Charlie needs our help - update

We carried news of this story just before Christmas. I saw the photo for the first time today and was very shocked. This poor dog has been through so much but has at last found a kind home. Can we all help them put him back together?

Here's the full story as told to Karen Redpath, Dogs Today's Deputy Editor. We're putting his story in the next magazine, but the sooner we can get his story told the quicker this can be resolved.

A stray dog who appeared in a Glasgow family's garden last November needs extensive veterinary treatment for some horrific injuries.

After the dog's third nightly visit, Scott Campbell, from Penilee, took him in to give him a clean, as he looked filthy. However, when he got the dog inside. he realised that it was dried blood rather than dirt on his coat. The dog's eyes were also very red and looked painful.

At first Scott thought the dog had been in a fight and took him straight to a vet for treatment. The dog was scanned for a chip but none was found, so the Campbell family decided to take responsibility for him and named him Charlie.

The vet was very concerned about the state of Charlie's eyes, but, at that time, his skin didn't look too bad. It was several days later when Charlie's skin started falling off in chunks, that the vet suspected that his skin and eyes were burned by a chemical.

"It could be that he was burned deliberately or he could have picked up a chemical from the nearby industrial estate," said Scott. "We've been walking him around, but no one has recognised him."

Charlie, who is thought to be about two years old, has had daily appointments at the vet for intensive steroid treatment and he may have to lose one of his eyes.

Despite his ordeal, Charlie has become a wonderful pet and is especially good with the Campbells' two young children. Scott said, "He has such a great nature and is a real soldier."

Although the Campbells are on benefits, they have managed to pay £220 towards Charlie's treatment, but the vet estimates the final bill is likely to be another £550. The Blue Cross and Tailwaggers have donated £100 each to help pay Charlie's bill, but the remaining £350 is still to be found.

If you would like to make a donation to go towards Charlie's vet bills, please send  a cheque to Tailwaggers (or donate online via JustGiving - see the Box to the right). Once enough funds have been raised, any further donations will go to help other worthy Tailwaggers cases.

Tailwaggers Club Trust is not just another dog and cat charity. It helps needy pet owners in meeting the cost of unexpected vet bills as a result of financial hardship or a consequence of bad luck.

For cat and dog owners who have nowhere else to turn, it can make the difference between life and death for a much-loved pet.

To make a donation by post, please send a cheque (made payable to 'Tailwaggers Club Trust') to The Secretary, Tailwaggers Club Trust, PO Box 1008, Maidenbower, Crawley, RH10 7PY and mark your envelope "Charlie appeal".

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