Rescue shelter saves injured dog from being put down after it is run over and owners unable to pay vet bills

A dog has had a close shave with death TWICE after being hit by a car and then almost put down due to expensive vet fees.

Thornberry Animal Sanctuary, based in North Anston, near Sheffield, has shared a sad story about how one dog has entered into their care after losing one of his legs.

Despite being aged only five years old, kennel staff say Zeus has ‘really been through the mill’. 

At his previous home, the Catahoula leopard dog crossbreed had been left out in the garden for up to 13 hours a day while his owner was at work.

The clever boy ended up becoming a well-known escape artist after running away three times. But unfortunately on the third occasion, Zeus was hit by a car which resulted in a broken back left leg.

To make matters worse, his owners were unable to pay for his treatment at the vets. In a desperate last plea for help, the owners called multiple animal rescues, including Thornberry, to take in their dog and to cover the vet bills. 

Get the latest headlines delivered straight to your inbox, with The Star’s free emails While Thornberry initially said they could not financially support Zeus, they admitted: “We just couldn’t get Zeus off our mind.

“We saw a post on Facebook stating that Zeus potentially was going to be put to sleep and we knew we couldn’t let that happen!”

Thornberry made the decision to take Zeus and his medical fees on. The young dog has since had his leg removed which is ‘healing nicely’. The vet helped to reduce the overall bills for the charity, but the team still had to appeal to the public for help in raising £1,000. In just three days, the charity has received close to £2,000 for Zeus’ care from animal lovers.

Zeus has since been renamed Lorenzo, and he is now available for adoption. 

He is described as “extremely affectionate”, and has adapted well to his three-legged life. He will need to have a family with low leaving hours while he settles, and an easily accessible garden. 

He could live with children aged 12 and above, and he should be the only pet in the home, though he is good with other dogs while out and about.

To find out more, or to register your interested in taking this boy home, please visit: https://www.thornberryanimalsanctuary.org/