The strength and determination of animals is always inspiring to us, and Jerry was no different when he came to us in a shocking state.

Not long ago we welcomed 18 small dogs into our care from the local inspectorate team, including three year old Chihuahua Jerry. From the moment we saw him, we knew something was severely wrong. Jerry had deformed back legs and a very painful ulcer on his left eye. We knew he didn't have the strength for kennels and needed to be closely monitored so he went into a foster home the same day he came to us.

After a few visits with our local vet, he was sedated to be x-rayed and the results showed that surgery was his only option. Jerry has Bilateral Grade 4 Luxating Patella's which have been allowed to get worse over time in his short life. He's on treatment for his eye, which is improving and is on pain relief for his legs so for now, he's at least comfortable.

(You can see from these x-rays that Jerry's hip joints are deformed and in the wrong place and his knee joints are completely worn and loose)

Jerry now has a long road ahead of him where he needs surgery on both of his hind legs and months of physio to ensure that his surgery is as successful as possible. Our vet bill for Jerry is likely to exceed £2,000 but this will at least cover his initial surgery.

Jerry will stay in his foster home throughout his surgery and be given every chance possible of having a happy and comfortable life. Jerry is just one example of the animals we take it. It doesn't matter what they're medical needs are, if there's a chance they can be saved, then we'll take that chance!