, said: “We have been monitoring Bentley closely throughout his time at Bleakholt – but he had already won over the staff at Bleakholt.
“We aren’t sure if Bentley’s condition will deteriorate and will be prone to accidents.
“But Andy and Lorraine have taken in another one of our dogs who still has intensive treatment for wonky legs – so they know how to look after dogs like Bentley.”
To re-home a dog visit: www.bleakholt.org.
