A dog stolen from an RSPCA kennels has been found badly injured and severely emaciated.
Alfie, a lurcher, was stolen from the RSPCA Southridge Animal Centre at The Ridge near Potters Bar and was found a week later lying injured beside the A1 near Welwyn.
He was picked up and immediately taken to a vet where he was given pain relief before being transferred to a vet local to the animal centre.
Centre manager Anna White said: ‘Since he has been stolen from us he has been completely neglected. He is totally emaciated - he is just skin and bones. Alfie also had a broken leg and vets think he had been dragging himself around with his broken leg for several days before he was found.’
His back leg was broken in two places but staff at Wood Street Veterinary Hospital in Barnet managed to save the leg and have carried out some of the treatment free of charge to the RSPCA.
Anna added: ‘I’m so grateful to Wood Street Vets for removing some of our financial worries from the equation. The cost of this operation would have put a large strain on our veterinary funds.
Now that we have Alfie back we need to undo all the harm that has been done to him as he has been emotionally affected by his ordeal and we can only guess at the horrors that he has been exposed to.’
The animal centre is now looking for a new home for Alfie. Anna said: ‘We are looking for a very understanding family who will continue to help him recover from both his mental and physical injuries. He would need an adult environment without any other animals – just peace and quiet to aid his recovery.’