Mum tells her side

Hi, my name is Margaret and I am Charlies mum.

When we were told about her, the cruel treatment and conditions she was receiving and being kept in, we went straight to the address we were given.

When we saw the state she was in, obviously distressed and in pitiful condition, we could no sooner have left her there than flown to the moon.

The expression on her face as she looked at us cannot be described, and when we reached her she could not get close enough to us. Our minds had been made up the minute we saw her and soon my son was taking her away from that hell hole.

I stayed to get her medical certificate then quietly spoke to some of the neighbours about her. The things they told me about what had been done to that little girl made my blood boil. I have to admit I was angry that they had stood by and done nothing, but I was told that, had they tried, they would have suffered the consequences.

We took her home and she settled in immediately. Not once did she pine for her previous owners, the bond between the three of us was instantaneous.

We had to start the inoculations again as she had only received one at twelve weeks. She also had a thorough medical check up and was given medication to help improve the condition of her claws, which broke and split easily.

She was starved, so we had to feed her little and often until she was used to being fed regularly.

We encountered terrible behavioral problems with her at the beginning. She was terrified of strangers, especially heavy set men wearing baseball caps. She viewed all dogs as potential danger and reacted accordingly, "stay away or I fight".

It took almost two years to work our way through those two problems and, coupled with the health issues, it made for a very difficult time. She worked very hard to regain her trust, but she got there, bless her, turning in to a very lovable dog.

To begin with I hoped it was lack of muscle tone which made her hips ache, so walks were short and regular. Following the incident when she chased the deer, it became obvious it was a lot more. X-rays confirmed Dysplasia in both hips, the right more advanced than the left.

My vet confirmed it was partly due to lack of nutrition and also the abuse when her back legs were pulled through the bars of the cage while her bones were still soft.

She was started on a course of injections to stimulate growth of the cartilage and ligaments in the joints, in an effort to strengthen them and reduce the symptoms. They were working, but as we were moving, I had to find a new vet to continue the treatment.

We did, but from the word go I did not like him much, neither did Charlie. The day he hurt her was the last straw. My son was furious and acted out of pure instinct to protect her. He was told in no uncertain terms exactly what we thought of him before we left.

Her new vet was brilliant and I only wish I had found him first. He was always gentle and very caring. In fact, we were there so often he grew very fond of her, as did the nurses.

The day she was attacked was a nightmare. She was in such agony it was heartbreaking. The vet was very gentle in his exam, but even so it hurt her. He gave her a morphine injection and stopped the bleeding from the ripped claws. Every day for two weeks she had injections and antibiotics.

She didn't recover from that attack and, after x-rays, it was decided the right hip would have to be replaced.

We took her to a Veterinary Hospital in Devizes, a four hour journey away. My brother-in-law drove us there in his people mover so that, with the seats down, she could have a flat bed in the back and I could stay beside her.

The nurses filled me in on how she had been when everything was going on without me there. I felt awful, but it had been for her own good.

When she recovered so well it was wonderful. She thoroughly enjoyed herself and had great fun exploring etc.

The day we saw the rogue Boxer which had attacked her coming at us, I was determined he was getting nowhere near her. The first kick was not hard, but when he came again I kicked as hard as I could.

His owner was furious, but when I asked him if he really wanted to end up in court again (I had sued them for the cost of the initial treatment following the attack), he backed off. A few weeks later I heard that animal had attacked two more dogs and had been destroyed.

When Charlies left hip needed replacing, it was doubly upsetting. Another operation, more upset for her.

She bounced back stronger than ever though. During the second recovery period she was a little madam, wanting to do things before she was ready! Boy did I have my hands full.

She had been doing so well, despite developing IBS, still managing to tear claws periodically and giving us a nasty scare when she got kidney problems, so when she developed osteoarthritis in her shoulders it devastated us. After all she had endured and overcome, it seemed so unfair.

My vet said she could have the shoulders replaced, but at her age I didn't think it would be fair on her. Apart from the risks with her kidneys if she had an anaesthetic, there was the fact that the disease would probably attack her elbows and knuckles too.

Various treatments, including a repeat of the course of injections, failed to make a significant, lasting difference. In desperation I bought a Bio-Flow collar. She had one previously, before the first hip replacement, and it had been extremely beneficial. Although it helps a little, even that is not helping to any great extent now.

So now we take each day as it comes. It is easy to see when she is having a bad day, and we respond accordingly. She still has injections every two weeks and medication three times a day.

As she told you, we have her pal Amy to stay for a few hours three days a week to give her some company. The picture shows how much they love each other!

Charlie has given us far more than we can ever repay. She is the most wonderful companion, protector and friend a person could wish for.

We will always do our best for her.