By Cara Sulieman
AN ELDERLY dog which narrowly missed being run over by a lorry after being heartlessly dumped at the side of the road refused to budge for rescuers – hoping its owners would come back.
A passing motorist spotted the dog – dubbed Doris – just two miles from the Scottish SPCA rehoming centre in Mellerstain in the Scottish Borders.
She was seen wandering worriedly up and down the side of the road between Gordon and Greenlaw, dodging cars and barking as she waited for her owner to come back.
At first, the loyal pooch refused to get into the Good Samaritan’s car.
But she was eventually coaxed into the warm and taken to the charity’s centre where she was checked over.
“Poor old guy”
The 10-year-old crossbred’s teeth were rotting and the Scottish SPCA said it was unlikely she had ever been to a vet.
Centre Manager Debbie Bottomley said: “We strongly suspect that this poor old girl has been dumped.
“The motorist who brought Doris in spotted her in the evening and again in the morning on the same stretch of road.
“She was clearly disorientated and unwilling to move from the place she’d been left, probably in the hope that whoever left her there would come back for her.
“It’s heartbreaking when we receive animals in this way, but it’s becoming all too common, particularly in the run up to Christmas.
“It’s a very sad fact that some people still think it’s acceptable to just turf out their old and loyal pets when they’ve had enough of them.
“Horrible ordeal”
“Although Doris is in reasonable body condition, her teeth are absolutely terrible and it’s unlikely that they’ve ever been seen by a vet.
“We’ll have her thoroughly checked over before she’s made available for rehoming.
“Doris deserves to find a loving home where she can recover from this horrible ordeal and live out her golden years in comfort.”
The charity appealed for anyone with information about Doris to contact them.
They warned that anyone caught abandoning an animal faces a £5,000 fine, six months in prison or both.
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