British woman rescues St Bernard dog from Cyprus

PA

A British woman has rescued a St Bernard dog from a pound in Cyprus after seeing a picture of him posted on Facebook by an animal charity.

The Daily Express reports that it took barmaid Natalie Luckhurst, 21, just three months to raise over £1,000 to rescue the dog and organise the necessary health checks and passport so that he could be flown to the UK.

The dog, which she has named Basil, was kept chained up with little food and no exercise. As a result, he weighed just 100lbs - two thirds of his healthy weight. In addition, lack of exercise had caused severe muscle wastage, which meant that he couldn't even sit properly.

The newspaper reports that Basil had been kept in a pound in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, due to confusion about who he belonged to.

The Cyprus Animal Liberation Front and Cyprus Voice For Animals then began an internet campaign to lobby for his freedom - and that's what caught Natalie's attention.

She told the Daily Mail: "It cost all that money for flights, food, vet fees and his crate but it was worth every penny.

"It only took just over two months from when I first saw him to organise everything and get him over to the UK."

She says: "As far as I can make out, he escaped from his home and was picked up and then trapped by a dog warden at his pound.

"My mum has St Bernards so I'm used to their size. Basil's been eating really well and he's getting to where he should be. I'm just delighted."

Natalie says: "It was so strange when I met him at the airport. I wasn't sure what his behaviour or temperament would be like. But I'm so lucky, because he's the best dog I've ever met. He's so friendly."

Basil has now been in the UK for two weeks and and has settled in well at his new home in Grimsby. According to the Daily Express, he's getting back to health by munching through £60 of food every month.

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