Tadcaster: Emaciated dog found on Christmas Day 'lucky to be alive'

A severely emaciated dog dumped in North Yorkshire on Christmas Day is lucky to be alive, RSPCA officials say.

Rosie, a seven-year-old lurcher, was discovered in a hedgerow at Spen Common Lane near Tadcaster early on Christmas morning by a member of the public.

She was found collapsed and barely responsive, and had clearly been left to die, the charity said.

The RSPCA appealed to anyone with information about Rosie to get in touch with them.

RSPCA animal rescue officer James Dack said: "Rosie was sniffed out by the member of the public's own dog.

"She was extremely fortunate to be discovered as it was a quiet country lane and there were very few people around.

"She had a number of sporadic wounds all over her body and an infection in one of her hind legs which, thankfully, seems to be responding to treatment," he said.

"We're not sure how long she had been lying there - possibly overnight - but I think she may have succumbed to her injuries and the cold had she not been found.

"She had clearly been dumped and left to die," he added.

Since being found, Rosie has received around-the-clock care and was said to be making encouraging progress.

In an appeal for information, the charity said Rosie was microchipped to an address in Nottinghamshire, but was sold to someone in the Wales/Shropshire area about four years ago.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].