Strictly Come Dancing star Karen Hauer has revealed how she saved a dog that had been 'left for dead at the side of a road'. The pro dancer is passionate about pooches and owns several rescues herself, and she recently spoke out about how important her pets are in her life.
She found one of her four dogs, Phoebe, at the side of a road one day after she had been run over by a car at just six weeks old, resulting in her losing a leg. Speaking to the Express, Karen said: "You know, she's been through so much. She has three legs. She was run over by a car when she was only six weeks old.
"[She was] just left to die on the side of the road, and to come back and you know, have surgery and be fully abled... "She's resilient and incredible and has shown me so much about just being in kick*** but at the same time being so loving and just strong."
Karen has teamed up with PetPlan's Pet Awards to help people in the UK showcase their amazing pets and how they've helped them through the tough times.
She said: "We have five amazing categories that you can nominate your pet for. And they're hero, survivor pet of the year, best friend, performer, rescue dog...
"I mean, it's just amazing to be able to be a part of something so special and something that means so much to me as well. And I nominated my Phoebe as Survivor Pet of the Year."
Speaking about how some people may even prefer having their pet as company compared to humans, Karen laughed: "There's no talk-back, there's only barks!
"It's just one of those things where you feel that unconditional love and you feel that support and mentally, physically - mentally for me, it has been absolutely incredible having my dogs, especially when I've been on my at my lowest.
"And just having them around and taking them for a walk and having them kind of push me on, you know.
"[They're] Like, 'Hey, get up, get up and take me out or let me out,' and that kind of forces you to kind of get up and do something for them because they already naturally do so much.
"And just having them around and taking them for a walk and having them kind of push me on, you know."
According to Petplan, new research has highlighted just how reliant Brits are on the emotional support of their pets.
Almost three-quarters of those surveyed claimed that their pets had helped them pull through the toughest times in their lives.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here.
