A disabled dog has found a loving forever home after vets almost put him to sleep.
The four-year-old stray dog named Caramel was found on the streets of Romania last summer, caught in an animal trap with a missing paw and damaged leg.
Sharon Love, 48, based in Poole, Dorset, runs Love4Dogs Rescue and couldn't leave Caramel to die.
She transported him to the UK and later realised that he wasn't as recovered as she'd hoped.
"Every vet told us to put him to sleep but we were adamant he wasn't in any pain," Sharon told The Mirror.
After months of travel, fundraising and sheer hope, Caramel has now been adopted by his foster carer and lives healthily and happily with other disabled dogs.
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Sharon first heard about Caramel last summer, when her friend spotted him injured and laying on the ground in a Romanian village.
"Everyone was walking past and ignoring him," Sharon said. "She rescued him and took him to a clinic where he spent three months."
The poor dog had surgery to fit rods in his leg, then Sharon transported him to the UK to find him a permanent home.
Only, when he arrived, she realised the rods in his leg had moved.
"Lots of vets wanted to put him to sleep because they said it was cruel," Sharon explained.
"At Love4Dogs we believe all animals deserve a second chance and we refused to give up on Caramel, no matter the cost."
Sharon got in touch with a small rescue shelter in Holland, ran by a lady named Norma, who knew a vet that would be able to treat him overseas.
Caramel was transported to Holland and on January 17, he finally had surgery to remove the broken rods and amputate his leg.
"He was so happy to see his foster mum when he came round from the operation and recovered safely by her side," Sharon said.
Norma "fell in love" with Caramel and couldn't bear to send him back to the UK - so she adopted him.
"She has a lot of disabled dogs at home and we knew it was the best place for him," Sharon said.
"He's been a really lucky dog in so many ways. If we'd listened to the vets, he'd be dead now. I'm so pleased he's living a happy life."
Caramel is currently waiting for a prosthetic on his front leg, which Sharon is committed to pay and has set up a JustGiving fundraiser for anyone who would like to help.
"Caramel lives life just like any other dog. He does a little dance on his back legs when he gets excited to see people," Sharon said.
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