A little dog who was found dumped in a plastic bag, covered in petrol and left for dead, will be the canine guest of honour at an open day for a veterinary surgery whose staff saved her life.
Little Tiny’s torturous ordeal captured the hearts of workers at Acorn Veterinary Centre in West Kirby, who described it as ‘one of the worst cases of animal abuse’ they had ever seen.
The petrified pup was discovered dumped in a bag behind a Winsford pub shortly before Christmas 2014.
Shivering, mite ridden, and with barely any hair, the Jack Russell/Chihuahua cross was brought to West Kirby vet, Tom McGowan, who works for Willows Veterinary Group which runs the Acorn surgery.
At the time he was also working at the group’s Winsford surgery in the centre of the town and Tom saved Tiny’s life. He then enlisting the help and trusted care of Acorn’s auxiliary veterinary nurse, Rachel Charnley, who took her home for Christmas to foster her and the rest is history.
Fast forward four years and now the pint-sized pooch is thriving with her new family which now includes Rachel’s baby boy, Eli.
The cute canine will be the guest of honour at Acorn’s open day on October 14 to celebrate its recent major refurbishment.
Rachel, from Irby said: “When Tiny was first brought in to Winsford, she was in a really bad way, they couldn’t even tell what breed she was and she was close to having to be put to sleep.
“But thankfully, Tom gave her a chance and she started to pick up.
“He asked if I would take her in and my intention was to foster her over Christmas, but as soon as I got her home, I knew I wouldn’t be able to part with her.
“Her recovery took around a year but she quickly settled in.
“She’s very much part of the family now and even though she’s such a small dog, she’s got a really big personality.
“She even attracts attention when she sits in the bottom of Eli’s pram when we’re out for walks because she gets tired with having such little legs.
“She loves meeting other dogs so I’m sure she’ll have a great time being guest of honour at the open day to celebrate our amazing new practice.”
The open day, which takes place on October 14 from 11am until 4pm, aims to showcase the centre’s amazing transformation.
It will see fun for all the family including charity stalls, face painting, glitter tattoos, a photo booth, displays and a quiz.
Branch manager, Rhiannon Mansell said: “The open day is a great opportunity for us to showcase what we have on offer here at our fantastic facility which allows us to improve patient care and strive to the highest possible standards.
“It is a good chance for pet owners to come and ask questions and see behind the scenes and how we work.
“Tiny has overseen the whole building process and hopefully it meets her approval.
“She’s been with us every step of the way, she’s the little mascot of the practice and very much part of the Acorn family.”