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Our mascot – Floyd

Floyd, a dumped, disabled puppy who was given hope and a new life at our sanctuary is the charity’s brave mascot and hero.

In 2018 a cowering and shivering puppy was spotted in a roadside bush by a Rainham dog walker.

Taken to a local vet, the dumped puppy was found to be in a very bad way; he was severely malnourished, extremely matted and covered in fleas and lice.

Unfortunately, there was something more seriously wrong with him: when he walked, he couldn’t straighten up his back and dragged his back legs behind him.

Although the puppy may have been born deformed, a vet at Wigmore Veterinary Centre thought he had been confined in a very small space or cage for some considerable time. The cruel restriction of movement together with malnourishment had taken its toll on this poodle-cross.

After treating, feeding, and cleaning him, the vet estimated his age to be about five months and named him Floyd.

The vet asked Natasha McPhee and Dee Potter of the Animals Lost and Found in Kent rescue group if they could take care of him.

Natasha and Dee went to see Floyd and found this small, sad-looking skin-and-bone puppy with his head bowed down, afraid to look up at anyone.

Natasha and Dee had to teach him to eat from a bowl and to accept their love and cuddles rather than being frightened of any contact.

The vet told Natasha and Dee that Floyd only had 50% movement in his back legs and with possible future surgery, he may achieve 80% movement.

At Anim-Mates we have long respected the outstanding work carried out by Natasha and Dee. They work tirelessly reuniting lost pets and rescue a large number of abandoned animals.

On hearing of Floyd’s predicament, Anim-Mates offered to give Floyd a permanent home at our sanctuary and to provide all future treatments he needed.

Floyd soon settled and enjoyed living and playing with the other rescue dogs at the sanctuary.

Floyd’s first operation saw his back-left femur (thigh bone) shortened, his tibia (shin bone) realigned and a new partial knee cap put in place.

The specialist vet who operated on Floyd said it was one of the most challenging cases he had come across and was very pleased with how it went.

Sometime later Floyd underwent a second successful major operation to correct his back-right deformed leg.

To build up muscle and strength in his legs Floyd had regular hydrotherapy and physiotherapy sessions.

Today Floyd continues to be a typical mischievous, but happy lad who can run and walk like his fellow dogs.