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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Nia Dalton

Dog with backwards leg gets adopted after being tied up for so long he couldn't move

When Jack was found laying in a gutter in Egypt, his legs had been tied behind his back and he was covered in cuts and bruises.

There was no hair on his body - only sores - and he'd been left for dead. Without any access to food or water, all of his bones were visible.

A cat charity discovered him "hours away from death" on the streets, and took him to a dog rescue shelter, where vets stabilised him.

A rehabilitation centre in Wales, Friends of Animals, were determined to transport him to the UK and fundraised enough money to cover his specialist care.

Charity volunteer, Niki Roe, from Berkshire, said: "Jack's legs were fused to his back because they had been tied there for so long."

One paw will always be backwards (Niki Roe)
Niki fell in love with Jack (Niki Roe)

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Jack was taken in by specialist vet, Scarlet Aflalo, who repaired one of his damaged legs to give him some mobility.

Then a year and a half ago, he moved in with foster carer Niki.

Jack's front right leg still faces backwards, but the team have made the decision not to amputate it as he isn't in any pain.

"Jack has now completely finished surgery but is still doing physio therapy. He is almost able to stand, but one leg is the opposite way," Niki said.

His previous trauma means Jack is a shy dog (Niki Roe)

The Labrador cross loves being in the water and Niki says it completely relaxes him, "almost like meditation".

"He was starved to death so now he is very food driven and will eat anything," she added.

Jack shuffles instead of walks and is learning how to use a doggy wheelchair - much to his dismay.

As well as being a foster carer, Niki is also a dog behaviourist from Pukka Pups and has worked on overcoming Jack's trauma.

He is learning to use a wheelchair (Niki Roe)

"When you first meet Jack, he is timid and shy and seems scared of the world. But the minute he sees you with other dogs, or gets a good feel for you, he's a happy and cheeky chap," Niki said.

Niki went on to officially adopt Jack and add him to her family of six adopted rescue dogs.

"By the time he'd conquered his fears, I'd fallen in love with him. Our bond became so strong," she said.

Jack was awarded Rescue Animal of the Year 2021 (Niki Roe)

"I'm a useless foster carer because I fall in love with all of them," Niki chuckled.

Last month, Jack won Rescue Animal of the Year at the Animal Star Awards 2021.

He celebrated his victory with a lap of the park in his buggy and some homemade doggy treats.

"It's a lovely award and quite a few people voted for him," Niki said. "I was in shock when he was announced the winner."

Do you have a dog story to tell? Contact nia.dalton@reachplc.com.

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