Content note: this story includes images of a puppy with a severe skin condition.
No one knows how long Dobby had been there. When a runner spotted him in the undergrowth, the young Doberman was alone, shivering and terrified. His skin was so badly damaged that the vet who first saw him feared he wouldn’t make it.
Found by chance
On 6 March, a runner was out along Morton Road in Clay Cross, Derbyshire, when they noticed something in the bushes.
It was a puppy. Dobby had been dumped there and left alone.
“It was purely by chance that Dobby was spotted by the runner,” said RSPCA Inspector Pam Bird, who investigated the incident. “He was cowering in bushes and was clearly terrified.”
The puppy was shivering and frightened. He also had a horrific skin condition that had left bald patches all over his body and face.
A vet who feared the worst
The runner didn’t walk away. They rushed Dobby straight to a vet.
The news there wasn’t good. Because of how severe his skin issues were, and an injury to his tail, the vet feared Dobby would not make it.
“We are so thankful that the member of the public helped get him to safety at a vets,” Inspector Bird said. “It’s heartbreaking to think how long he had been left abandoned for.”
Treatment and a hard decision
The team at Medivet in Alfreton began treating him. Dobby was put on medication for his skin.
His injured tail couldn’t be saved, and it was amputated.
“The staff at Medivet in Alfreton did an amazing job looking after him,” Inspector Bird said.
After treatment, Dobby was taken into the care of the RSPCA’s Chesterfield branch. The RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital also played a part in his recovery.
Eight weeks of care
What followed was eight weeks of TLC.
Slowly, Dobby’s skin began to heal. And by the end of those eight weeks, the puppy who had been found cowering in the bushes had made a full recovery.
“He’s made such a fantastic recovery and looks like a completely different dog to the one I saw at the vets in the days after he was dumped,” Inspector Bird said. “He deserves a second chance at happiness.”
Steph McCawley, from the RSPCA Chesterfield branch, said everyone fell for him.
“Dobby is such a lovely dog and everyone has fallen in love with him. We knew he would be adopted quickly,” she said.
“The difference between how he was when he was first rescued to now is astounding, you wouldn’t believe he is the same dog.”
A new family, and a new dog sibling
Steph was right. Dobby didn’t wait long.
On Wednesday 22 May, he went to his new forever home in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, with Josie and Scott Overton. He also gained a new dog sibling, Georgie.
Josie, a vet nurse, said he fitted in right away.
“It already feels like he has been here forever,” she said.
“He looked in a terrible way when he was first rescued, he wasn’t in a good way at all but he is such a different dog now. We fell in love with him straight away.”
A completely different dog
Before and after photos show just how far Dobby has come. Around two months after he was rescued, he looks like a completely different dog.
For the RSPCA Chesterfield branch, his story is proof of what is possible.
“Dobby’s life was turned around thanks to the Medivet in Alfreton, and our friends at the RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital – and we’re so proud to be able to help with his journey,” Steph said.
“It goes to show that it is possible for animals who suffer from cruelty to neglect to have happy endings – and it is so heartwarming.”
Still no answers
One question remains. Despite an appeal for information, no one has come forward about who dumped Dobby in the bushes.
Anyone with information can contact the RSPCA’s appeals line on 0300 123 8018, quoting reference 1232239.
A second chance
Dobby was found alone, shivering and terrified. One runner stopped, and a chain of people took it from there: vets, RSPCA staff, an inspector, and finally a family.
Now he has a home, a dog sibling named Georgie, and people who fell in love with him straight away. ❤️
Story retold from public reporting. Credit: Mirror / RSPCA / SWNS (https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/abandoned-puppy-found-cowering-bushes-32887489). Photos are reference only; usage rights are pending and images will appear only once permission is granted.
Images in this article are illustrative recreations made for this story, not photographs of the dog.
