When a Jack Russell just hours from death was rushed into the vets where Hayley Lewis worked, she knew the battered and broken pup was going home with her.
The five-year-old dog was found by bin men, hidden in a box among bags of rubbish on bin day, last August 13.
The poor pup was covered in bite wounds and suffering from shock, likely having been used as a bait dog.
The waste collectors took the near-lifeless dog to Cardiff Dogs Home, who rushed her to Doctor Doolittles, where Hayley worked as a veterinary nurse.
The 28-year-old, from Blackwood, said: “She was freezing cold and had puss pouring out of her wounds. She was absolutely covered in maggots, had bruising all over her chest and we thought she’d need her leg amputating.
“We x-rayed her and couldn’t see anything as the swelling was so bad. But it was on that x-ray table that I fell in love with her and knew she would be coming home with me.”
Hayley had been looking for a small dog for a while, between her work at the vets and a neutering clinic at Cardiff Dogs Home.
She’d fostered dogs previously, and immediately decided to foster the Jack Russell, who she named Beatrix.
Hayley said: “When Bea came in to work I fell in love with her instantly and said I’d foster her and realistically, I knew she wasn’t going anywhere.
“When she was on the x-ray table she was on really strong pain relief drifting in and out of consciousness. She’d look around until she saw me and would then calm down and go back to sleep.
“I just sat with her and said to my colleagues ‘we need to save her. I love this dog’.”
Luckily, Bea made it through the night on strong pain relief and antibiotics, going home with Hayley to recover the following day.
The veterinary nurse said: “My colleagues were worried about me in case she didn't make it. I was very aware from the start that she may not have done.
“I've fostered a lot of animals in my time and they dont always make it, but it doesn't mean you love them any less.”
Cardiff Dogs Home were able to raise £6,000 to fund life-saving surgery to fix a fractured front leg, and damaged ligament in her back leg.
The 28-year-old added: “Along with generous donations from the public, Cardiff Dogs Home raised the money that got her stabilised, saving her life.
“When the cash ran out the dog's home didn’t really know what to do, but I knew I wanted to keep her so asked to adopt her and took on the responsibility of the bills, launching our own fundraiser.”
Beatrix had a lengthy recovery ahead of her, but within weeks she began trying to walk again.
Now, 12 months on, and six years old, she’s a completely different dog to the one who arrived at the vets in a sorry state.
Hayley - who now works for MobiVET - said: “Despite still being in recovery, and having arthritis, Bea is a really active dog and is always getting up to mischief.
“She loves everyone and we’re training her and trying to socialise her with more dogs.
“She probably won’t live as long as a healthy Jack Russell, but I’m going to give her everything I can whilst she’s with me.”
