Dog found emaciated and wounded two years ago in Birmingham finds home for Christmas
A 12-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier who was found in a terrible condition two years ago in Birmingham has found a permanent home in time for Christmas.
Rookie was rescued by the RSPCA in August 2022 after concerns were raised by vets about his welfare when his owner failed to turn up for an appointment.
The first vets who treated Rookie recommended he was euthanised because of concerns for his welfare. However, RSPCA staff fought to keep him alive.
RSPCA Inspector Kate Levesley, who investigated the case, said: “He was prescribed medication which had run out when his owner failed to bring him back in for treatment and they raised the alarm as they were concerned for his welfare and felt he’d likely be suffering.
“Rookie came into our care and was admitted to our Birmingham Animal Hospital as he needed urgent veterinary treatment. The original vets who saw him had recommended he was euthanised but, thankfully, with round-the-clock care, our team managed to alleviate his suffering and help him start to recover.”
Rookie caught ringworm and had to be kept in the hospital’s isolation unit for a couple of months where he became really popular with all of the nurses, who nicknamed him ‘Sir Rookie’.
He was moved into the RSPCA’s Birmingham Animal Centre a week before Christmas, and the team managed to find him a foster home while his case was investigated - he moved in with his new family in March 2023.
In August 2024, he was rushed back into the animal hospital for emergency surgery to have his spleen and a mass removed.
Birmingham Kennel Supervisor Kelly Legg said: “We all feared the worst for poor Rookie and he stayed with us for some time to recover. The day after his surgery he was signed over by his previous owner and he then started to recuperate.
“Being able to call his fosterers to tell them he was on the road to recovery and could go home, and that he’d never have to go back to his previous owner was one of the best calls I’d made in a long time!
Kelly continued: “The good luck continued because just a week later we had the news that his test results showed the tumour had been benign.
“He’s now been formally adopted by his fosterers and have been so dedicated to his care and love him so much. It’s a really happy ending after such a rollercoaster for poor Rookie.”
Now aged 12, Rookie is facing his first proper Christmas in a loving new home.
Malcolm Britton, 78, and his wife Brenda, 76, from Halesowen, said: “We fostered Rookie for 16 months before finally adopting him and think the absolute world of him. He has settled in so well and we’ve created a really strong bond.
“He enjoys two walks every day and has made many doggie friends; the ladies particularly seem to like him! He’s very friendly and can be a bit of a playboy!
“Rookie is really sociable and has lots of admirers when we’re out and about locally. Everybody loves him and we feel so lucky that he’s now ours and is such an important part of our family.
“He’s totally spoiled and has definitely taken over our lives - but we wouldn’t have it any other way. And after everything he’s been through, he deserves it.”
In fact, he’s so spoiled that in honour of his regal-sounding name, his new owners have had his own flag made which they now fly in their garden.
Over the Christmas period, the RSPCA receives more than 25,000 reports of animal suffering – including more than 700 on Christmas Day.
As it approaches the midst of the festive season, the RSCPA said: "We must work together to make it a happy Christmas for every kind."
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