‘Miracle’ saves pet dog from being put to sleep

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A pet dog was just days away from being put down for being a ‘danger breed’ when a ‘miracle’ happened.

Toby - a type of pit bull terrier - came under threat when he arrived at a London rescue centre as a stray.

But a Horsham woman soon stepped in to help.

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Enquiries revealed Toby was a registered ‘Section 1’ dog - identified by police as a breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

A 'miracle' saved Toby from being put downA 'miracle' saved Toby from being put down
A 'miracle' saved Toby from being put down

His previous owner was traced but could no longer take care of him because of poor health.

Allie Green, who lives in Horsham and runs Draconian Dogs Act - a group that supports owners and keepers of prohibited types of dogs - arranged for Toby to be collected.

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She said: “I would legally have 30 days to try and place him in a new home. If I wasn’t successful, on the 31st day, Toby would have to be destroyed as the law only allows 30 days away from the registered owner.

“It was a real long shot to find a suitable home.

“Toby’s owner loved him but she was very poorly and was struggling to take care of him.

“She explained that he was incredibly friendly but, due to her health, she couldn’t take good care of him and she was happy for me to try to find him a new keeper.”

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Toby went to live temporarily with Allie at her Horsham home along with her five other dogs - including two registered exempted pit bull terrier types - and her four children.

She said: “He adored everyone and every dog he met. Everyone who met him loved him.”

A couple of weeks later, Toby found a new home - but was attacked by his new owner’s other dog.

He was badly hurt and had to be rushed to the vets.

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“As a registered pit bull terrier type, Toby had to be muzzled at all times in public, including in the car.

“There are no exemptions to this so even though he was badly hurt we had to muzzle him. To try and protect his face we stuck sanitary towels around his bloodied muzzle.

“He was badly hurt, he had been through a lot that day and now we had to put a muzzle on him. Despite the pain, he didn’t react once. He licked us as we covered his wounds. He’s such a gentle soul.”

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Toby needed 15 stitches and returned home again to Horsham with Allie - who now had just two weeks left to find him a new keeper.

“Time was running out,” Allie said. “Just three days before his last day I rang the vets to book him in to be put to sleep.

“I was heartbroken; they were heartbroken; even my mum stopped talking to me.

“But, that night, we had a miracle.”

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Gareth Millson, from Oxfordshire, heard of Toby’s plight and got in touch - and Toby is now living happily with him following a legal battle to transfer ‘keepership’, a legal requirement for pitbull type dogs.

“After hearing Toby’s story it didn’t take long for me to make the decision to take him; there was no way I could allow him to be put to sleep,” said Gareth.

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