A dog that was being abused by its owner was rescued by the RSPCA after a neighbour alerted the authorities.
Benny, a ten-year-old Bull Mastiff, was rescued from a house in Wirral after a neighbour recorded footage of him being abused by his owner.
The full story is set to appear on Channel Five's The Dog Rescuers show, which goes out at 7pm tonight.
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RSPCA investigator Anthony Joynes, who organised the rescue, found that Benny was initially very nervous . Vets found scarring on his legs and pressure sores from lying on hard ground.
Anthony said: “Benny was seized by police from a house in the Wirral after a neighbour captured video of him being tormented by his owner and reported it to the RSPCA.
“The man was using intimidation and abuse to apparently show Benny who was ‘head of the pack’. All of the aggression was directed towards the dog. That dog would have been in his kennel shaking and fretting through pure fear.”
Benny was later rehomed by Luis Estrada and Sophie Eleanor, from Manchester.
Sophie said: “Benny has settled in brilliantly now and is a very happy dog. In fact, he may be too happy. Vets had to amputate his tail recently because he injured it by wagging so much.
“He enjoys his daily walks and really enjoys swimming. He certainly doesn’t behave his age.”
The couple spotted him online and fell in love with his description.
Sophie added. “We went to visit him and fell in love with him. He was quite nervous when he first came here. He was anxious and wary; he didn’t know if he could trust us or not. But with time and patience he’s more settled. It’s been really rewarding to see him become so happy.”
